ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R
主办:中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理科学进展 ›› 2024, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (7): 1138-1151.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2024.01138

• 研究前沿 • 上一篇    下一篇

记忆辨别力受老化影响的认知神经机制及其应用

曾庆贺, 崔晓宇, 唐为, 李娟   

  1. 中国科学院心理健康重点实验室(中国科学院心理研究所), 北京 100101;中国科学院大学心理学系, 北京 100049
  • 收稿日期:2023-11-12 出版日期:2024-07-15 发布日期:2024-05-09
  • 通讯作者: 李娟, E-mail: lijuan@psych.ac.cn
  • 基金资助:
    国家重点研发计划(2020YFC2003000, 2018YFC2001700, 2018YFC2000300); 国家自然科学基金(32271121, 32071079)

The cognitive neural mechanisms of age-related decline in mnemonic discrimination and its application

ZENG Qinghe, CUI Xiaoyu, TANG Wei, LI Juan   

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2023-11-12 Online:2024-07-15 Published:2024-05-09

摘要: 记忆辨别力是对相似的记忆经验进行准确辨别的能力, 其依赖于名为模式分离的神经计算机制, 在人类被试中, 通常使用记忆相似性任务对其进行测量与研究。在老化过程中, 老年人的记忆辨别力会出现十分明显的衰退, 这种衰退与海马、内嗅皮层等内侧颞叶脑区的结构和功能衰退以及其他新皮层结构和功能老化关系密切。由于记忆辨别力高度依赖于内侧颞叶的结构和功能完整性, 因此, 它能够反映出认知障碍发展早期的异常脑结构和功能变化, 使得记忆相似性任务具备了应用于认知障碍早期识别的巨大潜力。未来研究需要采用更精细的成像技术单独考察海马齿状回和CA3亚区在记忆辨别中的作用及其老化的影响, 并更多关注前额叶等新皮层结构老化影响记忆辨别力的神经机制, 同时也需要建立大样本前瞻队列来验证记忆相似性任务在认知障碍早期识别中的有效性。

关键词: 记忆辨别力, 模式分离, 老化, 认知神经机制, 认知障碍

Abstract: Mnemonic discrimination (MD) refers to the ability to accurately distinguish similar memory experiences. Currently, mnemonic similarity task (MST) is commonly employed to measure and study MD. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that MD relies on a neural computing mechanism known as pattern separation, which enables the transformation of similar and overlapping input patterns into distinctive representations.
Extensive research has long been focused on exploring the contribution of the hippocampus to MD and pattern separation, particularly emphasizing the roles of the dentate gyrus and CA3 subfields within the hippocampus. However, recent years have yielded a compilation of insights indicating that pattern separation is not only dependent on the hippocampus, but rather a concerted effort involving multiple structures within the medial temporal lobe. The processing of highly overlapping information begins prior to hippocampal engagement, with object-related information traversing the perirhinal and lateral entorhinal cortices, while spatial or contextual information navigating the parahippocampal and medial entorhinal cortices. Here, initial separation occurs, promoting subsequent pattern separation within the hippocampal DG/CA3 subregion. Additionally, we have also come to understand that MD could be supported by large-scale brain networks. Besides pattern separation, the occipital regions play a crucial role in fine-grained perceptual representation, while the prefrontal cortex is essential for monitoring and cognitive control, both of which are also vital for achieving MD.
The elderly tend to exhibit a noticeable decline in MD due to aging and aging-related pathologies. Previous studies have demonstrated that hippocampal dysfunction significantly contributes to this deficit. Early disruptions of hippocampal microstructure and progressive atrophy of the DG/CA3 subfields are closely linked to the decline of MD. Furthermore, the hyperactivation of the DG/CA3 subregions due to reduced neural efficiency, as well as abnormal functional connectivity between the hippocampus and other medial temporal lobe structures, could also exacerbate this decline. Aging-related changes in other brain regions, such as hypoactivation in the entorhinal cortex, fiber loss of the perforant path, damage to structural and functional integrity of the prefrontal cortex, along with alterations in functional connectivity within the default mode network, are also associated with the decline of MD. In addition, given its reliance on the medial temporal lobe, MD can reflect abnormal brain structural damage and functional deterioration in the early stages of cognitive impairment. This enables MST to hold significant potential in early identification of cognitive impairment.
To further explore the causes of the decline of MD in the elderly, future studies should employ more advanced imaging techniques like ultra-high field functional magnetic resonance imaging technology to separately investigate the impact of aging in the DG and CA3 subregions on MD. It is also critical to research more about the cognitive neural mechanisms underlying the impact of neocortical dysfunction on MD, with a particular focus on age-related changes in cortical-hippocampal interaction mechanisms. Large-scale prospective cohorts should also be established to validate the effectiveness of MST in early identification of cognitive impairment.

Key words: mnemonic discrimination, pattern separation, aging, cognitive neural mechanism, cognitive impairment

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