Longitudinal stability in working memory and frontal activity in relation to general brain maintenance.
Lars NybergNina KaralijaGoran PapenbergAlireza SalamiMicael AnderssonRobin PedersenTomas ViknerDouglas D GarrettKatrine RiklundAnders WåhlinMartin LövdénUlman LindenbergerLars BäckmanPublished in: Scientific reports (2022)
Cognitive functions are well-preserved for some older individuals, but the underlying brain mechanisms remain disputed. Here, 5-year longitudinal 3-back in-scanner and offline data classified individuals in a healthy older sample (baseline age = 64-68 years) into having stable or declining working-memory (WM). Consistent with a vital role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), WM stability or decline was related to maintained or reduced longitudinal PFC functional responses. Subsequent analyses of imaging markers of general brain maintenance revealed higher levels in the stable WM group on measures of neurotransmission and vascular health. Also, categorical and continuous analyses showed that rate of WM decline was related to global (ventricles) and local (hippocampus) measures of neuronal integrity. Thus, our findings support a role of the PFC as well as general brain maintenance in explaining heterogeneity in longitudinal WM trajectories in aging.
Keyphrases
- working memory
- resting state
- white matter
- cerebral ischemia
- prefrontal cortex
- transcranial direct current stimulation
- functional connectivity
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- cross sectional
- healthcare
- public health
- high resolution
- physical activity
- depressive symptoms
- multiple sclerosis
- middle aged
- blood brain barrier
- magnetic resonance
- community dwelling
- photodynamic therapy
- brain injury
- magnetic resonance imaging
- data analysis