Task‐related brain activation moderates age‐related structural decline in cognitive flexibility: A longitudinal study
Fatemeh Hasanzadeh, Yaakov Stern, Christian G Habeck, Elaine Gazes · 2025
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Description
Fatemeh Hasanzadeh and co-authors followed in 2025 older adults for five years to test whether brain activation during hard thinking shields mental flexibility from structural aging. Flexibility was measured by the time cost of switching tasks. Brain structure was summarized in one index blending volume, thickness, white matter damage, and wiring quality. About eighty older adults took part, with most returning at five years.
Structural decline predicted rising switch costs, as expected. But the link weakened sharply in people whose brains engaged a specific activation pattern more strongly during switching. That buffering suggests task-related activation acts as a neural reserve mechanism. The authors argue reserve is not just extra brain tissue, but how actively the brain recruits its networks under demand.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Fatemeh Hasanzadeh, Yaakov Stern, Christian G Habeck, Elaine Gazes |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 3 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |