Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the trail-making test in older adults

PLoS One. 2020 May 12;15(5):e0232469. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232469. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The trail-making test (TMT) is a popular neuropsychological test, which is used extensively to measure cognitive impairment associated with neurodegenerative disorders in older adults. Behavioural performance on the TMT has been investigated in older populations, but there is limited research on task-related brain activity in older adults. The current study administered a naturalistic version of the TMT to a healthy older-aged population in an MRI environment using a novel, MRI-compatible tablet. Functional MRI was conducted during task completion, allowing characterization of the brain activity associated with the TMT. Performance on the TMT was evaluated using number of errors and seconds per completion of each link. Results are reported for 36 cognitively healthy older adults between the ages of 52 and 85. Task-related activation was observed in extensive regions of the bilateral frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes as well as key motor areas. Increased age was associated with reduced brain activity and worse task performance. Specifically, older age was correlated with decreased task-related activity in the bilateral occipital, temporal and parietal lobes. These results suggest that healthy older aging significantly affects brain function during the TMT, which consequently may result in performance decrements. The current study reveals the brain activation patterns underlying TMT performance in a healthy older aging population, which functions as an important, clinically-relevant control to compare to pathological aging in future investigations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / psychology*
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain / physiology
  • Cognition
  • Cohort Studies
  • Computers, Handheld
  • Female
  • Functional Neuroimaging / methods*
  • Healthy Volunteers
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Trail Making Test*

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.12156645

Grants and funding

The work completed in the current study was supported by funding provided to T.A.S. from the Ministry of Transportation Ontario through the Road Safety Community Partnership Program (https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-transportation) and an Alzheimer's Association Research Grant (AARG-16-442685) (https://www.alz.org/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.