Publication Type Academic Article
Authors Gunning-Dixon F, Raz N
Journal Neuropsychologia
Volume 41
Issue 14
Pagination 1929-41
Date Published 01/01/2003
ISSN 0028-3932
Keywords Aging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Memory, Short-Term, Problem Solving
Abstract Neuroanatomical substrates of age-related differences in working memory and perseverative behavior were examined in a sample of healthy adults (50-81 years old). The participants, who were screened for history of neurological, psychiatric, and medical conditions known to be linked to poor cognitive performance, underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were administered tests of working memory and perseveration. Regional brain volumes and the volume of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) were measured on magnetic resonance images. The analyses indicate that the volume of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the volume of white matter hyperintensities in the prefrontal region are independently associated with age-related increases in perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). When participants taking antihypertensive medication were excluded from the analysis, both the volume of the prefrontal cortex and the frontal white matter hyperintensities (FWMH) still predicted increases in perseveration. Neither reduced volume of the prefrontal cortex nor the FWMH volume was linked to age-associated declines in working memory. The volumes of the fusiform gyrus (FG) and the temporal white matter hyperintensities (TWMH) were unrelated to cognitive performance.
DOI 10.1016/s0028-3932(03)00129-5
PubMed ID 14572526
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