The HERA (Hemispheric Encoding/Retrieval Asymmetry) model captures hemispheric lateralization of prefrontal cortex (PFC) brain activity during memory encoding and retrieval. Reduced HERA has been observed in cross-sectional aging studies, but there is no longitudinal evidence, to our knowledge, on age-related changes in HERA and whether maintained or reduced HERA relates to well-preserved memory functioning. In the present study we set out to explore HERA in a longitudinal neuroimaging sample from the Betula study [3 Waves over 10 years; Wave-1: n = 363, W2: n = 227, W3: n = 101]. We used fMRI data from a face-name paired-associates task to derive a HERA index. In support of the HERA model, the mean HERA index was positive across the three imaging waves. The longitudinal age-HERA relationship was highly significant (p < 10-11), with a HERA decline occurring after age 60. The age-related HERA decline was associated with episodic memory decline (p < 0.05). Taken together, the findings provide large-scale support for the HERA model, and suggest that reduced HERA in the PFC reflects pathological memory aging possibly related to impaired ability to bias mnemonic processing according to the appropriate encoding or retrieval state.

中文翻译：

---

减少半球编码/检索不对称性的纵向证据预示了衰老中的情景记忆损害。

HERA（半球编码/检索不对称）模型捕获在记忆编码和检索过程中前额叶皮层（PFC）脑活动的半球偏侧化。在横断面老化研究中观察到HERA降低，但是据我们所知，没有纵向证据证明与年龄相关的HERA改变以及维持或降低的HERA与保存良好的记忆功能有关。在本研究中，我们着手研究来自Betula研究的纵向神经影像样本中的HERA [3 Waves over 10 years; Wave-1：n = 363，W2：n = 227，W3：n = 101]。我们使用了来自面部名称配对关联任务的fMRI数据来得出HERA指数。为了支持HERA模型，在三个成像波中，平均HERA指数为正。纵向年龄-HERA关系非常显着（p <10-11），60岁后发生HERA下降。与年龄相关的HERA下降与发作性记忆下降相关（p <0.05）。综上所述，这些发现为HERA模型提供了大规模的支持，并表明PFC中HERA的降低反映了病理性记忆老化，这可能与根据适当的编码或检索状态对助记符处理产生偏见的能力受损有关。