White matter microstructural correlates of associative learning in the oldest-old.

ABSTRACT: The ability to learn associations between events is critical for everyday functioning (e.g., decision making, social interactions) and has been attributed to structural differences in white matter tracts connecting cortical regions to the hippocampus (e.g., fornix) and striatum (e.g., internal capsule) in younger-old adults (ages 65-85 years). However, evidence of associative learning has not been assessed within oldest-old adults (ages 90+ years), despite its relevance to other extensively characterized cognitive abilities in the oldest-old and the relatively large effect of advanced age on the microstructural composition of these white matter tracts. We acquired multicompartment diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data from 22 oldest-old adults without dementia (mean age = 92.9

SUBMITTER: Merenstein JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10230573 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature