Age- and Episodic Memory-related Differences in Task-based Functional Connectivity in Women and Men

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Aging Research

Background:

• Aging is linked to declines in episodic memory and altered brain functional connectivity.
• Understanding sex differences in these age-related changes is crucial for memory and aging research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sex differences in age- and memory performance-related functional brain connectivity.
• To explore how age and retrieval accuracy correlate with task-related connectivity in healthy adults.

Main Methods:

• Used event-related fMRI in 161 healthy adults (19-76 years) performing a spatial context memory task.
• Applied multivariate whole-brain partial least squares connectivity analysis.
• Examined correlations between age, retrieval accuracy, and task-related connectivity, disaggregated by sex.

Main Results:

• Increased connectivity in the dorsal attention network (DAN) and with frontoparietal/visual networks correlated positively with memory accuracy and negatively with age in both sexes.
• Women showed greater between-network integration related to age and performance.
• Men exhibited increased DAN-default mode network connectivity with age, linked to poorer memory.

Conclusions:

• Neural mechanisms underlying age-related episodic memory decline differ between men and women.
• Findings have significant implications for understanding memory, aging, and developing dementia prevention strategies.