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Walker CS, Li L, Baracchini G, Tremblay-Mercier J, Spreng RN, Geddes MR. Neurobehavioral Mechanisms Influencing the Association Between Generativity, the Desire to Promote Well-Being of Younger Generations, and Purpose in Life in Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2024; 79:gbae060. [PMID: 38623965 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Generativity, the desire and action to improve the well-being of younger generations, is associated with purpose in life among older adults. However, the neurobehavioral factors supporting the relationship between generativity and purpose in life remain unknown. This study aims to identify the functional neuroanatomy of generativity and mechanisms linking generativity with purpose in life in at-risk older adults. METHODS Fifty-eight older adults (mean age = 70.8, SD = 5.03, 45 females) with a family history of Alzheimer's disease (AD) were recruited from the PREVENT-AD cohort. Participants underwent brain imaging and completed questionnaires assessing generativity, social support, and purpose in life. Mediation models examined whether social support mediated the association between generativity and purpose in life. Seed-to-voxel analyses investigated the association between generativity and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and ventral striatum (VS), and whether this rsFC moderated the relationship between generativity and purpose in life. RESULTS Affectionate social support mediated the association between generative desire and purpose in life. Generative desire was associated with rsFC between VS and precuneus, and, vmPFC and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rdlPFC). The vmPFC-rdlPFC rsFC moderated the association between generative desire and purpose in life. DISCUSSION These findings provide insight into how the brain supports complex social behavior and, separately, purpose in life in at-risk aging. Affectionate social support may be a putative target process to enhance purpose in life in older adults. This knowledge contributes to future developments of personalized interventions that promote healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin S Walker
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Linda Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Giulia Baracchini
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Studies in the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, Douglas Mental Health Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jennifer Tremblay-Mercier
- Centre for Studies in the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, Douglas Mental Health Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Studies in the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, Douglas Mental Health Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maiya R Geddes
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Studies in the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, Douglas Mental Health Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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2
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Zhang X, Tremblay P. Aging of Amateur Singers and Non-singers: From Behavior to Resting-state Connectivity. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:2049-2066. [PMID: 37788320 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Healthy aging is associated with extensive changes in brain structure and physiology, with impacts on cognition and communication. The "mental exercise hypothesis" proposes that certain lifestyle factors such as singing-perhaps the most universal and accessible music-making activity-can affect cognitive functioning and reduce cognitive decline in aging, but the neuroplastic mechanisms involved remain unclear. To address this question, we examined the association between age and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in 84 healthy singers and nonsingers in five networks (auditory, speech, language, default mode, and dorsal attention) and its relationship to auditory cognitive aging. Participants underwent cognitive testing and fMRI. Our results show that RSFC is not systematically lower with aging and that connectivity patterns vary between singers and nonsingers. Furthermore, our results show that RSFC of the precuneus in the default mode network was associated with auditory cognition. In these regions, lower RSFC was associated with better auditory cognitive performance for both singers and nonsingers. Our results show, for the first time, that basic brain physiology differs in singers and nonsingers and that some of these differences are associated with cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyue Zhang
- Université Laval, Québec City, Canada
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Pascale Tremblay
- Université Laval, Québec City, Canada
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, Canada
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3
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Zhang J, Andreano JM, Dickerson BC, Touroutoglou A, Barrett LF. Stronger Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode and Salience Networks Is Associated With Youthful Memory in Superaging. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:72-84. [PMID: 31058917 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
"Superagers" are older adults who, despite their advanced age, maintain youthful memory. Previous morphometry studies revealed multiple default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) regions whose cortical thickness is greater in superagers and correlates with memory performance. In this study, we examined the intrinsic functional connectivity within DMN and SN in 41 young (24.5 ± 3.6 years old) and 40 older adults (66.9 ± 5.5 years old). Superaging was defined as youthful performance on a memory recall task, the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan and performed a separate visual-verbal recognition memory task. As predicted, within both DMN and SN, superagers had stronger connectivity compared with typical older adults and similar connectivity compared with young adults. Superagers also performed similarly to young adults and better than typical older adults on the recognition task, demonstrating youthful episodic memory that generalized across memory tasks. Stronger connectivity within each network independently predicted better performance on both the CVLT and recognition task in older adults. Variation in intrinsic connectivity explained unique variance in memory performance, above and beyond youthful neuroanatomy. These results extend our understanding of the neural basis of superaging as a model of successful aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahe Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph M Andreano
- Psychiatric Neuroimaging Division, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Bradford C Dickerson
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA.,Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Alexandra Touroutoglou
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA.,Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.,Psychiatric Neuroimaging Division, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
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4
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Marstaller L, Fynes-Clinton S, Burianová H, Reutens DC. Salience and default-mode network connectivity during threat and safety processing in older adults. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 42:14-23. [PMID: 32936998 PMCID: PMC7721242 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The appropriate assessment of threat and safety is important for decision‐making but might be altered in old age due to neurobiological changes. The literature on threat and safety processing in older adults is sparse and it is unclear how healthy ageing affects the brain's functional networks associated with affective processing. We measured skin conductance responses as an indicator of sympathetic arousal and used functional magnetic resonance imaging and independent component analysis to compare young and older adults' functional connectivity in the default mode (DMN) and salience networks (SN) during a threat conditioning and extinction task. While our results provided evidence for differential threat processing in both groups, they also showed that functional connectivity within the SN – but not the DMN – was weaker during threat processing in older compared to young adults. This reduction of within‐network connectivity was accompanied by an age‐related decrease in low frequency spectral power in the SN and a reduction in inter‐network connectivity between the SN and DMN during threat and safety processing. Similarly, we found that skin conductance responses were generally lower in older compared to young adults. Our results are the first to demonstrate age‐related changes in brain activation during aversive conditioning and suggest that the ability to adaptively filter affective information is reduced in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Marstaller
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK.,Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.,Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Hana Burianová
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK.,Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.,Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - David C Reutens
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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5
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Bowen HJ, Grady CL, Spaniol J. Age differences in the neural response to negative feedback. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2018; 26:463-485. [PMID: 29779433 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2018.1475003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Affective processing is one domain that remains relatively intact in healthy aging. Investigations into the neural responses associated with reward anticipation have revealed that older and younger adults recruit the same midbrain reward regions, but other evidence suggests this recruitment may differ depending on the valence (gain, loss) of the incentive cue. The goal of the current study was to examine functional covariance during gain and loss feedback in younger and healthy older adults. A group of 15 older adults (mean age = 68.5) and 16 younger adults (mean age = 25.4) completed a revised Monetary Incentive Delay task (rMID; Knutson, Westdorp, Kaiser, & Hommer, 2000) while in the fMRI scanner. The rMID is a reaction time task where successful performance, either gaining a reward or avoiding a loss, is defined by hitting a button during the brief presentation of a visual target. Participants receive gain and loss anticipation cues before each trial and feedback after each trial with four possible outcomes: +$5.00, +0.00, -$5.00, and -$0.00. Using seed-voxel partial least squares analyses, with seed voxels in the caudate and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, whole-brain functional covariance revealed that younger and older adults engage the same network of regions to support general feedback processing. However, older adults engaged two additional networks to support processing of negative feedback, gain_miss (+0), loss_miss (-$5), and loss_hit (-0), specifically. These findings are in line with theories of a positivity effect in aging and may have implications for reward-stimulus learning and decision making following performance-contingent negative feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly J Bowen
- a Department of Psychology , Boston College , Chestnut Hill , MA , USA
| | - Cheryl L Grady
- b Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre , Toronto , ON , Canada.,c Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology , University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Julia Spaniol
- d Department of Psychology , Ryerson University , Toronto , ON , Canada
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6
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Memory-related functional connectivity in visual processing regions varies by prior emotional context. Neuroreport 2018; 28:808-813. [PMID: 28723728 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Memory retrieval involves the reactivation of processes that were engaged at encoding. Using a Generalized Linear Model to test for effects of valence, our prior study suggests that memory for information previously encoded in a negative context reengages sensory processing regions at retrieval to a greater extent than positive. Here, we used partial least squares analyses of the same dataset to determine whether this valence-specific processing was one of the dominant patterns in the retrieval data. Trials previously paired with a face revealed a strong pattern of emotion that did not vary by valence, but for trials previously paired with a scene, an extensive network of regions was active during recollection of trials paired with negative content. These same regions were negatively correlated with recollection of trials paired with positive content. These results confirm that, despite no emotional content present during the time of retrieval, strong patterns of emotional study context are present in the data. Moreover, at least for trials paired with scenes at encoding, valence-specific networks are linked to episodic memory recollection, providing further support for recapitulation of sensory processing during recollection of negative emotional information.
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7
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Grady CL, Garrett DD. Brain signal variability is modulated as a function of internal and external demand in younger and older adults. Neuroimage 2018; 169:510-523. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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8
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Trajectories of brain system maturation from childhood to older adulthood: Implications for lifespan cognitive functioning. Neuroimage 2017; 163:125-149. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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9
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Eppinger B, Heekeren HR, Li SC. Age Differences in the Neural Mechanisms of Intertemporal Choice Under Subjective Decision Conflict. Cereb Cortex 2017; 28:3764-3774. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ben Eppinger
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience,Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC, Canada
- PERFORM centre, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Berlin, Germany
| | - Shu-Chen Li
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience,Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden, Germany
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10
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Prehn K, Jumpertz von Schwartzenberg R, Mai K, Zeitz U, Witte AV, Hampel D, Szela AM, Fabian S, Grittner U, Spranger J, Flöel A. Caloric Restriction in Older Adults-Differential Effects of Weight Loss and Reduced Weight on Brain Structure and Function. Cereb Cortex 2017; 27:1765-1778. [PMID: 26838769 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dietary modifications such as caloric restriction (CR) have been suggested as a means to improve memory and prevent age-related decline. However, it is unclear whether those effects remain stable over time or are related specifically to negative energy balance during the weight loss phase of CR. Using a randomized interventional design, we investigated changes in recognition memory and neural correlates in postmenopausal obese women (n = 19): 1) after intense weight loss in the course of a 12-week low-caloric diet (reduced body weight and negative energy balance) and 2) after having sustained the reduced weight over 4 more weeks (reduced body weight, but energy balance equilibrium). Participants were contrasted to a control group (n = 18) instructed not to change dietary habits. In the CR group, we found improved recognition memory, paralleled by increased gray matter volume in inferior frontal gyrus and hippocampus, and augmented hippocampal resting-state functional connectivity to parietal areas. Moreover, effects were specific for transient negative energy balance and could not be detected after subsequent weight maintenance. Our data demonstrate for the first time in humans that beneficial effects of CR on brain structure and function are due to weight loss rather than an overall reduced weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Prehn
- Department of Neurology and NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Reiner Jumpertz von Schwartzenberg
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Experimental and Clinical Research Center and Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Knut Mai
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Experimental and Clinical Research Center and Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Zeitz
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Experimental and Clinical Research Center and Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Veronica Witte
- Department of Neurology and NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Aging and Obesity Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dierk Hampel
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Experimental and Clinical Research Center and Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna-Maria Szela
- Department of Neurology and NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sonja Fabian
- Department of Neurology and NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Grittner
- Department of Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Stroke Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joachim Spranger
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Experimental and Clinical Research Center and Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Department of Neurology and NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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11
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Pievani M, Pini L, Ferrari C, Pizzini FB, Boscolo Galazzo I, Cobelli C, Cotelli M, Manenti R, Frisoni GB. Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis of the Default Mode and Salience Network for Target Identification in Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Networks. J Alzheimers Dis 2017; 57:825-843. [DOI: 10.3233/jad-161105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michela Pievani
- Laboratory Alzheimer’s Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio – Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Pini
- Laboratory Alzheimer’s Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio – Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Clarissa Ferrari
- Statistics Service, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio – Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Francesca B. Pizzini
- Neuroradiology, Department of Diagnostics and Pathology, Verona University Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Cobelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio – Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Maria Cotelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio – Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Rosa Manenti
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio – Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giovanni B. Frisoni
- Laboratory Alzheimer’s Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio – Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
- University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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12
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Zhu X, Wu H, Yang S, Gu R. The influence of self-construal type on outcome evaluation: Evidence from event-related potentials. Int J Psychophysiol 2016; 112:64-69. [PMID: 28017638 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2016] [Revised: 12/10/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed a close relationship between the self and reward networks. One of our previous studies has found that outcome evaluation (including the processing of reward and punishment) is modulated by self-reflection. A question remaining unclear is how different types of self-construal influence outcome evaluation. Self-construal refers to the way in which people perceive themselves to be linked (or not) with other people. Two subtypes of self-construal have been identified: independent self and interdependent self. In the present study, 27 normal adults read essays that contained independent or interdependent pronouns (i.e., I or we) and then performed a gambling task while brain event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The ERP analysis focused on the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and the P3 component. Outcome feedback evoked a larger FRN in the independent self-priming condition than in the interdependent self-priming condition. In contrast, the P3 amplitude was insensitive to self-construal manipulation. The present findings suggest that different types of transient self-construal manifest differently in outcome evaluation processes, supporting the existence of a close link between the self and reward networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangru Zhu
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Haiyan Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
| | - Suyong Yang
- Department of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
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13
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Network Patterns Associated with Navigation Behaviors Are Altered in Aged Nonhuman Primates. J Neurosci 2016; 36:12217-12227. [PMID: 27903730 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4116-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to navigate through space involves complex interactions between multiple brain systems. Although it is clear that spatial navigation is impaired during aging, the networks responsible for these altered behaviors are not well understood. Here, we used a within-subject design and [18F]FDG-microPET to capture whole-brain activation patterns in four distinct spatial behaviors from young and aged rhesus macaques: constrained space (CAGE), head-restrained passive locomotion (CHAIR), constrained locomotion in space (TREADMILL), and unconstrained locomotion (WALK). The results reveal consistent networks activated by these behavior conditions that were similar across age. For the young animals, however, the coactivity patterns were distinct between conditions, whereas older animals tended to engage the same networks in each condition. The combined observations of less differentiated networks between distinct behaviors and alterations in functional connections between targeted regions in aging suggest changes in network dynamics as one source of age-related deficits in spatial cognition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report how whole-brain networks are involved in spatial navigation behaviors and how normal aging alters these network patterns in nonhuman primates. This is the first study to examine whole-brain network activity in young or old nonhuman primates while they actively or passively traversed an environment. The strength of this study resides in our ability to identify and differentiate whole-brain networks associated with specific navigational behaviors within the same nonhuman primate and to compare how these networks change with age. The use of high-resolution PET (microPET) to capture brain activity of real-world behaviors adds significantly to our understanding of how active circuits critical for navigation are affected by aging.
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14
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Midbrain functional connectivity and ventral striatal dopamine D2-type receptors: link to impulsivity in methamphetamine users. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:1554-1560. [PMID: 26830141 PMCID: PMC4970974 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Revised: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Stimulant use disorders are associated with deficits in striatal dopamine receptor availability, abnormalities in mesocorticolimbic resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and impulsivity. In methamphetamine-dependent research participants, impulsivity is correlated negatively with striatal D2-type receptor availability, and mesocorticolimbic RSFC is stronger than that in controls. The extent to which these features of methamphetamine dependence are interrelated, however, is unknown. This question was addressed in two studies. In Study 1, 19 methamphetamine-dependent and 26 healthy control subjects underwent [18F]fallypride positron emission tomography to measure ventral striatal dopamine D2-type receptor availability, indexed by binding potential (BPND), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess mesocorticolimbic RSFC, using a midbrain seed. In Study 2, an independent sample of 20 methamphetamine-dependent and 18 control subjects completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale in addition to fMRI. Study 1 showed a significant group by ventral striatal BPND interaction effect on RSFC, reflecting a negative relationship between ventral striatal BPND and RSFC between the midbrain and striatum, orbitofrontal cortex and insula in methamphetamine-dependent participants, but a positive relationship in the control group. In Study 2, an interaction of the group with RSFC on impulsivity was observed. Methamphetamine-dependent users exhibited a positive relationship of midbrain RSFC to the left ventral striatum with cognitive impulsivity, whereas a negative relationship was observed in healthy controls. The results indicate that ventral striatal D2-type receptor signaling may affect the system-level activity within the mesocorticolimbic system, providing a functional link that may help explain high impulsivity in methamphetamine-dependent individuals.
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15
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Spreng RN, Stevens WD, Viviano JD, Schacter DL. Attenuated anticorrelation between the default and dorsal attention networks with aging: evidence from task and rest. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 45:149-160. [PMID: 27459935 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2013] [Revised: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Anticorrelation between the default and dorsal attention networks is a central feature of human functional brain organization. Hallmarks of aging include impaired default network modulation and declining medial temporal lobe (MTL) function. However, it remains unclear if this anticorrelation is preserved into older adulthood during task performance, or how this is related to the intrinsic architecture of the brain. We hypothesized that older adults would show reduced within- and increased between-network functional connectivity (FC) across the default and dorsal attention networks. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of aging on task-related and intrinsic FC using functional magnetic resonance imaging during an autobiographical planning task known to engage the default network and during rest, respectively, with young (n = 72) and older (n = 79) participants. The task-related FC analysis revealed reduced anticorrelation with aging. At rest, there was a robust double dissociation, with older adults showing a pattern of reduced within-network FC, but increased between-network FC, across both networks, relative to young adults. Moreover, older adults showed reduced intrinsic resting-state FC of the MTL with both networks suggesting a fractionation of the MTL memory system in healthy aging. These findings demonstrate age-related dedifferentiation among these competitive large-scale networks during both task and rest, consistent with the idea that age-related changes are associated with a breakdown in the intrinsic functional architecture within and among large-scale brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - W Dale Stevens
- Cognition and Aging Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Joseph D Viviano
- Cognition and Aging Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Grady C, Sarraf S, Saverino C, Campbell K. Age differences in the functional interactions among the default, frontoparietal control, and dorsal attention networks. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 41:159-172. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Petrican R, Saverino C, Shayna Rosenbaum R, Grady C. Inter-individual differences in the experience of negative emotion predict variations in functional brain architecture. Neuroimage 2015; 123:80-8. [PMID: 26302674 PMCID: PMC4898956 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Current evidence suggests that two spatially distinct neuroanatomical networks, the dorsal attention network (DAN) and the default mode network (DMN), support externally and internally oriented cognition, respectively, and are functionally regulated by a third, frontoparietal control network (FPC). Interactions among these networks contribute to normal variations in cognitive functioning and to the aberrant affective profiles present in certain clinical conditions, such as major depression. Nevertheless, their links to non-clinical variations in affective functioning are still poorly understood. To address this issue, we used fMRI to measure the intrinsic functional interactions among these networks in a sample of predominantly younger women (N=162) from the Human Connectome Project. Consistent with the previously documented dichotomous motivational orientations (i.e., withdrawal versus approach) associated with sadness versus anger, we hypothesized that greater sadness would predict greater DMN (rather than DAN) functional dominance, whereas greater anger would predict the opposite. Overall, there was evidence of greater DAN (rather than DMN) functional dominance, but this pattern was modulated by current experience of specific negative emotions, as well as subclinical depressive and anxiety symptoms. Thus, greater levels of currently experienced sadness and subclinical depression independently predicted weaker DAN functional dominance (i.e., weaker DAN-FPC functional connectivity), likely reflecting reduced goal-directed attention towards the external perceptual environment. Complementarily, greater levels of currently experienced anger and subclinical anxiety predicted greater DAN functional dominance (i.e., greater DAN-FPC functional connectivity and, for anxiety only, also weaker DMN-FPC coupling). Our findings suggest that distinct affective states and subclinical mood symptoms have dissociable neural signatures, reflective of the symbiotic relationship between cognitive processes and emotional states.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristina Saverino
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
| | - R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada; Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Cheryl Grady
- Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada; Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
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18
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Petrican R, Rosenbaum RS, Grady C. Expressive suppression and neural responsiveness to nonverbal affective cues. Neuropsychologia 2015; 77:321-30. [PMID: 26365712 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Optimal social functioning occasionally requires concealment of one's emotions in order to meet one's immediate goals and environmental demands. However, because emotions serve an important communicative function, their habitual suppression disrupts the flow of social exchanges and, thus, incurs significant interpersonal costs. Evidence is accruing that the disruption in social interactions, linked to habitual expressive suppression use, stems not only from intrapersonal, but also from interpersonal causes, since the suppressors' restricted affective displays reportedly inhibit their interlocutors' emotionally expressive behaviors. However, expressive suppression use is not known to lead to clinically significant social impairments. One explanation may be that over the lifespan, individuals who habitually suppress their emotions come to compensate for their interlocutors' restrained expressive behaviors by developing an increased sensitivity to nonverbal affective cues. To probe this issue, the present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan healthy older women while they viewed silent videos of a male social target displaying nonverbal emotional behavior, together with a brief verbal description of the accompanying context, and then judged the target's affect. As predicted, perceivers who reported greater habitual use of expressive suppression showed increased neural processing of nonverbal affective cues. This effect appeared to be coordinated in a top-down manner via cognitive control. Greater neural processing of nonverbal cues among perceivers who habitually suppress their emotions was linked to increased ventral striatum activity, suggestive of increased reward value/personal relevance ascribed to emotionally expressive nonverbal behaviors. These findings thus provide neural evidence broadly consistent with the hypothesized link between habitual use of expressive suppression and compensatory development of increased responsiveness to nonverbal affective cues, while also suggesting one explanation for the suppressors' poorer cognitive performance in social situations. Moreover, our results point to a potential neural mechanism supporting the development and perpetuation of expressive suppression as an emotion regulation strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raluca Petrican
- Rotman Research Institute, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1.
| | - R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Rotman Research Institute, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1; Department of Psychology, York University, Canada.
| | - Cheryl Grady
- Rotman Research Institute, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1; Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES This review focuses on the relationship between obesity and aging and how these interact to affect cognitive function. The topics covered are guided by the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (STAC [Park and Reuter-Lorenz. Annu Rev Psychol 2009;60:173-96]-a conceptual model designed to relate brain structure and function to one's level of cognitive ability. METHODS The initial literature search was focused on normal aging and was guided by the key words, "aging, cognition, and obesity" in PubMed. In a second search, we added key words related to neuropathology including words "Alzheimer's disease," "vascular dementia," and "mild cognitive impairment." RESULTS The data suggest that being overweight or obese in midlife may be more detrimental to subsequent age-related cognitive decline than being overweight or obese at later stages of the life span. These effects are likely mediated by the accelerated effects obesity has on the integrity of neural structures, including both gray and white matter. Further epidemiological studies have provided evidence that obesity in midlife is linked to an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, most likely via an increased accumulation of Alzheimer's disease pathology. CONCLUSIONS Although it is clear that obesity negatively affects cognition, more work is needed to better understand how aging plays a role and how brain structure and brain function might mediate the relationship of obesity and age on cognition. Guided by the STAC and the STAC-R models, we provide a roadmap for future investigations of the role of obesity on cognition across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gérard N. Bischof
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235
| | - Denise C. Park
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235
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20
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Grady CL, St-Laurent M, Burianová H. Age differences in brain activity related to unsuccessful declarative memory retrieval. Brain Res 2014; 1612:30-47. [PMID: 25541365 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Although memory recall is known to be reduced with normal aging, little is known about the patterns of brain activity that accompany these recall failures. By assessing faulty memory, we can identify the brain regions engaged during retrieval attempts in the absence of successful memory and determine the impact of aging on this functional activity. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine age differences in brain activity associated with memory failure in three memory retrieval tasks: autobiographical (AM), episodic (EM) and semantic (SM). Compared to successful memory retrieval, both age groups showed more activity when they failed to recall a memory in regions consistent with the salience network (SLN), a brain network also associated with non-memory errors. Both groups also showed strong functional coupling among SLN regions during incorrect trials and in intrinsic patterns of functional connectivity. In comparison to young adults, older adults demonstrated (1) less activity within the SLN during unsuccessful AM trials; (2) weaker intrinsic functional connectivity between SLN nodes and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; and (3) less differentiation of SLN functional connectivity during incorrect trials across memory conditions. These results suggest that the SLN is engaged during recall failures, as it is for non-memory errors, which may be because errors in general have particular salience for adapting behavior. In older adults, the dedifferentiation of functional connectivity within the SLN across memory conditions and the reduction of functional coupling between it and prefrontal cortex may indicate poorer inter-network communication and less flexible use of cognitive control processes, either while retrieval is attempted or when monitoring takes place after retrieval has failed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Memory & Aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl L Grady
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A2E1; Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3.
| | - Marie St-Laurent
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A2E1
| | - Hana Burianová
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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21
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Grady CL, Luk G, Craik FIM, Bialystok E. Brain network activity in monolingual and bilingual older adults. Neuropsychologia 2014; 66:170-81. [PMID: 25445783 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2014] [Revised: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/31/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Bilingual older adults typically have better performance on tasks of executive control (EC) than do their monolingual peers, but differences in brain activity due to language experience are not well understood. Based on studies showing a relation between the dynamic range of brain network activity and performance on EC tasks, we hypothesized that life-long bilingual older adults would show increased functional connectivity relative to monolinguals in networks related to EC. We assessed intrinsic functional connectivity and modulation of activity in task vs. fixation periods in two brain networks that are active when EC is engaged, the frontoparietal control network (FPC) and the salience network (SLN). We also examined the default mode network (DMN), which influences behavior through reduced activity during tasks. We found stronger intrinsic functional connectivity in the FPC and DMN in bilinguals than in monolinguals. Although there were no group differences in the modulation of activity across tasks and fixation, bilinguals showed stronger correlations than monolinguals between intrinsic connectivity in the FPC and task-related increases of activity in prefrontal and parietal regions. This bilingual difference in network connectivity suggests that language experience begun in childhood and continued throughout adulthood influences brain networks in ways that may provide benefits in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl L Grady
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A2E1; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Gigi Luk
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Fergus I M Craik
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A2E1; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ellen Bialystok
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A2E1; York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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22
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Ge R, Fu Y, Wang D, Yao L, Long Z. Age-related alterations of brain network underlying the retrieval of emotional autobiographical memories: an fMRI study using independent component analysis. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:629. [PMID: 25177285 PMCID: PMC4132267 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Normal aging has been shown to modulate the neural underpinnings of autobiographical memory and emotion processing. Moreover, previous researches have suggested that aging produces a “positivity effect” in autobiographical memory. Although a few imaging studies have investigated the neural mechanism of the positivity effect, the neural substrates underlying the positivity effect in emotional autobiographical memory is unclear. To understand the age-related neural changes in emotional autobiographical memory that underlie the positivity effect, the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study used the independent component analysis (ICA) method to compare brain networks in younger and older adults as they retrieved positive and negative autobiographical events. Compared to their younger counterparts, older adults reported relatively higher positive feelings when retrieving emotional autobiographical events. Imaging data indicated an age-related reversal within the ventromedial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex (VMPFC/ACC) and the left amygdala of the brain networks that were engaged in the retrieval of autobiographical events with different valence. The retrieval of negative events compared to positive events induced stronger activity in the VMPFC/ACC and weaker activity in the amygdala for the older adults, whereas the younger adults showed a reversed pattern. Moreover, activity in the VMPFC/ACC within the task-related networks showed a negative correlation with the emotional valence intensity. These results may suggest that the positivity effect in older adults' autobiographical memories is potentially due to age-related changes in controlled emotional processing implemented by the VMPFC/ACC-amygdala circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyang Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China ; College of Information Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Yan Fu
- College of Psychology, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China ; Action, Brain, and Cognition Laboratory and fMRIotago, Department of Psychology, University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Dahua Wang
- College of Psychology, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Li Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China ; College of Information Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Zhiying Long
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
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23
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Meusel LAC, Kansal N, Tchistiakova E, Yuen W, MacIntosh BJ, Greenwood CE, Anderson ND. A systematic review of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension in imaging studies of cognitive aging: time to establish new norms. Front Aging Neurosci 2014; 6:148. [PMID: 25071557 PMCID: PMC4085499 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and hypertension in older adults, and the deleterious effect of these conditions on cerebrovascular and brain health, is creating a growing discrepancy between the "typical" cognitive aging trajectory and a "healthy" cognitive aging trajectory. These changing health demographics make T2DM and hypertension important topics of study in their own right, and warrant attention from the perspective of cognitive aging neuroimaging research. Specifically, interpretation of individual or group differences in blood oxygenation level dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET H2O(15)) signals as reflective of differences in neural activation underlying a cognitive operation of interest requires assumptions of intact vascular health amongst the study participants. Without adequate screening, inclusion of individuals with T2DM or hypertension in "healthy" samples may introduce unwanted variability and bias to brain and/or cognitive measures, and increase potential for error. We conducted a systematic review of the cognitive aging neuroimaging literature to document the extent to which researchers account for these conditions. Of the 232 studies selected for review, few explicitly excluded individuals with T2DM (9%) or hypertension (13%). A large portion had exclusion criteria that made it difficult to determine whether T2DM or hypertension were excluded (44 and 37%), and many did not mention any selection criteria related to T2DM or hypertension (34 and 22%). Of all the surveyed studies, only 29% acknowledged or addressed the potential influence of intersubject vascular variability on the measured BOLD or PET signals. To reinforce the notion that individuals with T2DM and hypertension should not be overlooked as a potential source of bias, we also provide an overview of metabolic and vascular changes associated with T2DM and hypertension, as they relate to cerebrovascular and brain health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nisha Kansal
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ekaterina Tchistiakova
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - William Yuen
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bradley J MacIntosh
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carol E Greenwood
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nicole D Anderson
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada ; Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
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24
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Saverino C, Grigg O, Churchill NW, Grady CL. Age differences in the default network at rest and the relation to self-referential processing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2014; 10:231-9. [PMID: 24652859 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Older adults show a 'positivity bias' in tasks involving emotion and self-referential processing. A critical network that is involved in self-referencing and shows age-related decline is the default network (DN). The purpose of the current study was to investigate age differences in pre- and post-task DN functional connectivity (FC) and signal variability, and to examine whether they are predictive of the positivity bias in self-referencing. We measured FC and within-subject variability of the DN in resting-state scans preceding and following tasks involving personality judgements on the self and a close other. Older adults endorsed more positive traits than younger adults on both tasks. FC was weaker post-task in older vs younger adults, and younger adults had greater variability than older adults in DN nodes. Younger adults with higher post-task DN variability had more negative self-ratings. For both age groups, greater FC in the DN was associated with more negative self-ratings. Neither FC nor variability was related to other ratings, despite the potential for self-processing when making other judgements. Our findings suggest that ageing leads to reduced FC and variability in the DN, which is most apparent after task, and may be one mechanism underlying the positive bias with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Saverino
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Omer Grigg
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathan W Churchill
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cheryl L Grady
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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25
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Petrican R, Todorov A, Grady C. Personality at Face Value: Facial Appearance Predicts Self and Other Personality Judgments among Strangers and Spouses. JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2014; 38:259-277. [PMID: 27330234 DOI: 10.1007/s10919-014-0175-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Character judgments, based on facial appearance, impact both perceivers' and targets' interpersonal decisions and behaviors. Nonetheless, the resilience of such effects in the face of longer acquaintanceship duration is yet to be determined. To address this question, we had 51 elderly long-term married couples complete self and informant versions of a Big Five Inventory. Participants were also photographed, while they were requested to maintain an emotionally neutral expression. A subset of the initial sample completed a shortened version of the Big Five Inventory in response to the pictures of other opposite sex participants (with whom they were unacquainted). Oosterhof and Todorov's (2008) computer-based model of face evaluation was used to generate facial trait scores on trustworthiness, dominance, and attractiveness, based on participants' photographs. Results revealed that structural facial characteristics, suggestive of greater trustworthiness, predicted positively biased, global informant evaluations of a target's personality, among both spouses and strangers. Among spouses, this effect was impervious to marriage length. There was also evidence suggestive of a Dorian Gray effect on personality, since facial trustworthiness predicted not only spousal and stranger, but also self-ratings of extraversion. Unexpectedly, though, follow-up analyses revealed that (low) facial dominance, rather than (high) trustworthiness, was the strongest predictor of self-rated extraversion. Our present findings suggest that subtle emotional cues, embedded in the structure of emotionally neutral faces, exert long-lasting effects on personality judgments even among very well-acquainted targets and perceivers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cheryl Grady
- Rotman Research Institute and University of Toronto
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26
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Maillet D, Rajah MN. Dissociable roles of default-mode regions during episodic encoding. Neuroimage 2013; 89:244-55. [PMID: 24315838 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.11.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Revised: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the role of distinct regions of the default-mode network (DMN) during memory encoding with fMRI. Subjects encoded words using either a strategy that emphasized self-referential (pleasantness) processing, or one that emphasized semantic (man-made/natural) processing. During encoding subjects were intermittently presented with thought probes to evaluate if they were concentrated and on-task or exhibiting task-unrelated thoughts (TUT). After the scanning session subjects performed a source retrieval task to determine which of two judgments they performed for each word at encoding. Source retrieval accuracy was higher for words encoded with the pleasantness vs. the man-made/natural task and there was a trend for higher performance for words preceding on-task vs. TUT reports. fMRI results show that left anterior medial PFC and left angular gyrus activity was greater during successful vs. unsuccessful encoding during both encoding tasks. Greater activity in left anterior cingulate and bilateral lateral temporal cortex was related successful vs. unsuccessful encoding only in the pleasantness task. In contrast, posterior cingulate, right anterior cingulate and right temporoparietal junction were activated to a greater extent in unsuccessful vs. successful encoding across tasks. Finally, activation in posterior cingulate and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was related to TUT across tasks; moreover, we observed a conjunction in posterior cingulate between encoding failure and TUT. We conclude that DMN regions play dissociable roles during memory formation, and that their association with subsequent memory may depend on the manner in which information is encoded and retrieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Maillet
- Department of Neuroscience, McGill Univ., Montreal, QC, H3A 2 T5, Canada
| | - M Natasha Rajah
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute Department of Psychiatry, McGill Univ., Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
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27
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Campbell KL, Grigg O, Saverino C, Churchill N, Grady CL. Age differences in the intrinsic functional connectivity of default network subsystems. Front Aging Neurosci 2013; 5:73. [PMID: 24294203 PMCID: PMC3827623 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2013.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work suggests that the default mode network (DMN) includes two core regions, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and several unique subsystems that are functionally distinct. These include a medial temporal lobe (MTL) subsystem, active during remembering and future projection, and a dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) subsystem, active during self-reference. The PCC has been further subdivided into ventral (vPCC) and dorsal (dPCC) regions that are more strongly connected with the DMN and cognitive control networks, respectively. The goal of this study was to examine age differences in resting state functional connectivity within these subsystems. After applying a rigorous procedure to reduce the effects of head motion, we used a multivariate technique to identify both common and unique patterns of functional connectivity in the MTL vs. the dmPFC, and in vPCC vs. dPCC. All four areas had robust functional connectivity with other DMN regions, and each also showed distinct connectivity patterns in both age groups. Young and older adults had equivalent functional connectivity in the MTL subsystem. Older adults showed weaker connectivity in the vPCC and dmPFC subsystems, particularly with other DMN areas, but stronger connectivity than younger adults in the dPCC subsystem, which included areas involved in cognitive control. Our data provide evidence for distinct subsystems involving DMN nodes, which are maintained with age. Nevertheless, there are age differences in the strength of functional connectivity within these subsystems, supporting prior evidence that DMN connectivity is particularly vulnerable to age, whereas connectivity involving cognitive control regions is relatively maintained. These results suggest an age difference in the integrated activity among brain networks that can have implications for cognition in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Campbell
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
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28
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Colton G, Leshikar ED, Gutchess AH. Age differences in neural response to stereotype threat and resiliency for self-referenced information. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:537. [PMID: 24046739 PMCID: PMC3764398 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Accepted: 08/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate the contribution of cortical midline regions to stereotype threat and resiliency, we compared age groups in an event-related functional MRI study. During scanning, 17 younger and 16 older adults judged whether words stereotypical of aging and control words described them. Judging stereotype words versus control words revealed higher activations in posterior midline regions associated with self-referencing, including the precuneus, for older adults compared to younger adults. While heightening salience of stereotypes can evoke a threat response, detrimentally affecting performance, invoking stereotypes can also lead to a phenomenon called resilience, where older adults use those stereotypes to create downward social-comparisons to “other” older adults and elevate their own self-perception. In an exploration of brain regions underlying stereotype threat responses as well as resilience responses, we found significant activation in older adults for threat over resilient responses in posterior midline regions including the precuneus, associated with self-reflective thought, and parahippocampal gyrus, implicated in autobiographical memory. These findings have implications for understanding how aging stereotypes may affect the engagement of regions associated with contextual and social processing of self-relevant information, indicating ways in which stereotype threat can affect the engagement of neural resources with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Colton
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University , Waltham, MA , USA
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Chou YH, Chen NK, Madden DJ. Functional brain connectivity and cognition: effects of adult age and task demands. Neurobiol Aging 2013; 34:1925-34. [PMID: 23523269 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2012] [Revised: 02/09/2013] [Accepted: 02/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging research has documented that patterns of intrinsic (resting state) functional connectivity (FC) among brain regions covary with individual measures of cognitive performance. Here, we examined the relation between intrinsic FC and a reaction time (RT) measure of performance, as a function of age group and task demands. We obtained filtered, event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging data, and RT measures of visual search performance, from 21 younger adults (19-29 years old) and 21 healthy, older adults (60-87 years old). Age-related decline occurred in the connectivity strength in multiple brain regions, consistent with previous findings. Among 8 pairs of regions, across somatomotor, orbitofrontal, and subcortical networks, increasing FC was associated with faster responding (lower RT). Relative to younger adults, older adults exhibited a lower strength of this RT-connectivity relation and greater disruption of this relation by a salient but irrelevant display item (color singleton distractor). Age-related differences in the covariation of intrinsic FC and cognitive performance vary as a function of task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Hui Chou
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Ferreira LK, Busatto GF. Resting-state functional connectivity in normal brain aging. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:384-400. [PMID: 23333262 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 404] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2012] [Revised: 12/17/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The world is aging and, as the elderly population increases, age-related cognitive decline emerges as a major concern. Neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), allow the investigation of the neural bases of age-related cognitive changes in vivo. Typically, fMRI studies map brain activity while subjects perform cognitive tasks, but such paradigms are often difficult to implement on a wider basis. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) has emerged as an important alternative modality of fMRI data acquisition, during which no specific task is required. Due to such simplicity and the reliability of rs-fMRI data, this modality presents increased feasibility and potential for clinical application in the future. With rs-fMRI, fluctuations in regional brain activity can be detected across separate brain regions and the patterns of intercorrelation between the functioning of these regions are measured, affording quantitative indices of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC). This review article summarizes the results of recent rs-fMRI studies that have documented a variety of aging-related RSFC changes in the human brain, discusses the neurophysiological hypotheses proposed to interpret such findings, and provides an overview of the future, highly promising perspectives in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Kobuti Ferreira
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroimaging (LIM-21), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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