Abstract
Interference control and conflict resolution is affected by ageing. There is increasing evidence that ageing does not compromise interference control in general but rather shows distinctive effects on different components of interference control. Different conflict types, [e.g., stimulus-stimulus (S-S) or stimulus-response (S-R) conflicts] trigger different cognitive processes and thus activate different neural networks. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we used a combined Flanker and Stimulus Response Conflict (SRC) task to investigate the effect of ageing on S-S and S-R conflicts. Behavioral data analysis revealed larger SRC effects in elderly. fMRI Results show that both age groups recruited similar regions [caudate nucleus, cingulate gyrus and middle occipital gyrus (MOG)] during Flanker conflict processing. Furthermore, elderly show an additional activation pattern in parietal and frontal areas. In contrast, no common activation of both age groups was found in response to the SRC. These data suggest that ageing has distinctive effects on S-S and S-R conflicts.
Highlights
Healthy ageing is accompanied by alterations in a wide range of cognitive functions
Reaction times (RT) and error rates (ERs) were entered into a 2 × 2 × 2 repeated measures ANOVA with the within-group factors Flanker and Stimulus Response Conflict (SRC) and Age as a betweengroup factor
In comparison to congruent trials, RTs were slower in incongruent trials with regard to the Flanker conflict and the SRC task
Summary
Healthy ageing is accompanied by alterations in a wide range of cognitive functions. In addition to behavioral performance, age-related adjustments become evident with regard to neural correlates of cognitive functions. Several studies have found increased activation in elderly individuals during memory or executive tasks (Cabeza et al, 1997; Grady et al, 1999; Reuter-Lorenz et al, 2000). Based on these data different ageing theories (Cabeza, 2002; Reuter-Lorenz and Cappell, 2008; Park and Reuter-Lorenz, 2009) have emerged to provide a framework for age-specific neural alterations. In the context of cognitive ageing interference control seems to play a crucial role, since impaired inhibition control or conflict processing compromises other cognitive functions like memory performance (Hasher and Zacks, 1988), and may interact negatively with cognitive changes that usually accompany ageing. Though interference control is widely investigated in young participants, there is still little knowledge about how different components of conflict processing change with advanced age
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