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Age differences in neural distinctiveness during memory encoding, retrieval, and reinstatement
Claire Pauley1,2, Malte Kobelt3, Markus Werkle-Bergner1
1Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|June 27, 2023
Summary
Older adults show reduced neural distinctiveness in memory encoding and retrieval, impacting memory performance. Neural distinctiveness during encoding best predicts individual memory ability.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Aging Research
Background:
- Age-related memory decline is linked to reduced neural distinctiveness during memory encoding.
- The role of neural dedifferentiation during memory retrieval in aging remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural dedifferentiation during memory retrieval in older adults.
- To examine the relationship between neural distinctiveness across memory phases (encoding, retrieval, reinstatement) and memory performance.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in younger and older adults during incidental learning and recognition memory tasks.
- Pattern similarity searchlight analyses identified neural dedifferentiation during encoding, retrieval, and reinstatement.
- Interindividual differences in neural distinctiveness were correlated with memory performance.
Main Results:
- Age-related reductions in neural distinctiveness were observed across all memory phases in visual processing regions.
- Neural distinctiveness during retrieval and reinstatement was associated with distinctiveness during encoding.
- Both item- and category-level distinctiveness predicted memory outcomes, with encoding distinctiveness being the strongest predictor of individual memory performance.
Conclusions:
- This study provides evidence for age-related neural dedifferentiation during memory retrieval.
- Neural distinctiveness during retrieval appears linked to the reactivation of encoding-related processes.
- Neural distinctiveness during encoding is a key factor in age-related memory variability.
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