Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Characterisation of Encephalitozoon cuniculi α-actinin.

Molecular and biochemical parasitology·2026
Same author

10-year longitudinal dopamine D2-receptor losses are associated with cognitive decline in healthy aging.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2025
Same author

Cerebral small-vessel disease severity, hypertension, and body mass index forecast striatal dopamine D2-receptor decline rates in aging.

Neurobiology of aging·2025
Same author

Dedifferentiation of caudate functional organization is linked to reduced D1 dopamine receptor availability and poorer memory function in aging.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025
Same author

Two long-axis dimensions of hippocampal-cortical integration support memory function across the adult lifespan.

eLife·2025
Same author

Interfacing with the Brain: How Nanotechnology Can Contribute.

ACS nano·2025
Same journal

In This Issue.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Long-term cultural continuity across the Neanderthal-modern human sequence at Üçağızlı II Cave, northern Levant.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Dolphins use names to remember whom to avoid.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Retraction for Shaked and Frenkel, Curiouser and curiouser: Meningeal lymphoid structures in the aging brain.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Small but mighty: The outsized role of small water bodies in the global carbon cycle.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Functional traits produce conditional outcomes in different community contexts.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Performance level modulates adult age differences in brain activation during spatial working memory.

Irene E Nagel1, Claudia Preuschhof, Shu-Chen Li

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany. nagel@mpib-berlin.mpg.de

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|December 19, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Working memory declines with age. This study found older adults with higher spatial working memory performance showed more youthful brain activation patterns, highlighting the importance of performance level in aging research.

More Related Videos

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Aging
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) capacity significantly declines with age.
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies reveal age-related differences in brain activation during cognitive tasks.
  • Previous research often overlooks performance level, confounding age and ability in fMRI studies of WM.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how performance level influences age-related differences in brain activation patterns during a spatial working memory task.
  • To determine if older adults with higher WM performance exhibit distinct neural activation compared to lower performers.
  • To clarify the relationship between age, task difficulty, performance, and brain activity in WM.

Main Methods:

  • An event-related fMRI study was conducted comparing 30 younger (20-30 years) and 30 older (60-70 years) healthy adults.
  • Participants completed a spatial working memory task with three distinct load levels.
  • Region-of-interest analysis was employed to examine brain activation patterns.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in brain activation patterns were observed between high and low performers in both age groups.
  • Older adults with higher spatial working memory performance demonstrated a more "youth-like" load-dependent modulation of brain activity.
  • Performance level, not just age, is a critical factor in understanding age-related changes in brain activation during WM tasks.

Conclusions:

  • Performance level is a crucial covariate that must be considered in fMRI studies of cognitive aging.
  • Individual differences in working memory performance in older adults are associated with distinct neural activation patterns.
  • Future research on aging and cognition should account for performance variability to accurately interpret brain activity differences.