Structure and Functional Imaging of Age-Related Changes in Working Memory

描述(申请人提供)：该项目建议使用结构和功能神经成像方法，以更好地了解大脑在健康老龄化过程中的变化，以及这些变化对认知功能的影响。它考察了与年龄相关的工作记忆能力的变化，工作记忆能力是许多复杂认知行为的基础，随着年龄的增长，这种能力会下降。这项研究的中心假设是，工作记忆能力来自大脑区域网络中的连贯神经振荡活动，而与年龄相关的工作记忆能力下降反映了该网络中连贯神经活动的崩溃，这是由于与年龄有关的白质结构的变化。为了验证这一假设，高时间分辨率的脑电和脑磁图(EEC和MEG)方法将与功能磁共振成像(MRI)的高空间分辨率方法相结合，以表征构成年轻人工作记忆能力的大脑活动的动态时空模式，并确定健康老龄化如何影响这些模式。弥散张量成像(DTI)将被用来评估白质微结构的完整性，分布的神经区之间与年龄相关的相干活动的减少将与与年龄相关的白质完整性的减少有关。假设额叶白质与年龄相关的变化扰乱了工作记忆任务执行所必需的额叶-顶叶网络的连贯活动，额叶白质完整性的降低有助于与年龄相关的区域额叶皮质厚度的减少。为了实现这些研究目标，候选人在脑磁图和脑电研究方面有很强的背景，她通过正规课程和与赞助商的互动寻求在结构和功能磁共振采集和分析、脑磁图/脑电和磁共振数据的多模式集成、皮质重建、分割和量化，以及DTI采集和分析方面的培训。她的赞助商，神经成像和多模式分析领域的领导者，以及加州大学圣地亚哥分校的支持性和资源丰富的环境，将确保候选人掌握这些新技术。相关性：这个项目将进一步了解大脑结构和功能的变化，这些变化是正常衰老的一部分，也是认知能力与年龄相关的变化的基础。这些知识将为更好地理解年龄相关疾病中发生的大脑病理变化提供基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project proposes to use structural and functional neuroimaging methods to better understand how the brain changes in healthy aging, and the consequences of those changes on cognitive function. It examines age-related changes in working memory ability - a fundamental capacity that underlies many complex cognitive behaviors, and that declines with age. The central hypothesis of this study is that working memory ability arises from coherent neural oscillatory activity in a network of brain regions, and that age-related declines in working memory ability reflect the breakdown of coherent neural activity in this network due to age-related changes in white matter structure. To test this hypothesis, high temporal resolution methods of electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEC and MEG) will be integrated with the high spatial resolution method of functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to characterize the dynamic spatiotemporal patterns of brain activity that underlie working memory ability in young adults, and to determine how healthy aging affects these patterns. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will be used to assess white matter microstructural integrity, and age-related reductions in coherent activity between distributed neural regions will be related to age-related reductions in white matter integrity. It is hypothesized that age-related changes in frontal white matter disrupts the coherent activity in frontal-parietal networks necessary for working memory task performance, and that the reduction in frontal white matter integrity contributes to age-related reductions in regional frontal cortical thickness. To achieve these research goals, the candidate, who has a strong background in MEG and EEC research, seeks training through formal coursework and interaction with her sponsors in structural and functional MRI acquisition and analyses, multimodal integration of MEG/EEG and MRI data, cortical reconstruction, parcellation, and quantification, and DTI acquisition and analyses. Her sponsors, leaders in the field of neuroimaging and multimodal analyses, and the supportive and resource- rich environment of UCSD, will ensure the candidate's mastery of these new techniques. Relevance: This project will further understanding of the structural and functional changes in the brain that occur as part of normal aging, and that underlie age-related changes in cognitive ability. This knowledge will provide a basis for better understanding of pathological brain changes that occur in age-related disorders.