Memory specificity is linked to repetition effects in event-related potentials across the lifespan. (April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sommer, Verena R.; Mount, Luzie; Weigelt, Sarah; Werkle-Bergner, Markus; Sander, Myriam C.
• Is Part Of: Developmental cognitive neuroscience. Volume 48(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Subjects: Episodic memory -- Memory specificity -- Repetition suppression -- Lifespan development -- Event-related potentials (ERP) -- Electroencephalography (EEG); Cognitive neuroscience -- Periodicals; Developmental neurobiology -- Periodicals; Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; Neuropsychiatry -- Periodicals; 612.8233
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100926
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1878-9293

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: We show repetition effects in event-related potentials across children and adults. Repetition effects were related to specific item (but not mere category) memory. Association of repetition effects and memory did not differ between age groups. We demonstrate an age-independent neural indicator of high-fidelity memory encoding. Abstract: The specificity with which past experiences can be remembered varies across the lifespan, possibly due to differences in how precisely information is encoded. Memory formation can be investigated through repetition effects, the common finding that neural activity is altered when stimuli are repeated. However, whether differences in this indirect measure of memory formation relate to lifespan differences in memory specificity has not yet been established. In the present study, we examined repetition effects in event-related potentials and their relation to recognition. During incidental encoding, children (aged 7–9 years), young adults (18–30 years), and older adults (65–76 years) viewed repeated object images from different categories. During subsequent recognition, we distinguished memory for the specific items versus the general categories. We identified repetition suppression in all age groups, and repetition enhancement for adults. Furthermore, individual item recognition performance comprising lure discrimination was positively associated with the magnitude of the neural repetition effects, which did not differ between groups, indicating common neural mechanisms of memory formation. Our findings demonstrate that neural repetition effects reflect the formation of highly specific memory representations and highlight their significance as a neural indicator of individual differences in episodic memory encoding across the lifespan.