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Lanni I, Chiacchierini G, Papagno C, Santangelo V, Campolongo P. Treating Alzheimer's disease with brain stimulation: From preclinical models to non-invasive stimulation in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 165:105831. [PMID: 39074672 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 07/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a severe and progressive neurodegenerative condition that exerts detrimental effects on brain function. As of now, there is no effective treatment for AD patients. This review explores two distinct avenues of research. The first revolves around the use of animal studies and preclinical models to gain insights into AD's underlying mechanisms and potential treatment strategies. Specifically, it delves into the effectiveness of interventions such as Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, shedding light on their implications for understanding pathophysiological mechanisms and potential therapeutic applications. The second avenue focuses on non-invasive brain stimulation (NiBS) techniques in the context of AD. Evidence suggests that NiBS can successfully modulate cognitive functions associated with various neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including AD, as demonstrated by promising findings. Here, we critically assessed recent findings in AD research belonging to these lines of research and discuss their potential impact on the clinical horizon of AD treatment. These multifaceted approaches offer hope for advancing our comprehension of AD pathology and developing novel therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilenia Lanni
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Behavioral Neuropharmacology Unit, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Chiacchierini
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Behavioral Neuropharmacology Unit, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Costanza Papagno
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Valerio Santangelo
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy; Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences & Education, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Patrizia Campolongo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Behavioral Neuropharmacology Unit, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
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2
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Rivera-Lares K, Baddeley A, Della Sala S. Influence of degree of learning on rate of forgetting of tonal sequences. Mem Cognit 2024:10.3758/s13421-024-01597-6. [PMID: 39020063 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-024-01597-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Initial performance is frequently equated in studies that compare forgetting rates across groups. However, since the encoding capacity of different groups can be different, some procedures to match initial degree of learning need to be implemented, adding confounding variables such as longer exposures to the material, which would create memories of a different age. Slamecka and McElree Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 9, 384-397, (1983) and our previous work found that the rate of forgetting was independent from initial degree of learning using verbal material. The present study seeks to determine whether this pattern holds true when undertaken with nonverbal material. In two experiments, we manipulate initial degree of learning by varying the number of presentations of the material and studying the effect on the forgetting rates. A set of 30 tonal sequences were presented to young, healthy participants either once or three times. Forgetting was evaluated in a yes/no recognition paradigm immediately and 1 hour or 24 hours after the study phase. A different subset of 10 sequences was tested along with 10 nontargets at each retention interval. The results of these experiments showed that initial acquisition was modulated by the number of repetitions. However, the forgetting rates were independent of initial degree of learning. These results are in keeping with the pattern found by Slamecka and McElree, and in our own previous studies. They suggest that the pattern of parallel forgetting after different levels of initial learning is not limited to verbal material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Rivera-Lares
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology Department, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Alan Baddeley
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, UK
| | - Sergio Della Sala
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology Department, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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3
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Rodini M, Bonarota S, Serra L, Caltagirone C, Carlesimo GA. Could Accelerated Long-Term Forgetting Be a Feature of the Higher Rate of Memory Complaints Associated with Subjective Cognitive Decline? An Exploratory Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 100:1165-1182. [PMID: 39031357 DOI: 10.3233/jad-240218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Background Recently, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) was proposed as an early risk factor for future Alzheimer's disease (AD). Objective In this study, we investigated whether accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF), assessed with extended testing intervals than those adopted in clinical practice, might be a cognitive feature of SCD. Using an explorative MRI analysis of the SCD sample, we attempted to investigate the areas most likely involved in the ALF pattern. Methods We recruited 31 individuals with SCD from our memory clinic and subdivided them based on their rate of memory complaints into mild SCDs (n = 18) and severe SCDs (n = 13). A long-term forgetting procedure, involving the recall of verbal and visuo-spatial material at four testing delays (i.e., immediate, 30 min, 24 h, and 7 days post-encoding) was used to compare the two sub-groups of SCDs with a healthy control group (HC; n = 16). Results No significant between-group difference was found on the standard neuropsychological tests, nor in the immediate and 30 min recall of the experimental procedure. By contrast, on the verbal test severe SCDs forgot significantly more than HCs in the prolonged intervals (i.e., 24 h and 7 days), with the greatest decline between 30 min and 24 h. Finally, in the whole SCD sample, we found significant associations between functional connectivity values within some cortical networks involved in memory (default mode network, salience network, and fronto-parietal network) and verbal long-term measures. Conclusions Our preliminary findings suggest that long-term forgetting procedures could be a sensitive neuropsychological tool for detecting memory concerns in SCDs, contributing to early AD detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Rodini
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Bonarota
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Serra
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
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4
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Lin YR, Chi CH, Chang YL. Differential decay of gist and detail memory in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Cortex 2023; 164:112-128. [PMID: 37207409 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.04.002] [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: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) has been identified as a risk factor for dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. The medial temporal structures, which are crucial for memory processing, are the earliest affected regions in the brains of patients with aMCI, and episodic memory performance has been identified as a reliable way to discriminate between patients with aMCI and cognitively normal older adults. However, whether the detail and gist memory of patients with aMCI and cognitively normal older adults decay differently remains unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that detail and gist memory would be retrieved differentially, with a larger group performance gap in detail memory than in gist memory. In addition, we explored whether an increasing group performance gap between detail memory and gist memory groups would be observed over a 14-day period. Furthermore, we hypothesized that unisensory (audio-only) and multisensory (audiovisual) encoding would lead to differences in retrievals, with the multisensory condition reducing between and within-group performance gaps observed under the unisensory condition. The analyses conducted were analyses of covariance controlling for age, sex, and education and correlational analyses to examine behavioral performance and the association between behavioral data and brain variables. Compared with cognitively normal older adults, the patients with aMCI performed poorly on both detail and gist memory tests, and this performance gap persisted over time. Moreover, the memory performance of the patients with aMCI was enhanced by the provision of multisensory information, and bimodal input was significantly associated with medial temporal structure variables. Overall, our findings suggest that detail and gist memory decay differently, with a longer lasting group gap in gist memory than in detail memory. Multisensory encoding effectively reduced or overcame the between- and within-group gaps between time intervals, especially for gist memory, compared with unisensory encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ruei Lin
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hsing Chi
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ling Chang
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Robotics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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5
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Ohno M. Accelerated long-term forgetting: A sensitive paradigm for detecting subtle cognitive impairment and evaluating BACE1 inhibitor efficacy in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. FRONTIERS IN DEMENTIA 2023; 2:1161875. [PMID: 39081986 PMCID: PMC11285641 DOI: 10.3389/frdem.2023.1161875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Given a long preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum before the onset of dementia, there is a growing demand for tools capable of detecting the earliest feature of subtle cognitive impairment and optimizing recruitment to clinical trials for potentially disease-modifying therapeutic interventions such as BACE1 inhibitors. Now that all BACE1 inhibitor programs in symptomatic and prodromal AD populations have ended in failure, trials need to shift to target the earlier preclinical stage. However, evaluating cognitive efficacy (if any) in asymptomatic AD individuals is a great challenge. In this context, accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) is emerging as a sensitive cognitive measure that can discriminate between presymptomatic individuals with high risks for developing AD and healthy controls. ALF is characterized by increased forgetting rates over extended delays (e.g., days, weeks, months) despite normal learning and short-term retention on standard memory assessments that typically use around 30-min delays. This review provides an overview of recent progress in animal model and clinical studies on this topic, focusing on the utility and underlying mechanism of ALF that may be applicable to earlier diagnosis and BACE1 inhibitor efficacy evaluation at a preclinical stage of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masuo Ohno
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States
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6
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Sacripante R, Girtler N, Doglione E, Nobili F, Della Sala S. Forgetting Rates of Prose Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 91:1385-1394. [PMID: 36641670 DOI: 10.3233/jad-220803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some authors report steeper slopes of forgetting in early Alzheimer's disease (AD), while others do not. Contrasting findings are thought to be due to methodological inconsistencies or variety of testing methods, yet they also emerge when people are assessed on the same testing procedure. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess if forgetting slopes of people with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI-AD) are different from age-matched healthy controls (HC) by using a prose paradigm. METHODS Twenty-nine people with MCI-AD and twenty-six HC listened to a short prose passage and were asked to freely recall it after delays of 1 h and 24 h. RESULTS Generalized linear mixed modelling revealed that, compared to HC, people with MCI-AD showed poorer encoding at immediate recall and steeper forgetting up to 1 h in prose memory as assessed by free recall and with repeated testing of the same material. Forgetting rates between groups did not differ from 1 h to 24 h. CONCLUSION The differences observed in MCI-AD could be due to a post-encoding deficit. These findings could be accounted either by a differential benefit from retrieval practice, whereby people with MCI-AD benefit less than HC, or by a working memory deficit in people with MCI-AD, which fails to support their memory performance from immediate recall to 1 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Sacripante
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nicola Girtler
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCSS Ospedale Policlinco San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Flavio Nobili
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCSS Ospedale Policlinco San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Sergio Della Sala
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Adcock KS, Lawlor B, Robertson IH, Vanneste S. Diminishing accelerated long-term forgetting in mild cognitive impairment: Study protocol for a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2022; 30:100989. [PMID: 36117569 PMCID: PMC9478352 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2022.100989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Harnessing the lifelong potential of the human brain for neuroplasticity may serve to maintain the viability of neural structures and postpone the onset of cognitive decline. The absence of effective pharmacological interventions to counter memory decline has encouraged scientists to test the possibility that noninvasive electrical stimulation may serve as an additional tool to improve memory abilities. Previous research showed that electrical stimulation of the greater occipital nerve enhances memory recall performance in young and older healthy subjects. This study aims to extend these findings to determine the effect of transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the greater occipital nerve on the improvement of episodic memory in individuals with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI). Methods/design This study is a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized parallel-group study. A total of 100 individuals with a diagnosis of aMCI according to NIA/AA will be recruited. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group will receive active non-invasive transcutaneous electrical stimulation of greater occipital nerve (NITESGON), while three groups will serve as controls (i.e., sham NITESGON, active NITESGON with local anesthesia, and active NITESGON on the C5/C6 nerve). The primary outcome, i.e., memory recall, will be determined by a word association task, and will be recorded at baseline, 7 days after NITESGON, and 28 days after NITESGON. The secondary outcome is neurophysiological changes determined by resting state EEG and will be assessed immediately before and after NITESGON. Discussion The results will add new insights into improving episodic memory in individuals with aMCI. Trial registration #NCT05289804 (clinicaltrial.gov) Protocol approval id #SPREC102021-23 (Ethics Committee at Trinity College Dublin, School of Psychology)
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S Adcock
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Brian Lawlor
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ian H Robertson
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sven Vanneste
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Chang YL, Moscovitch M. Sex differences in item and associative memory among older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia 2022; 176:108375. [PMID: 36179862 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108375] [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: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
In older adults without cognitive impairment, women have an advantage over men in verbal memory tests; however, whether women with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) exhibit this advantage remains controversial. We evaluated sex-specific differences in older adults with and without aMCI in item and associative verbal memory by using an associative memory task with immediate and delayed recognition conditions. The associations between memory task performances and medial temporal morphometric measures were examined. The study included 49 individuals with aMCI and 55 healthy older adults (HOs). The results revealed that a female advantage in immediate item and delayed associative memory was evident in HOs, and the female advantage in associative memory persisted even after item memory performance was controlled. By contrast, the female advantage was absent in individuals with aMCI; such women had more associative false alarms than men with aMCI. Furthermore, decreases in item memory, associative memory, and cortical thickness in the perirhinal and entorhinal regions in individuals with aMCI versus their sex-matched controls were more prominent in women than in men. The relation between brain structure and associative memory function was evident only for women, indicating that women and men may have different cognitive and neural mechanisms for processing associative memory. These findings support the concept of cognitive reserve in women during normal aging. Accounting for sex differences in verbal memory performance is crucial to improve aMCI identification, particularly for women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ling Chang
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan; Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan; Center for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Robotics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
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9
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Rodini M, De Simone MS, Caltagirone C, Carlesimo GA. Accelerated long-term forgetting in neurodegenerative disorders: A systematic review of the literature. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104815. [PMID: 35961382 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Accelerated Long-term Forgetting (ALF) is a memory deficit characterised by normal retention up to relatively short intervals (e.g., minutes, hours) with increased forgetting over longer periods (e.g., days, weeks). ALF is often underestimated due to a lack of common memory assessments beyond 30-60 min. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of ALF occurrence in neurodegenerative disorders, evaluating whether it can be considered a cognitive deficit useful for diagnosing and monitoring patients. We included 19 experimental studies that investigated ALF in neurodegenerative disorders. Most papers were focused on Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and related forms of cognitive decline (Mild Cognitive Impairment, Subjective Cognitive decline, Pre-symptomatic subjects at risk of AD dementia). The major finding of the present work concerns the presence of ALF in very early forms of cognitive decline related to AD. These findings, supporting the hypothesis that ALF is a subtle and undetected hallmark of pre-clinical AD, highlights the importance of investigating forgetting over a longer period and devising standardised measures to be included in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Rodini
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
| | - Maria Stefania De Simone
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
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10
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Fernández RS, Picco S, Beron JC, Bavassi L, Campos J, Allegri RF, Pedreira ME. Improvement of episodic memory retention by a memory reactivation intervention across the lifespan: from younger adults to amnesic patients. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:144. [PMID: 35383151 PMCID: PMC8983690 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01915-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous reactivation of recently acquired memories is a fundamental mechanism of memory stabilization. Re-exposure to specific learned cues during sleep or awake states, namely targeted memory reactivation, has been shown to improve memory retention at long delays. Manipulation of memory reactivation could have potential clinical value in populations with memory deficits or cognitive decline. However, no previous study investigated a target memory reactivation approach on those populations. Here we tested the hypothesis that a reactivation-based intervention would improve episodic memory performance in healthy adults and amnestic patients. On Day 1, young adults, old adults and amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment patients (n = 150) learned face-name pairs and 24 h later either received a reactivation intervention or a reactivation control (Day 2). On Day 3, associative and item memory were assessed. A robust Bayesian Generalized Mixed Model was implemented to estimate intervention effects on groups. Groups that underwent the reactivation-based intervention showed improved associative memory retention. Notably, amnestic patients benefited more from the intervention as they also had better item memory retention than controls. These findings support memory reactivation as stabilization and strengthening mechanism irrespectively of age and cognitive status, and provides proof-of-concept evidence that reactivation-based interventions could be implemented in the treatment and rehabilitation of populations with memory deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo S Fernández
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE - CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Soledad Picco
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE - CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan Cruz Beron
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE - CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luz Bavassi
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE - CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jorge Campos
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology, Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ricardo F Allegri
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology, Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María E Pedreira
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE - CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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11
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A Brief Period of Wakeful Rest after Learning Enhances Verbal Memory in Stroke Survivors. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2021; 27:929-938. [PMID: 33423703 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617720001307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Accumulating evidence suggests that wakeful rest (a period of minimal cognitive stimulation) enhances memory in clinical populations with memory impairment. However, no study has previously examined the efficacy of this technique in stroke survivors, despite the high prevalence of post-stroke memory difficulties. We aimed to investigate whether wakeful rest enhances verbal memory in stroke survivors and healthy controls. METHOD Twenty-four stroke survivors and 24 healthy controls were presented with two short stories; one story was followed by a 10-minute period of wakeful rest and the other was followed by a 10-minute visual interference task. A mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) with pairwise comparisons was used to compare participants' story retention at two time points. RESULTS After 15-30 minutes, stroke survivors (p = .002, d = .73), and healthy controls (p = .001, d = .76) retained more information from the story followed by wakeful rest, compared with the story followed by an interference task. While wakeful rest remained the superior condition in healthy controls after 7 days (p = .01, d = .58), the beneficial effect was not maintained in stroke survivors (p = .35, d = .19). CONCLUSIONS Wakeful rest is a promising technique, which significantly enhanced verbal memory after 15-30 minutes in both groups; however, no significant benefit of wakeful rest was observed after 7 days in stroke survivors. Preliminary findings suggest that wakeful rest enhances early memory consolidation processes by protecting against the effects of interference after learning in stroke survivors.
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12
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Segura IA, McGhee J, Della Sala S, Cowan N, Pompéia S. A reappraisal of acute doses of benzodiazepines as a model of anterograde amnesia. Hum Psychopharmacol 2021; 36:e2774. [PMID: 33368617 DOI: 10.1002/hup.2774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Acute administration of benzodiazepines is considered a pharmacological model of general organic anterograde amnesias (OAA). We sought to determine which type of amnesia these drugs best model by comparing the effects of diazepam with those reported in amnesiacs regarding working memory capacity (WMC), susceptibility to retroactive interference (RI), and accelerated forgetting. METHODS In this double-blind, parallel-group design study, 30 undergraduates were randomly allocated to acute oral treatments with 15 mg diazepam or placebo. WMC and story recall were assessed pre- and post-treatment. Story presentation was succeeded by 10 min of RI (spotting differences in pictures) or minimal RI (doing nothing in a darkened room). Delayed story recall was assessed under diazepam and 7 days later in a drug-free session to assess accelerated forgetting. RESULTS Recall of stories encoded under diazepam, whether reactivated or not, was severely impaired (anterograde amnesia). However, diazepam did not impair WMC, increase susceptibility to RI, or accelerate forgetting. CONCLUSIONS Diazepam's amnestic effects mirror those in patients with probable severe medial temporal damage, mostly restricted to initial consolidation and differ from other OAA (Korsakoff syndrome, frontal, transient epileptic, posttraumatic amnesia, and most progressive amnesias) in terms of WMC, susceptibility to RI and accelerated forgetting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isis Angélica Segura
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jamie McGhee
- Department of Psychology, Human Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples, Italy
| | - Sergio Della Sala
- Department of Psychology, Human Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nelson Cowan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Sabine Pompéia
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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13
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Worth the Wait: Delayed Recall after 1 Week Predicts Cognitive and Medial Temporal Lobe Trajectories in Older Adults. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2021; 27:382-388. [PMID: 33050976 PMCID: PMC8026481 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617720001009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
METHOD Clinically normal older adults (52-92 years old) were followed longitudinally for up to 8 years after completing a memory paradigm at baseline [Story Recall Test (SRT)] that assessed delayed recall at 30 min and 1 week. Subsets of the cohort underwent neuroimaging (N = 134, mean age = 75) and neuropsychological testing (N = 178-207, mean ages = 74-76) at annual study visits occurring approximately 15-18 months apart. Mixed-effects regression models evaluated if baseline SRT performance predicted longitudinal changes in gray matter volumes and cognitive composite scores, controlling for demographics. RESULTS Worse SRT 1-week recall was associated with more precipitous rates of longitudinal decline in medial temporal lobe volumes (p = .037), episodic memory (p = .003), and executive functioning (p = .011), but not occipital lobe or total gray matter volumes (demonstrating neuroanatomical specificity; p > .58). By contrast, SRT 30-min recall was only associated with longitudinal decline in executive functioning (p = .044). CONCLUSIONS Memory paradigms that capture longer-term recall may be particularly sensitive to age-related medial temporal lobe changes and neurodegenerative disease trajectories. (JINS, 2020, xx, xx-xx).
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Wearn AR, Saunders-Jennings E, Nurdal V, Hadley E, Knight MJ, Newson M, Kauppinen RA, Coulthard EJ. Accelerated long-term forgetting in healthy older adults predicts cognitive decline over 1 year. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2020; 12:119. [PMID: 32988418 PMCID: PMC7523317 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-020-00693-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Background Here, we address a pivotal factor in Alzheimer’s prevention—identifying those at risk early, when dementia can still be avoided. Recent research highlights an accelerated forgetting phenotype as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. We hypothesized that delayed recall over 4 weeks would predict cognitive decline over 1 year better than 30-min delayed recall, the current gold standard for detecting episodic memory problems which could be an early clinical manifestation of incipient Alzheimer’s disease. We also expected hippocampal subfield volumes to improve predictive accuracy. Methods Forty-six cognitively healthy older people (mean age 70.7 ± 7.97, 21/46 female), recruited from databases such as Join Dementia Research, or a local database of volunteers, performed 3 memory tasks on which delayed recall was tested after 30 min and 4 weeks, as well as Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) and CANTAB Paired Associates Learning. Medial temporal lobe subregion volumes were automatically measured using high-resolution 3T MRI. The ACE-III was repeated after 12 months to assess the change in cognitive ability. We used univariate linear regressions and ROC curves to assess the ability of tests of delayed recall to predict cognitive decline on ACE-III over the 12 months. Results Fifteen of the 46 participants declined over the year (≥ 3 points lost on ACE-III). Four-week verbal memory predicted cognitive decline in healthy older people better than clinical gold standard memory tests and hippocampal MRI. The best single-test predictor of cognitive decline was the 4-week delayed recall on the world list (R2 = .123, p = .018, β = .418). Combined with hippocampal subfield volumetry, 4-week verbal recall identifies those at risk of cognitive decline with 93% sensitivity and 86% specificity (AUC = .918, p < .0001). Conclusions We show that a test of accelerated long-term forgetting over 4 weeks can predict cognitive decline in healthy older people where traditional tests of delayed recall cannot. Accelerated long-term forgetting is a sensitive, easy-to-test predictor of cognitive decline in healthy older people. Used alone or with hippocampal MRI, accelerated forgetting probes functionally relevant Alzheimer’s-related change. Accelerated forgetting will identify early-stage impairment, helping to target more invasive and expensive molecular biomarker testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfie R Wearn
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
| | | | - Volkan Nurdal
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Emma Hadley
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Michael J Knight
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Margaret Newson
- Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.,School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Elizabeth J Coulthard
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK
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Chudoba LA, Schmitter-Edgecombe M. Insight into memory and functional abilities in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2020; 42:822-833. [PMID: 32957853 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2020.1817338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Accurate insight into one's abilities facilitates engagement in rehabilitation and implementation of compensatory strategies. In this study, self-awareness, self-monitoring, and a new self-updating construct of insight were examined in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). METHOD Individuals with aMCI and healthy older adults (HOAs) completed a list-learning task in a laboratory setting, and a naturalistic task of everyday functioning in a campus apartment along with other standardized neuropsychological tests. Participants made predictions about performance on the memory and functional tasks prior to task experience (self-awareness), immediately after task experience (self-monitoring), and after a delay (self-updating). RESULTS Individuals with aMCI performed more poorly than HOAs on the memory task and other neuropsychological tests but not the functional task. For both the memory and functional task, performance predictions and prediction accuracy measures revealed that the aMCI group exhibited intact self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-updating. Prediction accuracy measures showed some association with an executive composite but not a memory composite. DISCUSSION Participants with aMCI demonstrated intact self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-updating for a memory and functional task despite exhibiting poorer performance on neurocognitive tests compared to HOAs. These findings suggest that, even as memory in aMCI degrades, executive abilities may help sustain insight into difficulties, enabling adoption of cognitive strategies to support difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Chudoba
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University , Pullman, Washington, USA
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16
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Stamate A, Logie RH, Baddeley AD, Della Sala S. Forgetting in Alzheimer's disease: Is it fast? Is it affected by repeated retrieval? Neuropsychologia 2020; 138:107351. [PMID: 31978403 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Whether people with Alzheimer's Disease present with accelerated long term forgetting compared to healthy controls is still debated. Typically, accelerated long term forgetting implies testing the same participants repeatedly over several delays. This testing method raises the issue of confounding repetition effects with forgetting rates. We used a novel procedure to disentangle the two effects. METHODS Four short stories were presented during an initial in-person assessment of 40 patients with Alzheimer's Disease and 42 age-matched healthy controls. Our aim was for participants to reach a score of 70% correct (9 out of 13 questions) at encoding. If this criterion was not achieved after the first trial, the four stories were presented again (in a different order); participants took the 1 min filler task again and were then retested. We repeated this process until participants reached the 70% criterion or to a maximum of four trials. Cued recall memory tests were completed during follow-up telephone call(s) at different delay intervals. Study material was presented only at encoding, then probed with different question sets on all other delays. Each question set tested different sub-parts of the material. The experiment employed a mixed design. Participants were randomly allocated to either a condition without retrieval practice or a condition with retrieval practice. Participants in the condition without retrieval practice were only tested at two delays: post encoding filled delay and at one month. Participants in the condition with retrieval practice were tested at four delays: post encoding filled delay, one day, one week and one month. Our methodological design allowed us to separate the effects of retesting from the effects of delay. RESULTS Alzheimer's Disease patients showed a significant encoding deficit reflected in the higher number of trials required to reach criterion. Using Linear Mixed Models, we found no group by delay interactions between the post encoding filled delay retrieval and one month delays, with Alzheimer's Disease groups having a similar decline in performance to healthy controls, irrespective of testing condition. Significant condition by delay interactions were found for both groups (Alzheimer's Disease and healthy controls), with better performance at one month in the condition with retrieval practice. CONCLUSIONS Our data showed that Alzheimer's Disease is not characterised by accelerated long term forgetting, patients in our sample forgot at the same rate as healthy controls. Given the additional trials required by Alzheimer's patients to reach the 70% correct criterion, their memory impairment appears to be one of encoding. Moreover, Alzheimer's Disease patients benefited from repeated testing to the same extent as healthy controls. Due to our methodological design, we were also able to show that performance improved under repeated testing conditions, even with partial testing (sampling different features from each narrative on every test session/delay) in both healthy controls and Alzheimer's Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Stamate
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology Department, University of Edinburgh, UK; University Suor Orsola Benincasa, Naples, Italy.
| | - Robert H Logie
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology Department, University of Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alan D Baddeley
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, UK
| | - Sergio Della Sala
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology Department, University of Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, UK
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17
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Lancaster C, Koychev I, Blane J, Chinner A, Chatham C, Taylor K, Hinds C. Gallery Game: Smartphone-based assessment of long-term memory in adults at risk of Alzheimer's disease. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2020; 42:329-343. [PMID: 31973659 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2020.1714551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Gallery Game, deployed within the Mezurio smartphone app, targets the processes of episodic memory hypothesized to be first vulnerable to neurofibrillary tau-related degeneration in Alzheimer's Disease, prioritizing both perirhinal and entorhinal cortex/hippocampal demands.Methods: Thirty-five healthy adults (aged 40-59 years), biased toward those at elevated familial risk of dementia, completed daily Gallery Game tasks for a month. Assessments consisted of cross-modal paired-associate learning, with subsequent tests of recognition and free recall following delays ranging from one to 13 days.Results: Retention intervals of at least three days were needed to evidence significant forgetting at both recognition and paired-associate recall test. The association between Gallery Game outcomes and established in-clinic memory assessments were small but numerically in the anticipated direction. In addition, there was preliminary support for utilizing the perirhinal-dependent pattern of semantic false alarms during object recognition as a marker of early impairment.Conclusions: These results support the need for tests of longer-term memory to sensitively record behavioral differences in adults with no diagnosis of cognitive impairment. Aggregate behavioral outcomes promote Gallery Game's utility as a digital assessment of episodic memory, aligning with established theoretical models of object memory and showing small yet uniform associations with existing in-clinic tests. Initial support for the discriminatory value of perirhinal-targeted outcomes justifies ongoing large-sample validation against traditional biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivan Koychev
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jasmine Blane
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Amy Chinner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Kirsten Taylor
- Roche Innovation Centre, F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland.,Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Chris Hinds
- Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
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18
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Abstract
Research into the effects of cognitive aging on route navigation usually focuses on differences in learning performance. In contrast, we investigated age-related differences in route knowledge after successful route learning. One young and two groups of older adults categorized using different cut-off scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), were trained until they could correctly recall short routes. During the test phase, they were asked to recall the sequence in which landmarks were encountered (Landmark Sequence Task), the sequence of turns (Direction Sequence Task), the direction of turn at each landmark (Landmark Direction Task), and to identify the learned routes from a map perspective (Perspective Taking Task). Comparing the young participant group with the older group that scored high on the MoCA, we found effects of typical aging in learning performance and in the Direction Sequence Task. Comparing the two older groups, we found effects of early signs of atypical aging in the Landmark Direction and the Perspective Taking Tasks. We found no differences between groups in the Landmark Sequence Task. Given that participants were able to recall routes after training, these results suggest that typical and early signs of atypical aging result in differential memory deficits for aspects of route knowledge.
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Grayson-Collins J, Gascoigne MB, Barton B, Webster R, Gill D, Lah S. Longitudinal study of accelerated long-term forgetting in children with genetic generalized epilepsy: Evidence of ongoing deficits. Cortex 2019; 110:5-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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20
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Atherton KE, Filippini N, Zeman AZJ, Nobre AC, Butler CR. Encoding-related brain activity and accelerated forgetting in transient epileptic amnesia. Cortex 2018; 110:127-140. [PMID: 29861041 PMCID: PMC6335262 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The accelerated forgetting of newly learned information is common amongst patients with epilepsy and, in particular, in the syndrome of transient epileptic amnesia (TEA). However, the neural mechanisms underlying accelerated forgetting are poorly understood. It has been hypothesised that interictal epileptiform activity during longer retention intervals disrupts normally established memory traces. Here, we tested a distinct hypothesis-that accelerated forgetting relates to the abnormal encoding of memories. We studied a group of 15 patients with TEA together with matched, healthy control subjects. Despite normal performance on standard anterograde memory tasks, patients showed accelerated forgetting of a word list over one week. We used a subsequent memory paradigm to compare encoding-related brain activity in patients and controls. Participants studied a series of visually presented scenes whilst undergoing functional MRI scanning. Recognition memory for these scenes was then probed outside the scanner after delays of 45 min and of 4 days. Patients showed poorer memory for the scenes compared with controls. In the patients but not the controls, subsequently forgotten stimuli were associated with reduced hippocampal activation at encoding. Furthermore, patients demonstrated reduced deactivation of posteromedial cortex regions upon viewing subsequently remembered stimuli as compared to subsequently forgotten ones. These data suggest that abnormal encoding-related activity in key memory areas of the brain contributes to accelerated forgetting in TEA. We propose that abnormally encoded memory traces may be particularly vulnerable to interference from subsequently encountered material and hence be forgotten more rapidly. Our results shed light on the mechanisms underlying memory impairment in epilepsy, and offer support to the proposal that accelerated forgetting may be a useful marker of subtle dysfunction in memory-related brain systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Atherton
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology and Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicola Filippini
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Adam Z J Zeman
- Cognitive & Behavioural Neurology, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology and Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christopher R Butler
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
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21
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The evolution of accelerated long-term forgetting: Evidence from the TIME study. Cortex 2017; 110:16-36. [PMID: 29122206 PMCID: PMC6330058 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) occurs when newly learned information decays faster than normal over extended delays. It has been recognised most frequently in temporal lobe epilepsy, including Transient Epileptic Amnesia (TEA), but can also be drug-induced. Little is known about the evolution of ALF over time and its impacts upon other memory functions, such as autobiographical memory (ABM). Here we investigate the long-term outcome of ALF and ABM in a group of patients with TEA and a single case of baclofen-induced ALF. METHODS Study 1 involved a longitudinal follow-up of 14 patients with TEA over a 10-year period. Patients repeated a neuropsychological battery, three ALF measures (with free recall probed at 30-min and 1-week), and a modified Autobiographical Memory Interview (MAMI). Performance was compared with a group of healthy age-matched controls. In Study 2, patient CS, who previously experienced baclofen-induced ALF, was followed over 4 years, and re-tested now, 18 months after ceasing baclofen. CS repeated a neuropsychological battery, three ALF experimental tasks (each probed after 30 min and 1 week), and a modified autobiographical interview (AI). Her performance was compared with healthy age-matched controls. RESULTS On ALF measures, the TEA group performed significantly below controls, but when analysed individually, 4 of the 7 patients who originally showed ALF no longer did so. In two, this was accompanied by improvements in ABM for recent but not remote memory. Patient CS no longer demonstrated ALF on standard lab-based tests and now appeared to retain new episodic autobiographical events with a similar degree of episodic richness as controls. CONCLUSION Long-term follow up suggests that ALF can resolve, with improvements translating to recent ABM in some cases.
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22
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Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that age-related declines in memory may reflect a failure in pattern separation, a process that is believed to reduce the encoding overlap between similar stimulus representations during memory encoding. Indeed, behavioural pattern separation may be indexed by a visual continuous recognition task in which items are presented in sequence and observers report for each whether it is novel, previously viewed (old), or whether it shares features with a previously viewed item (similar). In comparison to young adults, older adults show a decreased pattern separation when the number of items between "old" and "similar" items is increased. Yet the mechanisms of forgetting underpinning this type of recognition task are yet to be explored in a cognitively homogenous group, with careful control over the parameters of the task, including elapsing time (a critical variable in models of forgetting). By extending the inter-item intervals, number of intervening items and overall decay interval, we observed in a young adult sample (N = 35, Mage = 19.56 years) that the critical factor governing performance was inter-item interval. We argue that tasks using behavioural continuous recognition to index pattern separation in immediate memory will benefit from generous inter-item spacing, offering protection from inter-item interference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy V Smith
- a School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds , UK
| | - Denis McKeown
- a School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds , UK
| | - David Bunce
- a School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds , UK
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23
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Saloner R, Casaletto KB, Marx G, Dutt S, Vanden Bussche AB, You M, Fox E, Stiver J, Kramer JH. Performance on a 1-week delayed recall task is associated with medial temporal lobe structures in neurologically normal older adults. Clin Neuropsychol 2017; 32:456-467. [PMID: 28856963 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2017.1370134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Traditional episodic memory tests employ a delayed recall length ranging from 10 to 30 min. The neurobiological process of memory consolidation extends well beyond these time intervals, however, raising the possibility that these tests might not be fully sensitive to the subtle neurocognitive changes found in early disease or age-related decline. We aimed to determine the sensitivity of a 1-week delayed recall paradigm to medial temporal lobe (MTL) structure among neurologically normal older adults. METHODS One hundred and forty functionally intact, older adults (mean age = 75.8) completed a story recall test in which participants learned to 90% criterion. Recall was tested after 30-min and 1-week. Participants also completed a standardized list learning task with a 20-min delay (n = 129) and a structural brain MRI. The MTL, including the parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, and entorhinal, was our primary region of interest. RESULTS Controlling for age, education, gender and total intracranial volume, the standard 20- and 30-min recalls showed no significant relationship with MTL. In contrast, 1-week recall was uniquely associated with MTL structure (partial r = .24, p = .006), specifically entorhinal (partial r = .27; p = .001) and hippocampal (partial r = .21, p = .02) volumes. CONCLUSION Memory paradigms that utilize 1-week delays are more sensitive than standard paradigms to MTL volumes in neurologically normal older adults. Longer delay periods may improve detection of memory consolidation abilities associated with age-related, and potentially pathological, neurobehavioral change.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Saloner
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - K B Casaletto
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - G Marx
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - S Dutt
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - A B Vanden Bussche
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - M You
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - E Fox
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - J Stiver
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - J H Kramer
- a Department of Neurology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,b Memory and Aging Center , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA
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van der Werf SP, Geurts S, de Werd MME. Subjective Memory Ability and Long-Term Forgetting in Patients Referred for Neuropsychological Assessment. Front Psychol 2016; 7:605. [PMID: 27199838 PMCID: PMC4852420 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that the memory complaints of patients who are not impaired on formal memory tests may reflect accelerated forgetting. We examined this hypothesis by comparing the 1-week delayed recall and recognition test performance of outpatients who were referred for neuropsychological assessment and who had normal memory performance during standard memory assessment with that of a non-patient control group. Both groups performed equally in verbal learning and delayed recall. However, after 1 week, the patients performed worse than controls on both recall and recognition tests. Although subjective memory ability predicted short-term memory function in patients, it did not predict long-term delayed forgetting rates in either the patients or controls. Thus, long-term delayed recall and recognition intervals provided no additional value to explain poor subjective memory ability in the absence of objective memory deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sieberen P van der Werf
- Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, OLVGAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sofie Geurts
- Department of Medical Psychology, Canisius Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Maartje M E de Werd
- Radboud Expert Centre for Psychology and Medicine, Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Vallet GT, Rouleau I, Benoit S, Langlois R, Barbeau EJ, Joubert S. Alzheimer’s disease and memory strength: Gradual decline of memory traces as a function of their strength. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2016; 38:648-60. [DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2016.1147530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Possin KL, Sanchez PE, Anderson-Bergman C, Fernandez R, Kerchner GA, Johnson ET, Davis A, Lo I, Bott NT, Kiely T, Fenesy MC, Miller BL, Kramer JH, Finkbeiner S. Cross-species translation of the Morris maze for Alzheimer's disease. J Clin Invest 2016; 126:779-83. [PMID: 26784542 DOI: 10.1172/jci78464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Analogous behavioral assays are needed across animal models and human patients to improve translational research. Here, we examined the extent to which performance in the Morris water maze - the most frequently used behavioral assay of spatial learning and memory in rodents - translates to humans. We designed a virtual version of the assay for human subjects that includes the visible-target training, hidden-target learning, and probe trials that are typically administered in the mouse version. We compared transgenic mice that express human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) and patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD) to evaluate the sensitivity of performance measures in detecting deficits. Patients performed normally during visible-target training, while hAPP mice showed procedural learning deficits. In hidden-target learning and probe trials, hAPP mice and MCI-AD patients showed similar deficits in learning and remembering the target location. In addition, we have provided recommendations for selecting performance measures and sample sizes to make these assays sensitive to learning and memory deficits in humans with MCI-AD and in mouse models. Together, our results demonstrate that with careful study design and analysis, the Morris maze is a sensitive assay for detecting AD-relevant impairments across species.
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Geurts S, van der Werf SP, Kessels RPC. Accelerated forgetting? An evaluation on the use of long-term forgetting rates in patients with memory problems. Front Psychol 2015; 6:752. [PMID: 26106343 PMCID: PMC4460323 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The main focus of this review was to evaluate whether long-term forgetting rates (delayed tests, days, to weeks, after initial learning) are more sensitive measures than standard delayed recall measures to detect memory problems in various patient groups. It has been suggested that accelerated forgetting might be characteristic for epilepsy patients, but little research has been performed in other populations. Here, we identified eleven studies in a wide range of brain injured patient groups, whose long-term forgetting patterns were compared to those of healthy controls. Signs of accelerated forgetting were found in three studies. The results of eight studies showed normal forgetting over time for the patient groups. However, most of the studies used only a recognition procedure, after optimizing initial learning. Based on these results, we recommend the use of a combined recall and recognition procedure to examine accelerated forgetting and we discuss the relevance of standard and optimized learning procedures in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Geurts
- Department of Medical Psychology, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Sieberen P van der Werf
- Department of Psychology, Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Roy P C Kessels
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Centre of Excellence for Korsakoff and Alchohol-Related Cognitive Disorders, Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry Venray, Netherlands
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