Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging
A primary goal of translational neuroscience is to identify the neural mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline and develop protocols to maximally improve cognition. Here, we demonstrate how interventions that apply noninvasive neurostimulation to older adults improve working memory (WM). We foun...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811922000684 |
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| author | Elizabeth L. Johnson Hector Arciniega Kevin T. Jones Alexandrea Kilgore-Gomez Marian E. Berryhill |
| author_facet | Elizabeth L. Johnson Hector Arciniega Kevin T. Jones Alexandrea Kilgore-Gomez Marian E. Berryhill |
| author_sort | Elizabeth L. Johnson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A primary goal of translational neuroscience is to identify the neural mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline and develop protocols to maximally improve cognition. Here, we demonstrate how interventions that apply noninvasive neurostimulation to older adults improve working memory (WM). We found that one session of sham-controlled transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) selectively improved WM in older adults with more education, extending earlier work and underscoring the importance of identifying individual predictors of tDCS responsivity. Improvements in WM were associated with two distinct electrophysiological signatures. First, a broad enhancement of theta network synchrony tracked improvements in behavioral accuracy, with tDCS effects moderated by education level. Further analysis revealed that accuracy dynamics reflected an anterior-posterior network distribution regardless of cathode placement. Second, specific enhancements of theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) reflecting tDCS current flow tracked improvements in reaction time (RT). RT dynamics further explained inter-individual variability in WM improvement independent of education. These findings illuminate theta network synchrony and theta-gamma PAC as distinct but complementary mechanisms supporting WM in aging. Both mechanisms are amenable to intervention, the effectiveness of which can be predicted by individual demographic factors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T19:02:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9dfea819e9a042a48eb494779b027421 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T19:02:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj.art-9dfea819e9a042a48eb494779b0274212022-12-21T19:29:21ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722022-04-01250118939Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in agingElizabeth L. Johnson0Hector Arciniega1Kevin T. Jones2Alexandrea Kilgore-Gomez3Marian E. Berryhill4Departments of Medical Social Sciences and Pediatrics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, United States; Corresponding authors.Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, United StatesDepartment of Neurology, Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Program in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Program in Integrative Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, 89557, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Program in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Program in Integrative Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, 89557, United States; Corresponding authors.A primary goal of translational neuroscience is to identify the neural mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline and develop protocols to maximally improve cognition. Here, we demonstrate how interventions that apply noninvasive neurostimulation to older adults improve working memory (WM). We found that one session of sham-controlled transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) selectively improved WM in older adults with more education, extending earlier work and underscoring the importance of identifying individual predictors of tDCS responsivity. Improvements in WM were associated with two distinct electrophysiological signatures. First, a broad enhancement of theta network synchrony tracked improvements in behavioral accuracy, with tDCS effects moderated by education level. Further analysis revealed that accuracy dynamics reflected an anterior-posterior network distribution regardless of cathode placement. Second, specific enhancements of theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) reflecting tDCS current flow tracked improvements in reaction time (RT). RT dynamics further explained inter-individual variability in WM improvement independent of education. These findings illuminate theta network synchrony and theta-gamma PAC as distinct but complementary mechanisms supporting WM in aging. Both mechanisms are amenable to intervention, the effectiveness of which can be predicted by individual demographic factors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811922000684AgingEEGIndividual differencestDCSThetaWorking memory |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth L. Johnson Hector Arciniega Kevin T. Jones Alexandrea Kilgore-Gomez Marian E. Berryhill Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging NeuroImage Aging EEG Individual differences tDCS Theta Working memory |
| title | Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging |
| title_full | Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging |
| title_fullStr | Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging |
| title_full_unstemmed | Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging |
| title_short | Individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging |
| title_sort | individual predictors and electrophysiological signatures of working memory enhancement in aging |
| topic | Aging EEG Individual differences tDCS Theta Working memory |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811922000684 |
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