Brain dynamics supporting high cognitive performance reorganize after midlife

Abstract

Quantifying functional brain aging trajectories at scale remains a fundamental challenge due to the scanner-bound limitations of traditional neuroimaging. Here, we deploy whole-head Time-Domain functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) to map task-evoked cortical dynamics during a 30-minute cognitive battery across the adult lifespan (N = 302, age 18-87, 45% racial or ethnic minority). We developed a robust General Cognitive Factor (GCF) tracking age-related performance decline (r = -0.57, p < 0.0001). Analysis of brain activity patterns revealed systemic, age-dependent neural dedifferentiation, highlighting a distinct neurocognitive inflection point around age 55. Prior to this threshold, high performers exhibit more variable neural activation across tasks; post-age 55, high performance is sustained through reduced spatial differentiation, signaling a compensatory strategy. Furthermore, subjective anxiety and depression disrupt these compensatory mechanisms, and subjective cognitive complaints register as distinct neural signatures before behavioral GCF decline manifests. Together, these findings establish a scalable framework for mapping functional brain health across the human lifespan, uncovering the neural mechanics of cognitive resilience and vulnerability before behavioral decline manifests.