Neural correlates of training-related memory improvement in adulthood and aging

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Nov 11;100(23):13728-33. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1735487100. Epub 2003 Nov 3.

Abstract

Cognitive studies show that both younger and older adults can increase their memory performance after training in using a visuospatial mnemonic, although age-related memory deficits tend to be magnified rather than reduced after training. Little is known about the changes in functional brain activity that accompany training-induced memory enhancement, and whether age-related activity changes are associated with the size of training-related gains. Here, we demonstrate that younger adults show increased activity during memory encoding in occipito-parietal and frontal brain regions after learning the mnemonic. Older adults did not show increased frontal activity, and only those elderly persons who benefited from the mnemonic showed increased occipito-parietal activity. These findings suggest that age-related differences in cognitive reserve capacity may reflect both a frontal processing deficiency and a posterior production deficiency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aging*
  • Brain / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory Disorders
  • Memory*
  • Memory, Short-Term
  • Mental Recall
  • Neurons / pathology*
  • Practice, Psychological
  • Prefrontal Cortex / pathology