Journal Article

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the trail-making test in older adults

Churchill, Nathan W., Tam, Fred, Hird, Megan A., Graham, Simon J., Talwar, Natasha, Schweizer, Tom A.

2020

Overview

The trail-making test (TMT) is a popular neuropsychological test, which is used extensively to measure cognitive impairment associated with neurodegenerative disorders in older adults. Behavioural performance on the TMT has been investigated in older populations, but there is limited research on task-related brain activity in older adults. The current study administered a naturalistic version of the TMT to a healthy older-aged population in an MRI environment using a novel, MRI-compatible tablet. Functional MRI was conducted during task completion, allowing characterization of the brain activity associated with the TMT. Performance on the TMT was evaluated using number of errors and seconds per completion of each link. Results are reported for 36 cognitively healthy older adults between the ages of 52 and 85. Task-related activation was observed in extensive regions of the bilateral frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes as well as key motor areas. Increased age was associated with reduced brain activity and worse task performance. Specifically, older age was correlated with decreased task-related activity in the bilateral occipital, temporal and parietal lobes. These results suggest that healthy older aging significantly affects brain function during the TMT, which consequently may result in performance decrements. The current study reveals the brain activation patterns underlying TMT performance in a healthy older aging population, which functions as an important, clinically-relevant control to compare to pathological aging in future investigations.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Activation / Adults / Age / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Aging / Aging - psychology / Biology and Life Sciences / Brain / Brain - diagnostic imaging / Brain - physiology / Brain mapping / Brain research / Characterization / Cognition / Cognitive ability / Cognitive impairment / Cohort Studies / Computers, Handheld / Demographic aspects / Elderly / Environmental literature / Evaluation / Female / Functional magnetic resonance imaging / Functional Neuroimaging - methods / Gerontology / Healthy Volunteers / Hospitals / Humans / Magnetic resonance / Magnetic resonance imaging / Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods / Male / Medical imaging / Medicine and Health Sciences / Methods / Middle Aged / Nervous system diseases / Neurodegenerative diseases / Neuroimaging / Neuropsychological tests / Novels / Occipital lobes / Older people / People and Places / Physical sciences / Processing speed / Psychological aspects / Research and Analysis Methods / Studies / Trail Making Test / Young adults