Aging reduces neural specialization in ventral visual cortex.
The present study investigated whether neural structures become less functionally differentiated and specialized with age. We studied ventral visual cortex, an area of the brain that responds selectively to visual categories (faces, places, and words) in young adults, and that shows little atrophy with age. Functional MRI was used to estimate neural activity in this cortical area, while young and old adults viewed faces, houses, pseudowords, and chairs. The results demonstrated significantly less neural specialization for these stimulus categories in older adults across a range of analyses.
The Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. denisep@uiuc.edu
Denise C
DC
Park
Thad A
TA
Polk
Rob
R
Park
Meredith
M
Minear
Anna
A
Savage
Mason R
MR
Smith
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D020534:Parahippocampal Gyrus / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*