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Functional Topography of the Neocortex Predicts Covariation in Complex Cognitive and Basic Motor Abilities
Ethan T Whitman1, Annchen R Knodt1, Maxwell L Elliott2
1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|January 30, 2023
Summary
Motor skills, not hearing, reflect brain network function in midlife. Gait speed may indicate overall nervous system health, linking physical and cognitive aging.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Aging Research
Background:
- Cognitive and sensorimotor abilities are often studied separately, yet evidence suggests they covary, especially with age.
- Clinical assessments of sensory/motor function can predict cognitive decline and dementia risk.
- The neural basis for cognitive-sensorimotor covariation remains largely unexplored.
Approach:
- Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map brain functional topography in 769 45-year-olds.
- Examined how individual differences in motor and hearing abilities relate to neocortical network organization.
- Analyzed variability in common versus distinct neocortical networks.
Key Points:
- Variability in motor ability, specifically gait speed, correlated with individual differences in neocortical network topography.
- Hearing ability did not show the same association with cognitive network topography.
- Motor and cognitive covariation in midlife appears linked to functional convergence in higher-order brain networks.
Conclusions:
- Motor function, particularly gait speed, may serve as an integrated index of nervous system health in midlife.
- Findings suggest shared neural mechanisms underlie motor and cognitive abilities.
- This research provides insights into the brain basis of aging and cognitive decline.
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