Otsuka Yuki, Nakai Ryusuke, Shizawa Miho, Itakura Shoji, Sato Ayumi, Abe Nobuhito
Faculty of Psychology, Otemon Gakuin University, Ibaraki 567-8502, Japan.
Center for Baby Science, Doshisha University, Kizugawa 619-0225, Japan.
Aging Brain. 2024 Apr 1;5:100115. doi: 10.1016/j.nbas.2024.100115. eCollection 2024.
The theory of mind (ToM) is not substantially influenced by aging, suggesting the emergence of various compensatory mechanisms. To identify brain regions subserving ToM in older adults, we investigated the associations of individual differences in brain structure with performance on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), a widely used measure of ToM, using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). In contrast to findings obtained from young adults, where multiple cortical regions are implicated in ToM, VBM analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between RMET score and gray matter (GM) volume only in the right middle temporal gyrus, a region implicated in social cognition. Alternatively, TBSS revealed significant positive correlations between RMET score and the fractional anisotropy (FA) values in widespread white matter (WM) tracts, including the bilateral uncinate fasciculus, a region previously linked to RMET performance in young adults. We speculate that individual differences in WM integrity are strong influences on ToM among older adults, whereas the impact of individual differences in GM volumes is relatively limited.
心理理论（ToM）受衰老的影响不大，这表明出现了各种补偿机制。为了确定老年人中支持ToM的脑区，我们使用基于体素的形态测量法（VBM）和基于束的空间统计学（TBSS），研究了脑结构的个体差异与广泛使用的ToM测量方法——眼睛解读心智测验（RMET）成绩之间的关联。与在年轻人中获得的结果不同，在年轻人中多个皮质区域与ToM有关，VBM分析显示，RMET分数与灰质（GM）体积之间仅在右侧颞中回存在显著正相关，该区域与社会认知有关。另外，TBSS显示，RMET分数与广泛的白质（WM）束中的分数各向异性（FA）值之间存在显著正相关，包括双侧钩束，该区域先前与年轻人的RMET成绩有关。我们推测，WM完整性的个体差异对老年人的ToM有很大影响，而GM体积个体差异的影响相对有限。
