Verbal Working Memory in Older Adults with Stroke
Author Information
Author(s): Timothy B. Meier, Naing Lin, Lisa E. Thomas, Veena A. Nair, Argye E. Hillis, Vivek Prabhakaran
Primary Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hypothesis
Older adults need both hemispheres for a verbal working memory task that is predominantly left-lateralized in younger adults.
Conclusion
Older stroke patients require bihemispheric activity to perform well on verbal working memory tasks.
Supporting Evidence
- Older patients with stroke had more verbal working memory deficits than older TIA patients.
- Deficits in older stroke patients were mainly in retrieval time, while younger stroke patients had deficits in accuracy.
Takeaway
Older people who have had a stroke need to use both sides of their brain to remember words better.
Methodology
Behavioral data from acute stroke patients were analyzed during a verbal item-recognition task.
Participant Demographics
Right-handed younger (age ≥ 50, n = 7) and older adults (age > 50, n = 21) with acute unilateral stroke, as well as younger (n = 6) and older (n = 13) transient ischemic attack patients.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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