Abstract
On average, healthy older adults prefer positive over neutral or negative stimuli. This positivity bias is related to memory and attention processes and is linked to the function and structure of several interconnected brain areas. However, the relationship between the positivity bias and white matter integrity remains elusive. The present study examines how white matter organization relates to the degree of the positivity bias among older adults. We collected imaging and behavioral data from 25 individuals (12 females, 13 males, and a mean age of 77.32). Based on a functional memory task, we calculated a Pos-Neg score, reflecting the memory for positively valenced information over negative information, and a Pos-Neu score, reflecting the memory for positively valenced information over neutral information. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data were processed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics. We performed two non-parametric permutation tests to correlate whole brain white matter integrity and the Pos-Neg and Pos-Neu scores while controlling for age, sex, and years of education. We observed a statistically significant positive association between the Pos-Neu score and white matter integrity in multiple brain connections, mostly frontal. The results did not remain significant when including verbal episodic memory as an additional covariate. Our study indicates that the positivity bias in memory in older adults is associated with more organized white matter in the connections of the frontal brain. While these frontal areas are critical for memory and executive processes and have been related to pathological aging, more extensive studies are needed to fully understand their role in the positivity bias and the potential for therapeutic interventions.
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Data availability
De-identified data can be shared upon request to Dr. Waldinger and after obtaining appropriate data use agreements with recognized research entity. The analytical codes to reproduce analyses are available upon request.
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Funding
We gratefully acknowledge funding provided by the following National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants: R01 AG034554 (PI: Dr. Robert J. Waldinger), R01 MH102377 (PI: Dr. Marek Kubicki), K24 MH110807 MH102377 (PI: Dr. Marek Kubicki), R01 AG042512 (PI: Dr. Sylvain Bouix, Dr. Marek Kubicki, Dr. Nikos Makris), R03 MH110745 (PI: Dr. Amanda E. Lyall), K01 MH115247–01A1 (PI: Dr. Amanda E. Lyall), VA Merit Award and U01 MH109977 (PI: Dr. Martha E. Shenton), and 1K99MH131850-01A1(PI: Dr. Johanna Seitz-Holland).
We also acknowledge funding provided by the Harvard Medical School Livingston Fellowship Award (PI: Dr. Johanna Seitz-Holland), and BBRF NARSAD Young Investigator grants (Dr. Johanna Seitz-Holland, funded by Mary and John Osterhaus and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation) and the Swiss National Science Foundation P400PM_199291 (to Dr. Petra V. Viher).
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Author contributions included conception and study design (P.V.V., R.J.W., M.S.S., M.K., M.E.S., J.S.H., A.E.L.), data collection or acquisition (M.S.S., E.A.K. and R.J.W.), data processing (T.S., S.B., S.K.), statistical analysis and imaging analysis (P.V.V. and J.S.H.), methodological support (S.K., A.E.L., N.K., and S.B.), interpretation of results (P.V.V., J.S.H., M.S.S., M.K., and R.J.W.), drafting the manuscript work (P.V.V. and J.S.H.) or revising it critically for important intellectual content (M.S.S., E.A.K., M.S., M.K., R.J.W.) and approval of final version to be published and agreement to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of all aspects of the work (All authors).
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This study is in accordance with ethical standards and is part of the “Social Neuroscience of Aging” project (2006P001871) and is approved by the Mass General Brigham IRB, Somerville, MA 02145.
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Contrary to stereotypical views, aging is associated with high levels of personal well-being, emotional stability, and a preference for positive stimuli. Results from the present study suggest that this preference for positive stimuli, a hallmark of healthy aging, is associated with healthier white matter integrity in older adults.
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Viher, P.V., Seitz-Holland, J., Schulz, M.S. et al. More organized white matter is associated with positivity bias in older adults. Brain Imaging and Behavior (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-024-00850-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-024-00850-5