Age-related changes in brain activity across the adult lifespan

@article{citeulike:560780, abstract = {A number of theories have emerged to explain the well-studied changes in memory that occur with age. Many of these theories invoke mechanisms that have the potential to affect multiple cognitive domains, in addition to memory. Such mechanisms include alterations in attentional or inhibitory function, or dysfunction of specific brain areas, such as the frontal lobes. To gain insight into these mechanisms, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain activity during encoding and recognition tasks in young, middle-aged, and older adults to identify correlations between age and brain activity across the various tasks. The goal was to see whether these correlations were task-specific or common across tasks, and to determine whether age differences emerged in a linear fashion over the adult years. Across all memory tasks, at both encoding and recognition, linear increases of activity with age were found in areas normally decreased during task performance (e.g., medial frontal and parietal regions), whereas activity in regions with task-related activation (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) decreased with age. These results suggest that there is a gradual, age-related reduction in the ability to suspend non-task-related or "default-mode" activity and engage areas for carrying out memory tasks. Such an alteration in the balance between default-mode and task-related activity could account for increased vulnerability to distraction from irrelevant information, and thereby affect multiple cognitive domains.}, author = {Grady, Cl and Springer, M. V. and Hongwanishkul, D. and Mcintosh, A. R. and Winocur, G. }, citeulike-article-id = {560780}, comment = {related to idea that background, "resting" level of the brain is important in cognitive function}, journal = {Journal of cognitive Neuroscience}, keywords = {aging, fmri, memory}, number = {2}, pages = {227--241}, posted-at = {2006-03-23 01:14:07}, priority = {4}, title = {Age-related changes in brain activity across the adult lifespan}, volume = {18}, year = {2006} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:560780 L3 - citeulike-article-id:560780 TI - Age-related changes in brain activity across the adult lifespan JF - Journal of cognitive Neuroscience VL - 18 IS - 2 SP - 227 EP - 241 N2 - A number of theories have emerged to explain the well-studied changes in memory that occur with age. Many of these theories invoke mechanisms that have the potential to affect multiple cognitive domains, in addition to memory. Such mechanisms include alterations in attentional or inhibitory function, or dysfunction of specific brain areas, such as the frontal lobes. To gain insight into these mechanisms, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain activity during encoding and recognition tasks in young, middle-aged, and older adults to identify correlations between age and brain activity across the various tasks. The goal was to see whether these correlations were task-specific or common across tasks, and to determine whether age differences emerged in a linear fashion over the adult years. Across all memory tasks, at both encoding and recognition, linear increases of activity with age were found in areas normally decreased during task performance (e.g., medial frontal and parietal regions), whereas activity in regions with task-related activation (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) decreased with age. These results suggest that there is a gradual, age-related reduction in the ability to suspend non-task-related or "default-mode" activity and engage areas for carrying out memory tasks. Such an alteration in the balance between default-mode and task-related activity could account for increased vulnerability to distraction from irrelevant information, and thereby affect multiple cognitive domains. KW - aging KW - fmri KW - memory N1 - related to idea that background, "resting" level of the brain is important in cognitive function AU - Grady, Cl AU - Springer, MV AU - Hongwanishkul, D AU - Mcintosh, AR AU - Winocur, G PY - 2006/// ER -