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Abstract
Cognitive processing speed (CPS) has been shown to be a sensitive behavioral marker of cognitive decline prior to the onset of disease or the aging process. Together with white matter volume, CPS influences the successful completion of working memory (WM), yet it remains unclear to what extent neural activation during a WM paradigm is resultant of these variables in a healthy, non-aging sample. The present study employed an FMRI WM paradigm to examine neural response (i.e., overactivations) in four key regions of interest to quantify potential compensatory activation after controlling for WM performance. Results did not support CPS as an index of compensatory activation during the FMRI WM paradigm. White matter volume also did not significantly influence FMRI WM activations. Findings suggest that the processing speed model of aging does not extend to healthy, non-aged individuals and that possible latent factors account for FMR WM brain activity.