AN APPLICATION OF PREFRONTAL CORTEX FUNCTION-THEORY TO COGNITIVE AGING

The purpose of this review is to extend the existing application of th e frontal lobe hypothesis of cognitive aging beyond the limited work o n inhibitory control (F. N. Dempster, 1992) to include memory processe s supported by the prefrontal cortex. To establish a background for th is analysis, I review existing models of prefrontal cortex function an d present a synthesized model that includes a general function of temp oral integration, supported by 4 specific processes: prospective memor y, retrospective memory, interference control, and inhibition of prepo tent responses. I found the frontal lobe hypothesis to perform well, w ith the exception of an inability to account for age-related declines in item recall and recognition memory, possibly a result of age-relate d declines in medial temporal function.