Lifespan oscillatory dynamics in lexical production: A population-based MEG resting-state analysis

Lexical production performances have been associated with cognitive control demands increase with age to support efficient semantic access, thus suggesting an interplay between a domain-general and a language-specific component. Current neurocognitive models suggest the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Fronto-Parietal Network (FPN) connectivity may drive this interplay, impacting the trajectory of production performance with a pivotal shift around midlife. However, the corresponding time-varying architecture still needs clarification. Here, we leveraged MEG resting-state data from healthy adults aged 18–88 years from a CamCAN population-based sample. We found that DMN-FPN dynamics shift from anterior-ventral to posterior-dorsal states until midlife to mitigate word-finding challenges, concurrent with heightened alpha-band oscillations. Specifically, sensorimotor integration along this posterior path could facilitate cross-talk with lower-level circuitry as dynamic information flow with more anterior, higher-order cognitive states gets compromised. This suggests a bottom-up, exploitation-based form of cognitive control in the aging brain, highlighting the interplay between abstraction, control, and perceptive-motor systems in preserving lexical production.