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Abstract:
Abstract: Neuropsychological studies of retrograde amnesia
suggest that remote memories are more resistant to disruption than
recently acquired memories. Current models interpret these findings
as evidence for a memory consolidation process, wherein medial
temporal lobe structures play a diminishing role in recollection
over time. We examined the role of the medial temporal lobe in the
recollection of recent and remote memories using the famous faces
test, a standard test of remote memory abilities, while fMRI scans
were collected. Eight healthy older adults (mean age = 62.8) were
shown black and white photographs of people who became famous
during the decades spanning the 1940s to the 1990s. In the MR
scanner, participants were instructed to indicate if they were able
to recall the person's name. Subsequent behavioral testing showed
that recall scores were similar across decades with mean recall
performance of 46.7% and mean recognition performance of 87.6%.
Preliminary fMRI findings from four of eight participants showed
greater activation within the medial temporal lobe region,
including the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, during recall of
faces from the 80s and 90s (recent memory) compared to recall of
faces from the 40s and 50s (remote memory). These preliminary
findings are consistent with the hypothesis of a decreasing role of
the medial temporal lobe as the function of the age of a
memory.
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