Tracking Age Differences in Neural Distinctiveness across Representational Levels

Kobelt, Malte; Sommer, Verena; Keresztes, Attila; Werkle‐Bergner, Markus; Sander, Myriam C.

doi:10.1101/2020.07.06.187187

Cited by 5 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Complementary evidence is accumulating from studies using multivariate approaches such as neural pattern analysis (Carp et al, 2011;Zheng et al, 2018). Accordingly, in a recent study (Kobelt et al, 2020) we observed age group differences in neural specificity during encoding not only on the level of category information, but even on the item-level, providing further evidence for the crucial contribution of specific, high-quality memories for memory performance. Strikingly, age differences on the item level were located in occipital regions, thus early in the visual processing hierarchy, in line with early observation of a close connection between age-differences in perception and cognition (Baltes & Lindenberger, 1997;Lindenberger & Baltes, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Park et al, 2012;Voss et al, 2008). Importantly, interindividual differences in neural dedifferentation are related to memory performance (Kobelt et al, 2020;, such that participants with higher levels of neural dedifferentiation showed lower memory performance (for a recent review see . Complementary evidence is accumulating from studies using multivariate approaches such as neural pattern analysis (Carp et al, 2011;Zheng et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Age differences in memory encoding may thus explain a large fraction of episodic memory decline (Craik & Rose, 2012;de Chastelaine et al, 2016). Having to deal with more gist-like (Kensinger & Schacter, 1999;Koutstaal et al, 2001;Sommer et al, 2019) and less specific (Kobelt et al, 2020; memory representations increases the challenge for the episodic memory network of older adults that can hardly be counteracted during later stages of processing (Velanova et al, 2006). In line with this assumption, our results that highlight that age difference in prefrontally mediated monitoring and control processes contribute to agerelated memory decline (Fandakova et al, 2013;Shing et al, 2010), in particular, in case of low memory quality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Age Differences in Memory Formation on Neural Mechanisms of Consolidation and Retrieval

Sander¹,

Fandakova²,

Werkle‐Bergner³

2020

Preprint

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Episodic memory decline is a hallmark of cognitive aging and a multifaceted phenomenon. We review studies that target age differences across different memory processing stages, i.e., from encoding to retrieval. The available evidence cumulates in the proposition that older adults form memories of lower quality than younger adults, which has negative downstream consequences for later processing stages. We argue that low memory quality in combination with age-related neural decline of key regions of the episodic memory network puts older adults in a double jeopardy situation that finally results in broader memory impairments in older compared to younger adults.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Age Differences in Memory Formation on Neural Mechanisms of Consolidation and Retrieval

Sander¹,

Fandakova²,

Werkle‐Bergner³

2020

Preprint

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“…In line with this, it has been suggested that neural representations become less specific in old age, which may be linked to aging-related cognitive decline (Carp et al, 2011;Li and Sikström, 2002;Li et al, 2001;Park et al, 2004Park et al, , 2010. Indeed, a positive relation between the specificity of the neural activity patterns during encoding and memory performance could be demonstrated for young and older adults (Kobelt et al, 2020;Koen et al, 2019). In children (7-12 years), higher neural specificity of scene representations was associated with better memory performance, too (Fandakova et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Memory specificity is linked to repetition effects in event-related potentials across the lifespan

Sommer¹,

Mount

Weigelt

et al. 2020

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Our memories depend on our brain's ability to form internal representations of relevant aspects of the world that can later be retrieved. The specificity with which past experiences can be remembered varies across the lifespan, possibly due to differences in how precisely information is encoded. This memory formation can be investigated through repetition effects, the common finding that neural activity is altered (suppressed or enhanced) when stimuli are repeated. However, whether differences in this indirect measure of memory formation relate to lifespan age differences in memory specificity has not yet been established. In the present study, we examined repetition effects in event-related potentials and their relation to recognition specificity. During incidental encoding, children (aged 7-9 years), young adults (18-30 years), and older adults (65-76 years) viewed repeated object images from different categories. During subsequent recognition, old, similar, and new objects were presented, allowing for a differentiation of memory for the specific item versus the general category. We identified neural repetition suppression effects in all age groups, and repetition enhancement for adults. Furthermore, individual item recognition performance comprising lure discrimination was positively associated with the magnitude of the neural repetition effects. These brain-behavior associations did not differ between age groups, indicating common neural mechanisms of memory formation. In sum, our findings demonstrate that neural repetition effects reflect encoding mechanisms that facilitate the formation of highly specific memory representations and highlight their significance as a neural indicator of individual differences in episodic memory encoding across the lifespan.

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“…The loss of mnemonic detail and reduced specificity of memory content in older adults is also reflected in age differences in the specificity of neural activation, so-called neural dedifferentiation (Bowman et al, 2019;Sommer et al, 2020; for review, see parahippocampal place area respectively), older adults show a decrease in this neural selectivity (Park et al, 2004). Recent studies using multivariate pattern analysis support this initial finding and underline the relevance of neural specificity for memory performance (Kobelt et al 2020;Zheng et al, 2018). Age differences in oscillatory mechanisms of memory formation (Werkle-Bergner et al, 2006) and retrieval may further contribute to the reduced memory specificity in older adults, but remarkably few studies have addressed this question as yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Item recognition and lure discrimination in younger and older adults are supported by alpha/beta desynchronization

Karlsson

Wehrspaun

Sander

2020

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Our episodic memories vary in their specificity, ranging from a mere sense of familiarity to detailed recollection of the initial experience. Recent work suggests that alpha/beta desynchronization promotes information flow through the cortex, tracking the richness in detail of recovered memory representations. At the same time, as we age, memories become less vivid and detailed, which may be reflected in age-related reductions in alpha/beta desynchronization during retrieval. To understand age differences in the specificity of episodic memories, we investigated differences in alpha/beta desynchronization between younger (18–26 years, n = 31) and older (65–76 years, n = 28) adults during item recognition and lure discrimination.Alpha/beta desynchronization increased linearly with the demand for memory specificity, i.e., the requirement to retrieve details for an accurate response, across retrieval situations (correct rejections < item recognition < lure discrimination). Stronger alpha/beta desynchronization was related to memory success, as indicated by reliable activation differences between correct and incorrect memory responses. In line with the assumption of a loss of mnemonic detail in older age, older adults had more difficulties than younger adults to discriminate lures from targets. Importantly, they also showed a reduced modulation of alpha/beta desynchronization across retrieval demands. Together, these results extend previous findings by demonstrating that alpha/beta desynchronization dissociates between item recognition and the retrieval of highly detailed memories as required in lure discrimination, and that age-related impairments in episodic retrieval are accompanied by attenuated modulations in the alpha/beta band. Thus, we provide novel findings suggesting that alpha/beta desynchronization tracks mnemonic specificity and that changes in these oscillatory mechanisms may underlie age-related declines in episodic memory.

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Tracking Age Differences in Neural Distinctiveness across Representational Levels

Cited by 5 publications

References 77 publications

Effects of Age Differences in Memory Formation on Neural Mechanisms of Consolidation and Retrieval

Effects of Age Differences in Memory Formation on Neural Mechanisms of Consolidation and Retrieval

Memory specificity is linked to repetition effects in event-related potentials across the lifespan

Item recognition and lure discrimination in younger and older adults are supported by alpha/beta desynchronization

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