Graciela Catalina Alatorre-Cruz1, Juan Silva-Pereyra2, Thalía Fernández3, Mario A Rodríguez-Camacho1. 1. Laboratorio de Neurometría, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1 de los Barrios Avenue, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México 54090, Mexico. 2. Laboratorio de Neurometría, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1 de los Barrios Avenue, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México 54090, Mexico. Electronic address: jsilvapereyra@gmail.com. 3. Laboratorio de Psicofisiología, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 3001 Juriquilla Boulevard, Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro 76230, Mexico.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of working memory (WM) load and gender agreement on sentence processing as a function of the electroencephalographic risk (i.e., abnormally high values of theta absolute power) of cognitive decline in older adults. METHODS: Event-related potentials (ERPs) were collected from Spanish speakers (22 older adults belonged to the Risk group, mean age = 67.7 years; 22 older adults belonged to the Control group, mean age = 65.2 years) while reading sentences to detect grammatical errors. Sentences varied with regard to (1) the gender agreement of the noun and adjective, where gender of the adjective either agreed or disagreed with the noun, and (2) WM load (i.e., the number of words between the noun and adjective in the sentence). RESULTS: The Risk group showed a lower percentage of correct answers and longer reaction times than the Control group. The Risk group also showed a different pattern of ERP components, which was characterized by smaller amplitude and longer latency of the P600a component under high WM load conditions. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the Risk group shows difficulties integrating information associated with the previous sentence context. SIGNIFICANCE: The electroencephalographic risk factor of cognitive decline might be not only a predictor of but also an indicator of current decline.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of working memory (WM) load and gender agreement on sentence processing as a function of the electroencephalographic risk (i.e., abnormally high values of theta absolute power) of cognitive decline in older adults. METHODS: Event-related potentials (ERPs) were collected from Spanish speakers (22 older adults belonged to the Risk group, mean age = 67.7 years; 22 older adults belonged to the Control group, mean age = 65.2 years) while reading sentences to detect grammatical errors. Sentences varied with regard to (1) the gender agreement of the noun and adjective, where gender of the adjective either agreed or disagreed with the noun, and (2) WM load (i.e., the number of words between the noun and adjective in the sentence). RESULTS: The Risk group showed a lower percentage of correct answers and longer reaction times than the Control group. The Risk group also showed a different pattern of ERP components, which was characterized by smaller amplitude and longer latency of the P600a component under high WM load conditions. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the Risk group shows difficulties integrating information associated with the previous sentence context. SIGNIFICANCE: The electroencephalographic risk factor of cognitive decline might be not only a predictor of but also an indicator of current decline.