Visual contrast sensitivity is associated with community structure integrity in cognitively unimpaired older adults: the Brain Networks and Mobility (B-NET) Study

Older adults with impairment in contrast sensitivity (CS), the ability to visually perceive differences in light and dark, are more likely to demonstrate limitations in mobility function, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are poorly understood. We sought to determine if functional brain networks important to visual processing and mobility may help elucidate possible neural correlates of this relationship. This cross-sectional analysis utilized functional MRI both at rest and during a motor imagery (MI) task in 192 community-dwelling, cognitively-unimpaired older adults ≥ 70 years of age from the Brain Networks and Mobility study (B-NET). Brain networks were partitioned into network communities, groups of regions that are more interconnected with each other than the rest of the brain, the spatial consistency of the communities for multiple brain subnetworks was assessed. Lower baseline binocular CS was significantly associated with degraded sensorimotor network (SMN) community structure at rest. During the MI task, lower binocular CS was significantly associated with degraded community structure in both the visual (VN) and default mode network (DMN). These findings may suggest shared neural pathways for visual and mobility dysfunction that could be targeted in future studies.