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Increased prefrontal activity with aging reflects nonspecific neural responses rather than compensation
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 HensonElevated 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.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Journal of NeuroscienceISSN
0270-6474Publisher
Society for NeuroscienceExternal DOI
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33Volume
38Page range
7303-7313Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
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- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2019-03-26First Open Access (FOA) Date
2019-03-26First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2019-03-25Usage metrics
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