Emotion recognition is known to change with age, but associations between the change and brain atrophy are not well understood. In the current study atrophied brain regions associated with emotion recognition were investigated in elderly and younger participants. Group comparison showed no difference in emotion recognition score, while the score was associated with years of education, not age. We measured the gray matter volume of 18 regions of interest including the bilateral precuneus, supramarginal gyrus, orbital gyrus, straight gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, inferior frontal gyrus, insular cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, which have been associated with social function and emotion recognition. Brain reductions were observed in elderly group except left inferior frontal gyrus, left straight gyrus, right orbital gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right supramarginal gyrus. Path analysis was performed using the following variables: age, years of education, emotion recognition score, and the 5 regions that were not different between the groups. The analysis revealed that years of education were associated with volumes of the right orbital gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right supramarginal gyrus. Furthermore, the right supramarginal gyrus volume was associated with the emotion recognition score. These results suggest that the amount of education received contributes to maintain the right supramarginal gyrus volume, and indirectly affects emotion recognition ability.
Background
Cognitive function declines with age and has been shown to be associated with atrophy in some brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex. However, the details of the relationship between aging and cognitive dysfunction are not well understood.
Methods
Across a wide range of ages (24- to 85-years-old), this research measured the gray matter volume of structural magnetic resonance imaging data in 39 participants, while some brain regions were set as mediator variables to assess the cascade process between aging and cognitive dysfunction in a path analysis.
Results
Path analysis showed that age affected the left hippocampus, thereby directly affecting the left superior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, the gyrus directly affected higher order flexibility and maintenance abilities calculated as in the Wisconsin card sorting test, and the two abilities affected the assessment of general cognitive function.
Conclusion
Our finding suggests that a cascade process mediated by the left hippocampus and left superior frontal gyrus is involved in the relationship between aging and cognitive dysfunction.
Background: Cognitive function declines with age and has been shown to be associated with atrophy in some brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex. However, the details of the relationship between aging and cognitive dysfunction are not well understood.Methods: Across a wide range of ages (24- to 85-years-old), this research measured the gray matter volume of structural magnetic resonance imaging data in 39 participants, while some brain regions were set as mediator variables to assess the cascade process between aging and cognitive dysfunction in a path analysis.Results: Path analysis showed that age affected the left hippocampus, thereby directly affecting the left superior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, the gyrus directly affected higher order flexibility and maintenance abilities calculated as assessed in the Wisconsin card sorting test, and the two abilities affected an assessment of general cognitive function. Conclusion: Our finding suggests that a cascade process mediated by the left hippocampus and left superior frontal gyrus is involved in the relationship between aging and cognitive dysfunction.
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