Dataset Information

Task-based functional connectivity in aging: How task and connectivity methodology affect discovery of age effects.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Past studies have found that healthy aging has a significant effect on the organization and function of networks in the human brain. Many of these studies have examined how functional connectivity during one task or at rest is affected by aging; however, few studies have systematically examined how the effect of age on functional connectivity may vary as a function of choice of in-scanner task.

Methods

The present study included healthy adults between the ages of 20 and 80 and examined a variety of metrics of functional connectivity during performance of 11 in-scanner tasks, falling into 4 cognitive domains: vocabulary, processing speed, fluid reasoning, and episodic memory. Functional connectivity was assessed at three levels: average correlations within and between 10 networks, system segregation (sensorimotor vs. association networks), and whole-brain graph theory metrics (global efficiency and modularity).

Results

Results showed that the effect of age on these metrics differed as a function of task-for example, age had a more consistent effect on functional connectivity metrics computed during fluid reasoning tasks; however, there was less of an effect of age on functional connectivity metrics computed during tasks of episodic memory. Further, some of these measures showed relationships with behavioral performance on the in-scanner task, with different networks playing a role in the different cognitive domains.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that while aging may be generally associated with reductions in within- and between-network connectivity, system segregation, global efficiency, and modularity, the magnitude and presence of these effects varies by in-scanner task.

SUBMITTER: Varangis E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7821554 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Task-based functional connectivity in aging: How task and connectivity methodology affect discovery of age effects.

Varangis Eleanna E Habeck Christian G CG Stern Yaakov Y

Brain and behavior 20201118 1

<h4>Introduction</h4>Past studies have found that healthy aging has a significant effect on the organization and function of networks in the human brain. Many of these studies have examined how functional connectivity during one task or at rest is affected by aging; however, few studies have systematically examined how the effect of age on functional connectivity may vary as a function of choice of in-scanner task.<h4>Methods</h4>The present study included healthy adults between the ages of 20 a ...[more]

PMID: 33210446

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Project description:The goal of this work was to examine task-dependent functional connectivity of the brain in people with stroke. The work was motivated by prior observations indicating that, during pedaling, cortical activation volume is lower in people with stroke than controls. During paretic foot tapping, activation volume tends to be higher in people with stroke than controls. This study asked whether these differences could be explained by altered network function of the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine local and global network function of the brain during tapping and pedaling in 15 stroke and 8 control participants. Independent component analysis was used to identify six task regions of interest (ROIs) in the primary sensorimotor cortex (M1S1), anterior lobe of cerebellum (AlCb), and secondary sensory cortex (S2) on the lesioned and non-lesioned sides of the brain (left, right for controls). Global connectivity was calculated as the correlation between mean time series for each ROI. Local connectivity was calculated as the mean correlation between voxels within each ROI. Local efficiency, weighted sum, and clustering coefficient were also calculated. Results suggested that local and global networks of the brain were altered in stroke, but not in the same direction. Detection of both global and local network changes was task-dependent. We found that global network function of the brain was reduced in stroke participants as compared with controls. This effect was detected during pedaling and nonparetic tapping, but not during paretic tapping. Local network function of the brain was elevated in stroke participants during paretic tapping and reduced during pedaling. No between-group differences in local connectivity were seen during nonparetic tapping. Connections involving S2, M1S1, and AlCb were significantly affected. Reduced global connectivity of the brain might contribute to reduced brain activation volume during pedaling poststroke.

Dataset Information

Task-based functional connectivity in aging: How task and connectivity methodology affect discovery of age effects.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Task-based functional connectivity in aging: How task and connectivity methodology affect discovery of age effects.

Similar Datasets

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