Cerebral white matter integrity and cognitive aging: contributions from diffusion tensor imaging.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of neuroimaging literature without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 19705281 · doi:10.1007/s11065-009-9113-2
What was done
This narrative review examined published diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies to evaluate how changes in cerebral white matter microstructural integrity relate to adult age differences in cognitive performance.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values or effect sizes. It notes qualitatively that age-related loss of white matter integrity contributes to disconnection across distributed neural systems, consistently affecting perceptual speed and executive functioning, with regional variation suggesting an anterior-to-posterior gradient.
Why it matters
It emphasizes white matter tract degradation as a primary structural contributor to cognitive aging, offering a framework to connect brain microstructural alterations with specific cognitive deficits.
Limits
The abstract reports no quantitative data, search strategy, or study selection criteria. Individual study sample sizes, participant characteristics, and distinctions between cross-sectional and longitudinal findings are omitted.
Cited by
- supports Age-related degradation of white matter structure is one of the strongest predictors of age-related cognitive decline.