Adult age differences in the functional neuroanatomy of visual attention: A combined fMRI and DTI study

Abstract We combined measures from event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and cognitive performance (visual search response time) to test the hypotheses that differences between younger and older adults in top-down (goal-directed) attention would...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurobiology of aging 2007-03, Vol.28 (3), p.459-476
Main Authors: Madden, David J, Spaniol, Julia, Whiting, Wythe L, Bucur, Barbara, Provenzale, James M, Cabeza, Roberto, White, Leonard E, Huettel, Scott A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aging
Aging - physiology
Anisotropy
Attention - physiology
Brain activation
Brain Mapping
Choice Behavior - physiology
Cognition
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Female
Fractional anisotropy
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods
Internal Medicine
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Multivariate Analysis
Neuroimaging
Neurology
Oxygen - blood
Perception
Photic Stimulation - methods
Reaction Time - physiology
Region of interest
Response time
Statistics as Topic
Top-down processing
Visual Cortex - anatomy & histology
Visual Cortex - blood supply
Visual Cortex - metabolism
Visual Perception - physiology
Visual search
White matter
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract We combined measures from event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and cognitive performance (visual search response time) to test the hypotheses that differences between younger and older adults in top-down (goal-directed) attention would be related to cortical activation, and that white matter integrity as measured by DTI (fractional anisotropy, FA) would be a mediator of this age-related effect. Activation in frontal and parietal cortical regions was overall greater for older adults than for younger adults. The relation between activation and search performance supported the hypothesis of age differences in top-down attention. When the task involved top-down control (increased target predictability), performance was associated with frontoparietal activation for older adults, but with occipital (fusiform) activation for younger adults. White matter integrity (FA) exhibited an age-related decline that was more pronounced for anterior brain regions than for posterior regions, but white matter integrity did not specifically mediate the age-related increase in activation of the frontoparietal attentional network.
ISSN:0197-4580
1558-1497
DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.01.005