Linking the impact of aging on visual short-term memory capacity with changes 
in the structural connectivity of posterior thalamus to occipital cortices

Menegaux, Aurore; Bäuerlein, Felix J. B.; Vania, Aliki; Napiorkowski, Natan; Neitzel, Julia; Ruiz-Rizzo, Adriana L.; Mueller, Hermann J.; Sorg, Christian; Finke, Kathrin

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116440

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Linking the impact of aging on visual short-term memory capacity with changes in the structural connectivity of posterior thalamus to occipital cortices

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Bäuerlein, Felix J. B.
Baumeister, Wolfgang / Molecular Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Max Planck Society;

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Menegaux, A., Bäuerlein, F. J. B., Vania, A., Napiorkowski, N., Neitzel, J., Ruiz-Rizzo, A. L., et al. (2020). Linking the impact of aging on visual short-term memory capacity with changes in the structural connectivity of posterior thalamus to occipital cortices. NEUROIMAGE, 208: 116440. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116440.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0005-FA14-B

Abstract

Aging impacts both visual short-term memory (vSTM) capacity and thalamo-cortical connectivity. According to the Neural Theory of Visual Attention, vSTM depends on the structural connectivity between posterior thalamus and visual occipital cortices (PT-OC). We tested whether aging modifies the association between vSTM capacity and PT-OC structural connectivity. To do so, 66 individuals aged 20-77 years were assessed by diffusion-weighted imaging used for probabilistic tractography and performed a psychophysical whole-report task of briefly presented letter arrays, from which vSTM capacity estimates were derived. We found reduced vSTM capacity, and aberrant PT-OC connection probability in aging. Critically, age modified the relationship between vSTM capacity and PT-OC connection probability: in younger adults, vSTM capacity was negatively correlated with PT-OC connection probability while in older adults, this association was positive. Furthermore, age modified the microstructure of PT-OC tracts suggesting that the inversion of the association between PT-OC connection probability and vSTM capacity with aging might reflect age-related changes in white-matter properties. Accordingly, our results demonstrate that age-related differences in vSTM capacity links with the microstructure and connectivity of PT-OC tracts.