Age-Related Decline in Controlled Retrieval: The Role of the PFC and Sleep
Figure 3
Waveforms reflecting ERP effects associated with three stages of memory retrieval. (a) Preretrieval processing: example “retrieval mode” effect in young adults, from Wilckens et al. [22]. Retrieval mode effects are most robust in anterior and right-sided electrode sites (C22 from a 128-electrode layout shown here). Retrieval mode effects are typically associated with a sustained divergence between ERPs elicited by cues to prepare for episodic memory judgments and semantic memory judgments, starting around 800 ms following task cue onset [22, 23]. (b) Retrieval success: example parietal old/new effect in young adults, from Wolk et al. [49]. The parietal old/new effect is most robust in left posterior electrode sites (Pz from a 35-electrode layout shown here). The parietal old/new effect is associated with more positive-going ERPs elicited by correctly identified studied information (hits) compared with correct rejections (CRs) between 500–800 ms after memory probe onset. The parietal old/new effect reflects successful recovery of a memory trace, often for memory details [58]. (c) Postretrieval processing: example late frontal effect (LFE) in older adults from Wolk et al. [49]. The LFE is most robust in right anterior electrode sites (F2 from a 35-electrode layout shown here). The LFE is associated with more positive-going hits than CRs starting around 1000 ms after memory probe onset and later in right anterior sites [45, 61]. A late-correction strategy would predict that older adults would show diminished retrieval mode (a) and parietal old/new (b) effects, but the LFE (c) would be intact or greater in older adults. Though these effects may be exhibited during simple recognition memory due to spontaneous engagement of retrieval strategies and retrieval of details, these ERP effects are associated more with cue-induced retrieval, rather than stimulus-driven retrieval (i.e., a retrieval mode is engaged across a block of recognition memory judgments suggesting that processing is biased in favor of memory retrieval).
