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Age-related differences in functional network segregation in the context of sex and reproductive stage

View ORCID ProfileHannah K. Ballard, View ORCID ProfileT. Bryan Jackson, Abigail C. Miller, View ORCID ProfileTracey H. Hicks, View ORCID ProfileJessica A. Bernard
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.28.486067
Hannah K. Ballard
aTexas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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  • For correspondence: hannah_ballard@tamu.edu
T. Bryan Jackson
bDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Abigail C. Miller
bDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Tracey H. Hicks
bDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Jessica A. Bernard
aTexas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
bDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Abstract

Age is accompanied by differences in the organization of functional brain networks, which impact behavior in adulthood. Functional networks tend to become less segregated and more integrated with age. However, sex differences in network segregation declines with age are not well-understood. Further, network segregation in the context of female reproductive stage is relatively understudied, though unmasking such relationships would be informative for elucidating biological mechanisms that contribute to sex-specific differences in aging. In the current work, we used data from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) repository to evaluate differences in resting-state network segregation as a product of sex and reproductive stage. Reproductive stage was categorized using the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW+10) criteria. Replicating prior work, we investigated the following functional networks: auditory, cerebellar-basal ganglia, cingulo-opercular task control, default mode, dorsal attention, fronto-parietal task control, salience, sensory somatomotor mouth, sensory somatomotor hand, ventral attention, and visual. First, our results mirror findings from previous work indicating that network segregation is lower with increasing age. Second, when analyzing associations between network segregation and age within each sex separately, we find differences between females and males. Finally, we report significant effects of reproductive stage on network segregation, though these findings are likely driven by age. Broadly, our results suggest that impacts of sex are important to evaluate when investigating network segregation differences across adulthood, though further work is needed to determine the unique role of menopause and sex hormones on the organization of functional brain networks within aging females.

Key Points

  • Segregation of functional brain networks declines with increasing age

  • Age-segregation relationships are modified by biological sex

  • Reproductive stage may impact sex differences in brain network organization

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • https://camcan-archive.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/dataaccess/

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted March 29, 2022.
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Age-related differences in functional network segregation in the context of sex and reproductive stage
Hannah K. Ballard, T. Bryan Jackson, Abigail C. Miller, Tracey H. Hicks, Jessica A. Bernard
bioRxiv 2022.03.28.486067; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.28.486067
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Age-related differences in functional network segregation in the context of sex and reproductive stage
Hannah K. Ballard, T. Bryan Jackson, Abigail C. Miller, Tracey H. Hicks, Jessica A. Bernard
bioRxiv 2022.03.28.486067; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.28.486067

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