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Task difficulty modulates young-old differences in network expression.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Stern, Y; Rakitin, BC; Habeck, C; Gazes, Y; Steffener, J; Kumar, A; Reuben, A
Published in: Brain research
January 2012

The extent of task-related fMRI activation can vary as a function of task difficulty. Also the efficiency or capacity of the brain networks underlying task performance can change with aging. We asked whether the expression of a network underlying task performance would differ as a function of task demand in old and young individuals. 26 younger and 23 older healthy adults performed a delayed item recognition task that used the response signal method to parametrically manipulate the extrinsic difficulty of the task by imposing five different deadlines for recognition response. Both age groups showed a speed-accuracy trade-off, but the younger group achieved greater discriminability at the longer deadlines. We identified a spatial pattern of fMRI activation during the probe phase whose expression increased as the response deadline shortened and the task became more difficult. This pattern was expressed to a greater degree by the old group at the long deadlines, when the task was easiest. By contrast, this pattern was expressed to a greater degree by the younger group at the short deadlines, when the task was hardest. This suggests reduced efficiency and capacity of this network in older subjects. These findings suggest that neuroimaging studies comparing task-related activation across groups with different cognitive abilities must be interpreted in light of the relative difficulty of the task for each group.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Brain research

DOI

EISSN

1872-6240

ISSN

0006-8993

Publication Date

January 2012

Volume

1435

Start / End Page

130 / 145

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Time Factors
  • Recognition, Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Oxygen
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Stern, Y., Rakitin, B. C., Habeck, C., Gazes, Y., Steffener, J., Kumar, A., & Reuben, A. (2012). Task difficulty modulates young-old differences in network expression. Brain Research, 1435, 130–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2011.11.061
Stern, Yaakov, Brian C. Rakitin, Christian Habeck, Yunglin Gazes, Jason Steffener, Arjun Kumar, and Aaron Reuben. “Task difficulty modulates young-old differences in network expression.Brain Research 1435 (January 2012): 130–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2011.11.061.
Stern Y, Rakitin BC, Habeck C, Gazes Y, Steffener J, Kumar A, et al. Task difficulty modulates young-old differences in network expression. Brain research. 2012 Jan;1435:130–45.
Stern, Yaakov, et al. “Task difficulty modulates young-old differences in network expression.Brain Research, vol. 1435, Jan. 2012, pp. 130–45. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2011.11.061.
Stern Y, Rakitin BC, Habeck C, Gazes Y, Steffener J, Kumar A, Reuben A. Task difficulty modulates young-old differences in network expression. Brain research. 2012 Jan;1435:130–145.
Journal cover image

Published In

Brain research

DOI

EISSN

1872-6240

ISSN

0006-8993

Publication Date

January 2012

Volume

1435

Start / End Page

130 / 145

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Time Factors
  • Recognition, Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Oxygen
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Middle Aged
  • Male