Age-related differences of saccade induced cortical activation.
Recent functional MRI (fMRI) studies have described the increased task-related brain activation in older subjects during motor, cognitive and perceptual tasks. Age affects the ability to control saccadic eye movements. To investigate the age-related changes of oculomotor control, we studied the representation of saccades in 11 young (median age 29 years) and 11 older (median age 62 years) healthy individuals using fMRI. Brain activation was measured during a visually guided prosaccade trial. Differences in activation between rest and saccades as well as between younger and older subjects were assessed with statistical parametric mapping (SPM). In both age groups, activation of a frontoparietal network was observed. Older subjects showed increased activation compared to younger subjects with overactivation in bilateral parietal eye fields, the right frontal eye field, as well as in the right extrastriate cortex. We conclude that older adults increase activation in an extended oculomotor and visual network to maintain performance during simple prosaccades. This observation also underlines the importance of using appropriate age-matched control groups in fMRI studies after brain lesions.
Nelles
Gereon
G
Neurologisches Zentrum St. Elisabeth-Krankenhaus Köln und Neurologische Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Germany. gereon.nelles@uni-due.de
de Greiff
Armin
A
Pscherer
Anja
A
Esser
Joachim
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
D010100:Oxygen