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Age-related differences in medial temporal lobe involvement during conceptual fluency
Wei-Chun Wang1, Ilana T Z Dew1, Roberto Cabeza1
1Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Box 90999, Durham, NC 27708, United States.
Brain Research
|October 12, 2014
Summary
Aging may alter how the brain processes memories. In older adults, the hippocampus (HC) may support familiarity-based recognition, unlike in younger adults, suggesting reduced memory specialization with age.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Human Aging Research
Background:
- Aging differentially impacts memory functions, with a common hypothesis suggesting older adults rely more on familiarity (perirhinal cortex, PRC) due to impaired recollection (hippocampus, HC).
- The dedifferentiation hypothesis posits that aging reduces the functional specialization of medial temporal lobe (MTL) subregions, potentially altering their roles in memory processes compared to younger adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of aging on the functional specialization of the hippocampus (HC) and perirhinal cortex (PRC) during memory tasks.
- To test the dedifferentiation hypothesis by examining brain activity and functional connectivity during a conceptual fluency manipulation in young and older adults.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to measure brain activity and functional connectivity.
- A conceptual fluency task was used, known to modulate PRC activity associated with familiarity-based processing.
- Participants included young adults (18-28 years) and older adults (62-80 years).
Main Results:
- Conceptual fluency equivalently affected PRC activity in both age groups.
- However, fluency uniquely modulated HC activity in older adults, but not in young adults.
- Functional connectivity between HC and PRC decreased with fluency in young adults but increased in older adults.
Conclusions:
- Aging may lead to reduced specialization of the HC for recollection.
- The HC might be recruited for familiarity-based responding in older adults, particularly when task demands increase.
- These findings support the dedifferentiation hypothesis, suggesting age-related changes in MTL subregion specialization.
Keywords:
AgingConceptual fluencyFamiliarityHippocampusPerirhinal cortexPrimingRecognitionRecollectionMore Related Videos
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