Aging was associated with widespread reductions in resting-state functional connectivity across four high-order networks, but older adults who preserved DAN-centered connectivity exhibited better executive function, identifying DAN-centered integration as a potential marker of cognitive resilience.
Key Findings
Results
Aging was associated with widespread reductions in intra-network connectivity within all four resting-state networks examined.
The four networks studied were the default mode network (DMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), salience network (SN), and frontoparietal control network (FPN).
A total of 139 healthy adults underwent resting-state functional connectivity measurements using background-suppressed dynamic arterial spin labeling (bDASL).
Multiple linear regressions were used to quantify the relationship between age and intra-network connectivity.
Reductions in intra-network connectivity were observed across all four high-order networks, indicating a widespread rather than network-specific pattern of age-related change.
Results
Aging was associated with reductions in inter-network connectivity specifically among DMN-SN, DAN-SN, and FPN-SN network pairs.
Inter-network connectivity was quantified using seed-based analyses following group independent component analysis (ICA).
The affected inter-network pairs were DMN-SN, DAN-SN, and FPN-SN, suggesting the salience network's connections were particularly vulnerable to age-related decline.
Not all inter-network connections were reported as significantly reduced, indicating some selectivity in which network-to-network communications were affected.
Multiple linear regressions were used to assess these age-related inter-network connectivity differences.
Results
Age-related connectivity reductions were associated with diminished global signal fluctuations, suggesting alterations in brain-wide dynamics accompany age-related changes in functional network organization.
Global signal fluctuations were examined as part of the bDASL measurement framework.
The association between reduced connectivity and diminished global signal fluctuations implies that systemic or whole-brain dynamics shift with aging, not just localized network properties.
bDASL was noted to provide substantially reduced systemic noise compared to other methods, making this an important methodological consideration for interpreting global signal findings.
Results
The relationship between network connectivity and executive function differed by age, with preserved DAN-centered connectivity showing a strong association with executive function specifically in older adults.
Among the 139 total participants, 115 completed cognitive assessments used for brain-cognition analyses.
Executive function was the primary cognitive outcome examined in relation to functional connectivity.
Older adults who preserved greater intra-network DAN connectivity exhibited better executive function.
The age-moderated relationship indicates that DAN connectivity may be more critical for executive function in older than in younger adults.
Multiple linear regressions were used to study the connectivity-cognition relationships.
Results
Older adults with stronger inter-network connectivity between the DAN and the DMN, SN, and FPN showed better executive function.
This finding extended beyond intra-network DAN integrity to encompass DAN's inter-network communication with three other major networks.
The pattern implicates DAN-centered integration broadly—both within the DAN and in its connections to DMN, SN, and FPN—as relevant to cognitive outcomes in aging.
This was observed despite the general trend of age-related inter-network connectivity reductions across the sample.
The authors describe this pattern as suggesting that 'maintaining DAN-centered communication may contribute to cognitive resilience during healthy aging.'
Methods
Background-suppressed dynamic arterial spin labeling (bDASL) was used as the neuroimaging method for measuring resting-state functional connectivity, offering substantially reduced systemic noise.
Group ICA was employed to identify four high-order resting-state networks: DMN, DAN, SN, and FPN.
Seed-based analyses were subsequently used to quantify both intra- and inter-network rsFC.
The use of bDASL was described as a 'robust method for measuring functional connectivity with substantially reduced systemic noise' relative to other approaches.
The sample consisted of 139 healthy adults, with 115 of them also completing cognitive assessments.
What This Means
This research suggests that as people age, the communication between major brain networks weakens broadly — including within networks responsible for attention, memory, and cognitive control, as well as between them. Using a specialized brain imaging technique called background-suppressed dynamic arterial spin labeling (bDASL), which reduces unwanted noise in the signal, researchers studied 139 healthy adults and found that aging consistently reduced connectivity both within and between four key brain networks. These reductions were also linked to decreases in overall brain-wide signal fluctuations, hinting that aging changes not just specific networks but how the whole brain operates together.
However, the study also found an important exception: older adults who managed to preserve stronger connectivity in and around the dorsal attention network (DAN) — a system involved in goal-directed focus and attention — performed better on tests of executive function (skills like planning, mental flexibility, and working memory). This protective pattern held for both the internal strength of the DAN and for its connections to three other major networks. Interestingly, this brain-cognition link was stronger in older adults than in younger adults, suggesting that DAN connectivity becomes increasingly important for maintaining cognitive ability as people age.
The practical implication of these findings is that the dorsal attention network may serve as a marker of 'cognitive resilience' in aging — meaning that people who maintain this network's function may be better equipped to preserve thinking skills despite the general brain changes that come with getting older. This research suggests that future studies exploring how to support or preserve DAN connectivity could be valuable for understanding and potentially addressing age-related cognitive decline.
Zhang Y, Riley E, Chen S, Zhang Z, Zhao L, Wang H, et al.. (2026). Aging, brain network connectivity, and cognition: evidence from resting-state dynamic arterial spin labeling.. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.122186