In the central nervous system, regional neuronal inhibition plays important roles in functional segregation. Here, we showed how brain deactivation, which is a putative index of neuronal inhibition, develops and ages using a unimanual motor task. Healthy right-handed children (8–11 years), adolescents (12–15 years), young adults (20–24 years), and older adults (69–75 years; 21 participants in each group) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging with their eyes closed while they performed 1-Hz alternating extension–flexion of the right wrist. In young adults, we found deactivations in the hand/arm section of the ipsilateral primary sensorimotor cortices (SM1) including the dorsal premotor cortex (interhemispheric inhibition), foot and face SM1 sections (cross-somatotopic inhibition), visual and auditory cortices (cross-modal inhibition), and precuneus and medial prefrontal cortex of the default mode network (DMN; DMN inhibition). Interhemispheric, cross-modal, and DMN inhibitions developed from childhood to adulthood, but cross-somatotopic inhibition showed no developmental changes. Conversely, interhemispheric, cross-somatotopic, and cross-modal inhibitions, but not DMN inhibition, decreased with aging. Thus, neuronal inhibition generally progresses with development and deteriorates with aging, with some noted regional differences. This was the first study to systematically describe the development and aging of brain deactivation, which may reflect regional neuronal inhibition.

在中枢神经系统中，区域神经元抑制在功能分离中起重要作用。在这里，我们展示了大脑失活（神经元抑制的假定指标）如何使用单手运动任务发展和老化。健康的右手儿童（8-11 岁）、青少年（12-15 岁）、年轻人（20-24 岁）和老年人（69-75 岁；每组 21 名参与者）接受了功能磁共振成像他们闭上眼睛，同时进行 1 赫兹的右手腕交替伸展 - 屈曲。在年轻人中，我们发现同侧初级感觉运动皮层 (SM1) 的手/臂部分失活，包括背侧运动前皮层（半球间抑制）、足部和面部 SM1 部分（跨躯体抑制）、视觉和听觉皮层（交叉-模态抑制），默认模式网络（DMN；DMN抑制）的楔前叶和内侧前额叶皮层。半球间、跨模式和 DMN 抑制从童年发展到成年，但跨体表抑制没有显示出发育变化。相反，半球间、跨体表和跨模式抑制，但不是 DMN 抑制，随着年龄的增长而减少。因此，神经元抑制通常随着发育而进展并随着衰老而恶化，具有一些明显的区域差异。这是第一项系统描述大脑失活的发展和衰老的研究，这可能反映了区域神经元抑制。但交叉体表抑制显示没有发育变化。相反，半球间、跨体表和跨模式抑制，但不是 DMN 抑制，随着年龄的增长而减少。因此，神经元抑制通常随着发育而进展并随着衰老而恶化，具有一些明显的区域差异。这是第一项系统描述大脑失活的发展和衰老的研究，这可能反映了区域神经元抑制。但交叉体表抑制没有显示出发育变化。相反，半球间、跨体表和跨模式抑制，但不是 DMN 抑制，随着年龄的增长而减少。因此，神经元抑制通常随着发育而进展并随着衰老而恶化，具有一些明显的区域差异。这是第一项系统描述大脑失活的发展和衰老的研究，这可能反映了区域神经元抑制。