Brain functional characterization of response-code conflict in dual-tasking and its modulation by age
Lya K Paas Oliveros1,2, Edna C Cieslik1,2, Aleks Pieczykolan3
1Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich 52425, Germany.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|August 4, 2023
Summary
Conflicting response codes in dual-tasking cause interference, especially in older adults. Brain activity in the multiple-demand network is involved, but less affected by age or performance than expected.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Response-code conflicts in dual-tasking lead to interference, particularly in older adults.
- Understanding the neural basis of this conflict and age-related differences is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate brain activity during response-code conflicts in dual-tasking.
- Examine modulations by cognitive abilities and age.
- Analyze task-modulated connectivity within the neural network.
Main Methods:
- fMRI in young and older adults performing a dual-task with conflicting stimulus-response mappings.
- Analysis of brain activation, modulation by cognitive abilities, and network connectivity.
Main Results:
- Response-code conflicts activated the multiple-demand network.
- Thalamic and parietal areas were modulated by cognitive abilities; conflict resolution relied on supplementary motor activity.
- Older adults showed frontal hyperactivity; premotor activity correlated with working memory.
- Connectivity was not conflict- or age-specific.
Conclusions:
- Dual-task response-code conflict heavily recruits the multiple-demand network.
- Network activity and coupling show limited modulation by individual differences or age.
