Characterising encoding and retrieval contributions to age-related memory impairment

Many older adults worry that forgetfulness, which may feel increasingly pervasive as the years go by, will eventually mean losing their ability to remember new experiences. Such memory failures can result from deficits in encoding experiences into memory effectively, or from impairments in retrieving information that has been stored. The proposed research aims to understand the factors underpinning these memory failures and, just as importantly, explore strategies designed to support and enhance older adults' memory abilities. The investigation will use novel cognitive tasks and advanced brain imaging methods to explore how variability in the structure and function of the brain influences the degree to which older adults can benefit from encoding and retrieval strategies designed to enhance recollection.

There are three main components to the project. The first component aims to identify the key cognitive processes and brain mechanisms governing effective encoding strategies that older adults can implement to enable the formation of rich and vivid memory representations. The second component will explore methods to promote the adoption by older adults of retrieval processes that can maximize successful recollection. The third component aims to assess the degree to which differences in specific brain regions and networks can predict how effectively individuals are able to benefit from the encoding and retrieval strategies tested.

The findings of the proposed research will advance understanding of how variations in brain structure and function can help to predict the usefulness of different memory strategies for older adults. These advances will feed into the development of rehabilitation approaches designed to enhance memory abilities in the elderly, with the potential for providing tangible improvements in quality of life and wellbeing.

The proposed research aims to use novel behavioural manipulations and advanced structural and multivariate functional MRI analysis to explore how variability in the structure and function of the brain influences the degree to which older adults can benefit from encoding and retrieval strategies designed to enhance recollection.

There are three main components to the project, each with clearly defined objectives and measurable outcomes. The first component aims to identify the key cognitive and neural mechanisms governing effective encoding strategies that older adults can implement to enable the construction of rich and vivid memory representations. The second component will explore methods to promote the adoption by older adults of controlled retrieval processes that can maximize successful recollection, identify sources of deficits in these abilities, and reveal neural differences that determine the level of retrieval success observed. The third component will use structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and resting state fMRI to assess the degree to which individual differences in structural and functional integrity of key brain regions and networks can predict the effectiveness with which individuals are able to benefit from the encoding and retrieval strategies targeted.

The findings of the proposed research will advance understanding of how individual differences in brain structure and function associated with controlled recollection processes can help to predict the efficacy of memory strategies for older adults. These advances will contribute to the development of rehabilitative interventions designed to enhance memory abilities in the elderly, with the potential for providing tangible improvements in quality of life and wellbeing.

The most obvious beneficiaries of the proposed research will be older people. The effects of age on encoding and retrieval have rarely both been characterised in detail before within the same participants, either psychologically or neurocognitively, meaning that the proposed research will greatly advance our understanding of age-related changes in this important area of cognition. Forgetfulness is a pervasive worry amongst older adults, often associated with increasing anxiety about losing precious memories from the past and being unable to remember new experiences in the future. Understanding the factors underpinning these memory failures and, just as importantly, characterizing memory processes that are more resilient to the ageing process, may have considerable implications for older adults' functioning in everyday life. In this way the proposed research fits closely with the BBSRC's current strategic priority on Ageing/Lifelong Health and Wellbeing.

Improving our understanding of strategies that can be used to enhance remaining memory abilities in older adults could lead to important advances in preventative and rehabilitative tools designed to support older people who may be experiencing reduced social, intellectual and emotional stimulation as a result of their memory difficulties. If our hypothesis is correct that such deficits may be to some extent reversible, then effective strategies can be developed to combat the detrimental impact of these memory failures on everyday function. This has the potential to lead to policy recommendations about the importance of ensuring that older people in the community, and those who are in care settings, hospitals or other institutions, are given adequate opportunities and support to learn and practice strategies to enhance their encoding and retrieval of memories. See the accompanying "Pathways to Impact" statement for further details of the specific actions we will take in collaboration with clinicians, carers and other service-users to work towards translating our research findings into potential therapeutic interventions and policy recommendations to optimize health and wellbeing across the lifespan.