Real-Time fMRI in Neuroscience Research and Its Use in Studying the Aging Brain

Real-Time fMRI in Neuroscience Research and Its Use in Studying the Aging Brain

Cognitive decline is a major concern in the aging population. It is normative to experience some deterioration in cognitive abilities with advanced age such as related to memory performance, attention distraction to interference, task switching, and processing speed. However, intact cognitive functi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in aging neuroscience Vol. 8; p. 239
Main Authors: Rana, Mohit, Varan, Andrew Q, Davoudi, Anis, Cohen, Ronald A, Sitaram, Ranganatha, Ebner, Natalie C
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 18-10-2016
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects:
Addictions
Age
Aging
Atrophy
Attention task
Blood flow
Brain
Brain mapping
Brain research
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Computer applications
emotion
Feasibility studies
Feedback
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
healthy aging
Implants
Information processing
Initiatives
Medical imaging
Memory
Mental disorders
Mental task performance
Nervous system
Neural networks
Neurodegeneration
Neurofeedback
Neuroimaging
Neuroscience
Neurosciences
Nicotine
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Older people
pathological ageing
Quality of life
rtfMRI neurofeedback
Schizophrenia
Substantia alba
Chile
United States > US
real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging
emotion
aging
cognition
neurofeedback
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Description
Summary:Cognitive decline is a major concern in the aging population. It is normative to experience some deterioration in cognitive abilities with advanced age such as related to memory performance, attention distraction to interference, task switching, and processing speed. However, intact cognitive functioning in old age is important for leading an independent day-to-day life. Thus, studying ways to counteract or delay the onset of cognitive decline in aging is crucial. The literature offers various explanations for the decline in cognitive performance in aging; among those are age-related gray and white matter atrophy, synaptic degeneration, blood flow reduction, neurochemical alterations, and change in connectivity patterns with advanced age. An emerging literature on neurofeedback and Brain Computer Interface (BCI) reports exciting results supporting the benefits of volitional modulation of brain activity on cognition and behavior. Neurofeedback studies based on real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI) have shown behavioral changes in schizophrenia and behavioral benefits in nicotine addiction. This article integrates research on cognitive and brain aging with evidence of brain and behavioral modification due to rtfMRI neurofeedback. We offer a state-of-the-art description of the rtfMRI technique with an eye towards its application in aging. We present preliminary results of a feasibility study exploring the possibility of using rtfMRI to train older adults to volitionally control brain activity. Based on these first findings, we discuss possible implementations of rtfMRI neurofeedback as a novel technique to study and alleviate cognitive decline in healthy and pathological aging.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ObjectType-Review-1
Reviewed by: Ramesh Kandimalla, Texas Tech University, USA; Neha Sehgal, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, USA
Edited by: Rodrigo Orlando Kuljiš, University of Miami School of Medicine, USA
ISSN:1663-4365
1663-4365
DOI:10.3389/fnagi.2016.00239