# Brain Network Mechanisms of Aging-Related Cognitive Decline

> **NIH NIH R01** · RUTGERS THE STATE UNIV OF NJ NEWARK · 2021 · $387,194

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Aging-related cognitive decline has been independently linked to alterations in resting-state functional
connectivity (RSFC) and cognitive task activations using functional MRI (fMRI), yet it is now well established
that there is a strong statistical relationship between RSFC and task activations. This is despite these being
quite distinct measures: RSFC is calculated as correlations among distributed brain activity time series during
rest, while task activations are localized brain activity amplitude changes during active task performance. The
network mechanisms underlying the RSFC-activation relationship are unknown, yet understanding this
relationship would clarify how aging alters both RSFC and cognitive task activations. For RSFC, linking to
cognitive task activations may help explain why RSFC is associated with cognitive processes despite being
measured independently of tasks testing those processes. For cognitive task activations, linking to RSFC may
bring a unified network-based understanding to the varied aging-related activation changes identified across
many brain regions and tasks. Thus, there is a critical need to determine the network mechanisms underlying
the relationship between RSFC and cognitive task activations. Without such knowledge, obtaining a unified
understanding of the neural basis of aging-related cognitive decline is unlikely. The overall objective of this
proposal is to identify network mechanisms that can account for the alterations in both RSFC and cognitive
task activations that occur with aging-related decline (from ages 18-28 to 65-75) of cognitive control abilities
among healthy older adults. This focus on cognitive control reflects its importance to adaptive, goal-directed
behavior in daily life. Further, cognitive control network (CCN) regions have RSFC network “hub” properties
well suited to regulate general cognitive ability. Of particular relevance to aging, cognitive control is one of the
abilities most affected by both healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease, and it plays a role in long-term memory
deficits (a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease). This proposal’s central hypothesis is that aging-related
alterations in RSFC reflect changes in intrinsic network pathways that influence brain activations during task
performance, and hence mediate disruption of cognitive control abilities. Three approaches will be utilized
across three aims to test our central hypothesis. Briefly, the first will utilize an innovative approach to predict
activation abnormalities based on RSFC abnormalities in healthy older adults. The second will utilize individual
differences to determine the contribution of CCN hub disruption to aging-related cognitive decline. The third will
utilize the established influence of cognitive training on RSFC to investigate the role of functional network
plasticity in aging-related cognitive decline. This project is expected to markedly improve understanding of the
brain net...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10115559
- **Project number:** 5R01AG055556-05
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS THE STATE UNIV OF NJ NEWARK
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael William Cole
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $387,194
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10115559

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10115559, Brain Network Mechanisms of Aging-Related Cognitive Decline (5R01AG055556-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10115559. Licensed CC0.

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