Phasic alerting enhances spatial orienting in healthy aging but not in mild cognitive impairment.

Previous studies in young adults have demonstrated strong functional links between phasic alerting and exogenous orienting. The present study examined changes in the dynamic interaction between these attentional networks in healthy aging and in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.Healthy young adults, healthy older adults, and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were asked to identify as quickly as possible the color of a...