AUTHOR=Zhu Shizhe , Wang Qinglei , Kan Chaojie , Geng Ayan , Sui Youxin , Zhuang Ren , Zhu Yi , Wang Tong , Zhu Lan , Guo Chuan 

TITLE=Age-related cerebral changes during different n-back tasks: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=16

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1437587

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2024.1437587

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>The n-back task is a widely used paradigm to assess working memory and is commonly applied in research on age-related cognitive decline. However, studies utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to explore this area are limited.</p></sec><sec><title>Objective</title><p>This study aims to investigate age-related differences in brain activation during the n-back task using fNIRS.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>fNIRS data were collected from 18 elderly and 19 young participants while performing different n-back tasks. Brain activation patterns and peripheral performance were compared between the two groups.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Significant differences in brain activation patterns were observed between elderly and young participants. Under the 3-back condition, the older group exhibited reduced activation in brain regions adjacent to prefrontal cognitive areas compared to the younger group. Additionally, the older group’s performance plateaued at the 2-back level, along with a decline in prefrontal activation.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>These findings may suggest potential markers for cognitive decline, providing a new target for future screening.</p></sec>