Memorability of photographs in subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment: Implications for cognitive assessment

Abstract

Introduction Impaired long-term memory is a defining feature of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We tested whether this impairment is item specific, limited to some memoranda, whereas some remain consistently memorable. Methods We conducted item-based analyses of long-term visual recognition memory. Three hundred ninety-four participants (healthy controls, subjective cognitive decline [SCD], and MCI) in the multicentric DZNE-Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE) were tested with images from a pool of 835 photographs. Results We observed consistent memorability for images in healthy controls, SCD, and MCI, predictable by a neural network trained on another healthy sample. Looking at memorability differences between groups, we identified images that could successfully categorize group membership with higher success and a substantial image reduction than the original image set. Discussion Individuals with SCD and MCI show consistent memorability for specific items, while other items show significant diagnosticity. Certain stimulus features could optimize diagnostic assessment, while others could support memory.

Memorability of words in arbitrary verbal associations modulates memory retrieval in the anterior temporal lobe

“…This memorability property of words is governed by their semantic structure, such that memorable words tend to be more centrally located within a semantic space. Collectively, our results add to the growing literature on memorability 7 , which may subsequently have broader implications for developing better materials used for educational 39 , commercial 40 , or clinical 41 purposes.…”

The visual and semantic features that predict object memory: Concept property norms for 1,000 object images

“…Furthermore, this database complements other rich concept corpuses (Devereux et al, 2014 ; Hebart et al, 2019 ; Ken McRae et al, 2005 ) by including statistics on the two different kinds of memory for each object image. This may serve as a useful heuristic for selecting object stimuli for experiments with patients experiencing age-related memory disorders (Bainbridge et al, 2019 ). The statistics we have compiled allow integration of object concepts along several interrelated schemes, such that one can use these data, for example, to visualize how concept categories are organized according to semantic feature information (Fig.…”

Bayesian model selection favors parametric over categorical fMRI subsequent memory models in young and older adults

“…During the fMRI experiment, participants performed a visual memory encoding paradigm with an indoor/outdoor judgment as the incidental encoding task (see Figure 1A). Compared to earlier publications of this paradigm (Assmann et al, 2020; Barman et al, 2014; Düzel et al, 2011; Schott et al, 2014), the trial timings had been adapted as part of the DELCODE protocol (Bainbridge et al, 2019; Düzel et al, 2019). Subjects viewed a series of photographs showing either an indoor or an outdoor scene, which were either novel to the participant at the time of presentation (44 indoor and 44 outdoor scenes) or were repetitions of two pre-familiarized “master” images (i.e.…”