Brain, Vol. 126, No. 1, 43-56,
January 2003
© 2003 Guarantors of Brain
doi: 10.1093/brain/awg005
Neuroanatomical correlates of episodic encoding and retrieval in young and elderly subjects
1 Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, 2 Department of Psychiatry, 3 Department of Neurology/Alzheimer Center, ‘Vrije Universiteit’ Medical Center and 4 Department of Psychonomy, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Correspondence to: S. M. Daselaar, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, ‘Vrije Universiteit’ Medical Center, c/o Secr. EMGO Dept., vd Boechorstraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands E-mail: sm.daselaar{at}vumc.nl
Lesion studies have shown convincingly that the medial temporal lobes (MTL) and frontal lobes are critical to episodic memory. Ageing generally has been found to have a generally negative effect on episodic memory performance, which might relate to neurofunctional changes in the frontal and medial temporal brain regions. In the present study, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to investigate separately the contributions of encoding and retrieval to the age-related decline in memory. To this end, we compared brain activity patterns obtained during incidental encoding (pleasant/unpleasant judgements about nouns) and subsequent retrieval (recognition) in three groups: a group of young subjects, a group of elderly subjects showing reduced memory performance (ELD-RED), and a group of elderly subjects who still performed in the normal range (ELD-NORM). This allowed us to differentiate between age-related changes in brain activity that affect memory function and those that do not have an apparent effect on memory function, because they are found in both elderly groups. Contrary to previous imaging studies on this topic, we used (self-paced) event-related fMRI to control for differences in performance level across groups by including correct responses only. Comparing the encoding of successfully remembered items with baseline (press left/press right), the young subjects showed a significant increase in brain activation in the left anterior MTL compared with the ELD-RED but not the ELD-NORM subjects. Comparing correctly rejected items (retrieval attempt) with baseline, the ELD-RED group showed much increased overall activity throughout the brain compared with the other groups. However, when correctly recognized items (retrieval attempt + success) were com pared directly with correctly rejected items (retrieval attempt), these differences were greatly reduced, revealing common activity in the left parietal, retrosplenial and left anterior prefrontal regions. Therefore, we conclude that the reduced performance in the ELD-RED group is likely to be due to MTL dysfunction during encoding. The differences observed during retrieval attempts may reflect strategic differences. The lack of differences observed in relation to retrieval success suggests that ageing does not affect the processes that support the actual recovery of information.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  S. Duverne, S. Motamedinia, and M. D. Rugg The Relationship between Aging, Performance, and the Neural Correlates of Successful Memory Encoding Cereb Cortex, March 1, 2009; 19(3): 733 - 744. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 W. D. Stevens, L. Hasher, K. S. Chiew, and C. L. Grady A Neural Mechanism Underlying Memory Failure in Older Adults J. Neurosci., November 26, 2008; 28(48): 12820 - 12824. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Duarte, R. N. Henson, and K. S. Graham The Effects of Aging on the Neural Correlates of Subjective and Objective Recollection Cereb Cortex, September 1, 2008; 18(9): 2169 - 2180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. W. Davis, N. A. Dennis, S. M. Daselaar, M. S. Fleck, and R. Cabeza Que PASA? The Posterior-Anterior Shift in Aging Cereb Cortex, May 1, 2008; 18(5): 1201 - 1209. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Goffaux, N. A. Phillips, M. Sinai, and D. Pushkar Neurophysiological Measures of Task-Set Switching: Effects of Working Memory and Aging J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., March 1, 2008; 63(2): P57 - P66. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. L. Miller, K. Celone, K. DePeau, E. Diamond, B. C. Dickerson, D. Rentz, M. Pihlajamaki, and R. A. Sperling Age-related memory impairment associated with loss of parietal deactivation but preserved hippocampal activation PNAS, February 12, 2008; 105(6): 2181 - 2186. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. M. Daselaar, H. J. Rice, D. L. Greenberg, R. Cabeza, K. S. LaBar, and D. C. Rubin The Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Autobiographical Memory: Neural Correlates of Recall, Emotional Intensity, and Reliving Cereb Cortex, January 1, 2008; 18(1): 217 - 229. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. M. Morcom, J. Li, and M. D. Rugg Age Effects on the Neural Correlates of Episodic Retrieval: Increased Cortical Recruitment with Matched Performance Cereb Cortex, November 1, 2007; 17(11): 2491 - 2506. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Backhaus, J. Born, R. Hoeckesfeld, S. Fokuhl, F. Hohagen, and K. Junghanns Midlife decline in declarative memory consolidation is correlated with a decline in slow wave sleep Learn. Mem., May 1, 2007; 14(5): 336 - 341. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. Minati, M. Grisoli, and M. G. Bruzzone MR Spectroscopy, Functional MRI, and Diffusion-Tensor Imaging in the Aging Brain: A Conceptual Review J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, March 1, 2007; 20(1): 3 - 21. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. M. Daselaar, M. S. Fleck, I. G. Dobbins, D. J. Madden, and R. Cabeza Effects of Healthy Aging on Hippocampal and Rhinal Memory Functions: An Event-Related fMRI Study Cereb Cortex, December 1, 2006; 16(12): 1771 - 1782. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. R. A. Mondadori, A. Buchmann, H. Mustovic, C. F. Schmidt, P. Boesiger, R. M. Nitsch, C. Hock, J. Streffer, and K. Henke Enhanced brain activity may precede the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by 30 years Brain, November 1, 2006; 129(11): 2908 - 2922. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. R. Petrella, S. Krishnan, M. J. Slavin, T.-T. T. Tran, L. Murty, and P. M. Doraiswamy Mild Cognitive Impairment: Evaluation with 4-T Functional MR Imaging Radiology, July 1, 2006; 240(1): 177 - 186. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J.M.B. Castelo, S. J. Sherman, M. G. Courtney, R. J. Melrose, and C. E. Stern Altered hippocampal-prefrontal activation in HIV patients during episodic memory encoding Neurology, June 13, 2006; 66(11): 1688 - 1695. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Goekoop, P. Scheltens, F. Barkhof, and S. A. R. B. Rombouts Cholinergic challenge in Alzheimer patients and mild cognitive impairment differentially affects hippocampal activation--a pharmacological fMRI study Brain, January 1, 2006; 129(1): 141 - 157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. N. Rajah and M. D'Esposito Region-specific changes in prefrontal function with age: a review of PET and fMRI studies on working and episodic memory Brain, September 1, 2005; 128(9): 1964 - 1983. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. W. Bondi, W. S. Houston, L. T. Eyler, and G. G. Brown fMRI evidence of compensatory mechanisms in older adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer disease Neurology, February 8, 2005; 64(3): 501 - 508. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. J. Shannon and R. L. Buckner Functional-Anatomic Correlates of Memory Retrieval That Suggest Nontraditional Processing Roles for Multiple Distinct Regions within Posterior Parietal Cortex J. Neurosci., November 10, 2004; 24(45): 10084 - 10092. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Cabeza, S. M. Daselaar, F. Dolcos, S. E. Prince, M. Budde, and L. Nyberg Task-independent and Task-specific Age Effects on Brain Activity during Working Memory, Visual Attention and Episodic Retrieval Cereb Cortex, April 1, 2004; 14(4): 364 - 375. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|