Motor-cognitive aging: The role of motor cortex and its pathways

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage Pub Date : 2025-09-17 DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121472

Jiaqi Wen , Zifei Liang , Chenyang Li , Huize Pang , Li Jiang , Jiayi Li , Xiaojun Guan , Jiangyang Zhang , Henry Rusinek , Xiaojun Xu , Yulin Ge

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Motor and cognitive decline are hallmark features of aging. In the primary motor cortex (M1), pyramidal neurons project to the corticospinal tract (CST), a well-established motor pathway, and send collaterals to the ipsilateral striatum, forming the corticostriatal tract (CStrT). While the CST has been extensively studied, the role of the CStrT in motor and cognitive aging remains poorly understood.

Methods

We analyzed T1- and T2-weighted MRI, multi-delay arterial spin labeling, and multi-shell diffusion MRI data from 339 right-handed healthy adults (aged 36–90 years) in the Human Connectome Project–Aging dataset. Age-related trajectories of M1 structure and hemodynamics, as well as CST and CStrT microstructure, were assessed. Segment-wise along-tract analyses were conducted to identify localized tract degeneration. Mediation analyses were performed to examine whether tract integrity linked M1 atrophy to motor and cognitive performance.

Results

With age, M1 exhibited reduced volume and hemodynamics, altered T1/T2 ratio, and increased cortical curvature, reflecting structural and hemodynamic alterations. Along-tract analyses revealed localized microstructural degeneration in the CST adjacent to M1, whereas the CStrT showed more extensive degeneration along its trajectory. These tract changes were associated with structural and hemodynamic alterations in M1. Furthermore, integrity of the dominant (left) CST and CStrT mediated the relationship between ipsilateral M1 atrophy and motor decline. Notably, CStrT integrity also mediated the association between M1 atrophy and motor cognition decline.

Conclusion

These findings establish age-related structural and functional degeneration of M1 and its pathways, highlighting the CStrT as a critical mediator between motor cortical atrophy and both motor and cognitive decline. These normative imaging markers of healthy aging may help inform the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases.

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运动-认知老化：运动皮层的作用及其通路。

背景：运动和认知能力下降是衰老的显著特征。在初级运动皮质（M1）中，锥体神经元投射到皮质脊髓束（CST），这是一条完善的运动通路，并向同侧纹状体发送侧枝，形成皮质纹状体束（CStrT）。虽然CST已被广泛研究，但CST在运动和认知衰老中的作用仍然知之甚少。方法：我们分析了人类连接组项目-衰老数据集中339名右撇子健康成年人（36-90岁）的T1和t2加权MRI、多延迟动脉自旋标记和多壳扩散MRI数据。评估M1结构和血流动力学的年龄相关轨迹，以及CST和CStrT微观结构。进行节段性的沿着生殖道的分析以确定局部生殖道变性。进行中介分析以检查束完整性是否将M1萎缩与运动和认知表现联系起来。结果：随着年龄的增长，M1的体积和血流动力学减少，T1/T2比值改变，皮质曲率增加，反映了结构和血流动力学的改变。沿束分析显示，邻近M1的CST发生局部显微结构变性，而CStrT沿其轨迹显示更广泛的变性。这些束的改变与M1的结构和血流动力学改变有关。此外，显性（左）CST和CStrT的完整性介导了同侧M1萎缩和运动功能下降之间的关系。值得注意的是，CStrT完整性也介导了M1萎缩和运动认知能力下降之间的关联。结论：这些发现确定了M1及其通路与年龄相关的结构和功能退化，强调了CStrT在运动皮质萎缩和运动和认知能力下降之间的关键中介作用。这些健康衰老的规范影像标记可能有助于早期发现神经退行性疾病。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

NeuroImage 医学-核医学

CiteScore

11.30

自引率

10.50%

发文量

809

审稿时长

63 days

期刊介绍： NeuroImage, a Journal of Brain Function provides a vehicle for communicating important advances in acquiring, analyzing, and modelling neuroimaging data and in applying these techniques to the study of structure-function and brain-behavior relationships. Though the emphasis is on the macroscopic level of human brain organization, meso-and microscopic neuroimaging across all species will be considered if informative for understanding the aforementioned relationships.