Abstract

NUCHE-BRICAIRE, Avril J. et al. Educational level and task performance influence on lexical access lateralization changes in healthy aging. Rev. med. Hosp. Gen. Méx. [online]. 2019, vol.82, n.1, pp.22-32.  Epub Sep 06, 2021. ISSN 2524-177X.  https://doi.org/10.24875/hgmx.m19000009.

Hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults (HAROLD) model has claimed that older adults tend to display less lateralized brain activation patterns with respect to younger ones during memory, language, and naming tasks, but only a few times have these patterns been explored within older population. Furthermore, it is unclear if this phenomenon is a compensation response or an adaptive pattern that is not helping cognitive functions. Literature has assumed that education level (EL) could be critical, to explain such patterns. We aimed to control this as a variable by comparing neural correlates with an functional magnetic resonance imaging picture naming task in literate, healthy older adults with high and low EL. Our results showed that EL is not a determinant factor for activation of neural pattern reorganization prognosis. It was found that performance is a more reliable variable to observe neural pattern reorganization in the elderly. This study supports the de-differentiation hypothesis of HAROLD model because there is no reduction in lateralization of some highly-specialized structures in persons who maintained optimal lexical access, in contrast to those who had low scores in naming task.

Keywords : Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults model; Educational level; Naming; Cognitive reserve.

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