Structure-function dynamics in healthy cognitive aging: a graph signal processing approach
Clément Guichet1, Sophie Achard2, Martial Mermillod1
1Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS LPNC UMR 5105, 1251 Avenue Centrale, 38000, Grenoble Cedex 09, France.
Brain Structure & Function
|June 13, 2026
Summary
Healthy brain aging involves shifts in how structure and function connect. Sensorimotor integration helps maintain cognitive control and semantic skills, especially into older adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Network Science
Background:
- Network neuroscience studies brain connectivity changes in aging.
- Limited studies integrate structural, functional, and cognitive data across the lifespan.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how structural connectivity constrains functional brain signals across the adult lifespan.
- Examine age-related changes in structure-function relationships within cognitive systems.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed resting-state fMRI and diffusion-weighted imaging data from 597 healthy adults (ages 18-88) from the CamCAN dataset.
- Applied a graph signal processing framework to assess structure-function coupling.
Main Results:
- Identified distinct age-related reorganization patterns in control and semantic cognitive systems.
- Found that structurally-coupled sensorimotor integration supports cognitive control until midlife.
- Observed sensorimotor integration aiding semantic processing and lexical skills in older adults.
Conclusions:
- Sensory-driven processes reconfigure the aging brain to support semantic cognition.
- Midlife may involve a shift in brain integrative processing.
- Structure-function coupling dynamics are crucial for understanding healthy neurocognitive aging.
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