1. Implicit Processes Enhance Cognitive Abilities in Amnestic-Mild Cognitive Impairment
Gillian Rowe1,2, Angela K. Troyer1, Kelly J. Murphy1,2, Lynn Hasher2,3, & Renee Biss2
Alzheimer’s Disease International
Toronto March 27, 2011

2. Acknowledgements Brian Richards Guy Proulx Morris Goldenberg
Medical Research Endowment

3. conflicts of interest to report.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure Gillian Rowe, Ph.D Angela Troyer, Ph.D Kelly Murphy, Ph.D Lynn Hasher, Ph.D Renee Biss, M.A.
Has no real or apparent
conflicts of interest to report.

4. Background and Purpose
Pattern of impaired explicit and intact implicit memory observed in individuals with aMCI
Can be thought of as conscious and unconscious
Research/interventions often target impaired abilities
May be effortful and possibly distressing
Instead, can we use implicit processes to influence explicit
Enhance explicit without effort or awareness
Pattern of impaired explicit and intact implicit memory observed in aMCI (explain aMCI)
- explicit can be thought of as consciously remembering something, whereas implicit pro cesses are those we’re not aware of.
Research/interventions often target the impaired explicit abilities
- but remembering something consciously can sometimes take a lot of effort, plus if a person finds it difficult, it may also cause distress as they may focus on their limitations
Instead, use implicit processes to influence explicit
- Enhance explicit without effort or awareness

5. Background and Purpose
Previously shown with healthy older adults Rowe et al., 2006
Known to be more susceptible to distraction than younger
Evidence they pick up irrelevant information implicitly
Use that information for later task if it becomes relevant
Without awareness
And previous work has shown that this is the case with healthy older adults. This was achieved by utilizing something that’s often a problem for older adults, as well as individuals with many different types of impairment
– susceptibility to distraction
It turns out that because older adults are easily distracted by irrelevant information, they may pick up that information without being aware they’re doing so (i.e., implicitly). But then, if that information later becomes relevant

6. Background and Purpose
People with aMCI also susceptible to distraction
Would same effect be found?
If so, possible opportunities for intervention in aMCI
Everyday memory
Autobiographical memory
Prospective memory
So the question we had was whether or not people with aMCI would also pick up and use information in the same way
If they did, then that provides many different possibilities for intervention tio help various types of memory
And we are particularly interest in enhancing autobiographical memory

7. Method Used adaptation of earlier work Participants 22 aMCI
22 matched healthy controls
Same/different judgments of consecutive stream of line drawings. Ignore letter strings
E M B L E M
L O T T E R Y
H F X V V
L I V E R
Explain task

8. Method
10 min filler - computerized Corsi Block task

9. Word-Fragment Completion Task
Method
Word-Fragment Completion Task
30 word fragments
10 words told to ignore
10 not seen earlier
10 easy fillers
Say first thing came into head
E _ _ _ E R
E R A S E R
S U _ _ L Y
S U P P L Y
W I _ _ E R
W I N N E R
L I _ _ R
L I V E R
A _ _ I T _ O N
A M B I T I O N
E _ _ _ E M
E M B L E M
_ _ A M _
S T A M P
L _ T _ E _ Y
L O T T E R Y
_ R _ V _
G R A V Y
Explain purpose of this task
30 words fragments presented one at a time
10 words participants were told to ignore
10 they hadnt seen
10 easy fillers
Presented sequentially
Told to say first thing that came into their head

10. Word-Fragment Completion Task
Method
Word-Fragment Completion Task
E _ _ _ E R
E R A S E R
S U _ _ L Y
S U P P L Y
W I _ _ E R
W I N N E R
L I _ _ R
L I V E R
A _ _ I T _ O N
A M B I T I O N
E _ _ _ E M
E M B L E M
_ _ A M _
S T A M P
L _ T _ E _ Y
L O T T E R Y
_ R _ V _
G R A V Y

11. Results More words fragments solved for previously seen words
Will first show you the results showing that both groups were using memory for the previously seen words to help solve the word fragments
Explain what this is showing – priming based on diff between # words solved that previously seen and # solved that hadnt been seen
Significant difference between groups with aMCI solving more than controls
Suggesting that aMCI either being more distracted than healthy older adults, or the information more likely to be used
- may be because explicit processes not being used as much
We wondered if there was a correlation between implicit and explicit processes (CBT)
More words fragments solved for previously seen words
Significantly more for aMCI group compared to controls

12. Results Correlation between implicit and explicit memory (aMCI)
CBT
Priming
Battery of tasks given as well
Non really surprising
But one interesting finding was this:
Here I’m showing the significant negative correlation between implicit and explicit memory for the aMCI group – explain what this means
r= .49, p = .02
CBT: aMCI 0.18 (2.27 trials corr) vs Controls 0.25 (3.09 trials correct)

13. How can this be applied to everyday and autobiographical memory?
Similar paradigm using everyday situation/materials
Virtual shopping mall
Explicit task: list of items to buy
Test for irrelevant information

14. Acknowledgements Brian Richards Guy Proulx Morris Goldenberg
Medical Research Endowment