There has been considerable speculation relating the neuroanatomic changes during normal aging with corresponding neuropsychological sequelae. This paper examines the empirical support for the hypothesis that the greatest structural changes in normal aging occur in the frontal-subcortical axis, and that these produce a similar pattern of neuropsychological performance to that seen in younger individuals with subcortical damage. In this study, 14 normal elderly, 12 younger patients with HIV encephalopathy, and 14 young neurologically intact control subjects were studied with a neuropsychological test battery. The results demonstrated that the normal elderly and HIV encephalopathy patients evidenced a strong similarity in both level and pattern of neuropsychological performance despite their considerable age disparity. These results support the notion that normal aging differentially affects functions subserved by frontal-subcortical brain regions.
