TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of aging on functional connectivity of the amygdala during negative evaluation
T2 - A network analysis of fMRI data
AU - St. Jacques, Peggy
AU - Dolcos, Florin
AU - Cabeza, Roberto
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by NIH grants RO1 AG19731 and RO1 AG023123. FD was supported by a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, a CPRF Award from the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation, and by a NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the US National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.
PY - 2010/2
Y1 - 2010/2
N2 - Previous evidence has suggested both preserved emotional function in aging and age-related differences in emotional processing, but the neural networks underlying such processing alterations in the context of preserved affective function are not clear. Using event-related fMRI, we scanned young and older adults while they made valence ratings for emotional pictures. Behavioral results showed a similar pattern of emotional evaluation, but older adults experienced negatively valenced pictures as being less negative. Consistent with behavioral findings, we identified common activity in the right amygdala, but age-related differences in the functional connectivity of this region with the rest of the brain. Compared to young adults, older adults had greater functional connectivity between the right amygdala and ventral anterior cingulate cortex, possibly reflecting increased emotional regulation. Conversely, older adults showed decreased functional connectivity with posterior brain regions, likely reflecting decreased perceptual processing. Thus, age-related differences in evaluating negatively valenced stimuli might reflect decreased perceptual processing of these stimuli, as well as the engagement of control processes that inhibit the response to negative emotion.
AB - Previous evidence has suggested both preserved emotional function in aging and age-related differences in emotional processing, but the neural networks underlying such processing alterations in the context of preserved affective function are not clear. Using event-related fMRI, we scanned young and older adults while they made valence ratings for emotional pictures. Behavioral results showed a similar pattern of emotional evaluation, but older adults experienced negatively valenced pictures as being less negative. Consistent with behavioral findings, we identified common activity in the right amygdala, but age-related differences in the functional connectivity of this region with the rest of the brain. Compared to young adults, older adults had greater functional connectivity between the right amygdala and ventral anterior cingulate cortex, possibly reflecting increased emotional regulation. Conversely, older adults showed decreased functional connectivity with posterior brain regions, likely reflecting decreased perceptual processing. Thus, age-related differences in evaluating negatively valenced stimuli might reflect decreased perceptual processing of these stimuli, as well as the engagement of control processes that inhibit the response to negative emotion.
KW - Aging
KW - Emotion
KW - fMRI
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=71349083095&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=71349083095&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2008.03.012
DO - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2008.03.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 18455837
AN - SCOPUS:71349083095
SN - 0197-4580
VL - 31
SP - 315
EP - 327
JO - Neurobiology of Aging
JF - Neurobiology of Aging
IS - 2
ER -