Changes in brain activation associated with use of a memory strategy: a functional MRI study

Kondo, Yutaro; Suzuki, Maki; Mugikura, Shunji; Abe, Nobuhito; Takahashi, Satoshi; Iijima, Toshio; Fujii, Toshikatsu

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.10.033

Cited by 76 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 62 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Most animal studies are more apt for addressing factors affecting associative memory plasticity at the molecular level; however, findings from human brain imaging studies provide evidence for the effects of memory training on functional neuroanatomy. Parallel to the behavior memory training studies on memory plasticity reviewed above, Kondo et al (2005) compared brain activity patterns before and after instructing their subjects (20-26 years) to use the method of loci mnemonic strategy to improve memory for serial associations. Other than showing improved memory recall at the behavioral level, Kondo et al (2005) also showed that functional brain circuitry involved in episodic encoding and retrieval of associative information was modifiable by mnemonic training.…”

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parallel to the behavior memory training studies on memory plasticity reviewed above, Kondo et al (2005) compared brain activity patterns before and after instructing their subjects (20-26 years) to use the method of loci mnemonic strategy to improve memory for serial associations. Other than showing improved memory recall at the behavioral level, Kondo et al (2005) also showed that functional brain circuitry involved in episodic encoding and retrieval of associative information was modifiable by mnemonic training. Relative to activity before instruction, encoding after methodof-loci instruction was associated with activity increase in the right inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus, for instances.…”

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Retrieval after instruction was associated with activity increase in the parahippocampal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and a few other regions. Whereas Kondo et al (2005) studied neural correlates of strategy-related memory plasticity only in young adults, another study by Nyberg et al (2003) investigated adult age differences in the functional plasticity of brain circuitry as a function of memory training. Similar to Kondo et al (2005)'s findings, Nyberg et al (2003) showed that encoding after strategy instruction was associated with activity increase in frontal as well as occipito-parietal regions in their young adult sample (mean 25.8 years).…”

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whereas Kondo et al (2005) studied neural correlates of strategy-related memory plasticity only in young adults, another study by Nyberg et al (2003) investigated adult age differences in the functional plasticity of brain circuitry as a function of memory training. Similar to Kondo et al (2005)'s findings, Nyberg et al (2003) showed that encoding after strategy instruction was associated with activity increase in frontal as well as occipito-parietal regions in their young adult sample (mean 25.8 years). In contrast, accompanying their reduced memory plasticity as indicated by poor memory performance even after memory strategy training, older adults (mean 68.8 years) in the Nyberg et al (2003) study did not show training-related increase in frontal activity, and only those older adults who benefited from memory training showed increased occipito-parietal activity.…”

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Neuromodulation of associative and organizational plasticity across the life span: Empirical evidence and neurocomputational modeling

Brehmer

Shing

et al. 2006

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Developmental plasticity is the key mechanism that allows humans and other organisms to modify and adapt to contextual and experiential influences. Thus, reciprocal co-constructive interactions between behavioral and neuronal plasticity play important roles in regulating neurobehavioral development across the life span. This review focuses on behavioral and neuronal evidence of lifespan differences in associative memory plasticity and plasticity of the functional organization of cognitive and cortical processes, as well as the role of the dopaminergic system in modulating such plasticity. Special attention is given to neurocomputational models that help exploring lifespan differences in neuromodulation of neuronal and behavioral plasticity. Simulation results from these models suggest that lifespan changes in the efficacy of neuromodulatory mechanisms may shape associative memory plasticity and the functional organization of neurocognitive processes by affecting the fidelity of neuronal signal transmission, which has consequences for the distinctiveness of neurocognitive representations and the efficacy of distributed neural coding. r

show abstract

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neuronal Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Neuromodulation of associative and organizational plasticity across the life span: Empirical evidence and neurocomputational modeling

Brehmer

Shing

et al. 2006

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies employing this technique have found associated changes in brain activation and neurochemistry (Kondo et al, 2005;Nyberg et al, 2003;Valenzuela et al, 2003). However, no experimental study so far has been conducted to investigate whether such memory training can induce macrostructural changes in the brain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of memory training on cortical thickness in the elderly

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The brain's ability to alter its functional and structural architecture in response to experience and learning has been extensively studied. Mental stimulation might serve as a reserve mechanism in brain aging, but macrostructural brain changes in response to cognitive training have been demonstrated in young participants only. We examined the short-term effects of an intensive memory training program on cognition and brain structure in middle-aged and elderly healthy volunteers. The memory trainers completed an 8-week training regimen aimed at improving verbal source memory utilizing the Method of Loci (MoL), while control participants did not receive any intervention. Both the memory trainers and the controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and memory testing pre and post 8 weeks of training or no training, respectively. Cortical thickness was automatically measured across the cortical mantle, and data processing and statistical analyses were optimized for reliable detection of longitudinal changes. The results showed that memory training improved source memory performance. Memory trainers also showed regional increases in cortical thickness compared with controls. Furthermore, thickness change in the right fusiform and lateral orbitofrontal cortex correlated positively with improvement in source memory performance, suggesting a possible functional significance of the structural changes. These findings demonstrate that systematic mental exercise may induce short-term structural changes in the aging human brain, indicating structural brain plasticity in elderly. The present study included short-term assessments, and follow-up studies are needed in order to assess whether such training indeed alters the long-term structural trajectories.

show abstract