A new study led by UF neuroscientists Adam J. Woods, Ph.D. and Nicole Evangelista, examining how brain structure and brain function may together contribute to cognition, found that greater right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation — a measure of brain function — predicted higher working memory performance in older adults, as did a greater DLPFC surface area structure in the left hemisphere of the brain.
Cognition has been shown to decline in advancing age, even in the absence of disease. This can lead to less working memory, which has been associated with decreased independence in older age.
“Our results suggest that these measures of structure and function independently predict higher working memory performance and provide us with a better understanding of how the brain interacts to produce working memory.”
“These findings may help inform future intervention strategies to stave off working memory declines in aging, as well as potential preventative strategies for altering the trajectory towards Alzheimer’s disease.”
Adam Woods, Ph.D., associate director of UF’s Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory and an associate professor of clinical and health psychology in UF’s College of Public Health and Health Professions
Read the full announcement on the UF MBI website.