Rate of age-related decline of cognitive control ability and structural integrity of white matter.
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1
University of Newcastle, School of Psychology, Australia
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2
University of Newcastle, School of Medicine and Public Health, Australia
INTRODUCTION: Old adults show poorer performance on measures of cognitive control, as well as decline in structural brain measures of grey matter and white matter health compared to young adults. Longitudinal ageing studies have examined the rate of decline in both cognitive control and brain structure. However, there is little evidence on the relationship between these functional and structural age effects. In this study, we examine the relationship between rate of decline in measures of cognitive control and structural measures of grey matter volume and white matter microstructure over a 24-month interval.
METHODS: Cognitively intact older adults (53-82 years) completed neuropsychological assessment as well as a cued-trials task-switching paradigm. Event-related potentials were used to measure ERP components associated with proactive and reactive cognitive control. Imaging included T1 structural, T2 weighted FLAIR and diffusion-weighted imaging sequences. Testing was repeated at an average of 24-months with identical parameters.
RESULTS: Measures of white matter microstructural integrity and grey matter volume reduced over time. Overall cognitive performance declined at retest, however the magnitude of decline varied across different neuropsychological and experimental measures. In task-switching, performance declined more under conditions that encouraged proactive control and the rate of decline was associated with rate of change in white matter structure.
DISCUSSION: Decline in task-switching performance over time was related to changes in white matter structure. This finding suggests that normal aging involves subclinical pathological changes within the white matter that may mediate age-related deficits in cognitive control.
Keywords:
cognitive aging,
White Matter Disease,
event-related potential (ERP),
Cognitive Control Mechanisms,
MRI imaging
Conference:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Oral
Topic:
Executive Processes
Citation:
Karayanidis
F,
Jolly
TA,
Rennie
J,
Stephens
L,
Michie
P,
Levi
C and
Parsons
M
(2013). Rate of age-related decline of cognitive control ability and structural integrity of white matter..
Conference Abstract:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00021
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Received:
22 Oct 2013;
Published Online:
25 Nov 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Frini Karayanidis, University of Newcastle, School of Psychology, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia, frini.karayanidis@newcastle.edu.au