Longitudinal changes in control energy of brain networks in older adults at familial risk for Alzheimers disease
The ability of structural brain networks to control neural dynamics is affected by healthy and pathological aging, including Alzheimers disease (AD). According to network control theory, transitions between functional brain states incur energetic costs. How these costs change longitudinally with aging remains unknown. Here, in 279 older adults at familial risk for AD, control energy increased…
A new study investigates how structural brain networks control neural dynamics in older adults at familial risk for Alzheimer's disease. Network control theory suggests that transitions between functional brain states come with energetic costs. In the research involving 279 participants, scientists observed that control energy increased over time for state maintenance and transitions between sensorimotor and attentional networks.
However, these costs decreased for another sensorimotor-attentional transition. The researchers found that changes in transition costs between higher-order networks were linked to cognitive performance. A greater cost between the DorsAttn and Executive networks was associated with poorer immediate memory, while a lower cost between the Executive and Def+Lim networks was tied to worse attention.
Furthermore, higher levels of plasma p-tau181 were connected to lower transition costs between the DorsAttn and Def+Lim networks. The findings reveal specific alterations in the energetic landscape of aging and suggest that distinct relationships exist between these changes and both cognition and AD pathology. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering energetic constraints in brain network reconfiguration as a complementary perspective on neurocognitive aging.
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