Exercise and Episodic Specificity Induction on Episodic Memory Function

Background and objectives: Episodic specific induction (ESI) is a manipulation shown to enhance episodic memory function. Episodic specificity induction involves thoroughly unpacking a recently encoded memory, with this enhanced retrieval-induced process helping to facilitate subsequent cognitions. In addition to ESI, emerging work suggests that acute exercise may also help to facilitate episodic memory function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential individual and combined effects of acute exercise and ESI on subsequent episodic memory performance. Materials and Methods: Participants (n = 120) were randomly assigned into one of four groups, (1) ESI and exercise (ESI + E), (2) ESI only (ESI), (3) exercise only (E), and (4) no ESI and no exercise (Control; C). The ESI protocol involved watching a short video and then recalling details about the setting, people, and actions in the video. The exercise protocol involved an acute bout (15 min) of treadmill exercise. After these tasks, episodic memory function was evaluated with an autobiographical interview assessment and a computerized episodic memory task involving what–where–when integration. Results: We did not observe significant main effects for exercise or ESI on memory function but did observe some suggestive evidence of an interaction effect of these two parameters on episodic memory. That is, for the exercise group, memory performance was higher when combined with ESI as opposed to without ESI. Conclusions: Acute exercise and ESI may interact to influence episodic memory function.

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The effects of acute exercise on episodic memory function among young university students: moderation considerations by biological sex

Health Promotion Perspectives ◽

10.15171/hpp.2019.14 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 99-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Lauren Johnson ◽

Paul D. Loprinzi

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

University Students ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Acute Exercise ◽

Memory Function ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Memory Task ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Term Memory ◽

Main Effect

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate potential sex-specific differences on episodic memory function and determine whether sex moderates the effects of acute exercise on episodic memory.Methods: A randomized controlled intervention was employed. This experiment was conducted among young University students (mean age = 21 years). Both males (n=20) and females (n=20)completed two counterbalanced laboratory visits, with one visit involving a 15-minute bout of moderate-intensity exercise prior to the memory task. The control visit engaged in a time matched seated task. Memory function (including short-term memory, learning, and long-term memory) was assessed from the RAVLT (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test).Results: We observed a significant main effect for time (P<0.001, ƞ2p= 0.77) and a marginally significant main effect for sex (P=0.06, ƞ2p= 0.09), but no time by sex by condition interaction(P=0.91, ƞ2p= 0.01). We also observed some suggestive evidence of a more beneficial effect of acute exercise on memory for females. Conclusion: In conclusion, females outperformed males in verbal memory function. Additional research is needed to further evaluate whether sex moderates the effects of acute exercise on memory function.

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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). An effective tool for improving episodic memory in young people?

Anales de Psicología ◽

10.6018/analesps.368341 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 468-477

Author(s):

Alba Fernández ◽

Susana Cid-Fernández ◽

Fernando Díaz

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Double Blind ◽

Delayed Recall ◽

Healthy Elderly ◽

Main Effects

El objetivo principal del presente estudio fue determinar los efectos de la tDCS anódica vs placebo, administrada sobre el dlPFC durante la fase de codificación de una tarea de memoria episódica, sobre la tasa de aciertos (TA) y el tiempo de reacción (TR) medidos en las fases de recuerdo inmediato y demorado de la tarea, en un grupo de 23 participantes jóvenes sanos. Se realizó un estudio doble ciego aleatorizado. Los resultados evidenciaron efectos principales significativos para los factores Bloque, Sesión y Demora en la TA y en el TR, pero no para el factor del Grupo. Se encontraron efectos robustos de aprendizaje intrasesión e intersesiones, pero ningún efecto Grupo (tDCS anódica vs placebo) en el rendimiento de la memoria episódica o en los tests neuropsicológicos pre-post intervención. Sin embargo, los participantes que recibieron tDCS anódica mostraron un TR acortado en el intervalo de demora de 24 horas que mantuvieron una semana más tarde, mientras que los que recibieron tDCS placebo no mostraron acortamiento del TR a las 24 horas, pero si un aumento del TR una semana después. Estos resultados podrían indicar un sutil efecto modulador de la tDCS anódica en el decaimiento de la memoria en los intervalos de demora. El protocolo experimental mostró su utilidad potencial para ser utilizado en muestras de participantes mayores sanos o con deterioro cognitivo leve The main aim of the present study was to determine the effects of anodal vs sham tDCS administered over the dlPFC during the encoding phase of an episodic memory task, on the accuracy rate (AR) and reaction time (RT) measured in the immediate and delayed recall phases of the task, in a group of 23 healthy young participants. A randomized double-blind sham-controlled study of tDCS was carried out. The results evidenced significant main effects for factors Block, Session, and Delay on the AR and on RT, but not for the Group factor. Robust intra-session and inter-session learning effects but no Group (anodal vs sham tDCS) effect in episodic memory performance or in pre-post intervention neuropsychological tests were found. However, participants who received anodal tDCS showed shorter RT in the 24 hours delay interval and maintained it one week later, while those who received sham tDCS did not show the 24 hours RT shortening and even showed a RT increase one week later. These results could indicate a subtle modulatory effect of anodal tDCS on memory decay along delay intervals. The experimental protocol showed its potential utility to be used in samples of healthy elderly or mild cognitive impairment participants

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The Temporal Effects of Acute Exercise on Episodic Memory Function: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci9040087 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 87 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Paul Loprinzi ◽

Jeremiah Blough ◽

Lindsay Crawford ◽

Seungho Ryu ◽

Liye Zou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Memory Consolidation ◽

Acute Exercise ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Memory Function ◽

Memory Encoding ◽

Acute Bout ◽

Temporal Effects ◽

Early Memory

Background: Accumulating research demonstrates that the timing of exercise plays an important role in influencing episodic memory. However, we have a limited understanding as to the factors that moderate this temporal effect. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of study characteristics (e.g., exercise modality, intensity and duration of acute exercise) and participant attributes (e.g., age, sex) across each of the temporal periods of acute exercise on episodic memory (i.e., acute exercise occurring before memory encoding, and during memory encoding, early consolidation, and late consolidation). Methods: The following databases were used for our computerized searches: Embase/PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Sports Discus and PsychInfo. Studies were included if they: (1) Employed an experimental design with a comparison to a control group/visit, (2) included human participants, (3) evaluated exercise as the independent variable, (4) employed an acute bout of exercise (defined as a single bout of exercise), (5) evaluated episodic memory as the outcome variable (defined as the retrospective recall of information either in a spatial or temporal manner), and (6) provided sufficient data (e.g., mean, SD, and sample size) for a pooled effect size estimate. Results: In total, 25 articles met our inclusionary criteria and were meta-analyzed. Acute exercise occurring before memory encoding (d = 0.11, 95% CI: −0.01, 0.23, p = 0.08), during early memory consolidation (d = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.67; p < 0.001) and during late memory consolidation (d = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.32, 1.78; p = 0.005) enhanced episodic memory function. Conversely, acute exercise occurring during memory encoding had a negative effect on episodic memory (d = −0.12, 95% CI: −0.22, −0.02; p = 0.02). Various study designs and participant characteristics moderated the temporal effects of acute exercise on episodic memory function. For example, vigorous-intensity acute exercise, and acute exercise among young adults, had greater effects when the acute bout of exercise occurred before memory encoding or during the early memory consolidation period. Conclusions: The timing of acute exercise plays an important role in the exercise-memory interaction. Various exercise- and participant-related characteristics moderate this temporal relationship.

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Maintained Frontal Activity Underlies High Memory Function Over 8 Years in Aging

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhy177 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (7) ◽

pp. 3111-3123 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Didac Vidal-Piñeiro ◽

Markus H Sneve ◽

Lars H Nyberg ◽

Athanasia M Mowinckel ◽

Donatas Sederevicius ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Function ◽

Memory Task ◽

Cortical Atrophy ◽

High Performing ◽

Adult Participants ◽

Memory Experiment ◽

Frontal Activity

AbstractAging is characterized by substantial average decline in memory performance. Yet contradictory explanations have been given for how the brains of high-performing older adults work: either by engagement of compensatory processes such as recruitment of additional networks or by maintaining young adults’ patterns of activity. Distinguishing these components requires large experimental samples and longitudinal follow-up. Here, we investigate which features are key to high memory in aging, directly testing these hypotheses by studying a large sample of adult participants (n > 300) with fMRI during an episodic memory experiment where item-context relationships were implicitly encoded. The analyses revealed that low levels of activity in frontal networks—known to be involved in memory encoding—were associated with low memory performance in the older adults only. Importantly, older participants with low memory performance and low frontal activity exhibited a strong longitudinal memory decline in an independent verbal episodic memory task spanning 8 years back (n = 52). These participants were also characterized by lower hippocampal volumes and steeper rates of cortical atrophy. Altogether, maintenance of frontal brain function during encoding seems to be a primary characteristic of preservation of memory function in aging, likely reflecting intact ability to integrate information.

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Effects of acute aerobic and resistance exercise on episodic memory function

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1177/1747021821994576 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174702182199457

Author(s):

Paul D Loprinzi ◽

Jeremy P Loenneke ◽

Benjamin C Storm

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Resistance Exercise ◽

Acute Exercise ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Function ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Post Exercise ◽

List Learning ◽

Research Questions

Accumulating research provides suggestive evidence that acute aerobic exercise may, potentially, enhance episodic memory function post-exercise. Limited research has evaluated whether acute resistance exercise may also enhance episodic memory post-exercise. Furthermore, whether these two exercise modalities have a differential effect on post-exercise episodic memory is relatively unknown. To address these research questions, three experimental studies were conducted ( N = 104) among young adults (18–25 years). The experiments implemented acute bouts of aerobic or resistance exercise for 15 min. Episodic memory was comprehensively evaluated post-exercise with a list-learning paradigm and a computerised assessment of what-where-when aspects of episodic memory. Various manipulations (e.g., between vs. within-group) of the study design were implemented across the experiments. Across these three experiments, we failed to find consistent evidence of either type of acute exercise affecting episodic memory performance post-exercise.

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High-Intensity Acute Exercise and Directed Forgetting on Memory Function

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina55080446 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 446

Author(s):

Mary Elizabeth Pace ◽

Paul D. Loprinzi

Keyword(s):

High Intensity ◽

Acute Exercise ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Function ◽

Word List ◽

Directed Forgetting ◽

Inhibition Mechanism ◽

Acute Bout ◽

Parallel Group ◽

Main Effect

Background and Objectives: Despite accumulating research demonstrating that acute exercise may enhance memory function, very little research has evaluated whether acute exercise can effectuate intentional directed forgetting (DF), an adaptative strategy to facilitate subsequent memory performance. Materials and Methods: A three-arm parallel-group randomized controlled intervention was employed. Participants were randomized into one of three groups, including: (1) exercise plus DF (Ex + DF), (2) DF (directed forgetting) only (DF) and (3) R (remember) only (R). The acute bout of exercise included 15 min of high-intensity treadmill exercise. The memory assessment involved the presentation of two-word lists. After encoding the first word list, participants were either instructed to forget all of those words (DF) or to remember them. Following this, participants encoded the second word list. Results: We observed a statistically significant main effect for list F(1, 57) = 12.27, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.18, but no main effect for group F(2, 57) = 1.32, p = 0.27, η2p = 0.04, or list by group interaction, F(2, 57) = 2.89, p = 0.06, η2p = 0.09. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a directed forgetting effect in that cueing an individual to forget a previously encoded list of items facilitates memory performance on a subsequent list of items. However, we failed to demonstrate any beneficial effect of acute exercise in facilitating directed forgetting. These findings are discussed in the context of directed forgetting theories, particularly the attention inhibition mechanism, as well as the timing of the acute bout of exercise.

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The role of the thalamus and hippocampus in episodic memory performance in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1177/1352458518760716 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 574-584 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Katherine A Koenig ◽

Stephen M Rao ◽

Mark J Lowe ◽

Jian Lin ◽

Ken E Sakaie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Recall Performance ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Function ◽

Memory Task ◽

Memory Loss ◽

Lesion Load ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Volumetric Measures

Background: Episodic memory loss is one of the most common cognitive symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but the pathophysiology of this symptom remains unclear. Both the hippocampus and thalamus have been implicated in episodic memory and show regional atrophy in patients with MS. Objective: In this work, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a verbal episodic memory task, lesion load, and volumetric measures of the hippocampus and thalamus to assess the relative contributions to verbal and visual–spatial episodic memory. Methods: Functional activation, lesion load, and volumetric measures from 32 patients with MS and 16 healthy controls were used in a predictive analysis of episodic memory function. Results: After adjusting for disease duration, immediate recall performance on a visual–spatial episodic memory task was significantly predicted by hippocampal volume ( p < 0.003). Delayed recall on the same task was significantly predicted by volume of the left thalamus ( p < 0.003). For both memory measures, functional activation of the thalamus during encoding was more predictive than that of volume measures ( p < 0.002). Conclusion: Our results suggest that functional activation may be useful as a predictive measure of episodic memory loss in patients with MS.

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Acute Exercise, Psychological Stress Induction, and Episodic Memory

American Journal of Health Behavior ◽

10.5993/ajhb.43.6.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 1016-1029

Author(s):

Paul D. Loprinzi ◽

Lauren Koehler ◽

Emily Frith ◽

Pamela Ponce ◽

Dylan Delancey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Psychological Stress ◽

Acute Exercise ◽

Memory Function ◽

Memory Task ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Memory Encoding ◽

Moderate Intensity Exercise ◽

Stress Induction ◽

Stressful Environment

Objective: In this study, we evaluated whether exercise prior to memory encoding or during memory consolidation can influence episodic memory function after being exposed to a stressful environment. Methods: We conducted 3 between-group randomized controlled experiments among young adults. We assessed episodic memory (via logic memory task) at the beginning of the experiment and approximately 45 minutes later. Across the 3 experiments, we varied the temporal period (eg, before memory encoding or during consolidation) of the acute bout of exercise (15-minute moderate-intensity exercise) and psychological stress induction. Results: Across all 3 experiments there was a statistically significant main effect for time for memory function, but there were no time x group interaction effects. Conclusion: Memory declined across the 2 assessment periods, but for all 3 experiments, exercise was not associated with memory function after being exposed to a stressful stimulus.

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Impact of Comorbid Depression on Serial Position Effects in Alzheimer’s Disease

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000115 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 161-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nienke A. Hofrichter ◽

Sandra Dick ◽

Thomas G. Riemer ◽

Carsten Schleussner ◽

Monique Goerke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Serial Position ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Function ◽

Word List ◽

Position Effects ◽

Serial Position Effects ◽

List Memory

Hippocampal dysfunction and deficits in episodic memory have been reported for both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Primacy performance has been associated with hippocampus-dependent episodic memory, while recency may reflect working memory performance. In this study, serial position profiles were examined in a total of 73 patients with MDD, AD, both AD and MDD, and healthy controls (HC) by means of CERAD-NP word list memory. Primacy performance was most impaired in AD with comorbid MDD, followed by AD, MDD, and HC. Recency performance, on the other hand, was comparable across groups. These findings indicate that primacy in AD is impaired in the presence of comorbid MDD, suggesting additive performance decrements in this specific episodic memory function.

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The Effect of Divided Attention on Encoding and Retrieval in Episodic Memory Revealed by Positron Emission Tomography

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/089892900562093 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 267-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 89

Author(s):

Tetsuya Iidaka ◽

Nicole D. Anderson ◽

Shitij Kapur ◽

Roberto Cabez ◽

Fergus I. M. Craik

Keyword(s):

Positron Emission Tomography ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Divided Attention ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Emission Tomography ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

The effects of divided attention (DA) on episodic memory encoding and retrieval were investigated in 12 normal young subjects by positron emission tomography (PET). Cerebral blood flow was measured while subjects were concurrently performing a memory task (encoding and retrieval of visually presented word pairs) and an auditory tone-discrimination task. The PET data were analyzed using multivariate Partial Least Squares (PLS), and the results revealed three sets of neural correlates related to specific task contrasts. Brain activity, relatively greater under conditions of full attention (FA) than DA, was identified in the occipital-temporal, medial, and ventral-frontal areas, whereas areas showing relatively more activity under DA than FA were found in the cerebellum, temporo-parietal, left anterior-cingulate gyrus, and bilateral dorsolateral-prefrontal areas. Regions more active during encoding than during retrieval were located in the hippocampus, temporal and the prefrontal cortex of the left hemisphere, and regions more active during retrieval than during encoding included areas in the medial and right-prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cuneus. DA at encoding was associated with specific decreases in rCBF in the left-prefrontal areas, whereas DA at retrieval was associated with decreased rCBF in a relatively small region in the right-prefrontal cortex. These different patterns of activity are related to the behavioral results, which showed a substantial decrease in memory performance when the DA task was performed at encoding, but no change in memory levels when the DA task was performed at retrieval.

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