Functional Neural Correlates of a Useful Field of View (UFOV)-Based fMRI Task in Older Adults

Declines in processing speed performance occur in aging and are a critical marker of functional independence in older adults. Studies suggest that Useful Field of View (UFOV) training may ameliorate cognitive decline. Despite its efficacy, little is known about the neural correlates of this task. Within the current study, 233 healthy older adults completed a UFOV-based task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During the stimulus portion of this task, participants must identify a target in the center of the screen and the location of a target in the periphery, among distractors. During the probe portion, participants must decide if the object in the center and the location of the target in the periphery were identical to the stimulus screen. Widespread bilateral whole-brain activation was observed when activation patterns of the probe contrast were subtracted from the stimulus contrast. Conversely, the subtraction of stimulus from probe was associated with discrete activation patterns consisting of 13 clusters. Additionally, when evaluating the variance associated with task accuracy, specific subregions were identified that may be critical for task performance. Our data elucidate the functional neural correlates of a UFOV-based task, a task used in both cognitive training paradigms and assessment of function.

Automated summary

This study investigates the neural correlates of a UFOV-based task using fMRI. The results reveal widespread brain activation during the task and specific brain regions associated with task performance.