Information-Theoretic Quantification of Dedifferentiation in the Aging of Motor and Executive Functions

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Abstract

Age-related cognitive decline is associated with a loss of neural specificity — sometimes called dedifferentiation — whereby brain responses become less distinct across different tasks or stimuli. This paper applies information-theoretic measures to quantify dedifferentiation in motor and executive function domains across the adult lifespan. Results reveal a reliable age-related reduction in the distinctiveness of neural patterns associated with motor and executive demands, with the degree of dedifferentiation predicting behavioral performance. These findings support a neural efficiency account of cognitive aging and offer a principled metric for tracking age-related decline.

Citation

Chang, E. C. (2021). Information-theoretic quantification of dedifferentiation in the aging of motor and executive functions. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13, 634089.

@article{Chang2021,
  author  = {Chang, Erik Chih-Hung},
  year    = {2021},
  title   = {Information-Theoretic Quantification of Dedifferentiation in the Aging of Motor and Executive Functions},
  journal = {Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience},
  volume  = {13},
  pages   = {634089},
  doi     = {10.3389/fnagi.2021.634089}
}