Brain topology underlying executive functions across the lifespan: focus on the default mode network
A. Menardi, M. Spoa, A. Vallesi
Frontiers in Psychology September 4, 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1441584 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 500 |
| Population | Healthy individuals aged 10 to 100 years from the Human Connectome Project Lifespan database |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Topological properties of the frontoparietal and default mode networks were associated with executive function performance but not with a control picture-naming task, indicating specificity to the executive function domain. The default mode network's organization appeared more sensitive to age-related changes than the frontoparietal network's. The authors argue the default mode network matures earlier and is more susceptible to neurodegenerative change, making it potentially easier to measure in noncompliant or extreme-age populations. |
Abstract
IntroductionWhile traditional neuroimaging approaches to the study of executive functions (EFs) have typically employed task-evoked paradigms, resting state studies are gaining popularity as a tool for investigating inter-individual variability in the functional connectome and its relationship to cognitive performance outside of the scanner.MethodUsing resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Human Connectome Project Lifespan database, the present study capitalized on graph theory to chart cross-sectional variations in the intrinsic functional organization of the frontoparietal (FPN) and the default mode (DMN) networks in 500 healthy individuals (from 10 to 100 years of age), to investigate the neural underpinnings of EFs across the lifespan.ResultsTopological properties of both the FPN and DMN were associated with EF performance but not with a control task of picture naming, providing specificity in support for a tight link between neuro-functional and cognitive-behavioral efficiency within the EF domain. The topological organization of the DMN, however, appeared more sensitive to age-related changes relative to that of the FPN.DiscussionThe DMN matures earlier in life than the FPN and it ıs more susceptible to neurodegenerative changes. Because its activity is stronger in conditions of resting state, the DMN might be easier to measure in noncompliant populations and in those at the extremes of the life-span curve, namely very young or elder participants. Here, we argue that the study of its functional architecture in relation to higher order cognition across the lifespan might, thus, be of greater interest compared with what has been traditionally thought.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on default mode network, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- Fractionating the Default Mode Network: Distinct Contributions of the Ventral and Dorsal Posterior Cingulate Cortex to Cognitive Control Journal of Neuroscience March 2, 2011
- Cooperation and competition between the default mode network and frontal parietal network in the elderly Frontiers in Psychology May 19, 2023
- Default mode network scaffolds immature frontoparietal network in cognitive development Cerebral Cortex November 1, 2022
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