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Distinct aspects of frontal lobe structure mediate age-related differences in fluid intelligence and multitasking.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Kievit, Rogier A 
Davis, Simon W 
Mitchell, Daniel J 
Taylor, Jason R 

Abstract

Ageing is characterized by declines on a variety of cognitive measures. These declines are often attributed to a general, unitary underlying cause, such as a reduction in executive function owing to atrophy of the prefrontal cortex. However, age-related changes are likely multifactorial, and the relationship between neural changes and cognitive measures is not well-understood. Here we address this in a large (N=567), population-based sample drawn from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) data. We relate fluid intelligence and multitasking to multiple brain measures, including grey matter in various prefrontal regions and white matter integrity connecting those regions. We show that multitasking and fluid intelligence are separable cognitive abilities, with differential sensitivities to age, which are mediated by distinct neural subsystems that show different prediction in older versus younger individuals. These results suggest that prefrontal ageing is a manifold process demanding multifaceted models of neurocognitive ageing.

Description

Keywords

Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Atrophy, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Executive Function, Female, Gray Matter, Humans, Intelligence, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Neurological, Prefrontal Cortex, Task Performance and Analysis, White Matter

Journal Title

Nat Commun

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2041-1723
2041-1723

Volume Title

5

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/H008217/1)
Medical Research Council (MC_U105597119)
Wellcome Trust (088324/Z/09/Z)
MRC (unknown)
Wellcome Trust (103838/Z/14/Z)
Medical Research Council (MC_U105579226)