Age-Related Effects in Working Memory Recognition Modulated by Retroactive Interference

作者：Solesio Jofre Elena^*; Lorenzo Lopez Laura; Gutierrez Ricardo; Maria Lopez Frutos Jose; Maria Ruiz Vargas Jose; Maestu Fernando

来源：Journals of Gerontology Series A-Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 2012, 67(6): 565-572.

DOI：10.1093/gerona/glr199

• Aging
• Inhibitory mechanisms
• Magnetoencephalography
• Retroactive interference
• Working memory

One of the main causes for age-related declines in working memory is a higher vulnerability to retroactive interference due to a reduced ability to suppress irrelevant information. However, the underlying neural correlates remain to be established. Magnetoencephalography was used to investigate differential neural patterns in young and older adults performing an interference-based memory task with two experimental conditions, interrupting and distracting, during successful recognition. Behaviorally, both types of retroactive interference significantly impaired accuracy at recognition more in older adults than in young adults with the latter exhibiting greater disruptions by interrupters. Magnetoencephalography revealed the presence of differential age-related neural patterns. Specifically, time-modulated activations in temporo-occipital and superior parietal regions were higher in young adults compared with older adults for the interrupting condition. These results suggest that age-related deficits in inhibitory mechanisms that increase vulnerability to retroactive interference may be associated with neural under-recruitments in a high-interference task.

• 出版日期2012-6