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Brain activation in young and older adults during implicit and explicit retrieval
L Bäckman1, O Almkvist, J Andersson
1Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, Goteborg University, and Karolinska Institute.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|August 23, 2013
Summary
Older adults show similar brain activity to younger adults during implicit memory tasks, but differ in explicit memory retrieval. This suggests shared neural mechanisms for priming across age groups, with distinct patterns for conscious recall.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Human Aging
Background:
- Cognitive aging research investigates age-related changes in memory and brain function.
- Understanding neural differences in implicit versus explicit memory retrieval is crucial for aging studies.
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) offers insights into regional cerebral blood flow during cognitive tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in regional cerebral blood flow during implicit (priming) and explicit (cued recall) memory retrieval.
- To compare brain activation patterns between young and older adults using H2(15)O PET.
- To explore the neural basis of memory retrieval and its age-dependent alterations.
Main Methods:
- Used Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with the H2(15)O method to measure regional cerebral blood flow.
- Subjects (young and older adults) performed word stem completion tasks under conditions of silent viewing, baseline, priming, and cued recall.
- Behavioral data on recall performance and PET data on brain activity were collected and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Behavioral data revealed age-related deficits in cued recall, which were reduced in priming.
- Both age groups showed decreased blood flow in the right posterior cortex during priming.
- During cued recall, both groups exhibited increased blood flow in prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus; young adults showed activation in the left cerebellum and Wernicke's area, while older adults showed activation in the perirhinal cortex.
Conclusions:
- Priming appears to have a similar neural basis in young and older adults, characterized by reduced neural activity with repeated stimulus exposure.
- Prefrontal regions are important for conscious retrieval across the lifespan, including late adulthood.
- Age-differential activations during cued recall may relate to cognitive aging concepts like processing speed and self-initiated operations.
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01:27Explicit Memories
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