Motivation and Memory

Abstract. The present study investigated the compensatory impact of motivation to learn on memory performance with age. Twenty-one university undergraduate young adults (M = 22.7, SD = 2.6) and 19 community-dwelling older adults (M = 72.7, SD = 6.6) performed an emotional story memory task with an immediate and delayed recall 7 days later. The emotional content and the age relevance of the stories were manipulated to increase the motivation of older adults to learn. As postulated, results showed no age differences on the recall of positive stories, whereas the recall of negative and neutral stories was lower for older than young adults. In conclusion, motivational aspects may lead to the equivalent memory performance of young and older adults.

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Negative Effects of Embodiment in a Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Task in Children, Young Adults, and Older Adults

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.688174 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Gianluca Amico ◽

Sabine Schaefer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Young Adults ◽

Spatial Information ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Age Groups ◽

Memory Task ◽

Negative Effects

Studies examining the effect of embodied cognition have shown that linking one’s body movements to a cognitive task can enhance performance. The current study investigated whether concurrent walking while encoding or recalling spatial information improves working memory performance, and whether 10-year-old children, young adults, or older adults (Mage = 72 years) are affected differently by embodiment. The goal of the Spatial Memory Task was to encode and recall sequences of increasing length by reproducing positions of target fields in the correct order. The nine targets were positioned in a random configuration on a large square carpet (2.5 m × 2.5 m). During encoding and recall, participants either did not move, or they walked into the target fields. In a within-subjects design, all possible combinations of encoding and recall conditions were tested in counterbalanced order. Contrary to our predictions, moving particularly impaired encoding, but also recall. These negative effects were present in all age groups, but older adults’ memory was hampered even more strongly by walking during encoding and recall. Our results indicate that embodiment may not help people to memorize spatial information, but can create a dual-task situation instead.

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Preserved functional connectivity in the default mode and salience networks is associated with youthful memory in superaging

10.1101/254193 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jiahe Zhang ◽

Joseph Andreano ◽

Bradford C. Dickerson ◽

Alexandra Touroutoglou ◽

Lisa Feldman Barrett

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Memory Task ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Default Mode ◽

Intrinsic Connectivity

ABSTRACT“Superagers” are older adults who, despite their advanced age, maintain youthful memory. Previous morphometry studies revealed multiple default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) regions whose cortical thickness is preserved in superagers and correlates with memory performance. In this study, we examined the intrinsic functional connectivity within DMN and SN in 41 young (24.5 ± 3.6 years old) and 40 elderly adults (66.9 ± 5.5 years old). As in prior studies, superaging was defined as youthful performance on a memory recall task, the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Participants underwent a resting state fMRI scan and performed a separate visual-verbal recognition memory task. As predicted, within both DMN and SN, superagers had stronger connectivity compared to typical older adults and similar connectivity compared to young adults. Superagers also performed similarly to young adults and better than typical older adults on the recognition task, demonstrating youthful episodic memory that generalized across memory tasks. Stronger connectivity within each network independently predicted better performance on both the CVLT and recognition task in older adults. Variation in intrinsic connectivity explained unique variance in memory performance, above and beyond preserved neuroanatomy. A post-hoc analysis revealed that DMN and SN nodes were more strongly inversely correlated in superagers than in typical older adults but were similarly correlated in superagers and young adults. Stronger between-network inverse correlations also predicted better memory performance in the entire sample of older adults. These results extend our understanding of the neural basis of superaging as a model of successful aging.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTMemory capacity generally declines with age, but a unique group of older adults – ‘superagers’ – have memory capacities rivaling those of younger adults, as well as preserved neuroanatomy in an ensemble of regions contained in two core intrinsic brain networks – the default mode and salience networks. In this study, we assessed the strength of intrinsic connectivity within these networks in superagers and typical older adults compared to young adults. We also expanded the behavioral assessment of memory. As predicted, superagers have intrinsic connectivity within the default mode and salience networks that is stronger than typical older adults and similar to that of young adults. Within older adults, preserved intrinsic connectivity within each network was uniquely associated with better memory performance.

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Stronger Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode and Salience Networks Is Associated With Youthful Memory in Superaging

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz071 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 72-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jiahe Zhang ◽

Joseph M Andreano ◽

Bradford C Dickerson ◽

Alexandra Touroutoglou ◽

Lisa Feldman Barrett

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Memory Task ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Default Mode

Abstract “Superagers” are older adults who, despite their advanced age, maintain youthful memory. Previous morphometry studies revealed multiple default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) regions whose cortical thickness is greater in superagers and correlates with memory performance. In this study, we examined the intrinsic functional connectivity within DMN and SN in 41 young (24.5 ± 3.6 years old) and 40 older adults (66.9 ± 5.5 years old). Superaging was defined as youthful performance on a memory recall task, the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan and performed a separate visual–verbal recognition memory task. As predicted, within both DMN and SN, superagers had stronger connectivity compared with typical older adults and similar connectivity compared with young adults. Superagers also performed similarly to young adults and better than typical older adults on the recognition task, demonstrating youthful episodic memory that generalized across memory tasks. Stronger connectivity within each network independently predicted better performance on both the CVLT and recognition task in older adults. Variation in intrinsic connectivity explained unique variance in memory performance, above and beyond youthful neuroanatomy. These results extend our understanding of the neural basis of superaging as a model of successful aging.

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Prevalence of anxiety disorders in community dwelling older adults in Hong Kong

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610216001617 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 259-267 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ada Wai Tung Fung ◽

Wai-Chi Chan ◽

Corine Sau-Man Wong ◽

Eric Yu-Hai Chen ◽

Roger Man-Kin Ng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Female Gender ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Delayed Recall ◽

Physical Burden ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽

Physical Functioning Score

ABSTRACTBackground:Anxiety disorders are prevalent yet under-recognized in late life. We examined the prevalence of anxiety disorders in a representative sample of community dwelling older adults in Hong Kong.Method:Data on 1,158 non-demented respondents aged 60–75 years were extracted from the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity survey (HKMMS). Anxiety was assessed with the revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R).Result:One hundred and thirty-seven respondents (11.9%, 95% CI = 10–13.7%) had common mental disorders with a CIS-R score of 12 or above. 8% (95% CI = 6.5–9.6%) had anxiety, 2.2% (95% CI = 1.3–3%) had an anxiety disorder comorbid with depressive disorder, and 1.7% (95% CI = 1–2.5%) had depression. Anxious individuals were more likely to be females (χ2 = 25.3, p < 0.001), had higher chronic physical burden (t = −9.3, p < 0.001), lower SF-12 physical functioning score (t = 9.2, p < 0.001), and poorer delayed recall (t = 2.3, p = 0.022). The risk of anxiety was higher for females (OR 2.8, 95% C.I. 1.7–4.6, p < 0.001) and those with physical illnesses (OR 1.4, 95% C.I. 1.3–1.6, p < 0.001). The risk of anxiety disorders increased in those with disorders of cardiovascular (OR 1.9, 95% C.I. 1.2–2.9, p = 0.003), musculoskeletal (OR 2.0, 95% C.I. 1.5–2.7, p < 0.001), and genitourinary system (OR 2.0, 95% C.I. 1.3–3.2, p = 0.002).Conclusions:The prevalence of anxiety disorders in Hong Kong older population was 8%. Female gender and those with poor physical health were at a greater risk of developing anxiety disorders. Our findings also suggested potential risk for early sign of memory impairment in cognitively healthy individuals with anxiety disorders.

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The APOE ∍4 allele Is Associated with Decline on Delayed Recall Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society ◽

10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb01532.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 46 (12) ◽

pp. 1493-1498 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

Ruth O'Hara ◽

Jerome A. Yesavage ◽

Helena C. Kraemer ◽

Maritess Mauricio ◽

Leah F. Friedman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Recall Performance ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Delayed Recall ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

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Revisiting the Age-Prospective Memory Paradox Using Laboratory and Ecological Tasks

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.691752 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yu Wen Koo ◽

David L. Neumann ◽

Tamara Ownsworth ◽

David H. K. Shum

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Young Adults ◽

Prospective Memory ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Cognitive Factors ◽

Future Time ◽

Age Related ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽

Age Related Changes

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to perform a planned action at a future time. Older adults have shown moderate declines in PM, which are thought to be driven by age-related changes in the prefrontal cortex. However, an age-PM paradox is often reported, whereby deficits are evident in laboratory-based PM tasks, but not naturalistic PM tasks. The key aims of this study were to: (1) examine the age-PM paradox using the same sample across laboratory and ecological settings; and (2) determine whether self-reported PM and cognitive factors such as working memory and IQ are associated PM performance. Two PM tasks were administered (ecological vs. laboratory) to a sample of 23 community-dwelling older adults (Mage = 72.30, SDage = 5.62) and 28 young adults (Mage = 20.18, SDage = 3.30). Participants also completed measures of general cognitive function, working memory, IQ, and self-reported memory. Our results did not support the existence of the age-PM paradox. Strong age effects across both laboratory and ecological PM tasks were observed in which older adults consistently performed worse on the PM tasks than young adults. In addition, PM performance was significantly associated with self-reported PM measures in young adults. For older adults, IQ was associated with time-based PM. These findings suggest that the age-PM paradox is more complex than first thought and there are differential predictors of PM performance for younger and older adults.

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