Sex and age differences in the effects of novelty on memory performance

Several studies found that recollection improves up to 10 minutes after exploring a novel environment, but recognition does not. This is because recollection is hippocampus-dependent, and recognition is hippocampus-independent. A novelty signal releases dopamine in the hippocampus. The increase in dopamine can last up to 10 minutes after exploring a new environment and thus also improves recollection up to 10 minutes. This master thesis study aimed to examine the differences of age and sex regarding the effects of novelty on memory performance, distinguishing between recollection and recognition. This cross-sectional study was conducted in NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam. After excluding participants who did not meet the selection criteria, the sample size was 426, of which 224 men and 202 women. The age range of the participants was between 8 and 77 years old (M = 24.5, SD = 16.8). Age 8 to 11 were considered children in this study, age 12 to 20 were considered adolescents, age 21...Show moreSeveral studies found that recollection improves up to 10 minutes after exploring a novel environment, but recognition does not. This is because recollection is hippocampus-dependent, and recognition is hippocampus-independent. A novelty signal releases dopamine in the hippocampus. The increase in dopamine can last up to 10 minutes after exploring a new environment and thus also improves recollection up to 10 minutes. This master thesis study aimed to examine the differences of age and sex regarding the effects of novelty on memory performance, distinguishing between recollection and recognition. This cross-sectional study was conducted in NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam. After excluding participants who did not meet the selection criteria, the sample size was 426, of which 224 men and 202 women. The age range of the participants was between 8 and 77 years old (M = 24.5, SD = 16.8). Age 8 to 11 were considered children in this study, age 12 to 20 were considered adolescents, age 21 to 64 were considered adults, and age 65 and over were considered seniors. The participants explored a virtual environment with several landmarks on the computer twice, of which the second exploration was either a familiar or a novel environment compared to the first exploration. In addition, the participants filled in questionnaires and performed tasks, such as a word-learning task. This task was used to measure recollection and recognition. A significant effect was found between age groups and memory performance. In both the recollection and recognition test, adolescents and adults performed better than children. However, no significant effect was found between the other age groups on memory performance. In addition, no significant main effects of novelty and sex, and no interaction effects on memory performance were found. These results could be helpful to develop a treatment or intervention to combat disease- and age-related memory decline. However, further research is recommended, including all experimental factors in the analyses and equal numbers of participants in the age and sex groups.Show less

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Sex and age differences in the effects of novelty on memory performance