Changes in white-matter functional network efficiency across the adult lifespan.

Previous studies have used resting-state functional MRI ( rs-fMRI) and graph-theory approaches to investigate the lifespan trajectory of the topological organization of the gray-matter functional networks. Recent evidences have suggested that rs-fMRI data can also be used to estimate white-matter function, challenging the conventional practice of taking white-matter signals as noise or artifacts. Here, we examined the correlation between age and white-matter functional network efficiency by applying graph-theory to a large sample of rs-fMRI data of 435 participants. We found that age was correlated negatively with both global and local efficiency of the white-matter functional networks. These findings suggest decreasing white-matter functional network efficiency during the aging process, which provides a complement to conventional gray-matter functional network studies. NeuroReport 30: 600-604 Copyright (c) 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.