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Functional and effective reorganization of the aging brain during unimanual and bimanual hand movements

Functional and effective reorganization of the aging brain during unimanual and bimanual hand movements

Larivière, Sara ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5701-1307, Xifra-Porxas, Alba ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9023-2432, Kassinopoulos, Michalis, Niso, Guiomar, Baillet, Sylvain, Mitsis, Georgios D. and Boudrias, Marie‐Hélène (2019) Functional and effective reorganization of the aging brain during unimanual and bimanual hand movements. Human Brain Mapping, 40 (10). pp. 3027-3040. ISSN 1065-9471 (Print), 1097-0193 (Online) (doi:10.1002/hbm.24578)

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Abstract

Motor performance decline observed during aging is linked to changes in brain structure and function, however, the precise neural reorganization associated with these changes remains largely unknown. We investigated the neurophysiological correlates of this reorganization by quantifying functional and effective brain network connectivity in elderly individuals (n = 11; mean age = 67.5 years), compared to young adults (n = 12; mean age = 23.7 years), while they performed visually-guided unimanual and bimanual handgrips inside the magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanner. Through a combination of principal component analysis and Granger causality, we observed age-related increases in functional and effective connectivity in whole-brain, task-related motor networks. Specifically, elderly individuals demonstrated (i) greater information flow from contralateral parietal and ipsilateral secondary motor regions to the left primary motor cortex during the unimanual task and (ii) decreased interhemispheric temporo-frontal communication during the bimanual task. Maintenance of motor performance and task accuracy in elderly was achieved by hyperactivation of the task-specific motor networks, reflecting a possible mechanism by which the aging brain recruits additional resources to counteract known myelo- and cytoarchitectural changes. Furthermore, resting-state sessions acquired before and after each motor task revealed that both olderand younger adults maintain the capacity to adapt to task demands via network-wide increases infunctional connectivity. Collectively, our study consolidates functional connectivity and directionalityof information flow in systems-level cortical networks during aging and furthers our understanding of neuronal flexibility in motor processes.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: aging, granger causality, magnetoencephalography, motor control, network connectivity
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2020 10:40
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/29487

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