Overcoming digital divide slowed down the atrophy of middle frontal gyrus in aging adults (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED Background: With the essential role of information technology in human life, the use of electronic devices creates a digital divide, particularly among elderly individuals. However, the long-term impact on cognitive aging and brain structural changes remains unclear. Methods: We examined the role of digital divide in protecting cognition and brain structure in a sample of 1280 elderly participants. The longitudinal data involved 689 individuals. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to match individuals from the Overcoming Digital Divide (ODD) and Digital Divide (DD) groups. A computational framework employing the searchlight technique and cross-validation classification model investigated group differences in structural features and cognitive representation. The aging rate of each voxel's structural feature was calculated to explore the long-term influence of the digital divide. Results: Following PSM analysis, each group comprised 640 participants. Executive function and processing speed were most affected by DD. Group differences in structural substrates were observed in the fusiform gyrus, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and superior temporal sulcus. The computational framework identified the key structural substrates related to executive functions and processing speed, excluding the ventro-orbitofrontal lobe. Longitudinal findings highlighted the long-term impact of the digital divide, particularly on the aging rate of the middle frontal gyrus, and its correlation with changes in episodic memory. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that individuals overcome digital divide exhibit gray matter preservation for intact cognitive performance. Cognitive decline prevention approach though mobile digital devices could be explored further.