Based On Functional Magnetic Resonance Technique To Explore The Relationships Among Visual Attention,TCM Constitution And Age:A Neural Mechanism Study

Objectives:1.To investigate the relationship between the constitution of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)and viewer-and object-centered visual attention function among threegroups of people with different age.2.To test the neural basises of the viewer-and object-centered visual attention control among three groups of people with different age,and analyse the characteristics of age-related changes in the visual attention network.Methods:1.The subjects included three different age groups.TCM health scale,Montreal cognitive assessment scale(MoCA)and spatial cue paradigm were used to test the TCM constitution type,cognitive functionand and spatial attention ffunction,respectively.Using independent-sample T-test,one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA),or multiple independent-sample nonparametric test to analyze the differences of visual attention function anong the individuals with the same age and different TCM constitutions and individuals with the same TCM constitutions and different ages.2.The functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)was used to exame the brain activities index by the spatial cue in 56 eligible normal subjects.They were three different aged individuals.The paradigm was an event-related design and the types of the cue included viewer-centered and object-centered reference frame.The fMRI data was analyzed by SPM8.Whole brain analysis and conjoint analysis were used to test and compare the neural bases of viewer-and object-centered visual attention control and detect age-related change on them.Results:1.There was no significant difference in the scores of MoCA scale between people with constitution of phlegmy wet and qi deficiency in both youth group and mid-age group(young group,P=0.232;mid-age group,P=0.454).The MoCA score of the old group with mild physical constitution are higher than the the old group with constitution of phlegmy wet and qi deficiency(P=0.009).There were no significant differences in the RTof the viewer-centered visual attention between people with mild physical constitution,phlegmy wet constitution and qi deficiency constitution in all the three groups(young group,P=0.563;mid-age group,P=0.061;old group P=0.651).There were also no significant differences in the RTof the object-centered visual attention between people with mild physical constitution,phlegmy wet constitution and qi deficiency constitution in all the three groups(young group,P=0.652;mid-age group,P=0.175;old group P=0.653).2.In terms of the MoCA score,the young group was significantly higher than the mid-aged group(P<0.001)and the older group(P = 0.017),while the mid-aged group and the old group had no significant difference(P = 0.394).In terms of viewer-centered visual spatial attention test,the RT of the young group was shorter than the mid-aged group(P<0.001)and the old group(P<0.001),and there were no significant difference in mid-aged group and old group(P = 0.063).In terms of object-centered visual spatial attention tests,the RT of young group was shorter than mid-aged group(P<0.001)and the old group(P<0.001),and the RT of the mid-aged group was shorter than the old group(P = 0.025).3.In terms of the MoCA score,the scores of young group and the mid-aged group had no significant difference(P=0.509),while the scores of the young group(P<0.001)and the mid-age group(P=0.031)were higher than the old group.In terms of viewer-centered visual spatial attention test,the RT of the young group and the mid-age group had no significant differences(P=0.597),while the RT of young group(P<0.001)and the mid-age group(P<0.001)were shorter than the old group.In terms of object-centered visual spatial attention tests,the RT of the young group and the mid-age group had no significant differences(P=0.203),while the RT of young group(P<0.001)and the mid-age group(P=0.006)were shorter than the old group.4.In terms of the MoCA score,the scores of young group and the mid-aged group had no significant difference(P=0.573),while the scores of the young group(P<0.001)and the mid-age group(P=0.009)were higher than the old group.In terms of viewer-centered visual spatial attention test,the RT of the young group and the mid-age group had no significant differences(P=0.112),while the RT of young group(P<0.001)and the mid-age group(P=0.001)were shorter than the old group.In terms of object-centered visual spatial attention tests,the RT of the young group and the mid-age group had no significant differences(P=0.301),while the RT of young group(P<0.001)and the mid-age group(P<0.001)were shorter than the old group.5.The RT of the valid trials were shorter than the invalid trials in the young group(F(1,7)=59.63,P<0.001),and had no interactions with the reference frames and the fields of the target appeared(F(1,7)=2.51,P=0.114).The accuracy of the valid trials were higher than the invalid trials(F(1,7)=30.50,P<0.001),especially when the target appeared on the left side of the object(F(1,7)=10.55,P=0.001).at the same time,the frame of reference and the field of the target appeared had a significant interaction(F(1,7)=12.82,P<0.0010).The accuracy was higher when the target appeared on the left side of the viewer than the right side and the when the target appeared on the right side of the object than the left side.Further more,this interaction was independent of the validity.6.The RT of the three groups had significant difference(F(1,7)= 336.55,P<0.001),but all showed that the RT of the valid trials were shorter than the invalid trials(F(1,7)=188.16,P<0.001).There was a significant interaction between Groups and cue validity(F(1,7)=7.30,P= 0.001),and the difference between the invalid and valid trials in the mid-age group was greater than the young group and the old group.Frame of reference,cue validity and the field target appeared also had a significant interaction(F(1,7)= 7.06,P= 0.008),the difference between the invalid and valid trials was greater when the target appeared on the right side of the object than the left side and when the target appeared in the left of the viewer than the right.This interaction was also independent of the groups.The accuracy of the three groups had significant difference(F(1,7)= 10.13,P<0.001),but all showed that the accuracy of the valid trials were higher than the invalid trials(F(1,7)= 37.54,P<0.001).There was a significant interaction between Groups,reference frame and the field of target appeared(F(1,7)=6.83,P=0.001).The accuracy of the young group and mid-age group were greater when the target appeared on the right side of the object than the left side and when the target appeared in the left of the viewer than the right.While the accuracy was greater when the targets appeared on the right side of the objects and the right side of viewer-self than the targets appeared in the left side of the objects and the left side of viewer-self.7.The neural bases of viewer-centered and object-centered attention control were almost overlape,including bilateral dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,middle frontal gyrus,precentral gyrus,supplementary motor area and anterior cingulate,bilateral precuneus,inferior parietal lobule and angular gyrus,bilateral middle temporal gyrus,inferior temporal gyrus and fusiform gyrus,bilateral lingual gyrus,calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex and cuneus.object-centered attention control activated more within the common areas.8.Age-related changes can be found in all the conditions,including the viewer-centered,object-centered attention control and the differences between them.In the condition of viewer-centered attention control,the networks of the attention in the three groups were almost overlap,with middle-aged group active more in the left fusiform and lingual gyrus than the young group and old group actived more in the left fusiform and right middle temporal gyrus.In the condition of object-centered attention control,Middle-aged group activated more significantly than young group in the left fusiform,the old group activated more significantly than young group in bilateral supplementary motor area,bilateral middle frontal gyrus and left precenteral gyrus,and youth extra activated the right inferior frontal gyrus.The young group actived more than the old group in the right lingual gyrus,calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex.The old group actived more than the mid-aged group in the inferior parialtal lobe.In the condition of the difference between them two,the difference only can be found between the youth group and the older group,with more activities in the bilateral fusiform gyrus,right lingual gyrus,calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex.Conclusions:1.The viewer-and object-centered visual attention function of people with the same age is not affected by the TCM constitusion.2.Age related changes in the viewer-and object-centered visual spatial attention were different in people with different constitusion.3.Viewer-centered and object-centered attention control had a similar neural mechanism,which was a spreadly bilateral frontal-parital attention networks,but the object-centered attention control had more significant actions in some of the common brain areas.4.The object-centered visual attention control mechanism was more susceptible to aging than viewer-centered visual attention control.