title: Structural architecture supports functional organization in the human aging brain at a regionwise and network level.
abstract: Functional interactions in the brain are constrained by the underlying anatomical architecture, and structural and functional networks share network features such as modularity. Accordingly, age-related changes of structural connectivity (SC) may be paralleled by changes in functional connectivity (FC). We provide a detailed qualitative and quantitative characterization of the SC-FC coupling in human aging as inferred from resting-state blood oxygen-level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging in a sample of 47 adults with an age range of 18-82. We revealed that SC and FC decrease with age across most parts of the brain and there is a distinct age-dependency of regionwise SC-FC coupling and network-level SC-FC relations. A specific pattern of SC-FC coupling predicts age more reliably than does regionwise SC or FC alone (r = 0.73, 95% CI = [0.7093, 0.8522]). Hence, our data propose that regionwise SC-FC coupling can be used to characterize brain changes in aging. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2645-2661, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Baycrest Health Sciences, Rotman Research Institute, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Joelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, 13353, Germany.|BrainModes Minerva Research Group Max-Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Science Leipzig, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, 13353, Germany.|Bernstein Focus State Dependencies of Learning & Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, 10117, Germany.|Berlin School of Mind and Brain & Mind and Brain Institute, Humboldt University, Luisenstraße 56, Haus 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.affiliation: Baycrest Health Sciences, Rotman Research Institute, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, 13353, Germany.|BrainModes Minerva Research Group Max-Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Science Leipzig, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, 13353, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rothmeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, 13353, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schirner
authors.affiliation: Baycrest Health Sciences, Rotman Research Institute, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: McIntosh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012146:Rest; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: aging; brain connectivity; function; resting-state network; structure