Modifications of Recognition Memory Processes in Preterm Children: An Event‐Related Potential Study

Abstract

Prematurity may cause hippocampal compromise. Therefore, hippocampus-dependent memory processes (recollection-based retrieval) may be more impaired than hippocampus-independent processes (familiarity-based retrieval). The memory of 18 children born preterm with reduced hippocampal volumes, without neonatal complications (weeks of gestation < 34, weight < 1,600 g), and 15 controls (8-10 years) was tested using an item recognition task. While groups were equal in memory performance, dissociation was found: The event-related potential (ERP) correlate of familiarity was intact in the preterm group, whereas the correlate of recollection was attenuated. A follow-up experiment ruled out that this was due to general cognitive deficits. Furthermore, gestational age correlated with the ERP index of recollection. Thus, recognition memory in preterm children may be characterized by a compensation of attenuated recollection by familiarity.

Investigating the Functional Utility of the Left Parietal ERP Old/New Effect: Brain Activity Predicts within But Not between Participant Variance in Episodic Recollection

“…Rather, taken together, these findings have led to a consensus view that the left parietal old/new effect indexes episodic recollection ( Wilding, 2000 ). Although often implicit within the literature, explicit claims to this effect are not uncommon, for example Johnson et al (1998 , p. 85) state that there is “a left parietal subcomponent, the magnitude of which is related to the participants ability to recollect.” Curran (2000 , p. 933) notes: “A clear correlation has been established between recollection and the parietal old/new effect, but a better specification of the underlying cognitive processes is only beginning to emerge.” Similarly, Kipp et al (2015 , p. 380) argue that “A later old/new effect at parietal recordings, referred to as the parietal old/new effect, can be taken as the correlate of recollection” and Palombo et al (2015 , p. 107) state that “a late positive ongoing event-related brain potential (ERP) localized over parietal scalp areas that is a reliable neural marker of episodic recollection in association with correctly recognized stimuli.” In short, within the literature there is clear agreement that the left parietal effect is a reliable neural correlate of recollection – increases in the size of the left parietal old/new effect reflect increases in recollection (as reflected by changes in behavioral measures of memory).…”

“…For example, the fact that there is a relationship between neural and behavioral measures licenses the use of electrophysiological data in contexts that go beyond within participant manipulations of memory, including between-group comparisons such as good vs. poor performers ( Curran et al, 2001 ; Van Petten et al, 2002 ; Wolk et al, 2009 ; Dockree et al, 2015 ), old vs. young participants ( Li et al, 2004 ; Wolk et al, 2009 ; Dockree et al, 2015 ), men vs. women ( Guillem and Mograss, 2005 ; Guillem et al, 2009 ), or participants exhibiting more or less false memories ( Nessler et al, 2001 ; Morcom, 2015 ). Equally, because it indexes episodic recollection, the ERP effect is considered to be useful as a bio-marker of memory decline with disease ( Olichney et al, 2008 ; Addante et al, 2012 ), memory deficiency in healthy adults ( Palombo et al, 2015 ), and as a tool for assessing differences in the development of memory processes ( Kipp et al, 2015 ). Whilst these scenarios vary in the nature of the comparisons being made, to produce interpretable results they all rely on comparisons of the magnitude of effects between participants, an approach that is licensed by the presence of a reliable relationship between behavioral and neural measures of recollection.…”