Memory-related default-executive coupling across the lifespan and associations with changes in cognitive control
Eirik G Blakstad1, Markus H Sneve1, Didac Vidal-Pineiro1
1Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Imaging Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
|August 8, 2026
Summary
Brain connectivity between the default-mode network (DMN) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dLPFC) changes with age, impacting cognitive control and memory in aging adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Aging Research
Background:
- Episodic memory and cognitive control are known to decline with age.
- The default-executive coupling hypothesis of aging (DECHA) posits increased functional connectivity (FC) between lateral prefrontal areas and the default-mode network (DMN) as a neural correlate of cognitive decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between functional connectivity (FC) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dLPFC) and the default-mode network (DMN) across the lifespan.
- To examine how this dLPFC-DMN FC is associated with age-related changes in cognitive control, specifically inhibition and switching tasks.
Main Methods:
- Utilized fMRI data from a lifespan sample (n=552, ages 6-81) during an episodic memory task.
- Divided participants into a younger group (6-29 years) and an aging group (30-81 years).
- Assessed longitudinal changes in Stroop inhibition/switching task performance over up to 10 years to measure cognitive control.
Main Results:
- Found that dLPFC-DMN connectivity decreased with age in the younger group but increased in the aging group.
- Observed that higher dLPFC-DMN FC in the aging group was associated with slower performance on an inhibition task.
- Noted that while cognitive control declined with memory performance, the specific memory-related dLPFC-DMN FC did not show a significant association.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals age-dependent alterations in dLPFC-DMN functional connectivity.
- Increased dLPFC-DMN connectivity in aging is linked to diminished cognitive control, supporting aspects of the DECHA hypothesis.
- Despite observed cognitive declines, the direct link between memory performance and dLPFC-DMN FC requires further investigation.
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