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Altered Linear Coupling Between Stimulus-Evoked Blood Flow and Oxygen Metabolism in the Aging Human Brain

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Cerebral Cortex

Monroe P. Turner, Yuguang Zhao, Dema Abdelkarim, Peiying Liu, Jeffrey S. Spence, Joanna L. Hutchison, Dinesh K. Sivakolundu, Binu P. Thomas, Nicholas A. Hubbard, Cuimei Xu, Kamil Taneja, Hanzhang Lu and Bart Rypma

Read full research articleNeural-vascular coupling (NVC) plays a critical role in healthy neural function by delivering oxygen and nutrients to metabolically active neurons. This research team tested the hypothesis that human aging detrimentally affects the structural integrity of NVC. In both older and younger participants, researchers used calibrated functional magnetic resonance imaging (cfMRI) to measure age-related changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygen metabolism during systematic stimulation of the visual cortex. Confirming this hypothesis, findings indicate notable differences correlated to age, with NVC measurements increasing relative to visual stimulation in younger adults, but not in older adults. Known age-related changes could not fully explain this disruption. Outcomes from this study suggest age-related, demand-dependent failures of underlying structures resulting in the comprise of the NVC system.

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    Jeffrey S. Spence, PhD

    Director of Biostatistics

    Bart Rypma, PhD

    Principal Investigator Professor, Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas Meadows Foundation Endowed Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences Director, Sammons BrainHealth Imaging Center

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