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Project

The effect of personality on default mode network functional connectivity of in age-related cognitive decline

In the last few decades, more and more research focuses on the aging population. A big part of this research examines changes in the brain that lead to cognitive decline due to neurodegeneration. However, substantially less research delves into cognition and its neural correlates in combination with other factors, that contribute to age-related cognitive decline and could potentially identify individuals that are at higher risk for the development of cognitive decline. There are significant structural and functional changes in the medial temporal lobe as well as prefrontal cortex and precuneus in the elderly with cognitive impairment. At the same time, education, social life, neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness have been shown to significantly impact cognition in the elderly. Up until recently, there were only a few studies in the field of aging and cognition that included longitudinal resting-state functional MRI data, and therefore the knowledge about age-related cognitive decline and its risk factors is lacking. My doctoral thesis will investigate the connection between changes in personality, default mode network functional connectivity, and cognitive decline in old age in a longitudinal design. It also hopes to identify individuals that are at higher risk for the development of cognitive decline.

Date:26 Jan 2022 →  Today
Keywords:cognition, personality, ageing, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), resting-state functional MRI, dafault mode network
Disciplines:Personality psychology, Cognitive neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Cognitive aging
Project type:PhD project