Tracking the dynamic functional connectivity structure of the human brain across the adult lifespan

The transition from early adulthood to the elder is marked by functional and structural brain transformations. Many previous studies examined the correlation between the functional connectivity (FC) and aging using resting-state fMRI. Results showed that the changes in FC are linked to aging as well as the cognitive ability changes. However, some researchers proposed that the FC is not static but dynamic changes during the resting-state fMRI scan. In this study, we examined the correlation between the resting-state dynamic functional network connectivity and age using resting scan data of 434 subjects. The results suggested: (a) age is negatively associated with variability of dynamic functional network connectivity state; (b) the dwell time of each age range spends in each state is different; (c) the dynamic graph metrics curve of each age ranges is different and 19-30 age range has the largest average global efficiency and average local efficiency; (d) some dynamic functional network connectivity measures were correlated to the certain cognitive ability. Overall, the results suggested the changes in dynamic functional network connectivity measures may be a characteristic of the aging process and in further investigations may provide a deep understanding of the aging process.