The association between cognitive reserve and performance-related brain activity during episodic encoding and retrieval across the adult lifespan

AbstractAging is associated with episodic memory decline and alterations in memory-related brain function. However, it remains unclear if age-related memory decline is associated with similar patterns of brain aging in women and men. In the current task fMRI study, we tested the hypothesis that there are sex differences in the effect of age and memory performance on brain activity during episodic encoding and retrieval of face-location associations (spatial context memory). Forty-one women and 41 men between the ages of 21 to 76 years participated in this study. Between-group multivariate partial least squares (PLS) analysis of the fMRI data was conducted to directly test for sex-group differences and similarities in age-related and performance-related patterns of brain activity. Our behavioural analysis indicated no significant sex differences in retrieval accuracy on the fMRI tasks. In relation to performance effects, we observed similarities and differences in how retrieval accuracy related to brain activity in women and men. Both sexes activated dorsal and lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), inferior parietal cortex (IPC) and left parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) at encoding and this supported subsequent memory performance. However, there were sex differences in retrieval activity in these same regions and in lateral occipital-temporal and ventrolateral PFC. In relation to age effects, we observed sex differences in the effect of age on memory-related activity within PFC, IPC, PHG and lateral occipital-temporal cortices. Overall, our findings suggest that the neural correlates of age-related spatial context memory decline differ in women compared to men.

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Dedifferentiation of memory-related brain function as a potential early biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease in asymptomatic older women: Results from the PREVENT-AD Cohort

10.1101/2020.11.30.20241117 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sheida Rabipour ◽

Sricharana Rajagopal ◽

Stamatoula Pasvanis ◽

M. Natasha Rajah ◽

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Brain Function ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Object Location ◽

Activity Behavior ◽

And Performance ◽

Cognitively Intact ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

AbstractLate-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) disproportionately affects women compared to men. Episodic memory decline is one of the earliest and most pronounced deficits observed in AD. However, it remains unclear whether there are sex differences in episodic memory-related brain function in cognitively intact older adults at risk of developing AD. In the current study, we used task fMRI to test for sex differences in episodic memory-related brain activity and brain activity-behavior correlations in cognitively intact older adults with a family history of AD from the PREVENT-AD cohort study in Montreal, Canada (Mage=63.03±3.78; Meducation=15.41±3.40). Importantly, we tested women and men who were matched in age, body mass index, years of education, and proximity to the age of parental AD onset. We used data-driven task-based multivariate partial least squares (PLS) analysis to identify sex differences in brain activity during the successful encoding and retrieval of objects and their associated spatial context. We used behavior PLS to examine sex differences in the correlations between brain activity and memory performance at encoding and retrieval. Our results suggested no significant sex differences in behavioral performance on the memory task. Yet, we observed sex differences in task-related brain activity and in brain activity-behavior correlations during the encoding of object-location associative memories and object-only item memory, and the retrieval of object only item memories. Specifically, subsequent object-location associative retrieval associated with encoding related activation of caudate, cingulate, and middle occipital cortex in women and, additionally, of temporo-parietal regions in men. We also found male-specific activations in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and insula during associated with the encoding and retrieval of object-only information. Moreover, whereas activity in ventrolateral PFC, posterior cingulate, and inferior parietal regions during encoding supported subsequent performance in women, activity in these regions during retrieval supported object-location associative memory in men. Similarly, we found that activity in ventrolateral PFC, precuneus, parahippocampal, anterior cingulate, and occipital regions during retrieval supported general memory performance in women but object-only retrieval in men. Our findings suggest functional dedifferentiation of episodic memory-related brain activation and performance in women compared to men. Follow up analyses should test for sex differences in the relationship between brain activity patterns and performance longitudinally, in association with risk factors for AD development.

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Individual differences in connectivity and learning strategy predict variability in whole brain activity during episodic encoding and retrieval

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/s1053-8119(09)70177-6 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. S54

Author(s):

C.L. Donovan ◽

M.B. Miller

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Learning Strategy ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Episodic Encoding ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

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Development and Validation of a Cognitive Reserve Index in HIV

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617721000461 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Navaldeep Kaur ◽

Lesley K. Fellows ◽

Marie-Josée Brouillette ◽

Nancy Mayo

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Reserve ◽

Study Entry ◽

Video Gaming ◽

Everyday Functioning ◽

Data Set ◽

Multiple Indicators ◽

And Performance ◽

Competitive Games ◽

Development And Validation

Abstract Objectives: In the neuroHIV literature, cognitive reserve has most often been operationalized using education, occupation, and IQ. The effects of other cognitively stimulating activities that might be more amenable to interventions have been little studied. The purpose of this study was to develop an index of cognitive reserve in people with HIV, combining multiple indicators of cognitively stimulating lifetime experiences into a single value. Methods: The data set was obtained from a Canadian longitudinal study (N = 856). Potential indicators of cognitive reserve captured at the study entry included education, occupation, engagement in six cognitively stimulating activities, number of languages spoken, and social resources. Cognitive performance was measured using a computerized test battery. A cognitive reserve index was formulated using logistic regression weights. For the evidence on concurrent and predictive validity of the index, the measures of cognition and self-reported everyday functioning were each regressed on the index scores at study entry and at the last follow-up [mean duration: 25.9 months (SD 7.2)], respectively. Corresponding regression coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. Results: Professional sports [odds ratio (OR): 2.9; 95% CI 0.59–14.7], visual and performance arts (any level of engagement), professional/amateur music, complex video gaming and competitive games, and travel outside North America were associated with higher cognitive functioning. The effects of cognitive reserve on the outcomes at the last follow-up visit were closely similar to those at study entry. Conclusion: This work contributes evidence toward the relative benefit of engaging in specific cognitively stimulating life experiences in HIV.

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Brain Activity-Based Metrics for Assessing Learning States in VR under Stress among Firefighters: An Explorative Machine Learning Approach in Neuroergonomics

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11070885 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 885

Author(s):

Maher Abujelala ◽

Rohith Karthikeyan ◽

Oshin Tyagi ◽

Jing Du ◽

Ranjana K. Mehta

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Memory Task ◽

Classification Problem ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Training Data ◽

Information Encoding ◽

Machine Learning Approach ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

The nature of firefighters` duties requires them to work for long periods under unfavorable conditions. To perform their jobs effectively, they are required to endure long hours of extensive, stressful training. Creating such training environments is very expensive and it is difficult to guarantee trainees’ safety. In this study, firefighters are trained in a virtual environment that includes virtual perturbations such as fires, alarms, and smoke. The objective of this paper is to use machine learning methods to discern encoding and retrieval states in firefighters during a visuospatial episodic memory task and explore which regions of the brain provide suitable signals to solve this classification problem. Our results show that the Random Forest algorithm could be used to distinguish between information encoding and retrieval using features extracted from fNIRS data. Our algorithm achieved an F-1 score of 0.844 and an accuracy of 79.10% if the training and testing data are obtained at similar environmental conditions. However, the algorithm’s performance dropped to an F-1 score of 0.723 and accuracy of 60.61% when evaluated on data collected under different environmental conditions than the training data. We also found that if the training and evaluation data were recorded under the same environmental conditions, the RPM, LDLPFC, RDLPFC were the most relevant brain regions under non-stressful, stressful, and a mix of stressful and non-stressful conditions, respectively.

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The ex-illiterate brain: The critical period, cognitive reserve and HAROLD model

Dementia & Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1590/s1980-57642009dn30300008 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 222-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Maria Vania Silva Nunes ◽

Alexandre Castro-Caldas ◽

Dolores Del Rio ◽

Fernado Maestú ◽

Tomás Ortiz

Keyword(s):

Recognition Test ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Critical Period ◽

Cognitive Reserve ◽

Brain Activity ◽

High Educational Level ◽

Critical Periods ◽

Language Recognition ◽

Regular Time ◽

The Brain

Abstract The lifelong acquisition of cognitive skills shapes the biology of the brain. However, there are critical periods for the best use of the brain to process the acquired information. Objectives: To discuss the critical period of cognitive acquisition, the concept of cognitive reserve and the HAROLD (Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older adults) model. Methods: Seven women who learned how to read and to write after the age of 50 (ex-illiterates) and five women with 10 years of regular schooling (controls) were submitted to a language recognition test while brain activity was being recorded using magnetoencephalography. Spoken words were delivered binaurally via two plastic tubs terminating in ear inserts, and recordings were made with a whole head magnetometer consisting of 148 magnetometer coils. Results: Both groups performed similarly on the task of identifying target words. Analysis of the number of sources of activity in the left and right hemispheres revealed significant differences between the two groups, showing that ex-illiterate subjects exhibited less brain functional asymmetry during the language task. Conclusions: These results should be interpreted with caution because the groups were small. However, these findings reinforce the concept that poorly educated subjects tend to use the brain for information processing in a different way to subjects with a high educational level or who were schooled at the regular time. Finally, the recruiting of both hemispheres to tackle the language recognition test occurred to a greater degree in the ex-illiterate group where this can be interpreted as a sign of difficulty performing the task.

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Context Memory Encoding and Retrieval Temporal Dynamics are Modulated by Attention across the Adult Lifespan

eNeuro ◽

10.1523/eneuro.0387-20.2020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. ENEURO.0387-20.2020

Author(s):

Soroush Mirjalili ◽

Patrick Powell ◽

Jonathan Strunk ◽

Taylor James ◽

Audrey Duarte

Keyword(s):

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Memory Encoding ◽

Adult Lifespan ◽

Context Memory ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

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An fNIRS examination of executive function in bilingual young children

International Journal of Bilingualism ◽

10.1177/1367006920952881 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 136700692095288

Author(s):

Sha Xie ◽

Dandan Wu ◽

Jinfeng Yang ◽

Jiutong Luo ◽

Chunqi Chang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Executive Function ◽

Group Membership ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Bilingual Children ◽

Behavioral Performance ◽

Immersion Program ◽

Prefrontal Region ◽

And Performance ◽

The Relationship

Aims: The present study aims to examine: (1) the relationship between young children’s bilingualism and their performance in the Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS) task; and (2) whether prefrontal activation was associated with children’s bilingualism and executive function. Methodology: Children performed three sessions of the DCCS and their brain activity during the task was measured using functional nearinfrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Data and analysis: A sample of bilingual children ( N = 49) was recruited from a preschool with an English immersion program. We examined whether children’s performance in the DCCS was related to their bilingualism and whether the changes in oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal regions were related to their bilingualism and performance in the DCCS. Findings/conclusions: Results showed that children’s English ability was significantly correlated with their behavioral performance in DCCS, and predicted children’s group membership (pass or perseverate). Furthermore, children in the pass group significantly activated the prefrontal cortex than those in the perseverate group, and activation in the prefrontal region was significantly correlated with children’s English ability. Originality: The current study first examined the effect of children’s bilingualism on their executive function and prefrontal activation.

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