Understanding the gap between age-related brain atrophy and cognitive function

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K17634
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59030:Physical education, and physical and health education-related
• Research Institution: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ryota Asahara 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 情報・人間工学領域, 研究員 (90847584)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 脳萎縮 / 脳白質の統合性 / MRI / 認知機能 / 加齢

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Dementia is diagnosed based on cognitive assessments and brain morphology, but there are many older people whose brain atrophy does not correspond to their cognitive function. The gap between the extent of brain atrophy and cognitive function may be one of the reasons why early detection of dementia is difficult. The purpose of this study was to clarify the “discrepancy” between brain morphology and cognitive function. Brain morphometry data of 50 cognitively healthy older (HO) adults and 50 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) revealed that the degree of brain atrophy was not significantly different between HO and MCI adults, except for some regions such as the hippocampus. On the other hand, brain activity and cerebral blood flow dynamics during cognitive tasks were different between HO and MCI adults. These results suggest that brain activity and cerebral blood flow dynamics may explain the “discrepancy” between brain morphology and cognitive function.

Free Research Field

脳認知機能、加齢、運動生理学、循環機能

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、脳萎縮が引き起こしうる認知機能低下を抑止するための、残存している脳神経の活動亢進という新たな認知機能制御のメカニズムが解明された。本研究成果は、脳の萎縮と認知機能の“不一致”を説明する基礎的メカニズムの解明のみならず、脳の構造と活動の評価により、認知症の前段階である軽度認知障害と診断されるよりもさらに早い段階で、認知機能低下の兆候を検出することにもつなげられる可能性がある。これは、認知症の進行を抑制する薬剤や運動などの早期介入による効果の最大化、ひいては健康寿命の延伸につなげられることが期待出来る。