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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Decreased activation of anterior cingulate cortex in the working memory of the elderly
Yuki Otsuka1, Naoyuki Osaka, Masanao Morishita
1Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. yotsuka@bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
We examined aging effects on activation in the anterior cingulate cortex during a verbal working memory using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Ten young (mean age 25 years) and 10 elderly (mean age 69 years) healthy adults performed the reading span test in which performance reflects individual differences in verbal working memory. We found an age-related difference in executive function in the prefrontal cortex; younger participants showed significant anterior cingulate cortex activation whereas the elderly did not. We found that the anterior cingulate cortex plays a critical role in executive function related to working memory. We found that behavioral deficits in verbal working memory because of aging result from the deterioration of cognitive control owing to decreased activation of the anterior cingulate cortex.
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