INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 03 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 09:30 am - 10:40 am Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma \| Neurovascular Final Abstract #13 Investigating the Impact of Digital Memory Augmentation on Autobiographical Episodic Memory and Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Transient Epileptic Amnesia Miranda Chang, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Katrina Thornber, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom Bryan Hong, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Eliza McCann, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Adam Zeman, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom Christopher Butler†, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom Morgan Barense†, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Category: Cognitive Intervention/Rehabilitation Keyword 1: cognitive neuroscience Keyword 2: epilepsy / seizure disorders Keyword 3: technology Objective: Autobiographical memory loss in epilepsy can diminish autonomy, self-identity, and quality of life. Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is a subtype of temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal abnormalities. Although TEA is defined by brief amnestic seizures, inter-ictal memory problems including accelerated long-term forgetting of recent events are long-lasting. Digital Memory Augmentation (DMA) is a promising approach that harnesses portable technology to mitigate memory loss. We developed ''HippoCamera'', a DMA platform that guides users to record and replay high-fidelity cues of life events using neurocognitive principles known to improve memory. We found that HippoCamera benefited memory for real-world events in older adults, and these gains were accompanied by sharpened hippocampal activity. Here, we aim to extend our findings to individuals with more severe memory impairments by conducting the first autobiographical memory intervention using our DMA platform in TEA to enhance episodic recollection, cognitive functioning, and psychological well-being. Participants and Methods: 9 TEA patients and 8 controls from The Impairment of Memory in Epilepsy database completed a 5½-week intervention, where they recorded two events daily for three weeks and replayed cues twice daily throughout the study. Recorded cues were either “replayed” or “hidden” (never replayed). To characterize cognitive function, we administered Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). To assess autobiographical memory, we conducted a modified Autobiographical Interview where participants described each event in detail. Participants rated the phenomenological experience of remembering each event on vividness, coherence, accessibility, and time perspective dimensions. To measure transfer of memory benefits to other cognitive abilities, we administered the Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) pre- and post-intervention. We also administered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Beck’s Depression Inventory, and Tennessee Self-Concept Scale to assess changes in well-being. Results: Consistent with patterns of accelerated long-term forgetting in TEA, patients recalled a comparable number of words on RAVLT relative to controls after 40-seconds, but recalled fewer words relative to controls after 1-hour and 1-week delays. Preliminary analyses showed that all participants recalled a higher number of words for replayed relative to hidden events [z=13.38, p<.001]. Moreover, memory for replayed events was more vivid [t(294)=3.51, p<.001], more coherent [t(294)=2.56, p=0.011], more easily accessible during retrieval [t(277) = 3.95, p<.001], and better situated in time [t(294)=2.81, p=.005], compared to hidden events. Notably, the benefit of replay was stronger in patients compared to controls for the number of words recalled [z=-4.59, p<.001] and memory accessibility [t(277)=-2.37, p=.019]. Furthermore, we found positive post-intervention changes in life satisfaction, self-concept, and well-being, with changes greater for patients relative to controls. Ongoing text-based analyses comparing episodic richness of memory and MST performance will be presented. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that reactivating memory cues enhances vivid re-experiencing and episodic recollection of real-world autobiographical memories, which are typically compromised following brain damage in TEA, demonstrating how HippoCamera can help improve memory and well-being for memory-impaired populations.

Poster

02/15/2024
09:30 am - 10:40 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma | Neurovascular

Final Abstract #13

Investigating the Impact of Digital Memory Augmentation on Autobiographical Episodic Memory and Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Transient Epileptic Amnesia

Miranda Chang*, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Katrina Thornber*, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Bryan Hong, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Eliza McCann, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Adam Zeman, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Christopher Butler†, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Morgan Barense†, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Category: Cognitive Intervention/Rehabilitation

Keyword 1: cognitive neuroscience
Keyword 2: epilepsy / seizure disorders
Keyword 3: technology

Objective:

Autobiographical memory loss in epilepsy can diminish autonomy, self-identity, and quality of life. Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is a subtype of temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal abnormalities. Although TEA is defined by brief amnestic seizures, inter-ictal memory problems including accelerated long-term forgetting of recent events are long-lasting. Digital Memory Augmentation (DMA) is a promising approach that harnesses portable technology to mitigate memory loss. We developed ''HippoCamera'', a DMA platform that guides users to record and replay high-fidelity cues of life events using neurocognitive principles known to improve memory. We found that HippoCamera benefited memory for real-world events in older adults, and these gains were accompanied by sharpened hippocampal activity. Here, we aim to extend our findings to individuals with more severe memory impairments by conducting the first autobiographical memory intervention using our DMA platform in TEA to enhance episodic recollection, cognitive functioning, and psychological well-being.

Participants and Methods:

9 TEA patients and 8 controls from The Impairment of Memory in Epilepsy database completed a 5½-week intervention, where they recorded two events daily for three weeks and replayed cues twice daily throughout the study. Recorded cues were either “replayed” or “hidden” (never replayed). To characterize cognitive function, we administered Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). To assess autobiographical memory, we conducted a modified Autobiographical Interview where participants described each event in detail. Participants rated the phenomenological experience of remembering each event on vividness, coherence, accessibility, and time perspective dimensions. To measure transfer of memory benefits to other cognitive abilities, we administered the Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) pre- and post-intervention. We also administered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Beck’s Depression Inventory, and Tennessee Self-Concept Scale to assess changes in well-being.

Results:

Consistent with patterns of accelerated long-term forgetting in TEA, patients recalled a comparable number of words on RAVLT relative to controls after 40-seconds, but recalled fewer words relative to controls after 1-hour and 1-week delays. Preliminary analyses showed that all participants recalled a higher number of words for replayed relative to hidden events [z=13.38, p<.001]. Moreover, memory for replayed events was more vivid [t(294)=3.51, p<.001], more coherent [t(294)=2.56, p=0.011], more easily accessible during retrieval [t(277) = 3.95, p<.001], and better situated in time [t(294)=2.81, p=.005], compared to hidden events. Notably, the benefit of replay was stronger in patients compared to controls for the number of words recalled [z=-4.59, p<.001] and memory accessibility [t(277)=-2.37, p=.019]. Furthermore, we found positive post-intervention changes in life satisfaction, self-concept, and well-being, with changes greater for patients relative to controls. Ongoing text-based analyses comparing episodic richness of memory and MST performance will be presented.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that reactivating memory cues enhances vivid re-experiencing and episodic recollection of real-world autobiographical memories, which are typically compromised following brain damage in TEA, demonstrating how HippoCamera can help improve memory and well-being for memory-impaired populations.