title: Relationship between structural and functional connectivity change across the adult lifespan: A longitudinal investigation.
abstract: Extensive efforts are devoted to understand the functional (FC) and structural connections (SC) of the brain. FC is usually measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and conceptualized as degree of synchronicity in brain activity between different regions. SC is typically indexed by measures of white matter (WM) properties, for example, by diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). FC and SC are intrinsically related, in that coordination of activity across regions ultimately depends on fast and efficient transfer of information made possible by structural connections. Convergence between FC and SC has been shown for specific networks, especially the default mode network (DMN). However, it is not known to what degree FC is constrained by major WM tracts and whether FC and SC change together over time. Here, 120 participants (20-85 years) were tested at two time points, separated by 3.3 years. Resting-state fMRI was used to measure FC, and DWI to measure WM microstructure as an index of SC. TRACULA, part of FreeSurfer, was used for automated tractography of 18 major WM tracts. Cortical regions with tight structural couplings defined by tractography were only weakly related at the functional level. Certain regions of the DMN showed a modest relationship between change in FC and SC, but for the most part, the two measures changed independently. The main conclusions are that anatomical alignment of SC and FC seems restricted to specific networks and tracts, and that changes in SC and FC are not necessarily strongly correlated. Hum Brain Mapp 38:561-573, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway, Pb. 1094 Blindern, Oslo, 0317, Norway.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Unit of neuropsychology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: Anders M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fjell
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway, Pb. 1094 Blindern, Oslo, 0317, Norway.
authors.forename: Markus H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sneve
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway, Pb. 1094 Blindern, Oslo, 0317, Norway.
authors.forename: Håkon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grydeland
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway, Pb. 1094 Blindern, Oslo, 0317, Norway.
authors.forename: Andreas B
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6807-8638
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Storsve
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway, Pb. 1094 Blindern, Oslo, 0317, Norway.
authors.forename: Inge K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Amlien
authors.affiliation: Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yendiki
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway, Pb. 1094 Blindern, Oslo, 0317, Norway.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Unit of neuropsychology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: Kristine B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Walhovd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012146:Rest; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: aging; functional connectivity; longitudinal; magnetic resonance imaging; resting-state; structural connectivity; tractography