Longitudinal iron in caudate related to control network connectivity and planning in older adults

COEX 

Cognitive functions attributed to the frontoparietal control network (FPCN) are central to goal-directed behaviors, and these abilities are vulnerable to decline with advancing age.[1] Age-related declines in executive function (EF) have been linked to dopaminergic striatal dysfunction[2]. Elevated striatal iron deposition has been associated with lower cognition [3], and differences in brain function, measured with fMRI[4]. Here, we examined the impact of longitudinal iron accumulation in the caudate, a core subcortical node of the FPCN, on resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) changes in the FPCN in a sample of older adults. We then examined caudate iron associations with brain function and impact on changes in EF.