Impact of Aging Brain Circuits on Cognition

Overview

Journal Eur J Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2013 Jun 19

PMID 23773059

Citations 72

Authors

Rachel D Samson

Carol A Barnes

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Brain networks that engage the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are central for enabling effective interactions with our environment. Some of the cognitive processes that these structures mediate, such as encoding and retrieving episodic experience, wayfinding, working memory and attention are known to be altered across the lifespan. As illustrated by examples given below, there is remarkable consistency across species in the pattern of age-related neural and cognitive change observed in healthy humans and other animals. These include changes in cognitive operations that are known to be dependent on the hippocampus, as well as those requiring intact prefrontal cortical circuits. Certain cognitive constructs that reflect the function of these areas lend themselves to investigation across species, allowing brain mechanisms at different levels of analysis to be studied in greater depth.

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