Tem po rally-Graded Retrograde Memory Loss in Semantic Dementia, Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia and Alzheimer's Dementia: Recoociliag the Hippocampal Consolidation and Multiple Trace Tbeories of Long-Term Memory Storage Robyn Margaret Westmacott A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Department of Psychology University of Toronto 8 Copyright by Robya Margaret Westmacott 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibtiographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. nre Wetlingtm Ottawa ON K1A ON4 OrrawaON KIAW Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive Licence allowing the exclusive pexmettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or seil reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fh, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be prhted or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Temporally-Graded Retrograde Memory Los in Semantic Dementia, Mial Temporal Lobe Amnesia and Alzheimer's Dementia: Reconciling the Hippoeimpal Consolidation and Multiple Trace Theories of Long-Term Memory Storage Robyn Margaret Westmacott Masters of Arts, Department of Psychology University of Toronto, 1999 Patterns of retrograde memory loss associated with semantic dementia, amnesia and Alzheimer's dementia were examined by assessing knowledge of 20" century famous names and English vocabdary. The amnesic and Alzheimer's patients demonstrated tem porally-graded semantic memory such that recent items were disproportionately impaired; conversely, the semantic dementia patient: D.K., demonstrated the reverse pattern. DK's memory for autobiographical episodes was contrasted with that of one amnesic patient, K.C. Consistent with previous findings, K.C. demonstrated preserved personai semantics with a complete loss of personal episodes. Ln contrast, D.K. demonstrated a rdatively complete preservation of autobiographical episodes with a loss of remote personal semantics Findings are discussed in the conte- of two competing neuropsychological theones of long-term memory - hippocampal consolidation (Squire, 1992) and multiple trace theory (Nadel & Moscovitch, 1997). Combining ideas from both theories, a new mode1 is proposed highlighting the importance of autobiographical significance in the representation of semantic knowledge. Table of Contents List of Tables p- vi List of Figures p. vii List of Appendices Introduction Semantic dementia: A clinical and phenomenological Description Temporally-graded rnemory loss in semantic demenîia Neuropsychological models of temporally-graded rnemory loss: Hippocampal consolidation versus multiple traces Experiment 1: Impiicit and indirect tests of retrograde semantic Memory Experiment la: Knowledge of famous personalities Participants Rationale and materiais Experimental tasks Experiment 1b: Knowledge of English voca Mary terms Participants Rationale and materials Experimental Tasks Results Discussion of Experiments la and lb Contents cont'd Expenment 2: Autobiographical episodic recall ability Participants Rationale, materials and experimental tasks Results Discussion Summary of Findings from Expriment !a, 1b and 2: Reconciling the Consolidation and Multiple Trace Theories Experiment 3: Effixt of autobiogra phical significance on remote semantic memory Participants Materials Expenmentai tasks Results Discussion General Discussion Support for the c~mbinationmode1 from clincial and neuroimaging studies The role of the prefiontal cortex in autobiographical episodic memory The nght hemisphere hypothesis of autobiographical memory Implicit remote semantic memory and non-hippocampal learning Concl usion Contents cont'd References Tables Figures Appendices List of Tables Table 1: D.Kh scores on the WAIS-R subtests Table 2: D.K.'s scpres on the subtest of the Dementia Ratin3 Scale (DRS) Table 3: Control Group Data for Experiment la Tasks - Means and (Standard Deviations) by Time Period Table 4: Control Group Data for Experiment I b Tasks - Means and (Standard Deviations) by ThePeriod Table 5: Autobiographicai memones: D-K- Table 6: Autobiographical mernories: KC. Table 7: Famous names triggenng a sense of familiarity in D.K. Table 8: Average familiarity ratings of famous names providcd by control subjects Table 9: Percentage of control group that gave remember responses for famous names List of Figures Figure 1: D.K1sperformance on the famous names reading times task Figure 2: C.T.'s and F.P.'s performance on the farnous names reading times task Figure 3: C.T.'sperformance on the famous name recognition task Figure 4: C.T.'s performance on the name categorization task Figure 5: C.T.'s performance on the familiarity ratings task Figure 6: C.T.'s performance on the first name-Iast narne matching task Figure 7: C.T.'s performance on the T.V./movie task Figure 8: F.P.3 performance on the famous name recognition task Figure 9: F.P.'s performance on the name categorization task Figure 10: F.P.'s performance on the fadiarity ratings task Figure 11: F.P.'s performance on the fvst name-last name matching task Figure 12: F.P.'s performance on the T.V./rnovie task Figure 13: KCsand D.A.'s perfonnance on the famous names reading times task Figure 14: K.C.'s performance on the famous name recognition task Figure 15: K.C.'s performance on the narne categorization task Figure 16: KCsperformance on the familiarity ratings task Figure 17: ICC.'s performance on the first name-last nme matching task Figure 18: KC.'s performance on the T.V./movie task vii List of Figures coat'd Figure 19: D.A..'s pefiomance on the famous name recognition task Figure 20: D.A.'s performance on the name categonzation task Figure 21: D.A-'sperformance on the familiarïty raiings task Figure 22: D.A.'s performance on the first narne-last name matching task Figure 23: DA'Sperformance on the T-Vhovietask Figure 24: D.K.'s performance on the vocabulary reading times task Figure 25: C.T.'s and F.P.'s performance on the vocabulary reading times task Figure 26: C.T.3 performance on the word recognition task Figure 27: C.T.'s performance on the word definition task Figure 28: F.P..'s performance on the word recognition task Figure 29: F.P.'s performance on the word definition task Figure 30: KC's and D.A.'s performance on the vocabulaxy reading times task Figure 31: KC's performance on the word recognition task Figure 32: KCsperformance on the word definition task Figure 33: D.A.'s performance on the word recognition task Figure 34: D.kls performance on the word definition task Figure 35: D.K.'s scores on recognition, naming and episodic variables in the photograph description task Figure 36: K.C.'s scores on semantic and episodic variables in the photograph description task Figure 37: D.K recognition of place names List of Figures cont'd Figure 38: D.K.3 recognition of landmark names p. 193 Figure 39: D.K.'s reading times for visi@ not visite4 and fictional p. 194 place names Figure 40: D.Ktsreading times for visited, not visited, and fictional p. 195 landmark names Figure 11: Comparison of famous names recognized by D.K. and p. 196 their rankings by control subjects with respect to rememberknow and familiarity List of Appendices Appendix A: Farnous Names - Reading Times Tasic, Recognition Task aad Familiarity Ratings Task Appendix B: Scrarnbled Names - Reading Times Task Appendix C: Famous Names - Recognition Task Appendix D: Farnous Narnes - Category Classification Task Appendix E: Famous Names - FidastName Matching Task Appendix F: Matching Famous Actor with Movie or Television Show Appendü G: EnglishTerms - Reading Times Task A ppendix 8: Scrarnbled/Pseudowords - Reading Times Task Appendix I: English Terms -Recognition Task Appendix J: Names of Cities, Counties and Geographical Regions - Recognition Task Appendix K: Names of Landmarks and Tourist Atîractions - Recognition Task Appendix L: Names of Cities and Countries - Reading Times Task Appendix M: Narnes of Landmarks and Tourist Attractions - Reading Times Task Appendix N: Famous Names - RememberKnow Recognition Task Temponlly-Graded Retrograde Memory Loss in Semantic Domentia, Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia and Alzheimer's Dementia Research into the neuropsychology of retrograde amnesia has important implications for understanding the organizational structure of long term memory and the neural mechanisrns mediating memory storage and retrieval. Whereas anterograde amnesia involves an impaired ability to learn new information and to store new memories, retrograde amnesia refers to the Ioss of mernories acquired pnor to the onset of brain damage or disease (Schacter & Tulving, 1982; Siegert & Warrington, 1996). Although anterograde and retrograde memory impairments typically occur together (Squire & Alvarez, 1995), cases of focal retrograde amnesia in the absence of an accompanying anterograde deficit have appeared in the clinical literature with increasingly regularity since the initial documentation by Warrington in 1975