A USC neuroimaging study finds that healthier superficial white matter — the short, curved fibers under the cortex — links with better language performance and appears to buffer the cognitive impact of gray matter atrophy in older adults.
Healthier superficial white matter beneath the cortex is associated with stronger language performance in adults 60 and older.
Gray matter atrophy remains the strongest predictor of cognitive ability, but the effect of that atrophy on cognition is weaker when nearby superficial white matter is intact.
Scientists have discovered that the brain's short-range wiring may help protect cognition even as gray matter shrinks with age. Healthier connections just beneath the brain's surface were linked to better language skills and appeared to weaken the impact of gray matter loss. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY A new brain imaging study suggests that healthy wiring beneath the brain's gray matter may help cushion the effects of age-related brain loss.
Because participants were examined at only one point in time, the study cannot establish which brain changes occurred first. Superficial white matter forms a thin layer of nerve fibers directly beneath the gray matter covering the outside of the brain. These short, curved fibers connect nearby regions of the cerebral cortex, allowing them to exchange information.
Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com Scientists at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have uncovered evidence that two neighboring types of brain tissue may work together to support thinking abilities later in life. The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Together, gray matter and the white matter directly beneath it form closely connected systems that may both contribute to cognitive health.
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