Sex differences in age- and episodic memory-related effects on task-based functional connectivity

Abstract

AbstractHealthy aging is associated with episodic memory decline. However, little is known about sex differences in the effect of normative aging on memory-related brain network dynamics. Here, we used a data-driven multivariate partial least squares (PLS) connectivity analysis to identify similarities and differences in the effect of biological sex on age- and memory-related differences in task-based fMRI connectivity during encoding and retrieval of face-location associations (spatial context memory). Aging was associated with episodic memory decline in both sexes, but there were no significant sex or sex-by-age interactions in memory performance. The connectivity results show that men exhibited greater between-network connectivity with advanced age, which was detrimental to memory performance. Women exhibited reduced connectivity between visual and higher order cognitive networks with advanced age, which was detrimental to memory performance. Therefore, there are sex differences in the effect of age on episodic memory-related connectivity.