Right-left asymmetry in corticospinal tract microstructure and dexterity are uncoupled in late adulthood.

ABSTRACT: Ageing leads to a decline in white matter microstructure and dexterous function of the hand. In adolescents, it has previously been shown that the degree of right-left asymmetry in the corticospinal tract (CST) is linearly related with right-left asymmetry in dexterity. Here, we tested whether this association is also expressed in older adults. Participants completed a simple circle drawing task with their right and left hand as a measure of dexterity and underwent whole-brain diffusion weighted imaging at 3 Tesla (n = 199; aged 60-72 years). Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity of right and left CST were extracted from a manually defined region-of-interest. Linear regression analyses were computed to replicate the analyses in adolescents. Frequentist analyses were complemented with

SUBMITTER: Demnitz N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8456694 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature