Resting-state functional connectivity in normal brain aging

Author(s)

Ferreira, Luiz Kobuti ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Busatto, Geraldo F. ^{[1, 2, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Ctr Interdisciplinary Res Appl Neurosci NAPNA, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Lab Psychiat Neuroimaging LIM 21, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept & Inst Psychiat, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS; v. 37, n. 3, p. 384-400, MAR 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 200

Abstract

The world is aging and, as the elderly population increases, age-related cognitive decline emerges as a major concern. Neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), allow the investigation of the neural bases of age-related cognitive changes in vivo. Typically, fMRI studies map brain activity while subjects perform cognitive tasks, but such paradigms are often difficult to implement on a wider basis. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) has emerged as an important alternative modality of fMRI data acquisition, during which no specific task is required. Due to such simplicity and the reliability of rs-fMRI data, this modality presents increased feasibility and potential for clinical application in the future. With rs-fMRI, fluctuations in regional brain activity can be detected across separate brain regions and the patterns of intercorrelation between the functioning of these regions are measured, affording quantitative indices of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC). This review article summarizes the results of recent rs-fMRI studies that have documented a variety of aging-related RSFC changes in the human brain, discusses the neurophysiological hypotheses proposed to interpret such findings, and provides an overview of the future, highly promising perspectives in this field. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/17083-8 - Brain function during autobiographical memory recovery in elderly subjects: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study
• Grantee: Luiz Roberto Kobuti Ferreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 11/00475-3 - Retrieval of autobiographical memory and the aging brain: a study using functional magnetic resonance
• Grantee: Geraldo Busatto Filho
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants