scholarly journals Right-lateralized fronto-parietal network and phasic alertness in healthy aging

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Haupt ◽  
Adriana L. Ruiz-Rizzo ◽  
Christian Sorg ◽  
Kathrin Finke
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Phasic Alertness ◽  
Dual Regression ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
The Right ◽  
Phasic Alerting

AbstractPhasic alerting cues temporarily increase the brain’s arousal state. In younger and older participants, visual processing speed in a whole report task, estimated based on the theory of visual attention (TVA), is increased in cue compared to no-cue conditions. The present study assessed whether older participants’ ability to profit from warning cues is related to iFC in the cingulo-opercular and/or right fronto-parietal network. We obtained resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 31 older participants. By combining an independent component analysis and dual regression, we investigated iFC in both networks. A voxel-wise multiple regression in older participants revealed that higher phasic alerting effects on visual processing speed were significantly associated with lower right fronto-parietal network iFC. We then compared healthy older participants to a previously reported sample of healthy younger participants to assess whether behaviour-iFC relationships are age group specific. The comparison revealed that the association between phasic alerting and cingulo-opercular network iFC is significantly lower in older than in younger adults. Additionally, it yielded a stronger association between phasic alerting and right fronto-parietal network iFC in older versus younger participants. The results support a particular role of the right fronto-parietal network in maintaining phasic alerting capabilities in aging.

Phasic alertness cues modulate visual processing speed in healthy aging

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 30-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Haupt ◽  
Christian Sorg ◽  
Natan Napiórkowski ◽  
Kathrin Finke
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Phasic Alertness ◽  
Visual Processing Speed

Phasic alerting increases visual processing speed in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Haupt ◽  
Steffen Jödecke ◽  
Annie Srowig ◽  
Natan Napiórkowski ◽  
Christoph Preul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
Phasic Alerting

External warning cues temporarily increase the brain's sensitivity for upcoming events. Such increased levels of phasic alertness help individuals to flexibly adapt their reactions to the fast-changing requirements of highly complex visual environments. Previous studies reported that both healthy younger and older adults profit from phasic alerting cues. Arguably, such an intact phasic alerting mechanism could be even more relevant in pathologically aging individuals who are characterized by pronounced reductions of general processing capacity. The present study employed a theory of visual attention based whole report paradigm with auditory cues in order to investigate phasic alerting effects in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) on a purely perceptual level. In addition, aMCI patients were compared to a previously reported sample of healthy older adults. The analysis in aMCI patients indicated that their visual processing speed was significantly higher in the cue compared to the no-cue condition. Across groups, auditory alerting cues significantly increased visual processing speed. Further, visual processing speed was reduced in aMCI patients compared to healthy older adults, replicating prior findings. Taken together, the results suggest that the processing system of aMCI patients exhibits general declines but can still flexibly integrate auditory warning signals. Phasic alerting cues facilitate a temporary increase in processing speed, enabling an efficient handling of upcoming sensory information.

scholarly journals The Role of Visual Processing Speed in Reading Speed Development

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. e58097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Lobier ◽  
Matthieu Dubois ◽  
Sylviane Valdois
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Reading Speed ◽  
Visual Processing Speed

scholarly journals Vision through Healthy Aging Eyes

Vision ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Nir Erdinest ◽  
Naomi London ◽  
Itay Lavy ◽  
Yair Morad ◽  
Nadav Levinger
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Retinal Cells ◽  
Dry Eyes ◽  
The World ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
A Current

As life expectancy grows, so too will the number of people adversely affected by age. Although it is acknowledged that many conditions and diseases are associated with age, this mini-review will present a current update of the various visual changes that generally occur in healthy individuals disregarding the possible effects of illness. These alterations influence how the world is perceived and in turn can affect efficiency or the ability to perform ordinary daily tasks such as driving or reading. The most common physical developments include a decreased pupil size and retinal luminance as well as changes both in intercellular and intracellular connections within the retina along the pathway to the visual cortex and within the visual cortex. The quantity and the physical location of retinal cells including photoreceptors, ganglion and bipolar retinal cells are modified. The clarity of intraocular organs, such as the intraocular lens, decreases. These all result in common visual manifestations that include reduced visual acuity, dry eyes, motility changes, a contraction of the visual field, presbyopia, reduced contrast sensitivity, slow dark adaptation, recovery from glare, variation in color vision and a decreased visual processing speed. Highlighting these prevalent issues as well as current and possible future innovations will assist providers to formulate treatments and thereby conserve maximum independence and mobility in the modern mature population.

scholarly journals Age-related degradation of optic radiation white matter connectivity differentially predicts visual and non-visual executive functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina E. Webb ◽  
Patricio M. Viera Perez ◽  
David A. Hoagey ◽  
Chen Gonen ◽  
Karen M. Rodrigue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
White Matter Connectivity ◽  
Optic Radiations

AbstractHealthy aging is accompanied by degraded white matter connectivity, which has been suggested to contribute to cognitive dysfunction observed in aging, especially in relation to fluid measures of cognition. Prior research linking white matter microstructure and cognition, however, has largely been limited to major association and heteromodal white matter tracts. The optic radiations (OR), which transfer visual sensory-perceptual information from thalamic lateral geniculate nucleus to primary visual cortex, are generally considered lower-level input-relay white matter tracts. However, the role of this prominent white-matter visual relay system in supporting higher-order cognition is understudied, especially in regard to healthy aging. The present study used deterministic tractography to isolate OR fractional anisotropy (FA) in 130 participants aged 20-94 to assess age effects on OR tract white matter connectivity. We also examined associations between age-related differences in the OR and cognitive domains involving visual processing speed, and visual- and non-visual executive function (EF). OR microstructural integrity, as indexed by FA, exhibited a significant linear decrease across age. A significant interaction between age, FA, and cognitive domain on cognitive task performance indicated that in older age, more degraded OR white matter was associated with poorer visual EF, but no age-related association between FA in the OR and visual processing speed or verbal EF was observed. Findings suggest the optic radiations are not merely sensory-perceptual relays, but also influence higher-order visual cognition differentially with aging.

Visual attention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder before and after stimulant treatment

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (15) ◽  
pp. 2617-2625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Marie Low ◽  
Signe Vangkilde ◽  
Julijana le Sommer ◽  
Birgitte Fagerlund ◽  
Birte Glenthøj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Stimulant Medication ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
Adhd Symptomatology

AbstractBackgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which frequently persists into adulthood. The primary goal of the current study was to (a) investigate attentional functions of stimulant medication-naïve adults with ADHD, and (b) investigate the effects of 6 weeks of methylphenidate treatment on these functions.MethodsThe study was a prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded, 6-week follow-up design with 42 stimulant medication-naïve adult patients with ADHD, and 42 age and parental education-matched healthy controls. Assessments included measures of visual attention, based on Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), which yields five precise measures of aspects of visual attention; general psychopathology; ADHD symptoms; dyslexia screening; and estimates of IQ.ResultsAt baseline, significant differences were found between patients and controls on three attentional parameters: visual short-term memory capacity, threshold of conscious perception, and to a lesser extent visual processing speed. Secondary analyses revealed no significant correlations between TVA parameter estimates and severity of ADHD symptomatology. At follow-up, significant improvements were found specifically for visual processing speed; this improvement had a large effect size, and remained when controlling for re-test effects, IQ, and dyslexia screen performance. There were no significant correlations between changes in visual processing speed and changes in ADHD symptomatology.ConclusionsADHD in adults may be associated with deficits in three distinct aspects of visual attention. Improvements after 6 weeks of medication are seen specifically in visual processing speed, which could represent an improvement in alertness. Clinical symptoms and visual attentional deficits may represent separate aspects of ADHD in adults.

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