Implicit Processes Enhance
Cognitive Abilities in
Amnestic-Mild Cognitive Impairment
Gillian Rowe1,2, Angela K. Troyer1, Kelly J. Murphy1,2,
Lynn Hasher2,3, & Renee Biss2
1
3
2
Alzheimer’s Disease International
Toronto March 27, 2011
CONFIDENTIAL
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Acknowledgements
Brian Richards
Guy Proulx
Morris Goldenberg
Medical Research Endowment
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Conflict of Interest Disclosure
Gillian Rowe, Ph.D
Angela Troyer, Ph.D
Kelly Murphy, Ph.D
Lynn Hasher, Ph.D
Renee Biss, M.A.
Has no real or apparent
conflicts of interest to report.
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Background and Purpose
• Pattern of impaired explicit and intact implicit memory observed
in individuals with aMCI
• Can be thought of as conscious and unconscious
• Research/interventions often target impaired abilities
• May be effortful and possibly distressing
• Instead, can we use implicit processes to influence explicit
• Enhance explicit without effort or awareness
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Background and Purpose
• Previously shown with healthy older adults Rowe et al., 2006
• Known to be more susceptible to distraction than younger
• Evidence they pick up irrelevant information implicitly
• Use that information for later task if it becomes relevant
• Without awareness
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Background and Purpose
• People with aMCI also susceptible to distraction
• Would same effect be found?
• If so, possible opportunities for intervention in aMCI
• Everyday memory
• Autobiographical memory
• Prospective memory
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Method
• Used adaptation of earlier work
• Participants
– 22 aMCI
– 22 matched healthy controls
• Same/different judgments of consecutive stream of line
drawings. Ignore letter strings
EMBLEM
LIVER
HFXVV
LOTTERY
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Method
• 10 min filler - computerized Corsi Block task
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Method
Word-Fragment Completion Task
E___ER
S U _ _ LY
WI__ER
LI__R
A__IT_ON
E___EM
E RASE R
30 word fragments
S U PPLY
10 words told to ignore
WINNER
10 not
L Iseen
V E R earlier
M B I fillers
TION
10Aeasy
EMBLEM
Say first thing came into head
__AM_
S TAM P
L_T_E_Y
LOTTERY
_R_V_
G RAVY
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Method
Word-Fragment Completion Task
E___ER
E RASE R
S U _ _ LY
S U PPLY
WI__ER
WINNER
LI__R
LIVER
A__IT_ON
AMBITION
E___EM
EMBLEM
__AM_
S TAM P
L_T_E_Y
LOTTERY
_R_V_
G RAVY
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Results
0.18
0.16
0.14
% Priming
0.12
0.10
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0.00
CONTROLS
aMC!
More words fragments solved for previously seen words
Significantly more for aMCI group compared to controls
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Results
Priming
• Correlation between implicit and explicit memory (aMCI)
CBT
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How can this be applied to everyday
and autobiographical memory?
• Similar paradigm using everyday situation/materials
• Virtual shopping mall
• Explicit task: list of items to buy
• Test for irrelevant information
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Acknowledgements
Brian Richards
Guy Proulx
Morris Goldenberg
Medical Research Endowment
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