Fama Rosemary, Sullivan Edith V
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States; Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, United States.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2015 Jul;54:29-37. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.03.008. Epub 2015 Apr 9.
The thalamus, with its cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar connections, is a critical node in networks supporting cognitive functions known to decline in normal aging, including component processes of memory and executive functions of attention and information processing. The macrostructure, microstructure, and neural connectivity of the thalamus changes across the adult lifespan. Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have demonstrated, regional thalamic volume shrinkage and microstructural degradation, with anterior regions generally more compromised than posterior regions. The integrity of selective thalamic nuclei and projections decline with advancing age, particularly those in thalamofrontal, thalamoparietal, and thalamolimbic networks. This review presents studies that assess the relations between age and aging and the structure, function, and connectivity of the thalamus and associated neural networks and focuses on their relations with processes of attention, speed of information processing, and working and episodic memory.
丘脑通过其与皮质、皮质下及小脑的连接，是支持认知功能网络中的关键节点，这些认知功能在正常衰老过程中会下降，包括记忆的组成过程以及注意力和信息处理的执行功能。丘脑的宏观结构、微观结构和神经连接在成年期会发生变化。结构和功能磁共振成像（MRI）以及扩散张量成像（DTI）已表明，丘脑区域体积缩小和微观结构退化，前部区域通常比后部区域受损更严重。随着年龄增长，选择性丘脑核团和投射的完整性下降，尤其是丘脑额叶、丘脑顶叶和丘脑边缘网络中的那些。本综述介绍了评估年龄与衰老以及丘脑和相关神经网络的结构、功能及连接之间关系的研究，并重点关注它们与注意力过程、信息处理速度以及工作记忆和情景记忆的关系。
