Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Stability of Default-Mode Network Activity in the Aging Brain

  • Published:
Brain Imaging and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Activity attributed to the default-mode occurs during the resting state and is thought to represent self-referential and other intrinsic processes. Although activity in default-associated regions changes across the lifespan, little is known about the stability of default-mode activity in the healthy aging brain. We investigated changes in rest-specific activity across an 8 year period in older participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) neuroimaging study. Comparison of resting-state and recognition memory PET regional cerebral blood flow conditions from baseline and 8-year follow-up shows relative stability of rest-specific activity over time in medial frontal/anterior cingulate, hippocampal and posterior cingulate regions commonly associated with the default-mode. In contrast, prefrontal, parahippocampal and occipital cortical regions, which are not typically associated with default-mode activity, show changes over time. Overall, activity in the major components of the default-mode network remains stable in healthy older individuals, a finding which may assist in identifying factors that discriminate between normal and pathological aging.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andreasen, N. C., O'Leary, D. S., Cizadlo, T., Arndt, S., Rezai, K., Watkins, G. L., et al. (1995). Remembering the past: two facets of episodic memory explored with positron emission tomography. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(11), 1576–1585.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews-Hanna, J. R., Snyder, A. Z., Vincent, J. L., Lustig, C., Head, D., Raichle, M. E., et al. (2007). Disruption of large-scale brain systems in advanced aging. Neuron, 56(5), 924–935. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2007.10.038.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beason-Held, L., Kraut, M. A., & Resnick, S. M. (2008a). I. Longitudinal changes in aging brain function. Neurobiol Aging, 29(4), 483–496. 2006 Dec, Epub ahead of print.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beason-Held, L., Kraut, M. A., & Resnick, S. M. (2008b). II. Temporal patterns of longitudinal change in aging brain function. Neurobiol Aging, 29(4), 497–513. 2006 Dec, Epub ahead of print.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buckner, R. L., & Vincent, J. L. (2007). Unrest at rest: default activity and spontaneous network correlations. NeuroImage, 37(4), 1091–1096. discussion 1097–1099. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.01.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cabeza, R., Anderson, N. D., Locantore, J. K., & McIntosh, A. R. (2002). Aging gracefully: compensatory brain activity in high-performing older adults. NeuroImage, 17(3), 1394–1402. doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1280.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Damoiseaux, J. S., Rombouts, S. A., Barkhof, F., Scheltens, P., Stam, C. J., Smith, S. M., et al. (2006). Consistent resting-state networks across healthy subjects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(37), 13848–13853. doi:10.1073/pnas.0601417103.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Damoiseaux, J. S., Beckmann, C. F., Arigita, E. J., Barkhof, F., Scheltens, P., Stam, C.J., et al. (2007). Reduced resting-state brain activity in the "default network" in normal aging. Cereb Cortex.

  • De Santi, S., de Leon, M. J., Rusinek, H., Convit, A., Tarshish, C. Y., Roche, A., et al. (2001). Hippocampal formation glucose metabolism and volume losses in MCI and AD. Neurobiology of Aging, 22(4), 529–539. doi:10.1016/S0197-4580(01)00230-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Esposito, F., Bertolino, A., Scarabino, T., Latorre, V., Blasi, G., Popolizio, T., et al. (2006). Independent component model of the default-mode brain function: assessing the impact of active thinking. Brain Research Bulletin, 70(4–6), 263–269. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2006.06.012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grady, C. L., & Craik, F. I. (2000). Changes in memory processing with age. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 10(2), 224–231. doi:10.1016/S0959-4388(00)00073-8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grady, C. L., Springer, M. V., Hongwanishkul, D., McIntosh, A. R., & Winocur, G. (2006). Age-related changes in brain activity across the adult lifespan. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 18(2), 227–241. doi:10.1162/jocn.2006.18.2.227.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greicius, M. D., & Menon, V. (2004). Default-mode activity during a passive sensory task: uncoupled from deactivation but impacting activation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 16(9), 1484–1492. doi:10.1162/0898929042568532.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greicius, M. D., Srivastava, G., Reiss, A. L., & Menon, V. (2004). Default-mode network activity distinguishes Alzheimer's disease from healthy aging: evidence from functional MRI. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101(13), 4637–4642. doi:10.1073/pnas.0308627101.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gusnard, D. A., Akbudak, E., Shulman, G. L., & Raichle, M. E. (2001). Medial prefrontal cortex and self-referential mental activity: relation to a default mode of brain function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98(7), 4259–4264. doi:10.1073/pnas.071043098.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herholz, K., Salmon, E., Perani, D., Baron, J. C., Holthoff, V., Frolich, L., et al. (2002). Discrimination between Alzheimer dementia and controls by automated analysis of multicenter FDG PET. NeuroImage, 17(1), 302–316. doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1208.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kawas, C., Gray, S., Brookmeyer, R., Fozard, J., & Zonderman, A. (2000). Age-specific incidence rates of Alzheimer's disease: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Neurology, 54(11), 2072–2077.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kogure, D., Matsuda, H., Ohnishi, T., Asada, T., Uno, M., Kunihiro, T., et al. (2000). Longitudinal evaluation of early Alzheimer's disease using brain perfusion SPECT. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 41(7), 1155–1162.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lustig, C., Snyder, A. Z., Bhakta, M., O'Brien, K. C., McAvoy, M., Raichle, M. E., et al. (2003). Functional deactivations: change with age and dementia of the Alzheimer type. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 100(24), 14504–14509. doi:10.1073/pnas.2235925100.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mazoyer, B., Zago, L., Mellet, E., Bricogne, S., Etard, O., Houde, O., et al. (2001). Cortical networks for working memory and executive functions sustain the conscious resting state in man. Brain Research Bulletin, 54(3), 287–298. doi:10.1016/S0361-9230(00)00437-8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Minoshima, S., Giordani, B., Berent, S., Frey, K. A., Foster, N. L., & Kuhl, D. E. (1997). Metabolic reduction in the posterior cingulate cortex in very early Alzheimer's disease. Annals of Neurology, 42(1), 85–94. doi:10.1002/ana.410420114.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Park, D., Polk, T., Mikels, J., Taylor, S., & Marshuetz, C. (2001). Cerebral aging: integration of brain and behavioral models of cognitive function. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 3, 151–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persson, J., Lustig, C., Nelson, J. K., & Reuter-Lorenz, P. A. (2007). Age differences in deactivation: a link to cognitive control? Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19(6), 1021–1032. doi:10.1162/jocn.2007.19.6.1021.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raichle, M. E., & Snyder, A. Z. (2007). A default mode of brain function: a brief history of an evolving idea. NeuroImage, 37(4), 1083–1090. discussion 1097–1089. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.02.041.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raichle, M. E., MacLeod, A. M., Snyder, A. Z., Powers, W. J., Gusnard, D. A., & Shulman, G. L. (2001). A default mode of brain function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98(2), 676–682. doi:10.1073/pnas.98.2.676.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raz, N. (2005). The aging brain observed in vivo: differential changes and their modifiers. In R. Cabeza, L. Nyberg, & D. C. Park (Eds.), Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging: Linking Cognitive and Cerebral Aging (pp. 19–57). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Resnick, S., Pham, D., Kraut, M., Zonderman, A., & Davatzikos, C. (2003). Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging studies of older adults: a shrinking brain. The Journal of Neuroscience, 23(8), 3295–3301.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Resnick, S. M., Goldszal, A. F., Davatzikos, C., Golski, S., Kraut, M. A., Metter, E. J., et al. (2000). One-year age changes in MRI brain volumes in older adults. Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y.), 10(5), 464–472. doi:10.1093/cercor/10.5.464.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reuter-Lorenz, P., Marshuetz, C., Jonides, J., Smith, E., Hartley, A., & Koeppe, R. (2001). Neurocognitive ageing of storage and executive processes. The European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 13(1-2), 257–278. doi:10.1080/09541440125972.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rombouts, S. A., Barkhof, F., Goekoop, R., Stam, C. J., & Scheltens, P. (2005). Altered resting state networks in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease: an fMRI study. Human Brain Mapping, 26(4), 231–239. doi:10.1002/hbm.20160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shen, D., & Davatzikos, C. (2002). HAMMER: hierarchical attribute matching mechanism for elastic registration. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 21(11), 1421–1439. doi:10.1109/TMI.2002.803111.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shulman, G., Fiez, J., Corbetta, M., Buckner, R., Miezin, F., Raichle, M., et al. (1997). Common blood flow changes across visual tasks: II. decreases in cerebral cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 9(5), 648–663. doi:10.1162/jocn.1997.9.5.648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute on Aging and by Research and Development Contract N01-AG-3-2124. We are grateful to the BLSA participants and neuroimaging staff for their dedication to these studies and the staff of the Johns Hopkins PET facility for their assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA

    L. L. Beason-Held & S. M. Resnick

  2. Dept. of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    L. L. Beason-Held & M. A. Kraut

  3. NIA/LPC, 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD, 21224-6825, USA

    L. L. Beason-Held

Authors
  1. L. L. Beason-Held
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. A. Kraut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. M. Resnick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. L. Beason-Held.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Beason-Held, L.L., Kraut, M.A. & Resnick, S.M. Stability of Default-Mode Network Activity in the Aging Brain. Brain Imaging and Behavior 3, 123–131 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-008-9054-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-008-9054-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation