Aging-related changes in cognitive flexibility: fMRI meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Cognitive flexibility-the ability to adaptively shift between different mental processes-is essential for human functioning. This meta-analysis examines age-related changes in neural correlates of cognitive flexibility using two common assessments: the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (rule-discovery) and Task-Switching Paradigm (rule-retrieval). We synthesized findings from 85 articles comprising 118 experiments with 2246 participants across young, middle-age, and older adult groups. Activation Likelihood Estimation analyses revealed an age-related decrease in neural involvement, particularly in posterior regions, with an anterior shift in older adults. Younger adults exhibited bilateral activation patterns while older adults showed left-dominant activity, indicating neural circuit redistribut

SUBMITTER: Chuikova Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12621379 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature