Work

Age‐Related Low Frequency Amplitude Differences in Resting‐State Blood Oxygenation Level‐Dependent Signal in the Cerebellum

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: There is a growing interest to study cerebellar contributions to aging outside of traditional sensory processing and motor tasks. While cerebellar aging analyses typically utilize functional connectivity (FC) to study functional differences with age, this study aimed to identify a marker of healthy aging based on resting state blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal dynamics in the cerebellum. To do this, we investigated both Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF), semi-quantitative metrics of the strength of the BOLD signal. We found that fALFF is a highly repeatable metric of cerebellar function that demonstrates a significant increase in BOLD signal fluctuations at 0.008-0.1 Hz in cerebellar regions Crus I and II with aging. Furthermore, cerebellar fALFF of these regions was associated with FC to cortical regions across separate scanning sessions. These results highlight age-related differences in spontaneous cerebellar dynamics, particularly in regions tied to the frontal cortex, motivating the use of fALFF as a potential biomarker of healthy aging and motivate the need to incorporate the cerebellum in existing models of brain network changes with age.

Source: Human Brain Mapping

DOI: 10.1002/hbm.70541

Authors: Jessica A. Korte, Christopher J. Steele, Wilsaan M. Joiner, Audrey P. Fan

Institutions: University of California, Davis, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Concordia University

Language: English

Topic: Functional Brain Connectivity Studies

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,520