Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year study
Introduction: The aging brain is characterized by structural decline and functional connectivity changes towards dedifferentiation, leading to cognitive decline. To some degree, the brain can compensate for structural deterioration. In this study, we aim to answer two questions: Where can we detect...
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000771 |
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| author | Pascal Frédéric Deschwanden Isabel Hotz Susan Mérillat Lutz Jäncke |
| author_facet | Pascal Frédéric Deschwanden Isabel Hotz Susan Mérillat Lutz Jäncke |
| author_sort | Pascal Frédéric Deschwanden |
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| description | Introduction: The aging brain is characterized by structural decline and functional connectivity changes towards dedifferentiation, leading to cognitive decline. To some degree, the brain can compensate for structural deterioration. In this study, we aim to answer two questions: Where can we detect longitudinal functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of cognitively healthy older adults? Can lifestyle predict the strength of this functional compensation? Methods: Using longitudinal data from 228 cognitively healthy older adults, we analyzed five measurement points over 7 years. Network-based statistics and latent growth modeling were employed to examine changes in structural and functional connectivity, as well as potential functional compensation for declines in processing speed and memory. Random forest and linear regression were used to predict the amplitude of compensation based on demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors. Results: Both functional and structural connectivity showed increases and decreases over time, depending on the specific connection and measure. Increased functional connectivity of 27 connections was linked to smaller declines in cognition. Five of those connections showed simultaneous decreases in fractional anisotropy, indicating direct compensation. The degree of compensation depended on the type of compensation and the cognitive ability, with demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors explaining 3.4–8.9% of the variance. Conclusions: There are widespread changes in structural and functional connectivity in older adults. Despite the trend of dedifferentiation in functional connectivity, we detected both direct and indirect compensatory subnetworks that mitigated the decline in cognitive performance. The degree of compensation was influenced by demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-930962823f6b47d0abdc1dd1151e8b44 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj-art-930962823f6b47d0abdc1dd1151e8b442025-02-08T04:59:57ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-03-01308121075Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year studyPascal Frédéric Deschwanden0Isabel Hotz1Susan Mérillat2Lutz Jäncke3University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Stampfenbachstrasse 73, Zurich CH-8006, Switzerland; Corresponding author.University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Stampfenbachstrasse 73, Zurich CH-8006, SwitzerlandUniversity Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Stampfenbachstrasse 73, Zurich CH-8006, Switzerland; Healthy Longevity Center, University of Zurich, Stampfenbachstrasse 73, Zurich CH-8006, SwitzerlandUniversity Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Stampfenbachstrasse 73, Zurich CH-8006, SwitzerlandIntroduction: The aging brain is characterized by structural decline and functional connectivity changes towards dedifferentiation, leading to cognitive decline. To some degree, the brain can compensate for structural deterioration. In this study, we aim to answer two questions: Where can we detect longitudinal functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of cognitively healthy older adults? Can lifestyle predict the strength of this functional compensation? Methods: Using longitudinal data from 228 cognitively healthy older adults, we analyzed five measurement points over 7 years. Network-based statistics and latent growth modeling were employed to examine changes in structural and functional connectivity, as well as potential functional compensation for declines in processing speed and memory. Random forest and linear regression were used to predict the amplitude of compensation based on demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors. Results: Both functional and structural connectivity showed increases and decreases over time, depending on the specific connection and measure. Increased functional connectivity of 27 connections was linked to smaller declines in cognition. Five of those connections showed simultaneous decreases in fractional anisotropy, indicating direct compensation. The degree of compensation depended on the type of compensation and the cognitive ability, with demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors explaining 3.4–8.9% of the variance. Conclusions: There are widespread changes in structural and functional connectivity in older adults. Despite the trend of dedifferentiation in functional connectivity, we detected both direct and indirect compensatory subnetworks that mitigated the decline in cognitive performance. The degree of compensation was influenced by demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000771Longitudinal studyFunctional compensationFunctional connectivityStructural connectivityLifestyleHealthy aging |
| spellingShingle | Pascal Frédéric Deschwanden Isabel Hotz Susan Mérillat Lutz Jäncke Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year study NeuroImage Longitudinal study Functional compensation Functional connectivity Structural connectivity Lifestyle Healthy aging |
| title | Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year study |
| title_full | Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year study |
| title_fullStr | Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year study |
| title_short | Functional connectivity-based compensation in the brains of non-demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle: A longitudinal 7-year study |
| title_sort | functional connectivity based compensation in the brains of non demented older adults and the influence of lifestyle a longitudinal 7 year study |
| topic | Longitudinal study Functional compensation Functional connectivity Structural connectivity Lifestyle Healthy aging |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000771 |
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