TY  - THES
T1  - Development of declarative memory in preterm and full-term born children : evidence from neuropsychological tests, structural brain imaging, and event-related potentials
A1  - Brunnemann,Nicole
Y1  - 2011/11/15
N2  - The present thesis examines developmental differences in declarative long-term memory between preterm born children with uncomplicated neonatal courses and full-term born children at early school-age by applying different scientific methods (i.e., neuropsychological tests, structural brain imaging, and event-related potentials (ERPs)). Besides investigating the development of declarative memory in general (Study 1), a particular focus is laid on episodic memory and its specific retrieval processes (familiarity and recollection; Study 1, 2, 3, and 4). Recent studies detected reduced memory performance and marked volume reductions in the hippocampus (which is an important brain structure for episodic memory) that may account for the memory deficits in preterm children. By applying neuropsychological tests, the results showed no group differences in episodic memory performance, whereas preterm children showed impairments in semantic memory tasks relative to full-term children (Study 1). Furthermore, preterm children showed reduced hippocampal volumes relative to full-term children. Since hippocampal volume seems to mediate episodic memory performance in full-term children but not in preterm children, the findings of the thesis suggest the conclusion that preterm children at that age recruit a neural network for episodic memory that differs from the one used by full-term children. The results in the ERP studies (Study 2 & 3) showed that the ERP correlate of recollection but not the ERP correlate of familiarity is reduced in preterm children relative to full-term born controls. In addition, Study 3 revealed that within the preterm children group the gestational age at birth is positively correlated with the magnitude of the ERP correlate of recollection and is negatively correlated with the magnitude of the ERP correlate of familiarity. Together with the finding that the magnitude of the ERP correlate of recollection was negatively correlated with the magnitude of the ERP correlate of familiarity, tentative support is provided for compensational mechanisms within the brains of preterm children. This means that within the brains of preterm children reduced recollective processing may be compensated by enhanced familiarity-based remembering. Finally, Study 4 extended the knowledge on the proposed relationship between prematurity and recollective processing, because evidence was provided that the findings of Study 3 were not confounded or influenced by the level of task difficulty. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the presence of alterations in declarative long-term memory processing in preterm children at early school-age.
KW  - Frühgeburt
KW  - Explizites Gedächtnis
KW  - Episodisches Gedächtnis
KW  - Semantisches Gedächtnis
KW  - Hippocampus
KW  - Ereigniskorreliertes Potenzial
CY  - Saarbrücken
PB  - Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek
AD  - Postfach 151141, 66041 Saarbrücken
UR  - http://scidok.sulb.uni-saarland.de/volltexte/2011/4460
ER  -