Linking the impact of aging on visual short-term memory capacity with changes in the structural connectivity of posterior thalamus to occipital cortices.
Neuroimage
; 208: 116440, 2020 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31841682
ABSTRACT
Aging impacts both visual short-term memory (vSTM) capacity and thalamo-cortical connectivity. According to the Neural Theory of Visual Attention, vSTM depends on the structural connectivity between posterior thalamus and visual occipital cortices (PT-OC). We tested whether aging modifies the association between vSTM capacity and PT-OC structural connectivity. To do so, 66 individuals aged 20-77 years were assessed by diffusion-weighted imaging used for probabilistic tractography and performed a psychophysical whole-report task of briefly presented letter arrays, from which vSTM capacity estimates were derived. We found reduced vSTM capacity, and aberrant PT-OC connection probability in aging. Critically, age modified the relationship between vSTM capacity and PT-OC connection probability in younger adults, vSTM capacity was negatively correlated with PT-OC connection probability while in older adults, this association was positive. Furthermore, age modified the microstructure of PT-OC tracts suggesting that the inversion of the association between PT-OC connection probability and vSTM capacity with aging might reflect age-related changes in white-matter properties. Accordingly, our results demonstrate that age-related differences in vSTM capacity links with the microstructure and connectivity of PT-OC tracts.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Atenção
/
Tálamo
/
Percepção Visual
/
Envelhecimento
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Memória de Curto Prazo
/
Rede Nervosa
/
Lobo Occipital
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Neuroimage
Assunto da revista:
DIAGNOSTICO POR IMAGEM
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article