Dorsal Attention Network as a Convergent Hub of Diverse Non-pharmacological Interventions Preserving Functional Gradients and Cognition in Aging

Abstract

Non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) in aging neuroscience have largely focused on intervention-specific regional effects, with limited understanding of generalizable network-level mechanisms. Here, adopting a previously unexplored gradient-based perspective of functional brain organization, we analyzed an NPI dataset involving four interventions in older adults (training/control group: n = 112/59). NPIs led to strengthened intra-network functional integration and maintained macroscale gradient architecture. Virtual lesion analyses identified the dorsal attention network (DAN) as a key contributor to gradient maintenance. Critically, enhanced post-intervention DAN connectivity was associated with maintained gradient structure and improved global cognition. These findings establish a unifying framework in which the DAN acts as a convergent hub through which diverse NPIs preserve functional brain organization and attenuate cognitive aging.