title: Individual differences in spatial pattern separation performance associated with healthy aging in humans.
abstract: Rodent studies have suggested that "pattern separation," the ability to distinguish among similar experiences, is diminished in a subset of aged rats. We extended these findings to the human using a task designed to assess spatial pattern separation behavior (determining at time of test whether pairs of pictures shown during the study were in the same spatial locations). Using a standardized test of word recall to divide healthy aged adults into impaired and unimpaired groups relative to young performance, we demonstrate that aged impaired adults are biased away from pattern separation and toward pattern completion, consistent with the rodent studies.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Shauna M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yassa
authors.forename: Craig E L
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Stark
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult