Evolution of spatial and temporal features of functional brain networks across the lifespan

Abstract

Development and aging are associated with functional changes in the brain across the lifespan. These changes manifest in a variety of spatial and temporal features of resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) but have seldom been explored exhaustively. We present a comprehensive study assessing age-related changes in spatial and temporal features of blind-source separated components identified by independent vector analysis (IVA) in a cross-sectional lifespan sample (ages 6–85 years). We show that while large-scale network configurations remain consistent throughout the lifespan, changes persist in both local and global organization of these networks. We show that the spatial extent of the majority of functional networks exhibits linear decreases and both positive and negative quadratic trajectories across the lifespan. Network connectivity revealed nuanced patterns of linear and quadratic relationships with age, primarily in higher order cognitive networks. We also show divergent age-related patterns across the frequency spectrum in lower and higher frequencies. Taken together, these results point to the presence of sophisticated patterns of age-related changes that have previously not been considered collectively. We suggest that established patterns of lifespan changes in rs-fMRI features may be driven by changes in the spectral composition of BOLD signals.