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Knoff AAW, Bowles B, Andrews-Hanna JR, Grilli MD. Direct access to specific autobiographical memories is lower in healthy middle-aged to older adult Apolipoprotein E ε4 carriers compared to non-carriers. J Neuropsychol 2024. [PMID: 38949213 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Recent research suggests that the retrieval of autobiographical memories among cognitively healthy middle-aged and older adults is sensitive to the Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4) allele, a genetic marker that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. However, whether the APOE4-associated alteration in autobiographical memory retrieval encompasses rapid (i.e. direct retrieval) or iterative (i.e. generative retrieval) processes remains unclear. In the present study, 39 APOE4 carriers and 45 non-carriers (ages 60-80) who scored within normal limits on neuropsychological testing were cued to generate specific autobiographical events. We examined group differences in direct and generative retrieval and correlated direct and generative retrieval rates with performance on neuropsychological tests. Direct retrieval rates were lower in the APOE4 carriers compared to non-carriers. Episodic memory positively correlated with direct retrieval rates across the sample, though this relationship became non-significant when factoring in age and sex. There were no significant findings related to successful generative retrieval rates and its efficiency. In summary, compared to non-carriers, cognitively unimpaired middle-aged to older adult APOE4 carriers demonstrated greater difficulty, rapidly reconstructing specific autobiographical events without the support of semantic memory, suggesting that early autobiographical memory retrieval processes demonstrate vulnerability to AD-related risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey A W Knoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Bailey Bowles
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Jessica R Andrews-Hanna
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Cognitive Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Matthew D Grilli
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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2
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Li-Chay-Chung A, Starrs F, Ryan JD, Barense M, Olsen RK, Addis DR. Integrity of autobiographical memory and episodic future thinking in older adults varies with cognitive functioning. Neuropsychologia 2024; 201:108943. [PMID: 38908476 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
Research has documented changes in autobiographical memory and episodic future thinking in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, cognitive decline occurs gradually and recent findings suggest that subtle alterations in autobiographical cognition may be evident earlier in the trajectory towards dementia, before AD-related symptoms emerge or a clinical diagnosis has been given. The current study used the Autobiographical Interview to examine the episodic and semantic content of autobiographical past and future events generated by older adults (N = 38) of varying cognitive functioning who were grouped into High (N = 20) and Low Cognition (N = 18) groups based on their Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Participants described 12 past and 12 future autobiographical events, and transcripts were scored to quantify the numbers of internal (episodic) or external (non-episodic, including semantic) details. Although the Low Cognition group exhibited a differential reduction for internal details comprising both past and future events, they did not show the expected overproduction of external details relative to the High Cognition group. Multilevel modelling demonstrated that on trials lower in episodic content, semantic content was significantly increased in both groups. Although suggestive of a compensatory mechanism, the magnitude of this inverse relationship did not differ across groups or interact with MoCA scores. This finding indicates that external detail production may be underpinned by mechanisms not affected by cognitive decline, such as narrative style and the ability to contextualize one's past and future events in relation to broader autobiographical knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Li-Chay-Chung
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada
| | - Faryn Starrs
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jennifer D Ryan
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Morgan Barense
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rosanna K Olsen
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Donna Rose Addis
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Conti M, Teghil A, Boccia M. The autobiographical fluency task: Validity and reliability of a tool to assess episodic autobiographical memory and experience-near personal semantics. J Neuropsychol 2024; 18:251-264. [PMID: 37837256 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
The assessment of autobiographical memory is challenging in clinical settings. The Autobiographical Fluency Task (AFT) - that is designed to test both Episodic Autobiographical Memory (EAM) and experience-near Personal Semantics (enPS) - may represent a feasible and rapid method to test access to autobiographical memories. Here we tested the reliability and the construct validity of the AFT. A total number of 51 individuals participated in the present study, with 24 included in Experiment 1 and 27 in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, participants performed both the AFT and the Survey of Autobiographical Memory (SAM). In Experiment 2, participants completed the AFT and the Autobiographical Interview (AI). The AFT showed a moderate-to-high reliability. Also, EAM and enPS scores significantly correlated with the episodic subscale of the SAM. Results of Experiment 1 were replicated and expanded in Experiment 2. Again, the AFT showed a high reliability. Both EAM and enPS showed a significant correlation with the number of internal details produced during the AI; enPS also correlated with the number of external details. Overall, the present results show that the AFT may be a feasible instrument to assess autobiographical memory, especially for testing episodic autobiographical memory and experience-near personal semantics in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Conti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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Teghil A, Boccia M. Brain connectivity patterns associated with individual differences in the access to experience-near personal semantics: a resting-state fMRI study. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:87-99. [PMID: 38200283 PMCID: PMC10827898 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01149-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
It has been proposed that a continuum of specificity exists between episodic and semantic autobiographical memory. Personal semantics have been theorized to situate intermediately on this continuum, with more "experience-near" personal semantics (enPS) closer to the episodic end. We used individual differences in behavior as a model to investigate brain networks associated with the access to episodic autobiographical (EAM) and enPS information, assessing the relation between performance in the EAM and enPS conditions of the Autobiographical Fluency Task (AFT) and intrinsic brain connectivity. Results of an intrinsic connectivity contrast analysis showed that the global connectivity of two clusters in the left and right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was predicted by performance in the enPS conditions. Moreover, enPS scores predicted the connectivity strength of the right PCC with the bilateral anterior hippocampus (aHC), anterior middle temporal gyrus (aMTG) and medial orbitofrontal cortex, and the left aMTG and PCC. enPS scores also predicted the connectivity strength of the left PCC with the bilateral HC and MTG. The network highlighted involves parts of the core and of the dorsal medial subsystems of the Default Mode Network, in line with the proposal that enPS represents an intermediate entity between episodic and semantic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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Teghil A, Boccia M, Di Vita A, Zazzaro G, Sepe Monti M, Trebbastoni A, Talarico G, Campanelli A, Bruno G, Guariglia C, de Lena C, D'Antonio F. Multidimensional assessment of time perception along the continuum of Alzheimer's Disease and evidence of alterations in subjective cognitive decline. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22117. [PMID: 38092802 PMCID: PMC10719320 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49222-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Timing alterations occur in Alzheimer's disease (AD), even in early stages (mild cognitive impairment, MCI). Moreover, a stage named subjective cognitive decline (SCD), in which individuals perceive a change in cognitive performance not revealed by neuropsychological tests, has been identified as a preclinical phase of AD. However, no study to date has investigated different dimensions of time processing along the continuum from physiological to pathological aging, and whether timing alterations occur in SCD. Here a sample of participants with SCD, MCI, AD and healthy controls (HC) performed tasks assessing prospective duration estimation, production, reproduction, implicit temporal learning in conditions dependent from external cues (externally-cued learning, ECL) or independent from external cues (internally-based learning, IBL), retrospective duration estimation, the subjective experience of time and the temporal collocation of events. AD patients performed worse than HC and SCD in prospective timing, and in collocating events in time. The subjective experience of time did not differ between groups. Concerning temporal learning, AD performed worse in ECL than in IBL, whereas SCD performed worse in IBL than in ECL. SCD, MCI and AD patients all showed errors greater than HC in retrospective duration estimation. Results point to implicit temporal learning in externally-cued conditions and retrospective time estimation as possible early markers of cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza" University of Rome, Via Dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza" University of Rome, Via Dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Di Vita
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Zazzaro
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Micaela Sepe Monti
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Bruno
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cecilia Guariglia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza" University of Rome, Via Dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo de Lena
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizia D'Antonio
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Kong APH, Cheung RTH, Wong GHY, Choy JCP, Dai R, Spector A. Spoken discourse in episodic autobiographical and verbal short-term memory in Chinese people with dementia: the roles of global coherence and informativeness. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1124477. [PMID: 38022958 PMCID: PMC10643863 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1124477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Memory and discourse production are closely related in healthy populations. A few studies in people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and people with dementia (PWD) suggested similar links, although empirical evidence is insufficient to inform emerging intervention design and natural language processing research. Fine-grained discourse assessment is needed to understand their complex relationship in PWD. Methods Spoken samples from 104 PWD were elicited using personal narrative and sequential picture description and assessed using Main Concept Analysis and other content-based analytic methods. Discourse and memory performance data were analyzed in bivariate correlation and linear multiple regression models to determine the relationship between discourse production and episodic autobiographical memory and verbal short-term memory (vSTM). Results Global coherence was a significant predictor of episodic autobiographical memory, explaining over half of the variance. Both episodic autobiographical memory and vSTM were positively correlated with global coherence and informativeness, and negatively with empty speech indices. Discussion Coherence in personal narrative may be supported by episodic autobiographical memory and vice versa, suggesting potential mechanism of interventions targeting personhood through conversation. Indices of global coherence, informativeness, and empty speech can be used as markers of memory functions in PWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Pak-Hin Kong
- Academic Unit of Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Aphasia Research and Therapy (ART) Laboratory, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ryan Tsz Him Cheung
- Academic Unit of Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gloria H. Y. Wong
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jacky C. P. Choy
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ruizhi Dai
- Department of Psychology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Aimee Spector
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Palmer JM, Huentelman M, Ryan L. More than just risk for Alzheimer's disease: APOE ε4's impact on the aging brain. Trends Neurosci 2023; 46:750-763. [PMID: 37460334 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
The apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4) allele is most commonly associated with increased risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, recent longitudinal studies suggest that these risks are overestimated; most ε4 carriers will not develop dementia in their lifetime. In this article, we review new evidence regarding the impact of APOE ε4 on cognition among healthy older adults. We discuss emerging work from animal models suggesting that ε4 impacts brain structure and function in multiple ways that may lead to age-related cognitive impairment, independent from AD pathology. We discuss the importance of taking an individualized approach in future studies by incorporating biomarkers and neuroimaging methods that may better disentangle the phenotypic influences of APOE ε4 on the aging brain from prodromal AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Palmer
- The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
| | - Matthew Huentelman
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Lee Ryan
- The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
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Fenerci C, Gurguryan L, Spreng RN, Sheldon S. Comparing neural activity during autobiographical memory retrieval between younger and older adults: An ALE meta-analysis. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 119:8-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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