The present study investigated age-related changes in the time-varying hemodynamics of the prefrontal cortex by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). NIRS is a real-time spectroscopic method used to measure functional hemodynamic responses related to neural activation in the brain. The prefrontal hemodynamic responses of 17 young adults and 21 elderly adults were monitored while they completed the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST). The results revealed a slower activation pattern in oxyhemoglobin concentrations in the elderly group than in the young group. Furthermore, quantified results revealed time-varying trends in hemodynamic responses. The findings imply that age-related decline in hemodynamic responses may contribute to poorer performance during cognitive tasks.

中文翻译：

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威斯康星卡片分类测试中基于氧合动态信号的年龄相关效应的定量评估

本研究通过使用近红外光谱 (NIRS) 调查了前额叶皮层随时间变化的血流动力学与年龄相关的变化。NIRS 是一种实时光谱方法，用于测量与大脑神经激活相关的功能性血流动力学反应。在完成威斯康星卡片分类测试 (WCST) 时，监测了 17 名年轻人和 21 名老年人的前额叶血流动力学反应。结果显示，与年轻组相比，老年组的氧合血红蛋白浓度的激活模式更慢。此外，量化结果揭示了血流动力学反应随时间变化的趋势。研究结果表明，与年龄相关的血流动力学反应下降可能导致认知任务中的表现较差。