title: Frontal activity during a verbal emotional working memory task in patients with Alzheimer's disease: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.
abstract: Emotional working memory (EWM) is suggested as a working memory (WM) type, distinguished to process emotional stimuli, and may or may not be spared in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim was to compare patients with AD and healthy older adults (HC) on verbal EWM performance and accompanying prefrontal cortex activity. Twenty AD patients along with 20 HC individuals are required to complete an emotional one-back task in three conditions (neutral, positive and negative word lists). Prefrontal oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) concentrations were measured simultaneously by a 24- channel functional near infrared spectroscopy device. Correct response rates were similar in two groups in all conditions. Reaction times were comparable in the EWM positive condition but longer in the AD group in EWMneutral and negative conditions. In the HC group, emotional words had no significant effect on WM. On the other hand, positive compared to neutral words led to greater activation in the left ventral prefrontal cortex (VPFC) in AD group. When compared to HCs, activity in the VPFC was significantly higher in AD patients during the positive condition. Positive words facilitated WM performance in participants with AD. Activity in VPFC may be the functional correlate of this phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Department of Psychology, Turkey; School of Psychology - Keynes College, AG9, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NP, United Kingdom. Electronic address: fea8@kent.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Fatma Ebru
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Ateş
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Department of Psychology, Turkey.
authors.forename: Banu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cangöz
authors.affiliation: Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry Department, Ankara University, Brain Research and Applications Center (BAUM), Turkey.
authors.forename: Erguvan Tuğba
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Özel Kızıl
authors.affiliation: Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry Department, Ankara University, Brain Research and Applications Center (BAUM), Turkey.
authors.forename: Bora
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baskak
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Department of Psychology, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynel
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Baran
authors.affiliation: Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry Department, Ankara University, Brain Research and Applications Center (BAUM), Turkey.
authors.forename: Halise Devrimci
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Özgüven
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D010108:Oxyhemoglobins