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Prefrontal cortex activation patterns in age-related cognitive decline: insights from verbal fluency task
Qiaoxia Zhen1, Ruifeng Sun2, Conglin Han2
1Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Neurology
|February 9, 2026
Summary
Age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) shows reduced prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation during tasks. This reduced PFC activation correlates with lower global cognitive function scores in individuals with ARCD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Gerontology
Background:
- Age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) is a common condition in aging populations.
- Executive function (EF) is particularly vulnerable to decline in ARCD.
- Understanding prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation patterns is crucial for characterizing ARCD subtypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare PFC activation between ARCD patients with and without executive dysfunction (ED) using fNIRS during a verbal fluency task (VFT).
- To investigate correlations between PFC activation, EF impairment severity, and global cognitive function in ARCD.
Main Methods:
- 36 individuals with ARCD were divided into ED (n=18) and non-ED (n=18) groups.
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured PFC activity during a VFT.
- Neuropsychological tests assessed EF, memory, and global cognitive function (e.g., MoCA).
Main Results:
- The ED group was older and had more type 2 diabetes than the non-ED group.
- No significant PFC activation was found in the ED group during VFT.
- Minimal left frontal pole activation was observed in the non-ED group, but differences between groups were not significant after correction.
- PFC activation changes correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores.
Conclusions:
- ARCD is associated with reduced PFC activation during VFT, irrespective of executive dysfunction status.
- fNIRS-measured PFC activation may serve as a potential biomarker for global cognitive decline in ARCD.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the specific role of PFC in different ARCD phenotypes.
Keywords:
age-related cognitive declineexecutive functionfunctional near-infrared spectroscopyprefrontal cortexverbal fluency taskMore Related Videos
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