Reduced memory precision in older age is associated with functional and structural differences in the angular gyrus

Neurobiology of Aging, vol. 129, pp. 109–120

Abstract

Decreased fidelity of mnemonic representations plays a critical role in age-related episodic memory deficits, yet the brain mechanisms underlying such reductions remain unclear. Using functional and structural neuroimaging, we examined how changes in two key nodes of the posterior-medial network, the hippocampus and the angular gyrus (AG), might underpin loss of memory precision in older age. Healthy young and older adults completed a memory task that involved reconstructing object features on a continuous scale. Investigation of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activity during retrieval revealed an age-related reduction in activity reflecting successful recovery of object features in the hippocampus, whereas trial-wise modulation of BOLD signal by graded memory precision was diminished in the AG. Gray matter volume of the AG further predicted individual differences in memory precision in older age, beyond likelihood of successful retrieval. These findings provide converging evidence for a role of functional and structural integrity of the AG in constraining the fidelity of episodic remembering in older age, yielding new insights into parietal contributions to age-related episodic memory decline.

Authors 4

1. Saana M. Korkki corresponding

   Stockholm University · University of Cambridge · Karolinska Institutet

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden. Electronic address: saana.korkki@ki.se

   Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden

   Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

2. Franziska R. Richter Aachen Cognitive Psychology Unit Institute of Psychology, Leiden University

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

3. Helena Marie Gellersen

   University of Cambridge

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

4. Jon S. Simons corresponding

   University of Cambridge

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: jss30@cam.ac.uk

   Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK