Age-Dependent Modulations of Resting State Connectivity Following Motor Practice

Abstract

Recent work in young adults has demonstrated that motor learning can modulate resting state functional connectivity. However, evidence for older adults is scarce. Here, we investigated whether learning a bimanual tracking task modulates resting state functional connectivity of both inter- and intra-hemispheric regions differentially in young and older individuals, and whether this has behavioral relevance. Both age groups learned a set of complex bimanual tracking task variants over a 2-week training period. Resting-state and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected before and after training. Our analyses revealed that both young and older adults reached considerable performance gains. Older adults even obtained larger training-induced improvements relative to baseline, but their overall performance levels were lower than in young adults. Short-term practice resulted in a modulation of resting state functional connectivity, leading to connectivity increases in young adults, but connectivity decreases in older adults. This pattern of age differences occurred for both inter- and intra-hemispheric connections related to the motor network. Additionally, long-term training-induced increases were observed in intra-hemispheric connectivity in the right hemisphere across both age groups. Overall, at the individual level, the long-term changes in inter-hemispheric connectivity correlated with training-induced motor improvement. Our findings confirm that short-term task practice shapes spontaneous brain activity differentially in young and older individuals. Importantly, the association between changes in resting state functional connectivity and improvements in motor performance at the individual level may be indicative of how training shapes the short-term functional reorganization of the resting state motor network for improvement of behavioral performance.

Regression Networks for Neurophysiological Indicator Evaluation in Practicing Motor Imagery Tasks

“…Although this last predictor is one of the most used, its curve-fitting method depends heavily on various parameters that are difficult to determine, regardless of the resting data employed [ 25 ]. Other predictors are derived from measuring the change in electrophysiological properties across the training sessions [ 26 , 27 ]. Other predictors are derived from measuring the change in electrophysiological properties across the training sessions [ 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Learning‐driven cerebellar intrinsic functional connectivity changes in men

“…Importantly, decreased connectivity in the cerebello‐cortical networks is behaviorally relevant, as connectivity strength was correlated with both motor (manual dexterity, timing, balance) and cognitive (associative memory, working memory) performance in older subjects, with greater connectivity strength associated with better performance (Chanraud, Pitel, Müller‐Oehring, Pfefferbaum, & Sullivan, ; Di Scala et al, ). To our knowledge, in contrast with these studies, modulation of rsFC by learning, has seldom been investigated in older subjects (Mary et al, ; Solesio‐Jofre et al, ), and never using a conditional visuo‐motor task (Balsters and Ramnani, ).…”

“…Adaptation through feedback learning is partially preserved in older healthy subjects (Eppinger, Hämmerer, & Li, ; Eppinger, Schuck, Nystrom, & Cohen, ; Simon & Gluck, ; Weiler, Bellebaum, & Daum, ), but typically slowdown in comparison with younger subjects while the consolidation process is furthermore altered in this population (Solesio‐Jofre et al, ). Also, cerebellar rsFC is decreased in older subjects, particularly between the cerebellum and the basal ganglia, the frontal (Zheng et al, ), and the temporal lobe (Bernard & Seidler, ; Bernard et al, ).…”

Aging Modulates the Resting Brain after a Memory Task: A Validation Study from Multivariate Models

“…Hence, understanding the aging process as well as its neural underpinnings is crucial to improve seniors’ functioning in daily life. The major part of the studies on healthy aging have approached it as a decadent period of decline in both physical and cognitive domains [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. However, older individuals also exhibit a strikingly well-preserved ability to process emotions [ 5 ].…”

“…In this regard, rs-EEG has been proved as a reliable indicator of functional reorganization of brain networks, supporting a wide range of perceptual and goal-directed tasks [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Converging evidence regarding the functional relevance of spontaneous brain activity has revealed prominent differences not only in patients with brain disorders [ 15 , 16 ] but also in healthy ageing [ 2 , 17 ]. However, not a single study to date has examined age-related changes in neuroplasticity after a training program based on positive emotions by means of rs-EEG.…”