The synergic effect of semantic and visuospatial processing on associative encoding in young and elderly subjects
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1
Pablo de Olavide University, Spain
Episodic memory is impaired in healthy aging whereas semantic memory is preserved. In young adults, both kinds of memory interact to facilitate associative binding. Here, we investigate whether cognitively intact elders also benefit from semantic processing while encoding new associations. For this, young and elderly adults studied famous faces displayed in different locations and preceded by either semantically congruent (SC) or incongruent (SI) cues. They were then asked to recognize whether faces had been linked to a particular location. Although episodic memory was reduced in elders, the SC context increased retrieval of face-location associations in the two groups. Episodic memory impairment was not due to failures in the access to semantic information because conceptual priming was intact in the elderly. EEG analysis at sensor level identified significant EEG power modulations in the theta non-phase oscillatory activity (4-6 Hz). A multiple constrained beamformer, supported by cluster analysis, located theta sources positively correlated with the gain in accuracy due to SC contexts. Correlations in elderly not only were stronger than in younger adults, but also included more areas related to tonic alertness and selective spatial attention. Elders further showed reduced asymmetry and higher involvement of prefrontal cortex. We conclude that the synergic effect of semantic and visuospatial processing on associative encoding is preserved in the elderly thanks to the recruitment of additional circuits operating in the theta range. However, the benefit provided by the semantic context seems to be insufficient to fully compensate age-related functional and cognitive episodic deficits. Funding: Supported by GABA project, contract 043309; PSI2008-06141, SAF2008-03300; CTS-4604.
Keywords:
EEG,
memory and learning
Conference:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Poster Sessions: Neural Bases of Memory and Learning
Citation:
Crespo García
M,
Cantero
J and
Atienza
M
(2011). The synergic effect of semantic and visuospatial processing on associative encoding in young and elderly subjects.
Conference Abstract:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00221
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Received:
21 Nov 2011;
Published Online:
28 Nov 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Maité Crespo García, Pablo de Olavide University, Sevilla, Spain, crespogarciam@gmail.com