Cognitive Aging, Executive Function, and Fractional Anisotropy: A Diffusion Tensor MR Imaging Study

摘要: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fractional anisotropy (FA) is a useful measure of connectivity in the brain that can be derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) dataset. This study investigated relationship between FA and selected measures cognition across broad age group to explore possible structural basis for cognitive changes with age. METHODS: images were generated DTI data acquired at 1.5T 87 healthy subjects (age range, 20–73 years). Relationships range explored using regional voxel-based analysis. RESULTS: Age average significantly associated frontal, parietal, temporal lobes but not occipital lobe. negative was especially prominent prefrontal regions frontal lobe, where declined rate approximately 3% per decade. Decreased temporal, parietal poorer performance executive maze an attention-switching task. A voxel-level analysis these revealed function-FA association particularly strong regionally delineated over 2 continuous, bilateral areas extending cortex projections anterior portions thalamus. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate function—a core component key feature aging. propose may provide early means detection age-related change suggest need prospective this association.