Changes in the correlation between spatial and temporal source memory performance and BOLD activity across the adult
E Ankudowich1, S Pasvanis2, M N Rajah3
1Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Canada; Brain Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Canada.
Summary
Brain activity during memory tasks changes with age, but not always with performance. Some brain regions show age-related increases in activity, while others show complex interactions between age, performance, and memory phase.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Aging Research
Background:
- Source memory, crucial for recalling contextual details, shows age-related decline.
- Understanding how aging affects brain activity during memory tasks is vital.
- Differentiating age effects from performance effects on brain activation is a methodological challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related functional differences in brain activity during source memory encoding and retrieval.
- To clarify the relationship between age, performance, and brain activations in memory tasks.
- To identify specific brain regions and patterns associated with aging and memory performance.
Main Methods:
- Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- Multivariate behavior partial least squares (B-PLS) analysis was used.
- Participants across the adult lifespan were studied during spatial and temporal source memory tasks.
Main Results:
- Encoding and retrieval activity in occipital-temporal and parietal regions increased with age and decreased with performance.
- Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and limbic activity increased with age during encoding and with performance during retrieval.
- Right ventrolateral prefrontal and hippocampal activity increased with age during retrieval, with differential performance relationships.
Conclusions:
- Some age-related brain activity differences in source memory are linked to performance.
- Age-related changes in prefrontal and hippocampal activity show complex interactions with performance and memory phase.
- The study highlights nuanced age-related alterations in neural mechanisms supporting source memory.
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