Il est maintenu bien reconnu que le vieillissement cognitif est associé à une diminution des capacités exécutives. Toutefois, si des déficits sont effectivement observés au sein des différentes fonctions, des dissociations entre performances préservées/altérées ont également été observées au sein de chacune. Dans cette revue de question, nous détaillerons les effets du vieillissement dans les fonctions de mise à jour, flexibilité, inhibition et coordination de tâches doubles, ainsi que les modifications au sein des réseaux cérébraux associés à ces processus. Nous discuterons également l’influence des capacités attentionnelles, des ressources en mémoire de travail et de certaines caractéristiques génétiques sur ces modifications.

We provide here an overview of the current state of research in the domain of executive functioning in normal aging. Normal aging has generally been associated with executive control deficits. Although impaired performance is effectively observed for the executive functions of updating, shifting, inhibition and dual-task coordination, preserved performance is also sometimes observed. We interpreted the presence of preserved performance as reflecting the integrity of some executive sub-processes or the existence of distinct functions within an executive function previously considered as unitary. Moreover, these difficulties appear also influenced by the efficiency of attentional processes (i.e., processing speed), working memory capacity and some individual genetic characteristics. Changes in the neural networks associated to executive processes were also reported. These changes consist in increased or decreased activity in task-related networks, or the recruitment of supplementary brain areas. They are considered to reflect compensatory processes or inefficient use of brain networks, when they are respectively associated to preserved or impaired task-performance.