scholarly journals Oscillatory Mechanisms of Successful Memory Formation in Younger and Older Adults Are Related to Structural Integrity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam C. Sander ◽  
Yana Fandakova ◽  
Thomas H. Grandy ◽  
Yee Lee Shing ◽  
Markus Werkle-Bergner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Interindividual Differences ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Oscillatory Mechanisms

AbstractWe studied oscillatory mechanisms of successful memory formation in 47 younger and 52 older adults in an intentional associative memory task with cued recall. While older adults showed reduced memory performance, we found subsequent memory effects (SME) in alpha/beta and theta frequency bands in both age groups. Using logistic mixed effect models, we then investigated whether interindividual differences in structural integrity of memory regions that were functionally linked to oscillatory dynamics in previous studies (Hanslmayr et al., 2011) could account for interindividual differences in the strength of the SME. Structural integrity of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and hippocampus (HC) was reduced in older adults. SME in the alpha/beta band were indeed modulated by the cortical thickness of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), in line with its hypothesized role for deep semantic elaboration. Importantly, this structure–function relationship did not differ by age group. However, older adults were more frequently represented among the participants with low cortical thickness and consequently weaker SME in the alpha band. Thus, our results suggest that differences in the structural integrity of the IFG are the basis not only for interindividual, but also for age differences in memory formation.

scholarly journals Oscillatory Mechanisms of Successful Memory Formation in Younger and Older Adults Are Related to Structural Integrity

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 3744-3758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam C Sander ◽  
Yana Fandakova ◽  
Thomas H Grandy ◽  
Yee Lee Shing ◽  
Markus Werkle-Bergner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Interindividual Differences ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Oscillatory Mechanisms

Abstract We studied oscillatory mechanisms of memory formation in 48 younger and 51 older adults in an intentional associative memory task with cued recall. While older adults showed lower memory performance than young adults, we found subsequent memory effects (SME) in alpha/beta and theta frequency bands in both age groups. Using logistic mixed effects models, we investigated whether interindividual differences in structural integrity of key memory regions could account for interindividual differences in the strength of the SME. Structural integrity of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and hippocampus was reduced in older adults. SME in the alpha/beta band were modulated by the cortical thickness of IFG, in line with its hypothesized role for deep semantic elaboration. Importantly, this structure–function relationship did not differ by age group. However, older adults were more frequently represented among the participants with low cortical thickness and consequently weaker SME in the alpha band. Thus, our results suggest that differences in the structural integrity of the IFG contribute not only to interindividual, but also to age differences in memory formation.

scholarly journals Neural and behavioral correlates of episodic memory are associated with temporal discounting in older adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina M. Lempert ◽  
Dawn J. Mechanic-Hamilton ◽  
Long Xie ◽  
Laura E.M. Wisse ◽  
Robin de Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Temporal Discounting ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Trade Offs

AbstractWhen facing decisions involving trade-offs between smaller, sooner and larger, delayed rewards, people tend to discount the value of future rewards. There are substantial individual differences in this tendency toward temporal discounting, however. One neurocognitive system that may underlie these individual differences is episodic memory, given the overlap in the neural circuitry involved in imagining the future and remembering the past. Here we tested this hypothesis in older adults, including both those that were cognitively normal and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We found that performance on neuropsychological measures of episodic memory retrieval was associated with temporal discounting, such that people with better memory discounted delayed rewards less. This relationship was specific to episodic memory and temporal discounting, since executive function (another cognitive ability) was unrelated to temporal discounting, and episodic memory was unrelated to risk tolerance (another decision-making preference). We also examined cortical thickness and volume in medial temporal lobe regions critical for episodic memory. Entorhinal cortical thickness was associated with reduced temporal discounting, with episodic memory performance partially mediating this association. The inclusion of MCI participants was critical to revealing these associations between episodic memory and entorhinal cortical thickness and temporal discounting. These effects were larger in the MCI group, reduced after controlling for MCI status, and statistically significant only when including MCI participants in analyses. Overall, these findings suggest that individual differences in temporal discounting are driven by episodic memory function, and that a decline in medial temporal lobe structural integrity may impact temporal discounting.

scholarly journals Disrupted Neural Synchrony Mediates the Relationship between White Matter Integrity and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 5570-5582 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Hinault ◽  
M Kraut ◽  
A Bakker ◽  
A Dagher ◽  
S M Courtney
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Phase Locking Value

Abstract Our main goal was to determine the influence of white matter integrity on the dynamic coupling between brain regions and the individual variability of cognitive performance in older adults. Electroencephalography was recorded while participants performed a task specifically designed to engage working memory and inhibitory processes, and the associations among functional activity, structural integrity, and cognitive performance were assessed. We found that the association between white matter microstructural integrity and cognitive functioning with aging is mediated by time-varying alpha and gamma phase-locking value. Specifically, better preservation of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus in older individuals drives faster task-related modulations of alpha and gamma long-range phase-locking value between the inferior frontal gyrus and occipital lobe and lower local phase-amplitude coupling in occipital lobes, which in turn drives better cognitive control performance. Our results help delineate the role of individual variability of white matter microstructure in dynamic synchrony and cognitive performance during normal aging.

Interindividual Differences in Cognitive Functioning Are Associated with Autobiographical Memory Retrieval Specificity in Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Peters ◽  
Signy Sheldon
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Interindividual Differences ◽  
Retrieval Cues ◽  
Contextual Support

Abstract. We examined whether interindividual differences in cognitive functioning among older adults are related to episodic memory engagement during autobiographical memory retrieval. Older adults ( n = 49, 24 males; mean age = 69.93; mean education = 15.45) with different levels of cognitive functioning, estimated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), retrieved multiple memories (generation task) and the details of a single memory (elaboration task) to cues representing thematic or event-specific autobiographical knowledge. We found that the MoCA score positively predicted the proportion of specific memories for generation and episodic details for elaboration, but only to cues that represented event-specific information. The results demonstrate that individuals with healthy, but not unhealthy, cognitive status can leverage contextual support from retrieval cues to improve autobiographical specificity.

scholarly journals Restrained Eating Is Associated with Lower Cortical Thickness in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus in Adolescents

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 978
Author(s):  
Isabel García-García ◽  
Maite Garolera ◽  
Jonatan Ottino-González ◽  
Xavier Prats-Soteras ◽  
Anna Prunell-Castañé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Restrained Eating ◽  
Eating Patterns ◽  
Restrictive Eating ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Uncontrolled Eating

Some eating patterns, such as restrained eating and uncontrolled eating, are risk factors for eating disorders. However, it is not yet clear whether they are associated with neurocognitive differences. In the current study, we analyzed whether eating patterns can be used to classify participants into meaningful clusters, and we examined whether there are neurocognitive differences between the clusters. Adolescents (n = 108; 12 to 17 years old) and adults (n = 175, 18 to 40 years old) completed the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, which was used to classify participants according to their eating profile using k means clustering. Participants also completed personality questionnaires and a neuropsychological examination. A subsample of participants underwent a brain MRI acquisition. In both samples, we obtained a cluster characterized by high uncontrolled eating patterns, a cluster with high scores in restrictive eating, and a cluster with low scores in problematic eating behaviors. The clusters were equivalent with regards to personality and performance in executive functions. In adolescents, the cluster with high restrictive eating showed lower cortical thickness in the inferior frontal gyrus compared to the other two clusters. We hypothesize that this difference in cortical thickness represents an adaptive neural mechanism that facilitates inhibition processes.

Social network characteristics moderate associations between cortical thickness and cognitive functioning in older adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neika Sharifian ◽  
Afsara B. Zaheed ◽  
Emily P. Morris ◽  
Ketlyne Sol ◽  
Jennifer J. Manly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Network Characteristics

scholarly journals Alpha/beta power decreases during episodic memory formation predict the magnitude of alpha/beta power decreases during subsequent retrieval

2021 ◽  
Vol 153 ◽  
pp. 107755
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Griffiths ◽  
María Carmen Martín-Buro ◽  
Bernhard P. Staresina ◽  
Simon Hanslmayr ◽  
Tobias Staudigl
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
Alpha Beta

scholarly journals Dynamic Regional Brain Atrophy Rates in the First Year After Ischemic Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Brodtmann ◽  
Mohamed Salah Khlif ◽  
Natalia Egorova ◽  
Michele Veldsman ◽  
Laura J. Bird ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Atrophy ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Linear Mixed Effect Model ◽  
First Year ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Regional Brain

Background and Purpose: Brain atrophy can be regarded as an end-organ effect of cumulative cardiovascular risk factors. Accelerated brain atrophy is described following ischemic stroke, but it is not known whether atrophy rates vary over the poststroke period. Examining rates of brain atrophy allows the identification of potential therapeutic windows for interventions to prevent poststroke brain atrophy. Methods: We charted total and regional brain volume and cortical thickness trajectories, comparing atrophy rates over 2 time periods in the first year after ischemic stroke: within 3 months (early period) and between 3 and 12 months (later period). Patients with first-ever or recurrent ischemic stroke were recruited from 3 Melbourne hospitals at 1 of 2 poststroke time points: within 6 weeks (baseline) or 3 months. Whole-brain 3T magnetic resonance imaging was performed at 3 time points: baseline, 3 months, and 12 months. Eighty-six stroke participants completed testing at baseline; 125 at 3 months (76 baseline follow-up plus 49 delayed recruitment); and 113 participants at 12 months. Their data were compared with 40 healthy control participants with identical testing. We examined 5 brain measures: hippocampal volume, thalamic volume, total brain and hemispheric brain volume, and cortical thickness. We tested whether brain atrophy rates differed between time points and groups. A linear mixed-effect model was used to compare brain structural changes, including age, sex, years of education, a composite cerebrovascular risk factor score, and total intracranial volume as covariates. Results: Atrophy rates were greater in stroke than control participants. Ipsilesional hemispheric, hippocampal, and thalamic atrophy rates were 2 to 4 times greater in the early versus later period. Conclusions: Regional atrophy rates vary over the first year after stroke. Rapid brain volume loss in the first 3 months after stroke may represent a potential window for intervention. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02205424.

Predictors of use of digital technology for communication among older adults: analysis of data from the health and retirement study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brady Lund
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Intellectual Curiosity ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retirement Study

Purpose This study aims to examine the potential impact of eleven social and psychological factors – anxiety, closeness with family and friends, intellectual curiosity, life control, life satisfaction, physical health, religiosity, self-esteem, sociability, socioeconomic status and works status and demands – on the use of digital technology by older adults for the purpose of communicating with family and friends. Design/methodology/approach A path analysis, which uses ordinary least squares regression to examine relationships among variables, is used to perform a secondary analysis of data from the 2018 Health and Retirement Study. A correlation matrix, which displays the direct relationships among variables, is also incorporated. Findings Statistically significant direct influences are revealed between the use of digital technology for communication and three factors: intellectual curiosity, self-esteem, and sociability. These three factors are themselves moderated by the influences of the remaining eight factors. While most factors relate to an increase in the adoption of social uses of digital technology, increased anxiety and increased work demands (for those who are employed) are related to decreased adoption, while increased religiosity has a mixed effect (reduced intellectual curiosity but increased sociability). These findings suggest a few avenues for identifying and intervening in the lives of physically and socially isolated older adults, by illuminating correlates of technology adoption. Originality/value While many studies have examined factors that correlate to increased technology adoption, this study is original in that it focuses specifically on the use of digital technology for communication with family and friends (i.e. use of email, messaging, social media) while also focusing on social and psychological factors (many of which can be changed through intervention) rather than innate and uncontrollable factors like age, gender and ethnicity.

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