Neural signatures of semantic and phonemic fluency in young and old adults.
As we age, our ability to select and to produce words changes, yet we know little about the underlying neural substrate of word-finding difficulties in old adults. This study was designed to elucidate changes in specific frontally mediated retrieval processes involved in word-finding difficulties associated with advanced age. We implemented two overt verbal (semantic and phonemic) fluency tasks during fMRI and compared brain activity patterns of old and young adults. Performance during the phonemic task was comparable for both age groups and mirrored by strongly left-lateralized (frontal) activity patterns. On the other hand, a significant drop of performance during the semantic task in the older group was accompanied by additional right (inferior and middle) frontal activity, which was negatively correlated with performance. Moreover, the younger group recruited different subportions of the left inferior frontal gyrus for both fluency tasks, whereas the older participants failed to show this distinction. Thus, functional integrity and efficient recruitment of left frontal language areas seems to be critical for successful word retrieval in old age.
Meinzer
Marcus
M
University of Konstanz. mmeinzer@ufl.edu
Flaisch
Tobias
T
Wilser
Lotte
L
Eulitz
Carsten
C
Rockstroh
Brigitte
B
Conway
Tim
T
Gonzalez-Rothi
Leslie
L
Crosson
Bruce
B
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007807:Language Tests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010700:Phonetics; D011594:Psychometrics; D012660:Semantics; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
D010100:Oxygen