MEMORY IN ALCOHOLISM--PROCESSES AND BRAIN SYSTEMS

启动是内隐记忆的一种形式，指的是 仅仅是对物品的处理就可以促进该物品的后续处理 一样的东西。启动效应可以在没有意识的情况下发生 对先前研究插曲的回忆，因此，它是 提示启动和外显记忆通过不同的中介机制 记忆系统。记忆障碍患者的证据对 这一假设，因为如果有可能将 外显记忆和启动对大脑不同区域的损害 会强化独立记忆系统假说。然而， 评估引爆效果有许多困难。 记忆受损的受试者。启动措施可能不那么敏感 而不是外显记忆测量，以及缺乏群体差异 启动措施可能只是反映了低的测量灵敏度。这个 在特定任务中获得的启动程度与加工有关 效率(即基准性能)，但处理效率较低 从而产生更大的引爆力。因此，如果患者即使有轻微的 处理缺陷这可能掩盖了启动障碍。建议数 Project将在正常受试者和酗酒者中调查这些问题 患者有不同程度的记忆和处理缺陷。这个 项目由一系列实验组成，旨在操纵 启动措施的基线绩效水平和敏感性。在……里面 所有的实验测量了启动、加工效率和 将获得显性记忆。受试者将是正常对照 和慢性酒精中毒患者，他们的严重程度不同 外显记忆缺陷，从没有记忆障碍的非健忘症患者 “边缘Korsakoff”患者的明显记忆障碍 只有轻微的记忆障碍到严重的健忘症患者 科萨科夫综合征。特定脑组织体积损失的测量 结构将从核磁共振成像中获得。这些大脑测量将是 与行为指数相关，使用多元回归方法， 确定每个大脑区域在知觉/词汇中的具体作用 加工、外显记忆和启动强度。

Priming is a form of implicit memory, and refers to the fact that the mere processing of an item can facilitate subsequent processing of that same item. Priming effects can occur in the absence of conscious recollection of the prior study episode, and it has, therefore, been suggested that priming and explicit memory are mediated by different memory systems. Evidence from memory disordered patients is critical for this hypothesis, since if it is possible to link the breakdown of explicit memory and priming to damage to different brain regions this would strengthen the independent memory systems hypothesis. However, many difficulties are associated with evaluating priming effects in memory impaired subjects. The priming measures may be less sensitive than explicit memory measures, and the lack of group differences on priming measures may simply reflect low measurement sensitivity. The degree of priming obtained in a given task is related to processing efficiency (i.e. baseline performance), with less efficient processing resulting in greater priming. Therefore, if patients have even mild processing deficits this may mask priming impairments. The proposed project will investigate these issues in normal subjects and alcoholic patients with varying degrees of memory and processing deficits. The project consists of a series of experiments designed to manipulate baseline performance level and sensitivity of the priming measures. In all of the experiments measures of priming, processing efficiency, and explicit memory will be obtained. The subjects will be normal controls and chronic alcoholic patients who differ in the severity of their explicit memory defects, ranging from nonamnesic patients without noticeable memory impairments through "borderline Korsakoff" patients with only mild memory deficits to severely amnesic patients with Korsakoff's syndrome. Measures of volume loss in specific brain structures will be obtained from MRI. These brain measures will be related to the behavioral indices, using a multiple regression approach, to determine the specific role of each brain region in perceptual/lexical processing, explicit memory, and strength of priming.