Strategic Processes and Age-Related Changes in Prefrontal Activity Patterns

描述（由申请人提供）：记忆障碍是与衰老相关的主要认知变化。功能性神经影像学研究已经常规地报道了在记忆形成（编码）过程中前额皮质（PFC）的大脑活动的年龄相关变化。拟议的实验的主要目标是检查是否在年轻人和老年人之间的自我发起的策略使用的差异发挥显着的作用，在有意编码过程中与年龄相关的前额叶活动模式的变化。在实验1中，老年人和年轻人的PFC区域的有意编码和他们的自我启动的编码策略使用的大脑活动之间的关系将被检查。训练老年人使用语义（基于意义的）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也将被调查。在实验2中。将比较PFC区域活动的成功编码试验，年轻人和老年人报告使用相同的编码策略。实验的具体目的是：（1）检验年轻人和老年人是否自发地使用不同的策略来有意地编码单词。2)为了检验年轻人和老年人自发地用于有意编码单词的策略的差异是否在有意编码过程中下前额叶脑活动的年龄相关变化中起主要作用，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对低级PFC的欠招募和非选择性招募;目的：研究在使用相同的自主编码策略时，青年和老年人在有意编码过程中下PFC的脑活动模式是否仍然存在差异。此外，本研究亦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老化研究经验，指导和认知老化，认知康复和结构神经成像研究技术的培训，我需要完成我成为密苏里州大学独立老龄化研究人员的目标-圣路易斯。 相关性：这项研究将提供重要的新的见解，前额叶皮层的年龄相关的变化机制。它还将提供有关认知训练技术治疗与年龄有关的记忆障碍和大脑活动模式变化的能力的有价值的信息。

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.