Age-related individual variability in memory performance is associated with amygdala-hippocampal circuit function and emotional pattern separation.

ABSTRACT: While aging is generally associated with episodic memory decline, not all older adults exhibit memory loss. Furthermore, emotional memories are not subject to the same extent of forgetting and appear preserved in aging. We conducted high-resolution fMRI during a task involving pattern separation of emotional information in older adults with and without age-related memory impairment (characterized by performance on a word-list learning task: low performers: LP vs. high performers: HP). We found signals consistent with emotional pattern separation in hippocampal dentate (DG)/CA3 in HP but not in LP individuals, suggesting a deficit in emotional pattern separation. During false recognition, we found increased DG/CA3 activity in LP individuals, suggesting that hyperactivity may be associated w

SUBMITTER: Leal SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5909956 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature