Prefrontal Working Memory Activity Predicts Episodic Memory Performance: A Neuroimaging Study.

Prefrontal Working Memory Activity Predicts Episodic Memory Performance: A Neuroimaging Study. Behav Brain Res. 2019 Oct 30;:112307 Authors: Melrose RJ, Zahniser E, Wilkins SS, Veliz J, Hasratian AS, Sultzer DL, Jimenez AM Abstract Working memory (WM) and long term memory (LTM) are different neuropsychological processes, although distinction between these domains is an area of debate. LTM is thought to rely on hippocampal circuitry. Cognitive neuroscience models imply that WM processing may at least partially support LTM within regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We sought to determine the association between PFC based WM processing and LTM in the visuospatial domain. In contrast to prior work, we aimed to query if WM was involved in learning and free recall trials as measured by standard neuropsychological tests of LTM. Forty-three older adults (24 with a diagnosis of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and 19 elderly controls) were included in the analysis. Patients completed a fMRI task of visuospatial maintenance WM in which they were required to match a previously studied complex shape with one of two probes. Extent of activity in the right PFC during the WM task was tabulated for each patient. Hippocampal volume was quantified from T1 scans. On a separate day patients completed neuropsychological testing, including the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test- Revised (BVMT-R), which includes learning trials (total recall), delayed fr...
Source: Behavioural Brain Research - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Behav Brain Res Source Type: research