Age-Related Atrophy and Compensatory Neural Networks in Reading Comprehension.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc
; 25(6): 569-582, 2019 07.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31030698
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Despite changes to brain integrity with aging, some functions like basic language processes remain remarkably preserved. One theory for the maintenance of function in light of age-related brain atrophy is the engagement of compensatory brain networks. This study examined age-related changes in the neural networks recruited for simple language comprehension.METHODS:
Sixty-five adults (native English-speaking, right-handed, and cognitively normal) aged 17-85 years underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reading paradigm and structural scanning. The fMRI data were analyzed using independent component analysis to derive brain networks associated with reading comprehension.RESULTS:
Two typical frontotemporal language networks were identified, and these networks remained relatively stable across the wide age range. In contrast, three attention-related networks showed increased activation with increasing age. Furthermore, the increased recruitment of a dorsal attention network was negatively correlated to gray matter thickness in temporal regions, whereas an anterior frontoparietal network was positively correlated to gray matter thickness in insular regions.CONCLUSIONS:
We found evidence that older adults can exert increased effort and recruit additional attentional resources to maintain their reading abilities in light of increased cortical atrophy.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Atenção
/
Envelhecimento
/
Córtex Cerebral
/
Compreensão
/
Idioma
/
Rede Nervosa
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article