Pupil size and pupil change correlate with distinct cortical neurochemical systems across the adult lifespan
- 1Cornell University
Abstract
Pupillometry is often used as a proxy for locus coeruleus (LC) activity but whether this relationship changes across the lifespan is unknown. We collected simultaneous pupillometry and multi-echo fMRI in 89 adults aged 19-78 during a visual oddball task. Oddball-evoked pupillary responses were present in all age groups and largest in middle age. Oddball-evoked LC BOLD responses were detected only in younger adults and did not predict individual pupillary responses. Pupil size and its first derivative (pupil change) correlated with whole-brain BOLD on distinct timescales and in distinct spatial patterns. Against 19 PET maps, pupil derivative coupling correlated uniquely with norepinephrine transporter (NET) density, and pupil size-unique coupling with -opioid, cannabinoid CB1, and glutamatergic mGluR5 density. Only the pupil derivative-NET relationship weakened with age, though it remained significant in every group. Pupil size and pupil change therefore carry different information, and only pupil change correlates with activity in NET-rich regions across the lifespan.
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BibTeX
@misc{riley2026pupil,
title = {{Pupil size and pupil change correlate with distinct cortical neurochemical systems across the adult lifespan}},
author = {E. Riley and E. De Rosa and A. K. Anderson},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.24.746786},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.24.746786v2},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Pupil size and pupil change correlate with distinct cortical neurochemical systems across the adult lifespan
AU - E. Riley
AU - E. De Rosa
AU - A. K. Anderson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/24
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.24.746786
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.24.746786v2
AB - Pupillometry is often used as a proxy for locus coeruleus (LC) activity but whether this relationship changes across the lifespan is unknown. We collected simultaneous pupillometry and multi-echo fMRI in 89 adults aged 19-78 during a visual oddball task. Oddball-evoked pupillary responses were present in all age groups and largest in middle age. Oddball-evoked LC BOLD responses were detected only in younger adults and did not predict individual pupillary responses. Pupil size and its first derivative (pupil change) correlated with whole-brain BOLD on distinct timescales and in distinct spatial patterns. Against 19 PET maps, pupil derivative coupling correlated uniquely with norepinephrine transporter (NET) density, and pupil size-unique coupling with -opioid, cannabinoid CB1, and glutamatergic mGluR5 density. Only the pupil derivative-NET relationship weakened with age, though it remained significant in every group. Pupil size and pupil change therefore carry different information, and only pupil change correlates with activity in NET-rich regions across the lifespan.
ER -