Connectome-based predictive modelling of ageing, overall cognitive functioning and memory performance.

Yi Gu, Lianghu Guo, Xinyi Cai, Qing Yang, Jian Sun, Yufei Li, Jiayu Zhu, Weijun Zhang, Peiyu Huang, Yi Jiang, Bin Bo, Yao Li, Yaoyu Zhang, Minming Zhang, Jinsong Wu, Hongcheng Shi, Siwei Liu, Qiang He, Xing Yao, Qiang Zhang, Hongjiang Wei, Xu Zhang, Han Zhang

School of Biomedical Engineering, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.School of Biomedical Engineering, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and brain functional connectome (we use 'brain connectome' hereafter for simplicity) have advanced our understanding of the ageing brain and age-related changes in cognitive function. Previous studies have investigated the association among brain connectome and age, global cognition, and memory function separately. However, very few have predicted age, overall cognitive functioning and memory performance in a single study to better understand their complex relationship. In this cross-sectional study, we applied an exploratory, data-driven method to investigate the brain connectome markers that could predict ageing, overall cognitive functioning assessed as intelligence quotient (IQ, measured by Wechsler Memory Scale) and memory performance assessed as memory quotient (MQ, measured by Wechsler Memory Scale) in a carefully designed, multicentre, normal ageing cohort (n = 313). Our results showed that brain connectome could predict ageing and IQ, but the association with MQ was weak. We found that the connectivity with orbital frontal cortex was associated with both ageing and IQ. Mediation analysis further showed that the brain connectome mediated the relationship between age and overall cognitive functioning, suggesting a protective brain connectomic mechanism for maintaining normal cognitive functions during healthy ageing. This work may shed light on the potential neural correlates of healthy ageing, overall cognitive functioning and memory performance.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper investigates the relationship between brain connectome markers and cognitive functioning in the context of aging, which is relevant to understanding the mechanisms underlying healthy aging. However, while it provides insights into cognitive performance and its neural correlates, the findings are primarily observational and do not address root causes of aging or propose interventions for lifespan extension. Thus, the impact is solid but limited.

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