Individual Differences in Older Adult Frontal Lobe Function Relate to Memory and Neural Activity for Self-Relevant and Emotional Content.

Objectives: Older adults show memory benefits for self-relevant and emotional content, but there are individual differences in this effect. It has been debated whether processing of self-relevant and emotional information relies on similar processes to one another. We examined whether variation in frontal lobe (FL) function among older adults related similarly to the processing of self-relevant information as it did to emotional information, or whether these relations diverged.

Methods: While undergoing fMRI, participants (ages 60-88) viewed positive, negative, and neutral objects, and imagined placing those objects in either their home or a stranger's home. Participants completed a surprise memory test outside of the MRI. In a separate session, a cognitive battery was collected and composite scores measuring FL and medial temporal lobe function were computed and related to the behavioral memory performance and the neural engagement during fMRI.

Results: Behaviorally, FL function related to memory for self-relevant, but not emotional content. Older adults with higher FL function demonstrated reduced self-bias in memory performance. During the processing of self-relevant stimuli, independent of emotion, levels of activity in the middle frontal gyrus showed positive associations with FL function. This relationship was not driven by compensatory activity or disruptions to nonself-relevant neutral content.

Discussion: These findings point to divergence in the cognitive functions relating to memory enhancements for self- and emotional-relevance. The results further suggest self-relevance as a mnemonic device for older adults, especially in those with lower FL function.