University of Sussex
Browse
7303.full.pdf (955.61 kB)

Increased prefrontal activity with aging reflects nonspecific neural responses rather than compensation

Download (955.61 kB)
Version 2 2023-06-06, 09:56
Version 1 2023-06-06, 09:42
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-06, 09:56 authored by Alexa MorcomAlexa Morcom, Richard N A Henson
Elevated prefrontal cortex activity is often observed in healthy older adults despite declines in their memory and other cognitive functions. According to one view, this activity reflects a compensatory functional posterior-to-anterior shift, which contributes to maintenance of cognitive performance when posterior cortical function is impaired. Alternatively, the increased prefrontal activity may be less efficient or less specific, owing to structural and neurochemical changes accompanying aging. These accounts are difficult to distinguish on the basis of average activity levels within brain regions. Instead, we used a novel model-based multivariate analysis technique, applied to two independent functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets from an adult-lifespan human sample (N=123 and N=115; approximately half female). Standard analysis replicated the age-related increase in average prefrontal activation, but multivariate tests revealed that this activity did not carry additional information. The results contradict the hypothesis of a compensatory posterior-to-anterior shift. Instead, they suggest that the increased prefrontal activation reflects reduced efficiency or specificity, rather than compensation.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Journal of Neuroscience

ISSN

0270-6474

Publisher

Society for Neuroscience

Issue

33

Volume

38

Page range

7303-7313

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-03-26

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-03-26

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-03-25

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Licence

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC