scholarly journals The Path to Memory Is Guided by Strategy: Distinct Networks Are Engaged in Associative Encoding under Visual and Verbal Strategy and Influence Memory Performance in Healthy and Impaired Individuals

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1398-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jena B. Hales ◽  
James B. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Type ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Stimulus Modality ◽  
Verbal Stimuli ◽  
New Information ◽  
Associative Strategy ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Cortical Involvement ◽  
Encoding Strategies ◽  
Study Participants

Given the diversity of stimuli encountered in daily life, a variety of strategies must be used for learning new information. Relating and encoding visual and verbal stimuli into memory has been probed using various tasks and stimulus types. Engagement of specific subsequent memory and cortical processing regions depends on the stimulus modality of studied material; however, it remains unclear whether different encoding strategies similarly influence regional activity when stimulus type is held constant. In this study, participants encoded object pairs using a visual or verbal associative strategy during fMRI, and subsequent memory was assessed for pairs encoded under each strategy. Each strategy elicited distinct regional processing and subsequent memory effects: middle/superior frontal, lateral parietal, and lateral occipital for visually associated pairs and inferior frontal, medial frontal, and medial occipital for verbally associated pairs. This regional selectivity mimics the effects of stimulus modality, suggesting that cortical involvement in associative encoding is driven by strategy and not simply by stimulus type. The clinical relevance of these findings, probed in a patient with a recent aphasic stroke, suggest that training with strategies utilizing unaffected cortical regions might improve memory ability in patients with brain damage.

scholarly journals Effects of amnesia on processing in the hippocampus and default mode network during a naturalistic memory task: a case study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Oedekoven ◽  
James L. Keidel ◽  
Stuart Anderson ◽  
Angus Nisbet ◽  
Chris Bird
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Left Hippocampus ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
The Right ◽  
Encoding And Retrieval

Despite their severely impaired episodic memory, individuals with amnesia are able to comprehend ongoing events. Online representations of a current event are thought to be supported by a network of regions centred on the posterior midline cortex (PMC). By contrast, episodic memory is widely believed to be supported by interactions between the hippocampus and these cortical regions. In this MRI study, we investigated the encoding and retrieval of lifelike events (video clips) in a patient with severe amnesia likely resulting from a stroke to the right thalamus, and a group of 20 age-matched controls. Structural MRI revealed grey matter reductions in left hippocampus and left thalamus in comparison to controls. We first characterised the regions activated in the controls while they watched and retrieved the videos. There were no differences in activation between the patient and controls in any of the regions. We then identified a widespread network of brain regions, including the hippocampus, that were functionally connected with the PMC in controls. However, in the patient there was a specific reduction in functional connectivity between the PMC and a region of left hippocampus when both watching and attempting to retrieve the videos. A follow up analysis revealed that in controls the functional connectivity between these regions when watching the videos was correlated with memory performance. Taken together, these findings support the view that the interactions between the PMC and the hippocampus enable the encoding and retrieval of multimodal representations of the contents of an event.

scholarly journals Neural differentiation is moderated by age in scene- but not face-selective cortical regions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabina Srokova ◽  
Paul F. Hill ◽  
Joshua D. Koen ◽  
Danielle R. King ◽  
Michael D. Rugg
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Neural Differentiation ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Retrosplenial Cortex ◽  
Stimulus Category ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Pattern Similarity ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Neural Selectivity ◽  
Parahippocampal Place Area

AbstractThe aging brain is characterized by neural dedifferentiation – an apparent decrease in the functional selectivity of category-selective cortical regions. Age-related reductions in neural differentiation have been proposed to play a causal role in cognitive aging. Recent findings suggest, however, that age-related dedifferentiation is not equally evident for all stimulus categories and, additionally, that the relationship between neural differentiation and cognitive performance is not moderated by age. In light of these findings, in the present experiment younger and older human adults (males and females) underwent fMRI as they studied words paired with images of scenes or faces prior to a subsequent memory task. Neural selectivity was measured in two scene-selective (parahippocampal place area and retrosplenial cortex) and two face-selective (fusiform and occipital face areas) regions of interest using both a univariate differentiation index and multivoxel pattern similarity analysis. Both methods provided highly convergent results which revealed evidence of age-related reductions in neural dedifferentiation in scene-selective but not face-selective cortical regions. Additionally, neural differentiation in the parahippocampal place area demonstrated a positive, age-invariant relationship with subsequent source memory performance (recall of the image category paired with each recognized test word). These findings extend prior findings suggesting that age-related neural dedifferentiation is not a ubiquitous phenomenon, and that the specificity of neural responses to scenes is predictive subsequent memory performance independently of age.Significance StatementIncreasing age is associated with reduced neural specificity in cortical regions that are selectively responsive to a given perceptual stimulus category (age-related neural dedifferentiation), a phenomenon which has been proposed to contribute to cognitive aging. Recent findings reveal that age-related neural dedifferentiation is not present for all types of visual stimulus categories, and the factors which determine when the phenomenon arises remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that scene- but not face-selective cortical regions exhibit age-related neural dedifferentiation during an attentionally-demanding task. Additionally, we report that higher neural selectivity in the scene-selective ‘parahippocampal place area’ is associated with better memory performance after controlling for variance associated with age group, adding to evidence that neural differentiation impacts cognition across the adult lifespan.

Characteristics of memory dysfunction in body dysmorphic disorder

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 673-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
THILO DECKERSBACH ◽  
CARY R. SAVAGE ◽  
KATHARINE A. PHILLIPS ◽  
SABINE WILHELM ◽  
ULRIKE BUHLMANN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Dysmorphic Disorder ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Organizational Strategies ◽  
Memory Dysfunction ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Nonverbal Memory ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Encoding Strategies

Although body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is receiving increasing empirical attention, very little is known about neuropsychological deficits in this disorder. The current study investigated the nature of memory dysfunction in BDD, including the relationship between encoding strategies and verbal and nonverbal memory performance. We evaluated 17 patients with BDD and 17 healthy controls using the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). BDD patients differed significantly from healthy controls on verbal and nonverbal learning and memory indices. Multiple regression analyses revealed that group differences in free recall were statistically mediated by deficits in organizational strategies in the BDD cohort. These findings are similar to patterns previously observed in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), suggesting a potential relationship between OCD and BDD. Studies in both groups have shown that verbal and nonverbal memory deficits are affected by impaired strategic processing. (JINS, 2000, 6, 673–681.)

scholarly journals Memory for emotional images differs according to the presence of depressive symptoms in individuals at risk for dementia

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandy L. Callahan ◽  
Robert Laforce ◽  
Michel Dugas ◽  
Carol Hudon
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Enhancement Effect ◽  
Late Life Depression ◽  
Emotional Information ◽  
Memory Biases ◽  
Delayed Recall ◽  
Neuropsychological Profile ◽  
Encoding Strategies

ABSTRACTBackground:Studies of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and late-life depression (LLD) have examined the similarities and differences between these syndromes, but few have investigated how the cognitive profile of comorbid aMCI and subclinical depressive symptoms (aMCI/D+) may compare to that of aMCI or LLD. Memory biases for certain types of emotional information may distinguish these groups.Methods:A total of 35 aMCI, 23 aMCI/D+, 13 LLD, and 17 elderly controls (CONT) rated the valence (positive, negative, or neutral) of 30 pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Mean percent positive, negative, and neutral images recalled was compared within groups immediately and 30 minutes later.Results:Overall memory performance was comparable in aMCI and aMCI/D+, and both recalled fewer items than CONT and LLD. Group differences emerged when valence ratings were considered: at immediate and delayed recall, positive and negative pictures were generally better-remembered than neutral pictures by CONT, aMCI, and LLD, but valence was not associated with recall in aMCI/D+. Follow-up analyses suggested that the perceived intensity of stimuli may explain the emotional enhancement effect in CONT, aMCI, and LLD.Conclusions:Results support previous research suggesting that the neuropsychological profile of aMCI/D+ is different from that of aMCI and LLD. Although depressed and non-depressed individuals with aMCI recall comparable quantities of information, the quality of the recalled information differs significantly. On theoretical grounds, this suggests the existence of distinct neurobiological or neurofunctional manifestations in both groups. Practically, these differences may guide the development of personalized emotion-focused encoding strategies in cognitive training programs.

scholarly journals Predicting memory formation over multiple study episodes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Sievers ◽  
Louis Renoult
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Source Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Test Phase ◽  
Item Memory ◽  
Retrieval Cues ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Optimal Encoding ◽  
Encoding Variability ◽  
Study Participants

Repeated study typically improves episodic memory performance. Two different types of explanations of this phenomenon have been put forward: 1) reactivating the same representations strengthens and stabilizes memories, or, in contrast, 2) greater encoding variability - through changes in context - benefits memory by promoting richer traces and a larger variety of retrieval cues. The present experiment was designed to directly compare these predictions in a design with multiple repeated study episodes, allowing to dissociate memory for studied items and their context of study. Participants repeatedly encoded names of famous people four times, either in the same task (optimal encoding for a reactivation view), or in different tasks (optimal encoding for an encoding variability view). During the test phase, an old/new judgement task was used to assess item memory, followed by a source memory judgement about the encoding task. Consistent with predictions from the encoding variability view, encoding stimulus in different contexts resulted in higher item memory and lower rates of forgetting. In contrast, consistent with the reactivation view, source memory performance was higher when participants encoded stimuli in the same task repeatedly. Taken together, our findings indicate that encoding variability benefits episodic memory, by increasing the number of items that are recalled and by decreasing forgetting. These benefits are however at the expenses of source recollection and memory for details, which are decreased, likely due to interference and generalisation across contexts.

Stimulus type affects Wada memory performance

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Marc Testa ◽  
Julianna Ward ◽  
Nathan E. Crone ◽  
Jason Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Type ◽  
Memory Performance

Prefrontal cortical involvement in verbal encoding strategies

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 3365-3370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Bor ◽  
Nick Cumming ◽  
Catherine E. L. Scott ◽  
Adrian M. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Cortical Involvement ◽  
Encoding Strategies

scholarly journals Association of work-family experience with mid- and late-life memory decline in US women

Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (23) ◽  
pp. e3072-e3080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Rose Mayeda ◽  
Taylor M. Mobley ◽  
Robert E. Weiss ◽  
Audrey R. Murchland ◽  
Lisa F. Berkman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Mothers ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Married Mothers ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Study Participants

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that life course patterns of employment, marriage, and childrearing influence later-life rate of memory decline among women, we examined the relationship of work-family experiences between ages 16 and 50 years and memory decline after age 55 years among US women.MethodsParticipants were women ages ≥55 years in the Health and Retirement Study. Participants reported employment, marital, and parenthood statuses between ages 16 and 50 years. Sequence analysis was used to group women with similar work-family life histories; we identified 5 profiles characterized by similar timing and transitions of combined work, marital, and parenthood statuses. Memory performance was assessed biennially from 1995 to 2016. We estimated associations between work-family profiles and later-life memory decline with linear mixed-effects models adjusted for practice effects, baseline age, race/ethnicity, birth region, childhood socioeconomic status, and educational attainment.ResultsThere were 6,189 study participants (n = 488 working nonmothers, n = 4,326 working married mothers, n = 530 working single mothers, n = 319 nonworking single mothers, n = 526 nonworking married mothers). Mean baseline age was 57.2 years; average follow-up was 12.3 years. Between ages 55 and 60, memory scores were similar across work-family profiles. After age 60, average rate of memory decline was more than 50% greater among women whose work-family profiles did not include working for pay after childbearing, compared with those who were working mothers.ConclusionsWomen who worked for pay in early adulthood and midlife experienced slower rates of later-life memory decline, regardless of marital and parenthood status, suggesting participation in the paid labor force may protect against later-life memory decline.

scholarly journals The relationship between age, neural differentiation, and memory performance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua D. Koen ◽  
Nedra Hauck ◽  
Michael D. Rugg
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Neural Differentiation ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Age Related Cognitive Decline ◽  
Neural Selectivity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Differentiation Index

AbstractHealthy aging is associated with decreased neural selectivity (dedifferentiation) in category-selective cortical regions. This finding has prompted the suggestion that dedifferentiation contributes to age-related cognitive decline. Consistent with this possibility, dedifferentiation has been reported to negatively correlate with fluid intelligence in older adults. Here, we examined whether dedifferentiation is associated with performance in another cognitive domain – episodic memory – that is also highly vulnerable to aging. Given the proposed role of differentiation in age-related cognitive decline, we predicted there would be a stronger link between dedifferentiation and episodic memory performance in older than in younger adults. Young (18-30 yrs) and older (64-75 yrs) male and female humans underwent fMRI scanning while viewing images of objects and scenes prior to a subsequent recognition memory test. We computed a differentiation index in two regions-of-interest (ROIs): parahippocampal place area (PPA) and lateral occipital complex (LOC). This index quantified the selectivity of the BOLD response to an ROI’s preferred versus non-preferred category (scenes for PPA, objects for LOC). The differentiation index in the PPA, but not the LOC, was lower in older than in younger adults. Additionally, the PPA differentiation index predicted recognition memory performance for the studied items. This relationship was independent of and not moderated by age. The PPA differentiation index also predicted performance on a latent ‘fluency’ factor derived from a neuropsychological test battery; this relationship was also age invariant. These findings suggest that two independent factors, one associated with age, and the other with cognitive performance, drive neural differentiation.Significance StatementAging is associated with neural dedifferentiation – reduced neural selectivity in ‘category selective’ cortical brain regions – which has been proposed to mediate cognitive aging. Here, we examined whether neural differentiation is predictive of episodic memory performance, and whether the relationship is moderated by age. A neural differentiation index was estimated for scene-(PPA) and object-(LOC) selective cortical regions while participants studied images for a subsequent memory test. Age related reductions were observed for the PPA, but not the LOC, differentiation index. Importantly, the PPA differentiation index demonstrated age invariant correlations with subsequent memory performance and a fluency factor derived from a neuropsychological battery. Together, these findings suggest that neural differentiation is associated with two independent factors: age and cognitive performance.

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