Stress-related deficits of older adults' spatial working memory: an EEG investigation of occipital alpha and frontal-midline theta activities

NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING

卷:69

Article

Marshall, Amanda C.¹  Cooper, Nicholas²  Rosu, Livia²  Kennett, Steffan² 

[1] Ludwig Maximilians Univ Munchen, Dept Psychol Gen & Expt Psychol Unit, Munich, Germany

[2] Univ Essex, Ctr Brain Sci, Colchester, Essex, England

关键词: Alpha;    Cognitive aging;    Cumulative stress;    EEG;    Theta;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.05.025

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Studies highlight cumulative life stress as a significant predictor of accelerated cognitive aging. This study paired electrophysiological with behavioral measures to explore how cumulative stress affects attentional and maintenance processes underpinning working memory retention. We collected electroen-cephalographic recordings from 60 individuals (30 older, 30 younger) reporting high or low levels of cumulative stress during the performance of a spatial Sternberg task. We measured mid-occipital alpha (8-12 Hz) and frontal-midline theta (4-6 Hz) as indicators of attentional and maintenance processes. Older, high-stress participants' behavioral performance lay significantly below than that of younger adults and low-stress older individuals. Impaired task performance coincided with reduced event-related synchronization in alpha and theta frequency ranges during memory maintenance. Electrophysiological findings suggest that older adults' reduced performance results from a stress-related impact on their ability to retain a stimulus in working memory and inhibit extraneous information from interfering with maintenance. Our results demonstrate the wide-ranging impact of cumulative stress on cognitive health and provide insight into the functional mechanisms disrupted by its influence. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free