scholarly journals Out of rhythm: Compromised precision of theta-gamma coupling impairs associative memory in old age

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Elsa Karlsson ◽  
Ulman Lindenberger ◽  
Myriam C. Sander
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Theta Rhythm ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Coupling Phase ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Gamma Power

Episodic memory declines with advancing adult age. This decline is particularly pronounced when associations between items and their contexts need to be formed. According to theories of neural communication, the precise coupling of gamma power to the phase of the theta rhythm supports associative memory formation. To investigate whether age differences in associative memory are related to compromised theta-gamma coupling, we took electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings during the encoding phase of an item-context association task. Fifty-eight younger and 55 older adults studied pictures of objects superimposed on background scenes. In a recognition test, objects were presented on old or new backgrounds, and participants responded if they had seen (1) the object and (2) the object-scene pair. Theta-gamma coupling supported pair memory formation in both age groups. Whereas pair memory was associated with coupling closer to the peak of the theta rhythm, item-only memory was associated with a deviation in phase angle relative to pair memory. Furthermore, a stable relation between coupling phase and pair memory performance demonstrated that coupling closer to the peak is beneficial for associative memory. Critically, older adults' lower pair memory was accompanied by a shift in coupling phase relative to younger adults. In concert, the present results are consistent with the hypothesis that decrements in the precision with which gamma power is coupled to the theta phase underlie the decline of associative memory in normal cognitive aging.

scholarly journals Cognitive aging and verbal labeling in continuous visual memory

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 1196-1213
Author(s):  
Alicia Forsberg ◽  
Wendy Johnson ◽  
Robert H. Logie
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related

Abstract The decline of working memory (WM) is a common feature of general cognitive decline, and visual and verbal WM capacity appear to decline at different rates with age. Visual material may be remembered via verbal codes or visual traces, or both. Souza and Skóra, Cognition, 166, 277–297 (2017) found that labeling boosted memory in younger adults by activating categorical visual long-term memory (LTM) knowledge. Here, we replicated this and tested whether it held in healthy older adults. We compared performance in silence, under instructed overt labeling (participants were asked to say color names out loud), and articulatory suppression (repeating irrelevant syllables to prevent labeling) in the delayed estimation paradigm. Overt labeling improved memory performance in both age groups. However, comparing the effect of overt labeling and suppression on the number of coarse, categorical representations in the two age groups suggested that older adults used verbal labels subvocally more than younger adults, when performing the task in silence. Older adults also appeared to benefit from labels differently than younger adults. In younger adults labeling appeared to improve visual, continuous memory, suggesting that labels activated visual LTM representations. However, for older adults, labels did not appear to enhance visual, continuous representations, but instead boosted memory via additional verbal (categorical) memory traces. These results challenged the assumption that visual memory paradigms measure the same cognitive ability in younger and older adults, and highlighted the importance of controlling differences in age-related strategic preferences in visual memory tasks.

scholarly journals I know your face but can’t remember your name: Age-related differences in the FNAME-12NL

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Enriquez-Geppert ◽  
J F Flores-Vázquez ◽  
M Lietz ◽  
M Garcia-Pimenta ◽  
P Andrés
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Abstract Objective The Face-Name Associative Memory test (FNAME) has recently received attention as a test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. So far, however, there has been no systematic investigation of the effects of aging. Here, we aimed to assess the extent to which the FNAME performance is modulated by normal ageing. Method In a first step, we adapted the FNAME material to the Dutch population. In a second step, younger (n = 29) and older adults (n = 29) were compared on recall and recognition performance. Results Significant age effects on name recall were observed after the first exposure of new face-name pairs: younger adults remembered eight, whereas older adults remembered a mean of four out of twelve names. Although both age groups increased the number of recalled names with repeated face-name exposure, older adults did not catch up with the performance of the younger adults, and the age-effects remained stable. Despite of that, both age groups maintained their performance after a 30-min delay. Considering recognition, no age differences were demonstrated, and both age groups succeeded in the recognition of previously shown faces and names when presented along with distractors. Conclusions This study presents for the first time the results of different age groups regarding cross-modal associative memory performance on the FNAME. The recall age effects support the hypothesis of age-related differences in associative memory. To use the FNAME as an early cognitive biomarker, further subscales are suggested to increase sensitivity and specificity in the clinical context.

Memory Performance of Young, Middle, and Old Adults

1983 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald D. Davis ◽  
Douglas D. Friedrich
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Word List ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Research With Children ◽  
Association Structure

Young, middle-aged, and older adults were assessed on tasks operationally defining short-term memory structural limitations and process abilities. The tasks were typical of previously related memory research with children and adolescents: monaural and dichotic word lists of variant association structure and rate of presentation. Although a number of minor chronological age-related differences were noted between monaural and dichotic word list performances, the findings indicated both structural capacity and organizational strategy deficiencies over successive adult age groups. In addition, older adults indicated significantly more heterogeneity of performance variance, both between and within age group comparisons. Results were summarized within the Cattell-Horn developmental model of fluid and crystallized abilities.

Age moderation of the association between negative subsequent memory effects and episodic memory performance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Pruitt ◽  
Lingfei Tang ◽  
Jessica Hayes ◽  
Noa Ofen ◽  
Jessica S. Damoiseaux
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Memory Effects ◽  
Age Related

Negative subsequent memory effects in functional MRI studies of memory formation, have been linked to individual differences in memory performance, yet the effect of age on this association is currently unclear. To provide insight into the brain systems related to memory across the lifespan, we examined functional neuroimaging data acquired during episodic memory formation and behavioral performance from a memory recognition task in a sample of 109 participants, including three developmental age groups (8-12, 13-17, 18-25 year-olds) and one additional group of older adults (55-85 year-olds). Young adults showed the highest memory performance and strongest negative subsequent memory effects, while older adults showed reduced negative subsequent memory effects relative to young adults. Across the sample, negative subsequent memory effects were associated with better memory performance, and there was a significant interaction between negative subsequent memory effects and memory performance by age groups. Posthoc analyses revealed that this effect was driven by a strong association between negative subsequent memory effects and memory performance in adolescents and young adults, but not in children and older adults. These findings suggest that negative subsequent memory effects may differentially support memory performance across a lifespan trajectory characterized by developmental maturation and age-related deterioration.

scholarly journals Learning by insight as a potential strategy to improve memory encoding in older adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin M. Kizilirmak ◽  
Larissa Fischer ◽  
Justus Krause ◽  
Joram Soch ◽  
Anni Richter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Memory Test ◽  
Equal Proportion ◽  
Similar Frequency

Several cognitive functions show a decline with advanced age, most prominently episodic memory. Problem-solving by insight represents a special associative form of problem-solving that has previously been shown to facilitate long-term memory formation. Recent neuroimaging evidence suggests that the encoding network involved in insight-based memory formation is largely hippocampus-independent. This may represent a potential advantage in older adults, as the hippocampus is one of the earliest brain structures to show age-related volume loss and functional impairment. Here, we investigated the potential beneficial effects of learning by insight in healthy older (60-79 years) compared to young adults (19-28 years). To this end, we compared later memory performance for verbal riddles encoded incidentally via insight-like induced sudden comprehension in both age groups. We employed a variant of the Compound Remote Associate Task (CRAT) for incidental encoding, during which participants were instructed to judge the solvability of items. In a 24-hour delayed surprise memory test, participants attempted to solve previously encountered items and additionally performed a recognition memory test. During this test, older adults correctly solved an equal proportion of new items compared to young adults and both age groups reported a similar frequency of Aha! experiences. While overall memory performance was better in young participants (higher proportion of correctly solved and correctly recognized old items), older participants exhibited a stronger beneficial effect of insight on later recognition memory for previously presented items. Our results thus show that learning via insight might constitute a promising approach to improve memory function in old age.

scholarly journals Adult age differences in the effects of processing on storage in working memory: A meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka J Jaroslawska ◽  
Stephen Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Age Related

Normal adult aging is known to be associated with lower performance on tasks assessing the short-term storage of information. However, whether or not there are additional age-related deficits associated with concurrent storage and processing demands within working memory remains unclear. Methodological differences across studies are considered critical factors responsible for the variability in the magnitude of the reported age effects. Here we synthesized comparisons of younger and older adults' performance on tasks measuring storage alone against those combining storage with concurrent processing of information. We also considered the influence of task-related moderator variables. Meta-analysis of effect sizes revealed a small but disproportionate effect of processing on older adults' memory performance. Moderator analysis indicated that equating single task storage performance across age groups (titration) and the nature of the stimulus material were important determinants of memory accuracy. Titration of storage task difficulty was found to lead to smaller, and non-significant, age-differences in dual task costs. These results were corroborated by supplementary Brinley and state-trace analyses. We discuss these findings in relation to the extant literature and current working memory theory as well as possibilities for future research to address the residual heterogeneity in effect sizes.

scholarly journals Learning by Insight-Like Sudden Comprehension as a Potential Strategy to Improve Memory Encoding in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin M. Kizilirmak ◽  
Larissa Fischer ◽  
Justus Krause ◽  
Joram Soch ◽  
Anni Richter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Memory Test ◽  
Equal Proportion ◽  
Similar Frequency

Several cognitive functions show a decline with advanced age, most prominently episodic memory. Problem-solving by insight represents a special associative form of problem-solving that has previously been shown to facilitate long-term memory formation. Recent neuroimaging evidence suggests that the encoding network involved in insight-based memory formation is largely hippocampus-independent. This may represent a potential advantage in older adults, as the hippocampus is one of the earliest brain structures to show age-related volume loss and functional impairment. Here, we investigated the potential beneficial effects of learning by insight in healthy older (60–79 years) compared to young adults (19–28 years). To this end, we compared later memory performance for verbal riddles encoded incidentally via induced insight-like sudden comprehension in both age groups. We employed a variant of the Compound Remote Associate Task (CRAT) for incidental encoding, during which participants were instructed to judge the solvability of items. In a 24-h delayed surprise memory test, participants attempted to solve previously encountered items and additionally performed a recognition memory test. During this test, older adults correctly solved an equal proportion of new CRA items compared to young adults and both age groups reported a similar frequency of Aha! experiences. While overall memory performance was better in young participants (higher proportion of correctly solved and correctly recognized old CRA items), older participants exhibited a stronger beneficial effect of insight-like sudden comprehension on later recognition memory for CRA items. Our results suggest that learning via insight might constitute a promising approach to improve memory function in old age.

scholarly journals Resting‐State EEG Microstates Parallel Age‐Related Differences in Allocentric Spatial Working Memory Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Jabès ◽  
Giuliana Klencklen ◽  
Paolo Ruggeri ◽  
Christoph M. Michel ◽  
Pamela Banta Lavenex ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Age Related

AbstractAlterations of resting-state EEG microstates have been associated with various neurological disorders and behavioral states. Interestingly, age-related differences in EEG microstate organization have also been reported, and it has been suggested that resting-state EEG activity may predict cognitive capacities in healthy individuals across the lifespan. In this exploratory study, we performed a microstate analysis of resting-state brain activity and tested allocentric spatial working memory performance in healthy adult individuals: twenty 25–30-year-olds and twenty-five 64–75-year-olds. We found a lower spatial working memory performance in older adults, as well as age-related differences in the five EEG microstate maps A, B, C, C′ and D, but especially in microstate maps C and C′. These two maps have been linked to neuronal activity in the frontal and parietal brain regions which are associated with working memory and attention, cognitive functions that have been shown to be sensitive to aging. Older adults exhibited lower global explained variance and occurrence of maps C and C′. Moreover, although there was a higher probability to transition from any map towards maps C, C′ and D in young and older adults, this probability was lower in older adults. Finally, although age-related differences in resting-state EEG microstates paralleled differences in allocentric spatial working memory performance, we found no evidence that any individual or combination of resting-state EEG microstate parameter(s) could reliably predict individual spatial working memory performance. Whether the temporal dynamics of EEG microstates may be used to assess healthy cognitive aging from resting-state brain activity requires further investigation.

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

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.

scholarly journals C-24 Longitudinal Trajectories of Working Memory Performance in Typically Aging Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1053-1053
Author(s):  
M Gonzalez Catalan ◽  
C Lindbergh ◽  
A Staffaroni ◽  
S Walters ◽  
K Casaletto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Clinical Dementia Rating ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Random Slopes ◽  
Aging Adults

Abstract Objective Cross-sectional studies have shown age-related differences in working memory (WM), but the trajectory is unclear due to the scarcity of longitudinal studies. Additional research is needed to better characterize the course of age-related changes in WM in older adults. The present study sought to address this gap in the literature by conducting serial assessments of WM in a longitudinally followed cohort of typically aging adults. We hypothesized a significant age × time interaction, such that WM would show pronounced declines with advancing age. Methods 640 functionally intact participants in an aging cohort (clinical dementia rating = 0; age range 52-99, mean age = 75) completed a computerized WM measure, Running Letter Memory (RLM), every ~15 months for up to 8.5 years (mean follow-up = 1.9 years). Longitudinal changes in RLM scores were analyzed using linear mixed effects models, allowing for random slopes and intercepts. All models were adjusted for sex and education. Results RLM performance did not significantly decline over time (b = -.14, p = .43). As hypothesized, there was a significant age × time interaction predicting RLM scores (b = -.08, p = .006). Specifically, RLM performance remained relatively stable (or slightly improved) until around age 75, beyond which increasingly precipitous declines were observed with advancing age. Conclusion The present results suggest that WM performance does not evidence declines until the mid-70s in typically aging adults, at which point increasingly steep decline trajectories are observed with advancing age. These findings highlight that cognitive aging does not occur at a constant rate in late life.

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