Decreasing integration within face network and segregation beyond the face network in the aging brain.
Tianying Qing1,2,3, Jing Chen1,2,3, Licheng Xue4
1Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang, China.
Psych Journal
|May 22, 2022
Summary
Older adults show reduced connectivity within face processing brain networks and increased connectivity with other brain regions. These changes in functional connectivity are linked to declines in face and symbol processing abilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Brain Networks
Background:
- Face processing abilities decline with age.
- The specific brain network alterations underlying this decline are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the neural correlates of age-related face processing decline using resting-state functional connectivity (FC).
- Examine alterations within and between face networks in older adults compared to younger adults.
- Associate these FC changes with behavioral performance in face and symbol processing tasks.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 19 healthy older adults and 22 young adults.
- Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for resting-state and localizer scans.
- Conducted behavioral tests for face matching and symbol-form matching.
Main Results:
- Older adults showed decreased FC within face-selective regions (e.g., fusiform face area, occipital face area).
- Older adults exhibited increased FC between face-selective and non-face-selective regions.
- Age-related FC alterations correlated with behavioral performance in both face and symbol-form processing.
Conclusions:
- Age-related declines in face processing are associated with reduced integration within the face network and increased segregation with other brain networks.
- Findings provide evidence for a neural basis of cognitive aging in face processing from an intrinsic brain network perspective.
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