Abstract
The objectives of this study were to detect age-related differences in activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during the tasks of hand motions and to determine an activity-related task type activating the PFC. PFC activation during three tasks, three subtests of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), was investigated in 77 healthy adults by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The tasks were a motor programming task (FAB 3), a sensitivity-to-interference task (FAB 4) and an inhibitory control task (FAB 5). We divided participants into three age groups of Younger (20 - 39 years), Middle-aged (40 - 59 years), and Older (60 - 81 years), and compared relative changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the PFC during the tasks. The activation in the frontal pole (FP) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during a motor programming task and a sensitivity-to-interference task showed no main effects by age. The results indicated that they were not likely to be affected by age-related cognitive decline compared to an inhibitory control task. In addition, in the Older group, a motor programming task induced significantly greater activation than a sensitivi-ty-to-interference task at eleven channels out of twelve on which we focused (p < 0.05). It was suggested that some characteristic factors included in the motor programming task such as repetition of a series of hand motions and attention to action have the potential to contribute to PFC activation in older adults. These findings provide a clue to understanding daily activities available to suppress cognitive decline of older adults by activating the PFC.
Highlights
In 2015, Alzheimer’s Disease International reported that 46.8 million people worldwide were living with dementia
This study indicates that a motor programming task has the potential to activate the frontal pole (FP) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared to a sensitivity-to-interference task and an inhibitory control task in older adults aged 60 years or over
This study suggests that doing activities such as housekeeping or gardening frequently and consistently in their daily lives is meaningful in activation of the FP and the DLPFC, and can potentially to help suppress decline of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) function in older adults
Summary
In 2015, Alzheimer’s Disease International reported that 46.8 million people worldwide were living with dementia. This number is expected to almost double every 20 years, to 74.7 million in 2030 and 131.5 million in 2050 [1]. Some studies have reported on impaired working memory (WM) of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and declined blood flow response in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation in cognitively normal aging individuals [3] [4]. It is known that age-related changes in cognitive function occur even in individuals without dementia as well, and executive function typically declines with aging. Decrease in information processing speed [5], decline of WM function [6] and decline of inhibitory control function [7] are considered to be the main factors in the age-related decline of executive function
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