Electrophysiological evidence for the effects of unitization on associative recognition memory in older adults

AbstractListening to autobiographically-salient music (i.e., music evoking personal memories from the past), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have each been suggested to temporarily improve older adults’ subsequent performance on memory tasks. Limited research has investigated the effects of combining both tDCS and music listening together on cognition. The present study examined whether anodal tDCS stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (2 mA, 20 min) with concurrent listening to autobiographically-salient music amplified subsequent changes in working memory and recognition memory in older adults than either tDCS or music listening alone. In a randomized sham-controlled crossover study, 14 healthy older adults (64–81 years) participated in three neurostimulation conditions: tDCS with music listening (tDCS + Music), tDCS in silence (tDCS-only), or sham-tDCS with music listening (Sham + Music), each separated by at least a week. Working memory was assessed pre- and post-stimulation using a digit span task, and recognition memory was assessed post-stimulation using an auditory word recognition task (WRT) during which electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Performance on the backwards digit span showed improvement in tDCS + Music, but not in tDCS-only or Sham + Music conditions. Although no differences in behavioural performance were observed in the auditory WRT, changes in neural correlates underlying recognition memory were observed following tDCS + Music compared to Sham + Music. Findings suggest listening to autobiographically-salient music may amplify the effects of tDCS for working memory, and highlight the potential utility of neurostimulation combined with personalized music to improve cognitive performance in the aging population.

Download Full-text

Simple and Associative Recognition Memory in the Hippocampal Region

Learning & Memory ◽

10.1101/lm.40701 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 190-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 77

Author(s):

C. E.L. Stark

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Associative Recognition ◽

Hippocampal Region

Download Full-text

When twice is better than once: increased liking of repeated items influences memory in younger and older adults

BMC Psychology ◽

10.1186/s40359-021-00531-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rocco Palumbo ◽

Alberto Di Domenico ◽

Beth Fairfield ◽

Nicola Mammarella

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Recognition Memory ◽

Memory Task ◽

Memory Encoding ◽

Mere Exposure Effect ◽

Differential Impact ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Repeated Presentation ◽

Exposure Effect ◽

Better Than

Abstract Background Numerous studies have reported that the repeated presentation of a stimulus leads to an increase in positive affect towards the stimulus itself (the so-called mere exposure effect). Here, we evaluate whether changes in liking due to repetition may have a differential impact on subsequent memories in younger and older adults. Method In two experiments, younger and older adults were asked to rate a series of nonwords (Experiment 1) or unfamiliar neutral faces (Experiment 2) in terms of how much they like them and then presented with a surprise yes–no recognition memory task. At study, items were repeated either consecutively (massed presentation) or with a lag of 6 intervening items (spaced presentation). Results In both experiments, participants rated spaced repeated items more positively than massed items, i.e. they liked them most. Moreover, older adults remembered spaced stimuli that they liked most better than younger adults. Conclusions The findings are discussed in accordance with the mechanisms underlying positivity effects in memory and the effect of repetition on memory encoding.

Download Full-text

Human Hippocampal and Parahippocampal Activity during Visual Associative Recognition Memory for Spatial and Nonspatial Stimulus Configurations

Journal of Neuroscience ◽

10.1523/jneurosci.23-28-09439.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 23 (28) ◽

pp. 9439-9444 ◽

Cited By ~ 139

Author(s):

Emrah Düzel ◽

Reza Habib ◽

Michael Rotte ◽

Sebastian Guderian ◽

Endel Tulving ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Associative Recognition

Download Full-text

Long-term associative memory in rats: effects of familiarization period in object-place-context recognition test

10.1101/728295 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Shota Shimoda ◽

Takaaki Ozawa ◽

Yukio Ichitani ◽

Kazuo Yamada

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Recognition Test ◽

Associative Memory ◽

Associative Recognition ◽

The Novel ◽

Novelty Preference ◽

Object Recognition Test ◽

Spontaneous Recognition ◽

Familiarization Period

AbstractSpontaneous recognition tests, which utilize rodents’ innate tendency to explore novelty, can evaluate not only simple non-associative recognition memory but also more complex associative memory in animals. In the present study, we investigated whether the length of the object familiarization period (sample phase) improved subsequent novelty discrimination in the spontaneous object, place, and object-place-context (OPC) recognition tests in rats. In the OPC test, rats showed a significant novelty preference only when the familiarization period was 30 min but not when it was 5 min or 15 min. However, the rats exhibited a successful discrimination between the stayed and replaced objects under 15 min and 30 min familiarization period conditions in the place recognition test and between the novel and familiar objects under all conditions of 5, 15 and 30 min in the object recognition test. Our results suggest that the extension of the familiarization period improves performance in the spontaneous recognition paradigms, and a longer familiarization period is necessary for long-term associative recognition memory than for non-associative memory.

Download Full-text