FMRI OF VISUALLY MEDIATED EXPLICIT MEMORY IN AGING & AD

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DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the application): This is an application for a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (MRSDA) entitled "fMRI of Visually Mediated Explicit Memory in Aging and AD". The overarching goal of this application is to utilize whole brain functional imaging techniques to study structure-function relationships subserving explicit memory in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Functional MRI provides a unique opportunity to investigate the distributed anatomical systems engaged in this form of memory processing, which is known to be affected in normal aging, and is generally the earliest cognitive change detected in AD. An integrated series of studies is planned with the following goals: (1) to assess the relative contributions of visual perception and visual encoding to both memory performance and patterns of brain activation detected with fMRI in healthy young and elderly subjects and patients with mild AD, by studying visuospatial and visuofeature perception in both groups, (2) to study encoding of visuospatial and visuofeature stimuli with fMRI, and (3) to study effects of cognitive strategy on both visouspatial and visuofeature encoding processes in young, elderly and AD subjects. It is hypothesized that any beneficial effects of strategy will be reflected not only by chnages in memory performance but also by systematic changes in brain activation patterns. In addition, the candidate proposes to seek training in: (1) the basic neurobiology of memory, (2) cognitive psychology and neuropsychology, particularly as it pertains to aging and AD, (3) fMRI physics and analytic techniques, and (4) statistical approaches to both functional imaging and cognitive studies.