Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations during music-evoked autobiographical memories in neurotypical older adults.

Introduction: Researchers have shown that music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) can stimulate long-term memory mechanisms while requiring little retrieval effort and may therefore be used in promising non-pharmacological interventions to mitigate memory deficits. Despite an increasing number of studies on MEAMs, few researchers have explored how MEAMs are bound in the brain.

Methods: In the current study activation indexed by fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) during familiar and unfamiliar MEAM retrieval was compared in a sample of 24 healthy older adults. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the impact of age-related gray matter volume (GMV) reduction in key regions associated with MEAM-related activation. In addition to a T1 structural scan, neuroimaging data were collected while participants listened to familiar music (MEAM retrieval) versus unfamiliar music.

Results: When listening to familiar compared to unfamiliar music, greater fALFF activation patterns were observed in the right parahippocampal gyrus, controlling for age and GMV. The current findings for the familiar (MEAM) condition have implications for cognitive aging as persons experiencing age-related memory decline are particularly susceptible to volumetric reduction in the parahippocampal cortex. analyses to explore correlations between brain activity and the content of MEAMs were performed using the text analysis program Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that MEAM-related activation of the parahippocampal cortex is evident in normative older adults. However, it is yet to be determined whether such brain states are attainable in older adult populations diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and/or prodromal Alzheimer's disease.