Differences in prefrontal cortex activation and deactivation during strategic episodic verbal memory encoding in mild cognitive impairment

Authors

Joana B. Balardin, Universidade de Sao PauloFollow
Marcelo C. Batistuzzo, Universidade de Sao Paulo
Maria da Graca Moraes Martin, Universidade de Sao Paulo
Joao R. Sato, Universidade Federal do ABC
Jerusa Smid, Universidade de Sao Paulo
Claudia Porto, Universidade de Sao Paulo
Cary R. Savage, University of KansasFollow
Ricardo Nitrini, Universidade de Sao Paulo
Edson Amaro Jr., Universidade de Sao Paulo
Eliane C. Miotto, Universidade de Sao Paulo

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2015

Citation

Front. Aging Neurosci. 7:147

Comments

Copyright © 2015 Balardin, Batistuzzo, Martin, Sato, Smid, Porto, Savage, Nitrini, Amaroand and Miotto.

Open access

doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00147

Abstract

In this study we examined differences in fMRI activation and deactivation patterns during episodic verbal memory encoding between individuals with MCI (n = 18) and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 17). Participants were scanned in two different sessions during the application of self-initiated or directed instructions to apply semantic strategies at encoding of word lists. MCI participants showed reduced free recall scores when using self-initiated encoding strategies that were increased to baseline controls' level after directed instructions were provided. During directed strategic encoding, greater recruitment of frontoparietal regions was observed in both MCI and control groups; group differences between sessions were observed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the right superior frontal gyrus. This study provides evidence suggesting that differences of activity in these regions may be related to encoding deficits in MCI, possibly mediating executive functions during task performance.