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Published on: January 31, 2017
Age-related differences in the neural correlates mediating false recollection
Nancy A Dennis1, Caitlin R Bowman, Kristina M Peterson
1Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Neurobiology of Aging
|October 8, 2013
Summary
Older adults show more false memories but similar true memories compared to younger adults. Neural activity patterns suggest reduced detail retrieval and increased reliance on gist in aging memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Aging impacts memory retrieval, particularly distinguishing true from false recollections.
- Previous research indicates age-related changes in brain activity during memory tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural underpinnings of true and false recollection across the adult lifespan.
- To compare brain activity patterns in younger and older adults during memory recall.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- Participants (younger and older adults) performed memory tasks assessing true and false recollection.
Main Results:
- Older adults had equivalent true recollection rates but increased false recollection compared to younger adults.
- Age-related neural activity changes included decreased occipital and increased prefrontal cortex activity for true recollection.
- Older adults showed decreased prefrontal, parahippocampal, and occipitoparietal activity for false recollection, suggesting reduced reliance on reconstruction.
Conclusions:
- Increased false recollection in aging may stem from reduced access to encoding details and greater reliance on semantic gist.
- Neural mechanisms underlying memory accuracy and susceptibility to false memories differ between younger and older adults.
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