LC seed connectivity map: Younger > Older

Contributed by andlab on Dec. 16, 2019

Collection: Declines in intrinsic connectivity between the salience network and locus coeruleus in older adults: implications for distractibility

Communities: developmental

Description: A whole-brain connectivity analysis of the LC between age groups showed that, compared to YA, OA exhibited significantly reduced functional connectivity of the LC with the anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula, and putamen. These regions are considered to be core of the salience network (Menon & Uddin, 2010; Uddin, 2015). To confirm that these regions showed reduced functional connectivity in OA constitute the salience network, additional spatial cross-correlation analysis with the previously defined salience network template (i.e., intrinsic network mask #4 in Laird et al., 2011) was performed and it showed a high degree of similarity (r >.358). This result indicates that the LC is connected to the salience network more strongly in YA than OA, suggesting that the salience network activity is coupled strongly with activity LC in YA but not in OA. Also, OA showed more connectivity of the LC with initial visual processing regions, including the fusiform gyrus extended from occipital to temporal regions, the lingual gyrus and the inferior temporal gyrus. The dataset used in the current study, from the open-fMRI repository (https://openneuro.org/datasets/ds001242), consists of 28 healthy younger adults (YA: Mage = 24.39 years, age range = 18 – 34; 9 females) and 24 healthy older adults (OA: Mage = 66.95 years, age range = 55 – 75; 9 females). There were no significant differences between groups in terms of intellectual ability, as measured by either education or the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (Wechsler, 1981): Meducation: YA = 16.85 vs. OA = 16.38 years; MWechsler Test of Adult Reading: YA = 43.96 / 50 vs. OA = 39.75 / 50.

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