Age-Related Differences in the Dynamic Architecture of Intrinsic Networks

Correlations among low-frequency spontaneous fluctuations in the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal reflect the connectivity of intrinsic large-scale networks in the brain. These correlations have typically been characterized over the entire timecourse (mean connectivity), but the mean correlations between regions vary dynamically. By focusing on the linear relationship between activity in network nodes within the default mode network (DMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), and fronto-parietal task control network (FPTC) captured by their inter-correlations, we demonstrate that this dynamic pattern of fluctuations reveals a detailed substructure, that this substructure is robust across individuals, and that the expression of specific factors is correlated with age. To do this, we conducted a chained P-technique factor analysis of the correlations in nonoverlapping temporal windows across N=145 normal aging subjects (age 56-89). The expression of factors within the DMN, FPTC, and DAN was highly correlated with age: Decreased intercorrelations within nodes in each factor were correlated with advanced age. Although these findings converge with those from stationary analysis, the ability to quantify age-related changes in the coherence of fluctuating connectivity may yield more insights into age-related cognitive decline.