Modulating functional connectivity with non-invasive brain stimulation for the investigation and alleviation of age-associated declines in response inhibition: A narrative review

Jane Tan; Kartik K Iyer; Alexander D Tang; Asif Jamil; Ralph N Martins; Hamid R Sohrabi; Michael A Nitsche; Mark R Hinder; Hakuei Fujiyama

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.10.044

Modulating functional connectivity with non-invasive brain stimulation for the investigation and alleviation of age-associated declines in response inhibition: A narrative review

Neuroimage. 2019 Jan 15:185:490-512. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.10.044. Epub 2018 Oct 19.

Authors

Jane Tan¹, Kartik K Iyer², Alexander D Tang³, Asif Jamil⁴, Ralph N Martins⁵, Hamid R Sohrabi⁵, Michael A Nitsche⁶, Mark R Hinder⁷, Hakuei Fujiyama⁸

Affiliations

¹ Action and Cognition Laboratory, School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.
² Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
³ Experimental and Regenerative Neurosciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Australia.
⁴ Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Dortmund, Germany.
⁵ Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, Australia; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia; The School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia.
⁶ Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Dortmund, Germany; Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany.
⁷ Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Laboratory, School of Medicine (Division of Psychology), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
⁸ Action and Cognition Laboratory, School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. Electronic address: H.Fujiyama@murdoch.edu.au.

PMID: 30342977
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.10.044

Abstract

Response inhibition, the ability to withhold a dominant and prepotent response following a change in circumstance or sensory stimuli, declines with advancing age. While non-invasive brain stimulation (NiBS) has shown promise in alleviating some cognitive and motor functions in healthy older individuals, NiBS research focusing on response inhibition has mostly been conducted on younger adults. These extant studies have primarily focused on modulating the activity of distinct neural regions known to be critical for response inhibition, including the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) and the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). However, given that changes in structural and functional connectivity have been associated with healthy aging, this review proposes that NiBS protocols aimed at modulating the functional connectivity between the rIFG and pre-SMA may be the most efficacious approach to investigate-and perhaps even alleviate-age-related deficits in inhibitory control.

Keywords: Aging; Functional connectivity; Neural oscillations; Phase synchronization; Response inhibition; Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Brain*
Humans
Inhibition, Psychological*
Middle Aged
Neural Pathways*
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / methods*