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Two hemispheres for better memory in old age: role of executive functioning
Lucie Angel1, Séverine Fay, Badiâa Bouazzaoui
1UMR-CNRS 6234 CeRCA, Université Francois Rabelais, 3 rue des Tanneurs, BP 4103, 37041 Tours Cedex 1, France. lucieangel@yahoo.fr
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|August 5, 2011
Summary
Older adults show reduced brain lateralization for memory tasks, impacting recall accuracy. Executive functions in older adults mediate this brain pattern, influencing memory performance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Age-related changes in brain activity patterns are observed, particularly in hemispheric asymmetry.
- Reduced hemispheric asymmetry has been linked to cognitive decline in older adults, especially concerning episodic memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional significance of reduced age-related hemispheric asymmetry in episodic memory.
- To identify the cognitive mechanisms underlying age-related changes in brain lateralization and memory performance.
Main Methods:
- Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from young and older adults during a word-stem cued-recall task.
- Correlational and regression analyses were employed to examine relationships between brain activity, executive functioning, and memory performance.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited reduced lateralization of the parietal old/new effect compared to young adults.
- The degree of brain activity laterality directly correlated with memory recall accuracy.
- Executive functioning in older adults mediated age-related differences in brain lateralization, which in turn influenced memory performance.
Conclusions:
- Reduced hemispheric asymmetry in older adults is functionally significant for episodic memory performance.
- A cascade model explains how executive functioning influences brain lateralization, ultimately impacting memory in aging.
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