Age-related Alterations in the Oscillatory Dynamics Serving Verbal Working Memory
01-02-2024“[...] we discuss the implications of these novel findings on our understanding of how healthy aging affects verbal working memory processing.”
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BUFFALO, NY- January 2, 2024 – A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 24, entitled, “Age-related alterations in the oscillatory dynamics serving verbal working memory processing.”
Working memory (WM) is a foundational cognitive function involving the temporary storage of information. Unfortunately, WM is also one of the most sensitive cognitive functions to the detrimental effects of aging. Expanding the field’s understanding of age-related WM changes is critical to advancing the development of strategies to mitigate age-related WM declines.
In this new study, researchers Seth D. Springer, Hannah J. Okelberry, Madelyn P. Willett, Hallie J. Johnson, Chloe E. Meehan, Mikki Schantell, Christine M. Embury, Maggie P. Rempe, and Tony W. Wilson from Boys Town National Research Hospital, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Washington University School of Medicine, and Creighton University investigated the neural mechanisms serving WM function in seventy-eight healthy aging adults (range: 20.2–65.2 years) using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and a Sternberg WM task with letter stimuli.
“We hypothesized that older adults would require stronger engagement of key left hemispheric frontal and parieto-occipital WM hubs. Additionally, we expected that prefrontal activity lateralization (i.e., stronger left hemispheric activity) during WM performance would diminish as a function of age, with older individuals tending to utilize a more bilaterally distributed WM network.”
Neural activity during the different phases of the WM task (i.e., encoding, maintenance, and retrieval) were imaged using a time-frequency resolved beamformer and whole-brain statistics were performed. The researchers found stronger increases in theta activity and stronger decreases in alpha and beta activity (i.e., more negative relative to baseline) as a function of healthy aging. Specifically, age-related increases in theta activity were detected during the encoding period in the primary visual and left prefrontal cortices. Additionally, alpha and beta oscillations were stronger (i.e., more negative) during both encoding and maintenance in the left prefrontal cortex in older individuals. Finally, alpha and beta oscillations during the retrieval phase were stronger (i.e., more negative) in older participants within the prefrontal, parietal, and temporal cortices.
“Together, these results indicate that healthy aging strongly modulates the neural oscillatory dynamics serving WM function.”
Read the full study: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205403
Corresponding Author: Tony W. Wilson - tony.wilson@boystown.org
Keywords: oscillation, magnetoencephalography, MEG, theta, alpha, aging
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About Aging-US:
Aging publishes research papers in all fields of aging research including but not limited, aging from yeast to mammals, cellular senescence, age-related diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s diseases and their prevention and treatment, anti-aging strategies and drug development and especially the role of signal transduction pathways such as mTOR in aging and potential approaches to modulate these signaling pathways to extend lifespan. The journal aims to promote treatment of age-related diseases by slowing down aging, validation of anti-aging drugs by treating age-related diseases, prevention of cancer by inhibiting aging. Cancer and COVID-19 are age-related diseases.
Aging is indexed by PubMed/Medline (abbreviated as “Aging (Albany NY)”), PubMed Central, Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (abbreviated as “Aging‐US” and listed in the Cell Biology and Geriatrics & Gerontology categories), Scopus (abbreviated as “Aging” and listed in the Cell Biology and Aging categories), Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).
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