Age-related qualitative differences in auditory cortical responses during short-term memory.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the affects of aging on auditory cortical activity during a short-term memory task.


METHODS
Young and elderly subjects performed a working memory task using acoustically presented digits while evoked potential components (N100, P200) generated by auditory cortex were recorded. Reaction time and N100/P200 amplitudes and latency were analyzed as a function of memory load.


RESULTS
N100 amplitude to probes decreased as a function of memory load in young subjects, but increased as a function of memory load in the elderly. Young subjects also exhibited changes in N100 latency during memorization of list items, a result not found in elderly subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that normal aging is associated with a qualitatively different pattern of N100 responses during memory retrieval, and a static N100 response during encoding. The findings suggest that aging is accompanied by functional reorganization of the neural network that supports retrieval in auditory working memory.
Golob
E J
EJ
Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, and Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92627, Irvine, USA. egolob@uci.edu
Starr
A
A
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis