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Acetylcholine modulates human working memory and subsequent familiarity based recognition via alpha oscillations
Cindy Eckart1, Agata Woźniak-Kwaśniewska2, Nora A Herweg3
1Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Neuroimage
|May 26, 2016
Summary
Cholinergic stimulation with galantamine impaired working memory (WM) and recognition by reducing alpha oscillations. This suggests alpha waves are crucial for acetylcholine-dependent WM and long-term memory formation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- Working memory (WM) involves maintaining and processing information temporarily.
- WM is linked to cholinergic neuromodulation and theta/alpha brain oscillations.
- The precise relationship between cholinergic activity and WM oscillations is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional relationship between cholinergic system stimulation and brain oscillations during WM.
- To examine the impact of a specific cholinergic enhancer on WM performance and subsequent long-term memory.
- To explore the role of alpha and theta oscillations in acetylcholine-dependent WM.
Main Methods:
- Healthy participants underwent EEG during a Sternberg WM task.
- Galantamine (an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor) or placebo was administered.
- WM load varied (2, 4, or 6 items) with a 5s delay.
- Long-term memory (LTM) was assessed via a remember/know paradigm.
Main Results:
- Theta and alpha oscillations increased with WM load, mirroring performance declines.
- Galantamine slowed WM retrieval and reduced alpha power, but not theta power.
- This cholinergic stimulation impaired subsequent LTM recognition, particularly familiarity-based recall.
Conclusions:
- Cholinergic system stimulation can impair WM and recognition in healthy individuals.
- Alpha oscillations play a specific role in acetylcholine-dependent WM and LTM formation.
- Cognitive function may exhibit a quadratic relationship with acetylcholine levels.
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