Functional Connectivity in Multiple Cortical Networks Is Associated with Performance Across Cognitive Domains in Older Adults
Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Intrinsic functional connectivity MRI has become a widely used tool for measuring integrity in large-scale cortical networks. This study examined multiple cortical networks using Template-Based Rotation (TBR), a method that applies a priori network and nuisance component templates defined from an independent dataset to test datasets of interest. A priori templates were applied to a test dataset of 276 older adults (ages 65-90) from the Harvard Aging Brain Study to examine the relationship between multiple large-scale cortical networks and cognition. Factor scores derived from neuropsychological tests represented processing speed, executive function, and episodic memory. Resting-state BOLD data were acquired in two 6-min acquisitions on a 3-Tesla scanner and processed with TBR to extract individual-level metrics of network connectivity in multiple cortical networks. All results controlled for data quality metrics, including motion. Connectivity in multiple large-scale cortical networks was positively related to all cognitive domains, with a composite measure of general connectivity positively associated with general cognitive performance. Controlling for the correlations between networks, the frontoparietal control network (FPCN) and executive function demonstrated the only significant association, suggesting specificity in this relationship. Further analyses found that the FPCN mediated the relationships of the other networks with cognition, suggesting that this network may play a central role in understanding individual variation in cognition during aging.
Source: Brain Connectivity
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: Massachusetts General Hospital, Centre d'Imagerie BioMédicale, National Institutes of Health, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Center for Research Resources
Awards: G1185609304, G1360098495, G1778344677, Influence of Age-related Neuropathology on Functional Brain Networks, G2080581370, G393103480, Mentoring Imaging Research in Early AD, Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Center for Functional Imaging Technologies, A Storage Area Network for Structural and Functional Image Analysis, Neural Processes Underlying Cognitive Aging, G9000121663, G9000200654, G9000208643, Impact of Amyloid and Tau on the Aging Brain: The Harvard Aging Brain Study, Silicon Graphics Prism Extreme 128P/1TB
OpenAlex ID: W2022740476