Relationship between grey matter integrity and executive abilities in aging.
This cross-sectional study was designed to investigate grey matter changes that occur in healthy aging and the relationship between grey matter characteristics and executive functioning. Thirty-six young adults (18-30 years old) and 43 seniors (60-75 years old) were included. A general executive score was derived from a large battery of neuropsychological tests assessing three major aspects of executive functioning (inhibition, updating and shifting). Age-related grey matter changes were investigated by comparing young and older adults using voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based cortical thickness methods. A widespread difference in grey matter volume was found across many brain regions, whereas cortical thinning was mainly restricted to central areas. Multivariate analyses showed age-related changes in relatively similar brain regions to the respective univariate analyses but appeared more limited. Finally, in the older adult sample, a significant relationship between global executive performance and decreased grey matter volume in anterior (i.e. frontal, insular and cingulate cortex) but also some posterior brain areas (i.e. temporal and parietal cortices) as well as subcortical structures was observed. Results of this study highlight the distribution of age-related effects on grey matter volume and show that cortical atrophy does not appear primarily in "frontal" brain regions. From a cognitive viewpoint, age-related executive functioning seems to be related to grey matter volume but not to cortical thickness. Therefore, our results also highlight the influence of methodological aspects (from preprocessing to statistical analysis) on the pattern of results, which could explain the lack of consensus in literature.
GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre: In vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août 8, Bât B30, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Boulevard du Rectorat 3, Bât B33, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
Marine
M
Manard
GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre: In vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août 8, Bât B30, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
Mohamed Ali
MA
Bahri
GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre: In vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août 8, Bât B30, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
Eric
E
Salmon
GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre: In vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août 8, Bât B30, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Boulevard du Rectorat 3, Bât B33, B-4000 Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: f.collette@ulg.ac.be.
Fabienne
F
Collette
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D055815:Young Adult
Aging; Cerebral cortex; Cross-sectional; Executive functioning; Grey matter; Multivariate analysis