Does the brain age uniformly? Evidence from effects of smooth pursuit eye movements on verbal and visual tasks.
Can heterochrony of aging be demonstrated for the two cerebral hemispheres? Ninety-six participants representing two age groups (21 to 26 years and 60 to 73 years) gave verbal (left hemisphere) and imagery-based (right hemisphere) associations to single words while simultaneously executing pursuit eye movements monitored by electrooculogram. Older participants' tracking was significantly poorer than younger participants' as seen in more numerous instances of tracking arrest. For all individuals there were more instances of tracking arrest during imagery task; however, a significant interaction of age with task showed that imagery coupled with tracking was an attention-engaging maneuver causing particular difficulty in older participants. Findings suggest right hemisphere vulnerability to aging, that is, right hemi-aging.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005133:Eye Movements; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged