Impaired Neurovascular Coupling and Increased Functional Connectivity in the Frontal Cortex Predict Age-Related
Peter Mukli1,2,3,4, Camila B Pinto1,2, Cameron D Owens1,2
1Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1122 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73117, USA.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|December 29, 2023
Summary
Older adults show impaired neurovascular coupling (NVC) and increased brain network connectivity, which predicts cognitive decline in working memory tasks. These changes suggest compensatory mechanisms for age-related cognitive dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cerebrovascular Biology
- Cognitive Aging Research
Background:
- Age-related cognitive decline is linked to cerebrovascular dysfunction.
- Neurovascular coupling (NVC) and brain network function are critical for cognitive performance.
- Understanding these relationships is key to addressing cognitive impairment in aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if impaired NVC and brain network function predict cognitive dysfunction in older adults.
- To compare NVC and functional connectivity (FC) between young and aged individuals during a working memory task.
Main Methods:
- Assessed cerebrovascular and working memory function in healthy young and aged participants.
- Recorded frontal cortex oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin changes using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during an n-back task.
- Analyzed NVC responses and functional connectivity (FC) patterns.
Main Results:
- Aged participants exhibited significantly impaired NVC during the 2-back task.
- Frontal networks in aged individuals showed higher local and global connection strength and dynamic FC.
- Both impaired NVC and increased FC correlated with reduced accuracy in the 2-back task.
Conclusions:
- Task-related brain states in older adults may necessitate stronger functional connections.
- These enhanced connections might compensate for attenuated NVC responses during working memory tasks.
- Findings highlight the interplay between cerebrovascular health, brain networks, and cognitive function in aging.
Keywords:
agingcognitive declinefunctional connectivityfunctional near-infrared spectroscopyneurovascular couplingMore Related Videos
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