Older age was associated with greater mental well-being but worse global cognitive performance compared to youth, with distinct neural activation patterns during cognitive tasks.
Cross-Sectional (n=54)
The study identifies dissociated neural mechanisms underlying global cognition and mental well-being in youth compared to healthy aging.
= 54) adults, we compared subjective mental health as well as objective global cognition across several core cognitive domains with simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG). We found significantly greater symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness in youth and in contrast, greater mental well-being in older adults. Yet, global performance across core cognitive domains was significantly worse in older adults. EEG-based source imaging of global cognitive task-evoked processing showed reduced suppression of activity in the anterior medial prefrontal default mode network (DMN) region in older adults relative to youth. Global cognitive performance efficiency was predicted by greater activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in younger adults and in contrast, by greater activity in right inferior frontal cortex in older adults. Furthermore, greater mental well-being in older adults related to lesser global task-evoked activity in the posterior DMN. Overall, these results suggest dissociated neural mechanisms underlying global cognition and mental well-being in youth versus healthy aging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Grennan et al. (Thu,) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy adults (n=54). Older age vs. Youth was evaluated on Subjective mental health, global cognition, and EEG-based neural activity. Older age was associated with greater mental well-being but worse global cognitive performance compared to youth, with distinct neural activation patterns during cognitive tasks.