Object-Location Memory Training in Older Adults Leads to Greater Deactivation of the Dorsal Default Mode Network

Substantial evidence indicates that cognitive training can be efficacious for older adults, but findings regarding training-related brain plasticity have been mixed and vary depending on the imaging modality. Recent years seen a growth in recognition of importance large-scale networks cognition. In particular, task-induced deactivation within default mode network (DMN) is thought to facilitate externally directed cognition, while aging-related decrements this neural process are related reduced performance. It not yet clear whether DMN enhanced by elderly. We previously reported durable improvements sample healthy adults (age range = 60–75) who completed 6 weeks process-based object-location memory ( N 36) compared an active control group 31). The primary aim current study evaluate these gains accompanied changes task-related deactivation. Given heterogeneity DMN, we examine activation/deactivation two separate branches, ventral branch episodic dorsal more closely resembling canonical DMN. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) performing untrained task at four time points before, during, after period. Task-induced (de)activation values were extracted branches each point. Relative visual fixation baseline: (i) was deactivated during scanner task, activated; (ii) exhibited increase relative over course follow-up; (iii) did correlate with improvement. These results indicate enhancement although specificity improvement performed clear.