The Pattern of Mu Rhythm Modulation During Emotional Destination Memory: Comparison Between Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients and Healthy Controls

Destination memory disorders: At the junction between memory and socioaffective processing

The junction between memory dysfunction and socioaffective dysfunction is a complex area as research has typically been interested in one dysfunction rather than in the other. However, this junction can be studied under the lens of destination memory. Destination memory (i.e. the ability to remember to whom a piece of information was previously transmitted) is unique in that it draws on both memory and socioaffective processes. Research has demonstrated how destination memory is prone to distortions in neurological/psychiatric disorders. This paper aims to provide a focused review on the interplay between memory and socioaffective processes in the deterioration of destination memory within these disorders. It shows how both episodic memory and socioaffective dysfunction can jointly contribute to the decline in destination memory, although the contribution of each of the two factors may vary depending on the disorder.

Memory in Social Interactions: The Effects of Introspection on Destination Memory in Traumatic Brain Injury

Destination memory, which is the ability to remember to whom one has sent information, is intimately associated with social cognition. We assessed whether processing attributes of destinations would improve destination memory in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this cross-sectional study, we tested the destination memory of 24 patients with TBI and 25 control participants in two conditions. On the first one (control condition), we invited participants to tell proverbs to celebrities' faces in order to decide, on a subsequent recognition test, whether they previously told that proverb to that celebrity or not. On the second condition (experimental introspection condition), the same procedures were repeated. However, after telling the proverbs, we invited participants to introspect about what the destination might believe about the proverbs (e.g., "What do you think that the celebrities would think about the proverbs?"). Group comparisons demonstrated better destination memory after the introspection than when no introspection was implemented in control participants, but there were no significant differences between the two conditions in patients with TBI. However, analyses of individual profiles demonstrated that more than half (n = 13) of the patients with TBI demonstrated better destination memory after introspection. While these results demonstrate a beneficial effect of introspection on destination memory for some cases of patients with TBI, more research is needed to reveal how introspection may influence patients' memory in social interactions.

Destination memory: Memory associated with social interactions

Within the field of memory research, studies on destination memory (e.g., the ability to remember to whom information was previously told) show how it is closely associated with social cognition. The present review thus summarizes the literature on destination memory and demonstrates how it involves social interaction. It offers a comprehensive picture of the many factors that may influence destination memory and distinguishes factors related to the recipient (e.g., familiarity, emotional states, and distinctiveness/attractiveness) and sender of information (e.g., the sender's extroversion) in social communications. It suggests that destination memory involves the ability of the sender to infer the cognitive/affective state of the recipient and to attribute the output message to a recipient-related stereotype. Extrovert senders may also easily remember the destination as they typically value social communication, public sharing and processing of social information. Destination memory also involves features such as familiarity, age, emotional state, distinctiveness, and attractiveness of the recipient. By offering a comprehensive framework of how destination memory functions in everyday life interactions, the present review shows how destination memory is intimately associated with communicative efficacy and social interactions.

Memory Clinics and Day Care Centers in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece: 30 Years of Clinical Practice and Experience

Background: This review describes the diagnostic and interventional procedures conducted in two university memory clinics (established network of G. Papanikolaou Hospital: 1988–2017 and AHEPA hospital: 2017–today) and 2 day care centers (established network of DCCs: 2005–today) in North Greece and their contribution in the scientific field of dementia. The aims of this work are (1) to provide a diagnosis and treatment protocol established in the network of memory clinics and DCCs and (2) to present further research conducted in the aforementioned network during the last 30 years of clinical practice.

Methods: The guidelines to set a protocol demand a series of actions as follows: (1) set the diagnosis criteria, neuropsychological assessment, laboratory examinations, and examination of neurophysiological, neuroimaging, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and genetic markers; and (2) apply non-pharmacological interventions according to the needs and specialized psychosocial interventions of the patient to the caregivers of the patient.

Results: In addition to the guidelines followed in memory clinics at the 1st and 3rd Department of Neurology and two DCCs, a database of patients, educational programs, and further participation in international research programs, including clinical trials, make our contribution in the dementia field strong.

Conclusion: In the current paper, we provide useful guidelines on how major and minor neurocognitive disorders are being treated in Thessaloniki, Greece, describing successful practices which have been adapted in the last 30 years.

Age-related Differences in Mu rhythm during Emotional Destination Memory

BACKGROUND

Destination memory, defined as the ability to remember to whom we addressed a piece of information, is found to be impaired in normal aging. Theories on development of affect and research findings have shown that emotional charge improves performance in memory tasks, and also that Mu rhythm is desynchronized as an index of mirror neuron activation during such tasks.

OBJECTIVE

In this paper, we sought to investigate the differences in Mu rhythm during an emotional destination memory task between younger and older adults.

METHODS

16 cognitively normal older adults, recruited from Alzheimer's disease day center and 16 young adults, recruited via advertisements, participated in this experimental study. We investigated the destination memory of emotionally charged faces (Emotional Destination Memory, EDM) while applying electroencephalograph (EEG) in real-time in young versus older adults. We measured Mu rhythm in frontal, fronto-temporal and central areas. EEG data has been pre-processed, segmented in non-overlapping epochs, and independent component analysis (ICA) has been conducted to reject artifacts.

RESULTS

Results showed that young adults performed better than older adults in remembering facts associated with angry faces. Also, a difference in neurophysiological activation was found, with older adults showing Mu suppression in frontal and fronto-temporal regions, specifically in F3, F7 and F8 electrodes, in contrast with young adults who showed Mu enhancement. With regard to the within-group differences, it was found that in the older adults group, electrodes F8 and central C3 were the most activated, while in the young adults group, C3 was the most activated electrode.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest better behavioral performance of young adults as a result of a better cognitive state and adaptive bias. On a neurophysiological level, it is suggested that older adults employ Mu suppression, thus activation of mirror neurons is a possible compensatory mechanism while mirroring properties are not spontaneously activated in young adults.

A Comparison of Traditional and Serious Game-Based Digital Markers of Cognition in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Healthy Controls

Background:

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been used to assess brain activity while users are playing an immersive serious game.

Objective:

To assess differences in brain activation as measured with a non-intrusive wearable EEG device, differences in game performance and correlations between EEG power, game performance and global cognition, between cognitively impaired and non-impaired older adults, during the administration of a novel self-administered serious game-based test, the Virtual Supermarket Test (VST).

Methods:

43 older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and 33 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were recruited from day centers for cognitive disorders. Global cognition was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Brain activity was measured with a non-intrusive wearable EEG device in a resting state condition and while they were administered the VST.

Results:

During resting state condition, the MCI group showed increased alpha, beta, delta, and theta band power compared to the SCD group. During the administration of the VST, the MCI group showed increased beta and theta band power compared to the SCD group. Regarding game performance, alpha, beta, delta, and theta rhythms were positively correlated with average duration, while delta rhythm was positively correlated with mean errors. MoCA correlated with alpha, beta, delta, and theta rhythms and with average game duration and mean game errors indicating that elevated EEG rhythms in MCI may be associated with an overall cognitive decline.

Conclusion:

VST performance can be used as a digital biomarker. Cheap commercially available wearable EEG devices can be used for obtaining brain activity biomarkers.