A five-year program of research is proposed that aims to (1) further characterize the functional neural architecture of implicit memory for words and objects by linking specific implicit memory processes to specific neural systems through studies of patients with focal neurological damage, and (2) examine how processing in these systems changes as a function of time and progressive multi-focal disease through studies of normal aged and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent findings with focal lesion and AD patients indicate that there may be separable neural systems that mediate three forms of implicit memory and that there may be two visual implicit memory systems. In Study 1a, repetition priming tests, thought to selectively invoke processing in these implicit memory systems, will be administered to patients with single brain lesions in circumscribed regions of either the occipital, temporal, parietal, or frontal neocortex. In patients who exhibit informative dissociations, an MRI protocol will be used that, through three-dimensional reconstruction and rendering analyses, will permit specification of the lesions in terms of gyral anatomy and Brodmann areas. In Study 1b, patients with focal occipital lobe lesions will be used to test the hypotheses that the right occipital lobe mediates and apperceptive kind of visual implicit memory that retains form-specific information about words and pictures and the left occipital lobe mediates an associative kind of visual implicit memory that retains categorical information about words and pictures. In Study 2, a longitudinal study of implicit memory in AD will be conducted. For this study, groups of AD patients and normal aged subjects will be selected from a single, well- characterized cohort to test the broad hypothesis that the implicit processing that occurs in dissociable memory systems will have differential rates of change across of the course of AD.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
1R29AG013018-01
Application #
2054898
Study Section
Human Development and Aging Subcommittee 3 (HUD)
Project Start
1995-05-01
Project End
2000-04-30
Budget Start
1995-05-01
Budget End
1996-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1995
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Rush University Medical Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60612
Fleischman, Debra A; Bienias, Julia L; Bennett, David A (2009) Repetition priming and change in functional ability in older persons without dementia. Neuropsychology 23:98-104
Fleischman, Debra A; Buchman, Aron S; Bienias, Julia L et al. (2009) Visuoperceptual repetition priming and progression of parkinsonian signs in aging. Neurobiol Aging 30:441-9
Fleischman, Debra A; Gabrieli, John D E; Wilson, Robert S et al. (2005) Repetition priming and recognition memory in younger and older persons: temporal stability and performance. Neuropsychology 19:750-9
Fleischman, Debra A; Wilson, Robert S; Gabrieli, John D E et al. (2005) Implicit memory and Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. Brain 128:2006-15
Fleischman, Debra A; Wilson, Robert S; Gabrieli, John D E et al. (2004) A longitudinal study of implicit and explicit memory in old persons. Psychol Aging 19:617-25
Fleischman, D A; Monti, L A; Dwornik, L M et al. (2001) Impaired production priming and intact identification priming in Alzheimer's disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 7:785-94
Fleischman, D A; Gabrieli, J (1999) Long-term memory in Alzheimer's disease. Curr Opin Neurobiol 9:240-4
Fleischman, D A; Gabrieli, J D; Gilley, D W et al. (1999) Word-stem completion priming in healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease: the effects of age, cognitive status, and encoding. Neuropsychology 13:22-30
Fleischman, D A; Gabrieli, J D; Reminger, S L et al. (1998) Object decision priming in Alzheimer's disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 4:435-46
Vaidya, C J; Gabrieli, J D; Verfaellie, M et al. (1998) Font-specific priming following global amnesia and occipital lobe damage. Neuropsychology 12:183-92

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