Strategic Processes and Age-Related Changes in Prefrontal Activity Patterns

描述（由申请人提供）：记忆障碍是一种与衰老相关的主要认知变化。功能性神经影像学研究经常报道在记忆形成（编码）过程中，前额叶皮层（PFC）的大脑活动与年龄相关的变化。本实验的主要目的是检验年轻人和老年人在自我启动策略使用方面的差异是否在有意编码过程中前额叶活动模式的年龄相关变化中起重要作用。实验1考察中老年和青年在有意编码过程中PFC区域活动与自我启动编码策略使用的关系。本文还将探讨语义编码策略对老年人PFC区域活动和自我启动策略使用的影响。在实验2。在成功的编码试验中，年轻人和老年人报告使用相同的编码策略，将比较PFC的区域活动。该实验的具体目的是：1)检验年轻人和老年人是否会自发地使用不同的策略来有意地对单词进行编码。2)研究在有意编码过程中，年轻人和老年人自发使用的有意编码策略的差异是否在与年龄相关的下前额叶脑活动变化中起主要作用。3)研究训练老年人使用语义策略记忆单词是否会减少老年人在有意编码过程中低级PFC的欠招募和非选择性招募；4)研究在使用相同的自我启动编码策略时，年轻人和老年人在有意编码过程中低级PFC的脑活动模式是否仍然存在差异。我们还将探讨前额叶结构损伤对老年人自我启动编码策略使用的影响。这个KOI职业发展奖将为我提供衰老研究经验、指导和认知衰老、认知康复和结构神经成像研究技术方面的培训，这些都是我实现在密苏里大学圣路易斯分校成为一名独立的衰老研究人员的目标所需要的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Memory impairments are a major cognitive change associated with aging. Functional neuroimaging studies have routinely reported age-related changes in brain activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC) during memory formation (encoding). The primary goal of the proposed experiments is to examine whether differences in self-initiated strategy use between young and older adults play a significant role in age-related changes in prefrontal activity patterns during intentional encoding. In Experiment 1, the relationship between older and younger adults' regional brain activity in PFC during intentional encoding and their self-initiated encoding strategy use will be examined. The effects that training older adults to use a semantic (meaning-based) encoding strategy have on older adults' regional activity in PFC and self-initiated strategy use will also be investigated. In Experiment 2. Regional activity in PFC will be compared for successful encoding trials on which young and older adults report using the same encoding strategy. The specific aims of the proposed experiments are 1) to examine whether young and older adults spontaneously use different strategies to intentionally encode words. 2) to examine whether differences in the strategies that young and older adults spontaneously use to intentionally encode words play a major role in age-related changes in inferior prefrontal brain activity during intentional encoding, 3) to examine whether training older adults to use a semantic strategy to memorize words will reduce older adults' under-recruitment and non-selective recruitment of inferior PFC during intentional encoding and 4) to examine whether the differences in brain activity patterns in inferior PFC between young and older adults during intentional encoding are still present when these groups report using the same self-initiated encoding strategies. The effects of prefrontal structural lesions on older adults' self-initiated encoding strategy use will also be explored. This KOI Career Development Award will provide me with the aging research experience, mentoring, and training in the cognitive aging, cognitive rehabilitation, and structural neuroimaging research techniques that I need to accomplish my goal of becoming an independent aging researcher at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. RELEVANCE: This research will provide important new insights into the mechanisms of age-related changes in prefrontal cortex. It will also provide valuable information concerning the ability of cognitive training techniques to treat age-related memory impairments and changes in brain activity patterns.