Work

The association between control of interference and white-matter integrity: A cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Proactive interference (PI) occurs when old information interferes with newly acquired information and has been suggested as a major cause of forgetting in working memory. In this study, we investigate cross-sectional (N = 267) and longitudinal (N = 148) associations between PI and white-matter integrity (WMI) using diffusion-weighted imaging in an adult life-span sample (25–80 years; Mage = 60.15; 138 female). Older age was related to higher PI and lower WMI. Cross-sectional analyses showed associations between PI and WMI spanning several white-matter tracts as well as globally, suggesting that the age-related decline in PI may be driven primarily by global changes in WMI. Furthermore, longitudinal changes in PI were shown to be negatively correlated with concurrent changes in WMI in the fornix. Mediation analyses showed that WMI mediated the relationship between age and PI only in older adults, indicating that WMI becomes increasingly connected to cognitive functioning with increasing age. This is the first demonstration of WMI decline contributing to the age-related decline in PI.

Source: Neurobiology of Aging

DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.03.002

Authors: Pernilla Andersson, Xin Li, Jonas Persson

Institutions: Örebro University, Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,200