title: Cerebral white matter integrity and cognitive aging: contributions from diffusion tensor imaging.
abstract: The integrity of cerebral white matter is critical for efficient cognitive functioning, but little is known regarding the role of white matter integrity in age-related differences in cognition. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures the directional displacement of molecular water and as a result can characterize the properties of white matter that combine to restrict diffusivity in a spatially coherent manner. This review considers DTI studies of aging and their implications for understanding adult age differences in cognitive performance. Decline in white matter integrity contributes to a disconnection among distributed neural systems, with a consistent effect on perceptual speed and executive functioning. The relation between white matter integrity and cognition varies across brain regions, with some evidence suggesting that age-related effects exhibit an anterior-posterior gradient. With continued improvements in spatial resolution and integration with functional brain imaging, DTI holds considerable promise, both for theories of cognitive aging and for translational application.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. djm@geri.duke.edu
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Madden
authors.forename: Ilana J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Allen W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D006801:Humans; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology
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