Working memory in middle-aged males: Age-related brain activation changes and cognitive fatigue effects

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• 作者：Elissa B. Klaassen ; Elisabeth A.T. Evers ; Renate H.M. de Groot ; Walter H. Backes ; Dick J. Veltman ; Jelle Jolles
• 关键词：Aging ; Working memory ; Cognitive fatigue ; Functional magnetic resonance imaging
• 刊名：Biological Psychology
• 出版年：February, 2014
• 年：2014
• 卷：96
• 期：Complete
• 页码：134-143
• 全文大小：1131 K

文摘

We examined the effects of aging and cognitive fatigue on working memory (WM) related brain activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Age-related differences were investigated in 13 young and 16 middle-aged male school teachers. Cognitive fatigue was induced by sustained performance on cognitively demanding tasks (compared to a control condition). Results showed a main effect of age on left dorsolateral prefrontal and superior parietal cortex activation during WM encoding; greater activation was evident in middle-aged than young adults regardless of WM load or fatigue condition. An interaction effect was found in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC); WM load-dependent activation was elevated in middle-aged compared to young in the control condition, but did not differ in the fatigue condition due to a reduction in activation in middle-aged in contrast to an increase in activation in the young group. These findings demonstrate age-related activation differences and differential effects of fatigue on activation in young and middle-aged adults.