Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
Learning, retrieval, and recognition are compromised in aMCI and mild AD: are distinct episodic memory processes
Marcio L F Balthazar1, Clarissa L Yasuda, Fernando Cendes
1Neuropsychology and Neurolinguistics Unit, Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas/SP, Brazil.
Abstract:
Performance of different episodic memory processes in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their anatomical correlates are not completely understood. We evaluated the performance of 48 subjects (17 with aMCI, 15 with mild AD, and 16 controls) on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). A brain MRI voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was run with the aim of evaluating the correlations between RAVLT and gray matter density. All memory processes were compromised in aMCI and mild AD. Also, the same cerebral structures were involved in all RAVLT stages. Learning and delayed recall were more related to the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampi, whereas recognition was more related to the thalamic nuclei and caudate nucleus, particularly in the left side. Our findings suggest that these structures may act as a complex functional system and are involved in the acquisition of new information.
Related Concept Videos
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Role of Hippocampus in Memory
Amnesia
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...
Role of Amygdala in Memory
One of the...
Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...

