Leiden University Student Repository

Grosu, Carina Andreea C.A (2026)

White Matter Integrity of Amygdala-related Pathways and its association with Emotional Memory in older adults

Master thesis | Psychology (MSc)

Emotional memory refers to the enhanced remembrance of emotionally salient events compared to neutral ones. Although emotional memory is important for well-being in older adulthood, its decline with age and the contribution of fronto-limbic structural brain connectivity to individual differences in emotional memory remain poorly understood. The present study examined whether white-matter structural connectivity within fronto-limbic pathways linking the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampus, and amygdala is associated with emotional memory performance in healthy older adults, as these regions form a core network supporting emotional evaluation, memory consolidation, and emotion regulation. Data were obtained from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort. A total of 272 cognitively healthy adults, 139 females and 133 males, aged 18–88 years, with a mean of 52.82, completed an emotional memory task involving positive, neutral, and negative stimuli, as well as...Show moreEmotional memory refers to the enhanced remembrance of emotionally salient events compared to neutral ones. Although emotional memory is important for well-being in older adulthood, its decline with age and the contribution of fronto-limbic structural brain connectivity to individual differences in emotional memory remain poorly understood. The present study examined whether white-matter structural connectivity within fronto-limbic pathways linking the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampus, and amygdala is associated with emotional memory performance in healthy older adults, as these regions form a core network supporting emotional evaluation, memory consolidation, and emotion regulation. Data were obtained from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort. A total of 272 cognitively healthy adults, 139 females and 133 males, aged 18–88 years, with a mean of 52.82, completed an emotional memory task involving positive, neutral, and negative stimuli, as well as diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Structural connectivity within three a priori pathways (mPFC–amygdala, hippocampus–amygdala, and mPFC–hippocampus) was examined. Multivariate regression analyses assessed associations between tract connectivity and emotional memory across valence conditions, controlling for age, education, and sex. Linear mixed- effects models tested whether emotional valence moderated tract–memory associations. Additional multivariate analyses examined age-related differences in emotional memory and structural connectivity, and exploratory analyses tested sex differences. There was an association between age and emotional memory (Pillai!s Trace = .270, F(3, 266) = 32.72, p < .001). Structural connectivity showed no multivariate effects, but all pathways selectively predicted negative memory (Fs > 4.0, ps < .05). No valence-by-connectivity interactions were observed (ps > .05). Sex moderated the association between mPFC–hippocampus connectivity and emotional memory (Pillai!s Trace = .031, F(3, 264) = 2.85, p = .038), with effects only in men. These findings suggest that fronto-limbic structural connectivity is selectively related to negative emotional memory in older adults. Age and sex appear to influence emotional memory through partially distinct mechanisms, highlighting the importance of considering individual differences in structural brain connectivity when studying emotional memory in aging.Show less

Author

Grosu, Carina Andreea C.A

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Clinical Neuropsychology

Supervisors

Baene, W. de
Claessen, M
Cuperus, A

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en