Dataset Information

Anti-saccade performance predicts executive function and brain structure in normal elders.

ABSTRACT: To assess the neuropsychological and anatomical correlates of anti-saccade (AS) task performance in normal elders.The AS task correlates with neuropsychological measures of executive function and frontal lobe volume in neurological diseases, but has not been studied in a well-characterized normal elderly population. Because executive dysfunction can indicate an increased risk for cognitive decline in cognitively normal elders, we hypothesized that AS performance might be a sensitive test of age-related processes that impair cognition.The percentage of correct AS responses was evaluated in 48 normal elderly subjects and associated with neuropsychological test performance using linear regression analysis and gray matter volume measured on magnetic resonance imaging scans using voxel-based morphometry.The percentage of correct AS responses was associated with measures of executive function, including modified trails, design fluency, Stroop inhibition, abstraction, and backward digit span, and correlated with gray matter volume in 2 brain regions involved in inhibitory control: the left inferior frontal junction and the right supplementary eye field. The association of AS correct responses with neuropsychological measures of executive function was strongest in individuals with fewer years of education.The AS task is sensitive to executive dysfunction and frontal lobe structural alterations in normal elders.

SUBMITTER: Mirsky JB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3775477 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Anti-saccade performance predicts executive function and brain structure in normal elders.

Mirsky Jacob B JB Heuer Hilary W HW Jafari Aria A Kramer Joel H JH Schenk Ana K AK Viskontas Indre V IV Miller Bruce L BL Boxer Adam L AL

Cognitive and behavioral neurology : official journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology 20110601 2

<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the neuropsychological and anatomical correlates of anti-saccade (AS) task performance in normal elders.<h4>Background</h4>The AS task correlates with neuropsychological measures of executive function and frontal lobe volume in neurological diseases, but has not been studied in a well-characterized normal elderly population. Because executive dysfunction can indicate an increased risk for cognitive decline in cognitively normal elders, we hypothesized that AS performa ...[more]

PMID: 21697711

Similar Datasets

Project description:Recent work suggests that the brain can be conceptualized as a network comprised of groups of sub-networks or modules. The extent of segregation between modules can be quantified with a modularity metric, where networks with high modularity have dense connections within modules and sparser connections between modules. Previous work has shown that higher modularity predicts greater improvements after cognitive training in patients with traumatic brain injury and in healthy older and young adults. It is not known, however, whether modularity can also predict cognitive gains after a physical exercise intervention. Here, we quantified modularity in older adults (N = 128, mean age = 64.74) who underwent one of the following interventions for 6 months (NCT01472744 on ClinicalTrials.gov): (1) aerobic exercise in the form of brisk walking (Walk), (2) aerobic exercise in the form of brisk walking plus nutritional supplement (Walk+), (3) stretching, strengthening and stability (SSS), or (4) dance instruction. After the intervention, the Walk, Walk+ and SSS groups showed gains in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), with larger effects in both walking groups compared to the SSS and Dance groups. The Walk, Walk+ and SSS groups also improved in executive function (EF) as measured by reasoning, working memory, and task-switching tests. In the Walk, Walk+, and SSS groups that improved in EF, higher baseline modularity was positively related to EF gains, even after controlling for age, in-scanner motion and baseline EF. No relationship between modularity and EF gains was observed in the Dance group, which did not show training-related gains in CRF or EF control. These results are consistent with previous studies demonstrating that individuals with a more modular brain network organization are more responsive to cognitive training. These findings suggest that the predictive power of modularity may be generalizable across interventions aimed to enhance aspects of cognition and that, especially in low-performing individuals, global network properties can capture individual differences in neuroplasticity.

Dataset Information

Anti-saccade performance predicts executive function and brain structure in normal elders.

Publications

Anti-saccade performance predicts executive function and brain structure in normal elders.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets