• Maria Paula Foss, Paula Rejane Beserra Diniz, Paulo Formigheri, SalmonCarlos Ernesto GarridoCE, José Geraldo Speciali, and Antônio Carlos Santos.
• Neurosciences Program, Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão PretoSP, Brazil.
• Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2013 Sep 1; 68 (9): 119712051197-205.

ObjectiveTo understand the relationships between brain structures and function (behavior and cognition) in healthy aging.MethodThe study group was composed of 56 healthy elderly subjects who underwent neuropsychological assessment and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Cluster analysis classified the cohort into two groups, one (cluster 1) in which the magnetic resonance imaging metrics were more preserved (mean age: 66.4 years) and another (cluster 2) with less preserved markers of healthy brain tissue (mean age: 75.4 years).ResultsThe subjects in cluster 2 (older group) had worse indices of interference in the Stroop test compared with the subjects in cluster 1 (younger group). Therefore, a simple test such as the Stroop test could differentiate groups of younger and older subjects based on magnetic resonance imaging metrics.ConclusionThese results are in agreement with the inhibitory control hypotheses regarding cognitive aging and may also be important in the interpretation of studies with other clinical groups, such as patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

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