Hippocampal Development during Adolescence in Episodic Memory and Its Interaction with Anxiety
Poster No:
1082
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Kahyun Choi1, Jiook Cha1, Dongil Chung2, Grace Chung1, Jae Won Kim3,4, Sang Ah Lee1
Institutions:
1Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 2UNIST, Ulsan, NA, 3Seoul National University College of Medicine, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 4Seoul National University Hospital, Jongno-gu, Seoul
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Jae Won Kim
Seoul National University College of Medicine|Seoul National University Hospital
Jongno-gu, Seoul|Jongno-gu, Seoul
Seoul National University College of Medicine|Seoul National University Hospital
Jongno-gu, Seoul|Jongno-gu, Seoul
Introduction:
Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood, marked by the development of biological and higher-order cognitive function (4). Hippocampus, which is critically involved in cognitive abilities such as episodic memory, develops rapidly from infancy, with distinct trajectories along the anterior-posterior axis (1,3), with protracted development in its connections with cortical regions across adolescence (2,5). However, mixed results have been reported regarding the effects of cortico-hippocampal functional maturation on spatiotemporal episodic memory, and the effects of mental health measures in adolescence. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the interaction between developmental changes in the hippocampal memory network during adolescence, their influences on episodic memory, and the individual differences that may be explained by measures of depression and anxiety.
Methods:
A total of ninety-eight adolescents, ranging from 10 to 17 years of age (mean = 14.62, std = 1.63, 57 females), were recruited for the study. Activation and functional connectivity of the hippocampus were measured through fMRI scans while performing an episodic memory task. In the task, participants watched a 12-second video featuring animal characters emerging from holes in the ground (encoding phase). They were instructed to remember what animals (what) appeared at which locations (where) in what order (when). After a short interference task, participants were instructed to recall the previous events (retrieval phase), and then to re-enact the events using a button box (re-enactment phase). Each trial consisted of a sequence of four animals appearing from various locations in the ground and participants completed 4 runs, each consisting of 2 trials. Additionally, questionnaires, including STAI and CES-D, were collected to assess the adolescents' mental health.
Results:
We observed a general age-related trend in episodic memory accuracy and found development-related correlates of hippocampal engagement in episodic memory. During memory encoding, activation in the hippocampal tail was greater than in hippocampal head, and this tail-head difference increased with age (r=0.34, p<0.001). Specifically, we found that the posterior dominance in activity in the left hippocampus mediates the relationship between age and episodic memory accuracy. Developmental changes and memory-related correlates in connectivity patterns were observed with the anterior hippocampus as a seed region. In particular, functional connectivity with the temporal lobe, including the superior temporal gyrus, decreased with age (T(95)>3.17, p<0.001, unc.), revealing a maturing episodic memory network across adolescence. In general, anterior hippocampal connectivity with temporal, parietal and frontal regions was correlated with memory accuracy; however, better memory performance in early adolescents (age 11-14) was associated with higher connectivity with temporal regions (T(49)>3.26, p<0.001, unc.). In terms of differences in neural activation correlated with anxiety scores, greater activation was observed in the right hippocampus compared to the left hippocampus, particularly in the anterior hippocampus. This was also observed in the amygdala. Functional connectivity between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex increased with anxiety, notably in middle adolescence (age 15-17), suggesting that the development of the fronto-amygdala circuit is reflected in the hippocampal network through its connection with the amygdala.
·Hippocampal activation along the anterior-posterior axis
·Age-specific memory-related connection with anterior hippocampus
Conclusions:
We investigated the developmental aspects of hippocampal engagement and its functional connections during episodic memory encoding in adolescents. These findings suggest that the functional specialization of the hippocampus along the anterior-posterior axis and the development of the cortico-hippocampal network may explain higher cognitive development during adolescence and that this process may interact with adolescents' mental health.
Learning and Memory:
Long-Term Memory (Episodic and Semantic) 1
Lifespan Development:
Early life, Adolescence, Aging 2
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
Activation (eg. BOLD task-fMRI)
Connectivity (eg. functional, effective, structural)
Keywords:
Anxiety
Cognition
Development
FUNCTIONAL MRI
Memory
PEDIATRIC
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
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Gogtay, N. (2006). Dynamic mapping of normal human hippocampal development. Hippocampus, 16(8), 664-672.
Larsen, B. (2018). Adolescence as a neurobiological critical period for the development of higher-order cognition. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 94, 179-195.
Tang, L. (2020). Differential functional connectivity in anterior and posterior hippocampus supporting the development of memory formation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14, 204.