Event-related potentials elicited during working memory are altered in mild cognitive impairment
Abstract
Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) can experience deficits in working memory. In the present study, we investigated working memory in persons with MCI and cognitively healthy older adults using event-related potentials (ERPs). Participants performed an n-back working memory task with baseline (0-back), low load (1-back), and high load (2-back) working memory conditions. MCI participants' performance was less accurate than that of healthy older adults in both the 1-back and 2-back conditions, and reaction times were longer in MCI than control participants in the 0-back, 1-back and 2-back conditions. ERP analyses revealed delayed P200 and N200 latencies and smaller P300 amplitudes in MCI relative to control participants in the 0-back, 1-back and 2-back conditions. Deterioration in working memory performance concomitant with marked electrophysiological alterations suggests that persons with MCI exhibit deficits in several cognitive processes that include early attention, stimulus discrimination and classification, and updating and manipulation of information held in working memory.
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WMT improves performance on trained tasks and yields measurable behavioural gains on untrained tasks.
“Accumulating evidence indicates that WMT improves performance on trained tasks and yields measurable behavioural gains on untrained tasks, supporting its promise as a non-pharmacological approach to cognitive health14,15.”
From Meta-analysis of computerised working memory training: behavioural gains, training parameters, transfer mechanisms, and neural correlates (2026) · cites this paper as [14]
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“Accumulating evidence indicates that WMT improves performance on trained tasks and yields measurable behavioural gains on untrainedtasks, supporting itspromiseasanon-pharmacologicalapproach to cognitive health 14,15 .”
- Authors
- López Zunini, R. A., Knoefel, F., Lord, C., Dzuali, F., Breau, M., Sweet, L., Goubran, R., & Taler, V.
- Affiliations
- University of Ottawa (CA)
- Bruyère (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Taler, Vanessa
- Venue
- International Journal of Psychophysiology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-11
- Volume
- 109
- Pages
- 1-8
- ISSN
- 0167-8760 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2521910969
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5
- FWCI
- 4.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Psychophysiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (386467-2012)
- MITACS (IT03787)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- mild cognitive impairment, working memory, event-related potentials, P300, P200, N2 component, n-back task, cognitive aging, attention, stimulus discrimination, memory updating, older adults
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Amnesia, Evoked Potentials, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Cognitive Dysfunction
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