Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory
Memory capacity suffers an age-related decline, which is supposed to be due to a generalized slowing of processing speed and to a reduced availability of processing resources. Information encoding in memory has been demonstrated to be very sensitive to age-related changes, especially when carried ou...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00075/full |
| _version_ | 1819071008302170112 |
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| author | Diego ePinal Montserrat eZurrón Fernando eDíaz |
| author_facet | Diego ePinal Montserrat eZurrón Fernando eDíaz |
| author_sort | Diego ePinal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Memory capacity suffers an age-related decline, which is supposed to be due to a generalized slowing of processing speed and to a reduced availability of processing resources. Information encoding in memory has been demonstrated to be very sensitive to age-related changes, especially when carried out through self-initiated strategies or under high cognitive demands. However, most ERP research on age-related changes in working memory (WM) has used tasks that preclude distinction between age-related changes in encoding and retrieval processes. Here, we used ERP recording and a delayed match to sample (DMS) task with two levels of memory load to assess age-related changes in electrical brain activity in young and old adults during successful information encoding in WM. Age-related decline was reflected in lower accuracy rates and longer reaction times in the DMS task. Beside, only old adults presented lower accuracy rates under high than low memory load conditions. However, effects of memory load on brain activity were independent of age and may indicate an increased need of processing after stimulus classification as reflected in larger mean voltages in high than low load conditions between 550 and 1000 ms post-stimulus for young and old adults. Regarding age-related effects on brain activity, results also revealed smaller P2 and P300 amplitudes that may signal the existence of an age dependent reduction in the processing resources available for stimulus evaluation and categorization. Additionally, P2 and N2 latencies were longer in old than in young participants. Furthermore, longer N2 latencies were related to greater accuracy rates on the DMS task, especially in old adults. These results suggest that age-related slowing of processing speed may be specific for target stimulus analysis and evaluation processes. Thus, old adults seem to improve their performance the longer they take to evaluate the stimulus they encode in visual WM. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T17:15:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c1aaf7570a2c45ce9974172ccd652b5c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T17:15:00Z |
| publishDate | 2015-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-c1aaf7570a2c45ce9974172ccd652b5c2022-12-21T18:56:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652015-05-01710.3389/fnagi.2015.00075109233Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memoryDiego ePinal0Montserrat eZurrón1Fernando eDíaz2Universidade de Santiago de CompostelaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaMemory capacity suffers an age-related decline, which is supposed to be due to a generalized slowing of processing speed and to a reduced availability of processing resources. Information encoding in memory has been demonstrated to be very sensitive to age-related changes, especially when carried out through self-initiated strategies or under high cognitive demands. However, most ERP research on age-related changes in working memory (WM) has used tasks that preclude distinction between age-related changes in encoding and retrieval processes. Here, we used ERP recording and a delayed match to sample (DMS) task with two levels of memory load to assess age-related changes in electrical brain activity in young and old adults during successful information encoding in WM. Age-related decline was reflected in lower accuracy rates and longer reaction times in the DMS task. Beside, only old adults presented lower accuracy rates under high than low memory load conditions. However, effects of memory load on brain activity were independent of age and may indicate an increased need of processing after stimulus classification as reflected in larger mean voltages in high than low load conditions between 550 and 1000 ms post-stimulus for young and old adults. Regarding age-related effects on brain activity, results also revealed smaller P2 and P300 amplitudes that may signal the existence of an age dependent reduction in the processing resources available for stimulus evaluation and categorization. Additionally, P2 and N2 latencies were longer in old than in young participants. Furthermore, longer N2 latencies were related to greater accuracy rates on the DMS task, especially in old adults. These results suggest that age-related slowing of processing speed may be specific for target stimulus analysis and evaluation processes. Thus, old adults seem to improve their performance the longer they take to evaluate the stimulus they encode in visual WM.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00075/fullAgingexecutive functionsworking memoryencodingEvent-related potentialsslowing of processing |
| spellingShingle | Diego ePinal Montserrat eZurrón Fernando eDíaz Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Aging executive functions working memory encoding Event-related potentials slowing of processing |
| title | Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory |
| title_full | Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory |
| title_fullStr | Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory |
| title_short | Age-related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory |
| title_sort | age related changes in brain activity are specific for high order cognitive processes during successful encoding of information in working memory |
| topic | Aging executive functions working memory encoding Event-related potentials slowing of processing |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00075/full |
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