Diffusion tensor imaging of cerebral white matter integrity in cognitive aging.

Loading...

Date

2012-03

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Repository Usage Stats

67
views
43
downloads

Citation Stats

Abstract

In this article we review recent research on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of white matter (WM) integrity and the implications for age-related differences in cognition. Neurobiological mechanisms defined from DTI analyses suggest that a primary dimension of age-related decline in WM is a decline in the structural integrity of myelin, particularly in brain regions that myelinate later developmentally. Research integrating behavioral measures with DTI indicates that WM integrity supports the communication among cortical networks, particularly those involving executive function, perceptual speed, and memory (i.e., fluid cognition). In the absence of significant disease, age shares a substantial portion of the variance associated with the relation between WM integrity and fluid cognition. Current data are consistent with one model in which age-related decline in WM integrity contributes to a decreased efficiency of communication among networks for fluid cognitive abilities. Neurocognitive disorders for which older adults are at risk, such as depression, further modulate the relation between WM and cognition, in ways that are not as yet entirely clear. Developments in DTI technology are providing a new insight into both the neurobiological mechanisms of aging WM and the potential contribution of DTI to understanding functional measures of brain activity. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Imaging Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative disease.

Department

Description

Provenance

Subjects

Nerve Fibers, Myelinated, Humans, Cognition, Cognition Disorders, Age Factors, Cerebrum, Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Citation

Published Version (Please cite this version)

10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.08.003

Publication Info

Madden, David J, Ilana J Bennett, Agnieszka Burzynska, Guy G Potter, Nan-Kuei Chen and Allen W Song (2012). Diffusion tensor imaging of cerebral white matter integrity in cognitive aging. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1822(3). pp. 386–400. 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.08.003 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/22541.

This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.

Scholars@Duke

Madden

David Joseph Madden

Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Potter

Guy Glenn Potter

Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Song

Allen W Song

Professor in Radiology

The research in our lab is concerned with advancing structural and functional MRI methodologies (e.g. fast and high-resolution imaging techniques) for human brain imaging. We also aim to improve our understanding of functional brain signals, including spatiotemporal characterizations of the blood oxygenation level dependent contrast and alternative contrast mechanisms that are more directly linked to the neuronal activities. Additional effort is invested in applying and validating the developed methods to study human functional neuroanatomy.


Unless otherwise indicated, scholarly articles published by Duke faculty members are made available here with a CC-BY-NC (Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial) license, as enabled by the Duke Open Access Policy. If you wish to use the materials in ways not already permitted under CC-BY-NC, please consult the copyright owner. Other materials are made available here through the author’s grant of a non-exclusive license to make their work openly accessible.