Brain Controllability of Cognitive Control Networks is Associated with Executive Functions in Older Adults

Executive functions encompass effortful top‐down cognitive processes crucial for daily functioning. They are particularly vulnerable to aging in older adults and are often affected early in the course of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the neural mechanisms underlying aging‐related decline in executive functions are not well understood. Modal controllability is a structural metric quantifying the ease at which brain regions can move the brain into difficult‐to‐reach states with substantial effort to support diverse cognitive processes. The emphasis on effortful state transitions bears strong similarity to the definition of executive functions as effortful cognitive processes, rendering modal controllability as a putative neural substrate of executive function. Controllability has been associated with cognitive performance in younger populations, but no studies have examined controllability in older adults or its association with executive function over time.