Research on brain aging using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has typically focused on comparing “older” adults to younger adults. Importantly, these studies have often neglected the middle age group, which is also significantly impacted by brain aging, including by early changes in motor, memory, and cognitive functions. This study aims to address this limitation by examining the resting state networks in middle-aged adults via an exploratory whole-brain ROI-to-ROI analysis. Using rs-fMRI, we compared middle-aged adults (n=30) with younger adults (n=70) via an ROI-to-ROI correlation analysis, showing lower connectivity between the cerebellar (posterior) network and the salience network (left rostral prefrontal cortex), as well as between the salience network and the visual network (occipital regions) in the middle-aged group.This reduced connectivity suggests that aging affects how these brain regions synchronize and process information, potentially impairing the integration of cognitive, sensory, and emotional inputs. Additional within-group analyses showed that middle-aged adults exhibited weakened connections between networks but increased connections within the dorsal attention, fronto-parietal, visual, and default mode networks. In contrast, younger adults demonstrated enhanced connections between networks. These results underscore the role of the cerebellar, salience, and visual networks in brain aging and reveal distinct connectivity patterns associated with signs of early aging.

Research on brain aging using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has typically focused on comparing “older” adults to younger adults. Importantly, these studies have often neglected the middle age group, which is also significantly impacted by brain aging, including by early changes in motor, memory, and cognitive functions. This study aims to address this limitation by examining the resting state networks in middle-aged adults via an exploratory whole-brain ROI-to-ROI analysis. Using rs-fMRI, we compared middle-aged adults (n=30) with younger adults (n=70) via an ROI-to-ROI correlation analysis, showing lower connectivity between the cerebellar (posterior) network and the salience network (left rostral prefrontal cortex), as well as between the salience network and the visual network (occipital regions) in the middle-aged group.This reduced connectivity suggests that aging affects how these brain regions synchronize and process information, potentially impairing the integration of cognitive, sensory, and emotional inputs. Additional within-group analyses showed that middle-aged adults exhibited weakened connections between networks but increased connections within the dorsal attention, fronto-parietal, visual, and default mode networks. In contrast, younger adults demonstrated enhanced connections between networks. These results underscore the role of the cerebellar, salience, and visual networks in brain aging and reveal distinct connectivity patterns associated with signs of early aging.

Research on brain aging using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has typically focused on comparing “older” adults to younger adults. Importantly, these studies have often neglected the middle age group, which is also significantly impacted by brain aging, including by early changes in motor, memory, and cognitive functions. This study aims to address this limitation by examining the resting state networks in middle-aged adults via an exploratory whole-brain ROI-to-ROI analysis. Using rs-fMRI, we compared middle-aged adults (n=30) with younger adults (n=70) via an ROI-to-ROI correlation analysis, showing lower connectivity between the cerebellar (posterior) network and the salience network (left rostral prefrontal cortex), as well as between the salience network and the visual network (occipital regions) in the middle-aged group.This reduced connectivity suggests that aging affects how these brain regions synchronize and process information, potentially impairing the integration of cognitive, sensory, and emotional inputs. Additional within-group analyses showed that middle-aged adults exhibited weakened connections between networks but increased connections within the dorsal attention, fronto-parietal, visual, and default mode networks. In contrast, younger adults demonstrated enhanced connections between networks. These results underscore the role of the cerebellar, salience, and visual networks in brain aging and reveal distinct connectivity patterns associated with signs of early aging.

Research on brain aging using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has typically focused on comparing “older” adults to younger adults. Importantly, these studies have often neglected the middle age group, which is also significantly impacted by brain aging, including by early changes in motor, memory, and cognitive functions. This study aims to address this limitation by examining the resting state networks in middle-aged adults via an exploratory whole-brain ROI-to-ROI analysis. Using rs-fMRI, we compared middle-aged adults (n=30) with younger adults (n=70) via an ROI-to-ROI correlation analysis, showing lower connectivity between the cerebellar (posterior) network and the salience network (left rostral prefrontal cortex), as well as between the salience network and the visual network (occipital regions) in the middle-aged group.This reduced connectivity suggests that aging affects how these brain regions synchronize and process information, potentially impairing the integration of cognitive, sensory, and emotional inputs. Additional within-group analyses showed that middle-aged adults exhibited weakened connections between networks but increased connections within the dorsal attention, fronto-parietal, visual, and default mode networks. In contrast, younger adults demonstrated enhanced connections between networks. These results underscore the role of the cerebellar, salience, and visual networks in brain aging and reveal distinct connectivity patterns associated with signs of early aging.

OBJECTIVE: The cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Empathy Scale (CASES) suggests novel three components structure of empathy. Although CASES developed to assess the trait empathy of both children and adult, the validation in adult sample is not yet conducted. This study developed Korean version of CASES (CASES-K) and examined the psychometric properties in young adult for first time. METHODS: Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test whether the factor structure suggested in initial development study is valid in Korean young adult population. 350 young adults participated, and 44 of them also answered to other empathy scales for validation. The construct validity was ascertained through a series of correlational analysis with widely used trait empathy scales. RESULTS: The result of confirmatory factor analysis supports the three-factor model of empathy consists of affective, cognitive and somatic facets. The construct validity was ascertained through a series of correlational analysis with widely used trait empathy scales. The result of correlational analysis supports the validity of CASES-K, and especially the separation of somatic empathy from affective empathy. CONCLUSION: The current study provides the first evidence of the validity and utility of the CASES-K in young adult population. The result also supports the commonality of three factor structure of empathy in both East Asian and Caucasian, from the children to adults.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Child ; Empathy ; Humans ; Psychometrics ; Weights and Measures ; Young Adult