Heterogeneity in Frontal Lobe Aging

Abstract

This chapter approaches individual differences in frontal lobe functioning in old age from the more general perspective of individual differences in brain aging. We start by summarizing adult age trends in brain and behavior, with special attention to individual differences in change whenever such information is available. In light of the substantial heterogeneity of aging trajectories, which amplifies the between-person differences of early adulthood, we note that individual differences in brain activation patterns and performance are especially large in old age. Based on these considerations, we will advance the claim that higher levels of performance on executive control and working memory tasks in old age are associated with greater neurochemical and structural preservation and more “youth-like” task-related brain activation patterns. We will report the results of three recent studies that support this claim (Burzynska et al., 2012; Nagel et al., 2009, 2011). We will end with a plea for multimodal longitudinal studies of brain aging that shed more light on the ways in which the frontal lobes may help to preserve cognitive competence in old age.

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