Age-related cortical changes and cognitive performance in healthy adults

Abstract

Aging is a continuous process with cortical thinning as a common consequence. This study aimed to evaluate cortical thickness, volume and area differences associated with age in healthy population. Seventy-six healthy individuals were divided into three age groups: younger (25–40 years, n = 25), middleaged (41–55 years, n = 24), and older (56–80 years, n = 27). The elderly group exhibited significantly reduced cortical gray matter in frontal regions (left rostral middle frontal, bilateral lateral orbitofrontal, precentral gyri), temporal (middle temporal, right superior temporal, right inferior temporal), limbic regions (left insula, left posterior cingulate gyrus), occipital (right cuneus, lateral occipital, right lateral occipital), and parietal (precuneus and left postcentral gyri) compared to the younger group.