Age-related effects on superior temporal gyrus activity during an auditory oddball task.
We used magnetoencephalography in combination with magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the effects of aging on the temporal dynamics of activity localized to several brain regions during an auditory oddball task. The most interesting effects were noted in the superior temporal gyrus as follows: (1) responses were generally stronger to rare than to frequent tones throughout the entire 600-ms time interval, and (2) increases in the amplitude of the 40-ms peak and the latency of the maximum late response were evident in the elderly. Although superior temporal gyrus activity has traditionally been associated with early sensory processing, these results suggest that superior temporal gyrus activity is also important for later decision-related processing.
Department of Radiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. sanja@unm.edu
Sanja
S
Kovacevic
Clifford
C
Qualls
John C
JC
Adair
David
D
Hudson
C Chad
CC
Woodruff
Janice
J
Knoefel
Roland R
RR
Lee
Julia M
JM
Stephen
Cheryl J
CJ
Aine
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*