"Population-level age effects on the white matter structure subserving cognitive flexibility in the human brain"
Tatiana Wolfe1, Alexandra Gassel1, Maegan L Calvert1
1Dept. of Psychiatry, Brain Imaging Research Center, Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72224.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 9, 2025
Summary
Cognitive flexibility relies on specific white matter tracts that mature with age. Myelin-related properties in these tracts decline in later life, impacting cognitive function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Cognitive flexibility is vital for adapting behavior.
- Neural basis of flexibility is known, but white matter structure and age-related changes are understudied.
- Understanding white matter's role in cognitive flexibility across adulthood is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the relationship between cognitive flexibility and white matter properties in adulthood.
- Examine how these associations change across different life stages and brain tracts.
- Propose a novel framework for studying age effects in brain structure-function associations.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis to identify brain regions linked to cognitive flexibility.
- Human Connectome Project tractography to map associated white matter tracts.
- UK Biobank MRI data analysis for myelin-related features and cohort analysis.
Main Results:
- Cognitive flexibility is associated with specific white matter tracts.
- These tracts show undifferentiated features in early adulthood and differentiated features in later life.
- Myelin-related homogeneity in these tracts declines with age in late life, correlating with cognitive subprocesses.
Conclusions:
- White matter tracts supporting cognitive flexibility undergo age-related differentiation.
- This differentiation is a natural substrate for adaptive cognitive function across the lifespan.
- Findings highlight the dynamic interplay between brain structure, aging, and cognitive flexibility.
Keywords:
Major classification: Biological SciencesMinor classification: NeuroscienceWhite matterbrain structurecognitive flexibilityhuman agingmagnetic resonance imageMore Related Videos
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