Background
The current study utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to more fully elucidate
the relationship among age, regional white matter, and neuropsychological functioning.
Methods
One hundred ninety-nine neurologically healthy adults received MRI and standardized
neuropsychological assessment. MR images were spatially normalized and segmented by
tissue type; relative white matter values in each of the four cerebral lobes in each
hemisphere were computed. Subjects were divided into Younger (ages 21–30), Middle
(ages 31–54), and Older (ages 55–79) age groups.
Results
The Older group had significantly less overall relative white matter than the Middle
group, who had significantly less overall relative white matter than the Younger participants
(F (2, 193) = 5.42, p = 0.005). Differences in frontal lobe white matter were of largest magnitude, followed
by temporal lobe (F (6, 579) = 3.32, p = 0.003). Age and frontal and temporal lobe white matter were primarily associated
with performance on neuropsychological tests of executive functioning and memory.
Mediational analysis suggested that frontal lobe white matter mediated the relationship
between age and performance on tasks of executive functioning and memory.
Conclusions
The results confirm age-associated decline in frontal and temporal white matter, and
age-related cognitive decline in several domains. Decline in neuropsychological functioning
is, in part, mediated by a relative age-related reduction in frontal white matter.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 10, 2006
Accepted:
January 10,
2006
Received in revised form:
January 5,
2006
Received:
April 13,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
