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. 2013 Sep;68(9):1197-205.
doi: 10.6061/clinics/2013(09)04.

Magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological testing in the spectrum of normal aging

Maria Paula Foss  1 , Paula Rejane Beserra Diniz, Paulo Formigheri, Carlos Ernesto Garrido Salmon, José Geraldo Speciali, Antônio Carlos Santos
Affiliations

Magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological testing in the spectrum of normal aging

Maria Paula Foss et al. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2013 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To understand the relationships between brain structures and function (behavior and cognition) in healthy aging.

Method: The study group was composed of 56 healthy elderly subjects who underwent neuropsychological assessment and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Cluster analysis classified the cohort into two groups, one (cluster 1) in which the magnetic resonance imaging metrics were more preserved (mean age: 66.4 years) and another (cluster 2) with less preserved markers of healthy brain tissue (mean age: 75.4 years).

Results: The subjects in cluster 2 (older group) had worse indices of interference in the Stroop test compared with the subjects in cluster 1 (younger group). Therefore, a simple test such as the Stroop test could differentiate groups of younger and older subjects based on magnetic resonance imaging metrics.

Conclusion: These results are in agreement with the inhibitory control hypotheses regarding cognitive aging and may also be important in the interpretation of studies with other clinical groups, such as patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Brain Volumetric Changes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stroop test (z-scores) and MRI.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between Age and RMI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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