Default‐mode network dynamics are restricted during high speed discrimination in healthy aging: Associations with neurocognitive status and simulated driving behavior

Abstract

Numerous daily tasks, including car driving, require fine visuospatial tuning. One such visuospatial ability, speed discrimination, declines with aging but its neural underpinnings remain unknown. In this study, we use fMRI to explore the effect of aging during a high speed discrimination task and its neural underpinnings, along with a complete neuropsychological assessment and a simulated driving evaluation in order to examine how they interact with each other through a multivariate regression approach. Beyond confirming that high speed discrimination performance is diminished in the elderly, we found that this deficit might be partly due to a lack of modulation in the activity and connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) in this age group, as well as an over-recruitment of frontoparietal and cerebellar regions, possibly as a compensatory mechanism. In addition, younger adults tended to drive at faster speeds, a behavior that was associated to adequate DMN dynamics and executive functioning, an effect that seems to be lost in the elderly. In summary, these results reveal how age-related declines in fine visuospatial abilities, such as high speed discrimination, were distinctly mediated by DMN functioning, a mechanism also associated to speeding behavior in a driving simulator.

Benefits of Higher Cardiovascular and Motor Coordinative Fitness on Driving Behavior Are Mediated by Cognitive Functioning: A Path Analysis

“…For older adults, some studies demonstrated such a relationship (Andrews and Westerman, 2012 ), while others did not (Park et al, 2011 ; Chen et al, 2013 ; Eudave et al, 2018 ). Varying relationships between cognitive functions and driving parameters might be attributed to different driving settings, task designs, and outcome measures (Park et al, 2011 ; Bunce et al, 2012 ; Eudave et al, 2018 ). In addition, driving experience may also influence cognitive demands during driving.…”

“…A recent systematic review also found that cognitive functions associated with driving behavior in younger and older adults were quite inconsistent across studies (Depestele et al, 2020). For older adults, some studies demonstrated such a relationship (Andrews and Westerman, 2012), while others did not (Park et al, 2011;Chen et al, 2013;Eudave et al, 2018). Varying relationships between cognitive functions and driving parameters might be attributed to different driving settings, task designs, and outcome measures (Park et al, 2011;Bunce et al, 2012;Eudave et al, 2018).…”

“…Age-related cognitive decline affects several cognitive functions that are associated with driving behavior such as attention, visuospatial skill, memory, or cognitive processing speed (Verhaeghen et al, 2003;Apolinario et al, 2009;Gajewski and Falkenstein, 2011;Wasylyshyn et al, 2011;Young and Bunce, 2011;Harada et al, 2013;Murman, 2015;Fraade-Blanar et al, 2018;Salthouse, 2019). For example, both visuospatial skill and attention are required to continuously monitor the environment while being able to very quickly identifying potential hazards on the road (Andrews and Westerman, 2012;Michaels et al, 2017;Eudave et al, 2018;Ledger et al, 2019).…”

“…Age-related cognitive decline affects several cognitive functions that are associated with driving behavior such as attention, visuospatial skill, memory, or cognitive processing speed (Verhaeghen et al, 2003 ; Apolinario et al, 2009 ; Gajewski and Falkenstein, 2011 ; Wasylyshyn et al, 2011 ; Young and Bunce, 2011 ; Harada et al, 2013 ; Murman, 2015 ; Fraade-Blanar et al, 2018 ; Salthouse, 2019 ). For example, both visuospatial skill and attention are required to continuously monitor the environment while being able to very quickly identifying potential hazards on the road (Andrews and Westerman, 2012 ; Michaels et al, 2017 ; Eudave et al, 2018 ; Ledger et al, 2019 ). Many studies have demonstrated such positive associations between different cognitive functions and driving behavior in a variety of scenarios (e.g., car following, braking, overtaking), and for different performance parameters (e.g., lane keeping, speed control, braking reactions; Young and Bunce, 2011 ; Anstey et al, 2012 ; Depestele et al, 2020 ).…”

Egocentric distance perception in older adults: Results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging and driving simulator study

“…The main significant result from telemetric data was that older adults drove at a lower speed when compared to younger adults, a usual finding when evaluating driving behaviors in aging ( Shinar et al, 2005 ; Cantin et al, 2009 ; Thompson et al, 2012 ; Keay et al, 2013 ; Eudave et al, 2018 ; Wechsler et al, 2018 ). In an attempt to associate EDP and driving performance, we found that higher accuracy in the EDP task is associated with a reduction in the Hard Braking behavior in our simulator.…”