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Age-related Differences in Mu Rhythm During Emotional Destination Memory Task
Anastasia Kladi1,2, Paraskevi Iliadou1,2, Magdalini Tsolaki3,4
1Department of Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Current Aging Science
|June 10, 2021
Summary
Older adults show distinct brain activity, specifically Mu suppression, when performing emotional destination memory tasks, unlike younger adults who exhibit Mu enhancement. This suggests a compensatory mechanism in older individuals for memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Destination memory, the ability to recall to whom information was given, declines with normal aging.
- Emotional engagement enhances memory performance and is associated with Mu rhythm desynchronization, an indicator of mirror neuron activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare Mu rhythm activity during an emotional destination memory task between younger and older adults.
- To investigate neurophysiological differences in memory processing related to emotional stimuli in aging.
Main Methods:
- 16 young and 16 cognitively normal older adults participated in an emotional destination memory (EDM) task.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) recorded Mu rhythm in frontal, fronto-temporal, and central areas in real-time.
- EEG data underwent pre-processing and independent component analysis (ICA) for artifact rejection.
Main Results:
- Younger adults outperformed older adults in remembering information linked to angry faces.
- Older adults exhibited Mu suppression in frontal regions (F3, F7, F8), while younger adults showed Mu enhancement.
- Electrode F8 and central C3 were most activated in older adults, whereas C3 was most activated in younger adults.
Conclusions:
- Younger adults' superior performance is attributed to cognitive state and adaptive bias.
- Older adults may use Mu suppression and mirror neuron activation as a compensatory strategy for destination memory.
- Mirroring properties are not spontaneously activated in younger adults during this task.
