Normal aging decreases regional homogeneity of the motor areas in the resting state.

Our knowledge about aging modulation of the central motor system remains sparse and contradictory. In the current study, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to study the aging influence on regional homogeneity of the motor-related brain areas in the resting state. We found that regional homogeneity in extensive motor regions, like the cingulate motor area, cerebellum, primary motor cortex, premotor area, supplementary motor area, thalamus, globus pallidus and putamen was significantly decreased in aged subjects. Our study indicates that normal aging process may disrupt the function of motor areas in the resting state, which may contribute to the declined motor ability in aged population.