Schedule of Events | Symposia

Functional Cerebello-Basal Ganglia Networks and their Role in Cognitive and Motor Processes Across the Adult Lifespan

Poster Session E - Monday, March 31, 2025, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Ivan Herrejon¹, Grace Denny¹, Sydney Cos¹, Thamires Magalhaes¹, Jessica Bernard; ¹Texas A&M University

While research on the cerebral cortex has improved our understanding of aging, the cerebellum’s role has been understudied. Similarly, aging impacts the basal ganglia making the cerebello-basal ganglia circuits of particular interest. However, it remains an open question how this circuit is impacted longitudinally and how it relates to cognitive and motor functions. The present study investigated the impact of aging in CB-BG networks. 96 participants, ages 35-96, completed two visits one year apart and a motor and cognitive battery. Afterward, participants underwent fMRI imaging. Images were analyzed using an ROI-to-ROI approach. In our one-year follow-up, we observed group differences between early middle adulthood (EMA) and older adults (OA), but not in EMA and LMA or LMA and OA, suggesting that EMA and OA have differences in FC in the CB-BG networks. Finally, when comparing each age group to itself one year later, we found patterns of mostly higher FC in EMA, LMA, and OA between and within regions, especially within the basal ganglia. This could imply that the circuits strengthen to scaffold other functions due to the impact of healthy aging. When investigating motor and cognitive sub-circuits and their association to task performance, we did not find significant results over time for cognitive (Stroop or Montreal Cognitive Assessment) or motor (Pegboard assembly or Sequence) tasks. Updating brain models to include the CB-BG circuit represents a novel approach to expand our knowledge of healthy aging.

Topic Area: OTHER