# Using lifelike narratives to probe age-related differences in cortico-hippocampal functionality and episodic memory

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2020 · $38,158

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Real-life events have a complex structure, yet we do not understand how the human brain supports structured
representations of real-life events. Furthermore, we do not know how aging impacts the neural representation
of realistic events, or recall of structured events from memory. This gap in our knowledge of human memory
and cognitive aging is likely due to the fact that most investigations have employed stimuli (e.g. lists of words)
that do not simulate the complexity of real-life events. Recently, lifelike stimuli (e.g. stories) have offered a new
way to probe memory for real-life events, as well as the neural substrates which underlie the representation of
real-life events. Studies which present lifelike stimuli during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
have found that activity in a posterior medial cortical network (PM network) may represent the structure of
events in human memory. Coincidentally, the PM network is particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer’s pathology, at
a “preclinical” stage when current neuropsychological tests, which do not simulate lifelike events, do not detect
impairment. In order to set the stage for new, more sensitive cognitive tests that can detect early cognitive
impairment, there is a need to study the functional relevance of the PM network to real-life memory in the
absence of dementia. This proposal will use fMRI and state-of-the-art Representational Similarity Analysis
techniques (RSA) to study how the PM network contributes to the representation of structured events in lifelike
narratives, as well as the impact of aging on this representation (Aim 1). This proposal will then study the
impact of aging on recall of events that comprise a structured narrative (Aim 2). Experiments will be conducted
in older and younger adults via a two-day protocol with fMRI (Aim 1) and tests of recall (Aim 2). Aims will
utilize an innovative, lifelike narrative paradigm which has already yielded a promising behavioral study in
younger adults, and which, when paired with fMRI, will enable testing specific hypotheses about the neural
representation of structured events. These Aims test hypotheses derived from a general theory: that the PM
network is a substrate for prior knowledge about event classes (“event schemas”) that is used to parse our
everyday experiences, and that this knowledge is reflected in the manner in which humans recall events at a
later time. Moreover, it has been theorized that older adults develop these event schemas over the course of a
lifetime. Aim 1 will test whether aging enhances the neural representation of structured events (in the PM
network), and Aim 2 will test whether structured events exhibit preserved recall among older adults. Following
pursuit of these Aims, exploratory translational studies will be pursued which correlate neural or behavioral
measures of lifelike memories with available biomarkers of neurodegeneration. Any findings from proposed
experiments will advance o...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10020157
- **Project number:** 5F30AG062053-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Brendan Cohn-Sheehy
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $38,158
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-23 → 2023-09-22

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10020157

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10020157, Using lifelike narratives to probe age-related differences in cortico-hippocampal functionality and episodic memory (5F30AG062053-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10020157. Licensed CC0.

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