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. 2008 Sep 26:1232:30-47.
doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.07.060. Epub 2008 Jul 26.

Altered prefrontal function with aging: insights into age-associated performance decline

Anne-Kristin Solbakk  1 , Galit Fuhrmann Alpert, Ansgar J Furst, Laura A Hale, Tatsuhide Oga, Sundari Chetty, Natasha Pickard, Robert T Knight
Affiliations

Altered prefrontal function with aging: insights into age-associated performance decline

Anne-Kristin Solbakk et al. Brain Res. .

Abstract

We examined the effects of aging on visuo-spatial attention. Participants performed a bi-field visual selective attention task consisting of infrequent target and task-irrelevant novel stimuli randomly embedded among repeated standards in either attended or unattended visual fields. Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) responses to the different classes of stimuli were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The older group had slower reaction times to targets, and committed more false alarms but had comparable detection accuracy to young controls. Attended target and novel stimuli activated comparable widely distributed attention networks, including anterior and posterior association cortex, in both groups. The older group had reduced spatial extent of activation in several regions, including prefrontal, basal ganglia, and visual processing areas. In particular, the anterior cingulate and superior frontal gyrus showed more restricted activation in older compared with young adults across all attentional conditions and stimulus categories. The spatial extent of activations correlated with task performance in both age groups, but the regional pattern of association between hemodynamic responses and behavior differed between the groups. Whereas the young subjects relied on posterior regions, the older subjects engaged frontal areas. The results indicate that aging alters the functioning of neural networks subserving visual attention, and that these changes are related to cognitive performance.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Stimulus paradigm in a bi-field selective attention experiment
Figure 2
Figure 2. Attended hemifield hemodynamic responses for anterior ROIs
Spatial extent of hemodynamic responses for anterior ROIs are displayed as a function of age group, stimulus type, and hemisphere for the attended hemifield. For each ROI, an example is shown of one representative T1-weighted slice, but the data were averaged across all slices within an ROI. ROI = region of interest; SFG = superior frontal gyrus; MFG = middle frontal gyrus; IFG = inferior frontal gyrus; ACC = anterior cingulate cortex; Motor = motor cortex.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Unattended hemifield hemodynamic responses for anterior ROIs
Spatial extent of hemodynamic responses for anterior ROIs are displayed as a function of age group, stimulus type, and hemisphere for the unattended hemifield. An example of each ROI is displayed. ROI = region of interest; SFG = superior frontal gyrus; MFG = middle frontal gyrus; IFG = inferior frontal gyrus; ACC = anterior cingulate cortex; Motor = motor cortex.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Attended hemifield hemodynamic responses for posterior ROIs
Spatial extent of hemodynamic responses for posterior ROIs are shown as a function of age group, stimulus type, and hemisphere for the attended hemifield. An example of each ROI is shown. ROI = region of interest; HIP = hippocampus; TPJ = temporal-parietal junction; SPL = superior parietal lobule; FFG = fusiform gyrus; LOG = lateral occipital gyrus.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Unattended hemifield hemodynamic responses for posterior ROIs
Spatial extent of hemodynamic responses for posterior ROIs are shown as a function of age group, stimulus type, and hemisphere for the unattended hemifield. An example of each ROI is displayed. ROI = region of interest; HIP = hippocampus; TPJ = temporal-parietal junction; SPL = superior parietal lobule; FFG = fusiform gyrus; LOG = lateral occipital gyrus.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Attended hemifield hemodynamic responses for deep gray matter ROIs
Spatial extent of hemodynamic responses for posterior ROIs are shown as a function of age group, stimulus type, and hemisphere for the attended hemifield. An example of each ROI is displayed. ROI = region of interest; CAU = caudate; PUT = putamen; THA = thalamus.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Unattended hemifield hemodynamic responses for deep gray matter ROIs
Spatial extent of hemodynamic responses for posterior ROIs are shown as a function of age group, stimulus type, and hemisphere for the unattended hemifield. An example of each ROI is shown. ROI = region of interest; CAU = caudate; PUT = putamen; THA = thalamus.
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