Effects of Cognitive Training on Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Default Mode, Salience, and Central Executive Networks - PubMed (original) (raw)

Effects of Cognitive Training on Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Default Mode, Salience, and Central Executive Networks

Weifang Cao et al. Front Aging Neurosci. 2016.

Abstract

Neuroimaging studies have documented that aging can disrupt certain higher cognitive systems such as the default mode network (DMN), the salience network and the central executive network (CEN). The effect of cognitive training on higher cognitive systems remains unclear. This study used a 1-year longitudinal design to explore the cognitive training effect on three higher cognitive networks in healthy older adults. The community-living healthy older adults were divided into two groups: the multi-domain cognitive training group (24 sessions of cognitive training over a 3-months period) and the wait-list control group. All subjects underwent cognitive measurements and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning at baseline and at 1 year after the training ended. We examined training-related changes in functional connectivity (FC) within and between three networks. Compared with the baseline, we observed maintained or increased FC within all three networks after training. The scans after training also showed maintained anti-correlation of FC between the DMN and CEN compared to the baseline. These findings demonstrated that cognitive training maintained or improved the functional integration within networks and the coupling between the DMN and CEN in older adults. Our findings suggested that multi-domain cognitive training can mitigate the aging-related dysfunction of higher cognitive networks.

Keywords: aging; brain network; cognitive training; functional connectivity; resting-state fMRI.

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Figures

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 1

Results of Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) within the DMN (top), within the SN (middle) and within the CEN (bottom) using a voxel-based 2 × 2 repeated ANOVA analysis (p < 0.05, cluster size > 621 mm3). Bars at the right show the mean correlation coefficient of significantly altered FC within networks in training and control groups at the baseline (blue) and 1-year after training ended (red). CEN, Central executive network; DMN, default mode network; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; FI, frontoinsula; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex; SFG, superior frontal gyrus; SN, salience network. The left side of the image corresponds to the right side of the subject.

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 2

Significant differences in FC were observed between DMN and CEN (A,B), between DMN and SN (C), and between CEN and DMN (D) using a voxel-based 2 × 2 repeated measure ANOVA (p < 0.05, cluster size > 621 mm3). Bars at the bottom show the mean correlation coefficient of significant altered FC between networks in training and control groups at the baseline (blue) and 1-year after training ended (red). CEN, Central executive network; DMN, default mode network; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; IPL, inferior parietal lobe; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex; SN, salience network.

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 3

Correlation between the change in resting-state FC and the change in cognitive performance in the multi-domain training group (A) and in the control group (B,C).

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