Xu, Q., Zhang, J., Grandjean, J. et al. Neural correlates of retrieval-based enhancement of autobiographical memory in older adults. Sci Rep 10, 1447 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58076-6
Abstract:
Lifelog photo review is considered to enhance the recall of personal events. While a sizable body
of research has explored the neural basis of autobiographical memory (AM), there is limited neural
evidence on the retrieval-based enhancement effect on event memory among older adults in the realworld
environment. This study examined the neural processes of AM as was modulated by retrieval
practice through lifelog photo review in older adults. In the experiment, blood-oxygen-level dependent
response during subjects’ recall of recent events was recorded, where events were cued by photos that
may or may not have been exposed to a priori retrieval practice (training). Subjects remembered more
episodic details under the trained relative to non-trained condition. Importantly, the neural correlates
of AM was exhibited by (1) dissociable cortical areas related to recollection and familiarity, and (2) a
positive correlation between the amount of recollected episodic details and cortical activation within
several lateral temporal and parietal regions. Further analysis of the brain activation pattern at a few
regions of interest within the core remember network showed a training_condition × event_detail
interaction effect, suggesting that the boosting effect of retrieval practice depended on the level of
recollected event details.
License type:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Funding Info:
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) JCO VIP Project - Reverse-Engineering Visual Intelligence for Cognitive Enhancement (REVIVE) (Project # 1335h0009) and AME Programmatic Funding Scheme (Project #A18A2b0046)