Event-Related Potentials in Verbal Episodic Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Scoping Review
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Abstract
Introduction: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is considered a transitional stage between normal cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Given the challenges in accurately distinguishing MCI from the healthy elderly (HE), researchers have increasingly turned to event-related potentials (ERPs) to identify early neural changes, particularly in verbal and episodic memory processing.
Methods: This review synthesizes ERP studies from 2000 to 2025 that utilized verbal episodic memory paradigms to differentiate between MCI and HE. The databases PsycINFO and PubMed were searched for peer-reviewed articles. The reporting of this review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist.
Results: In these studies, core aspects of verbal processing—including semantic congruity and recognition—combined with episodic memory manipulation have consistently reported alterations in ERP components such as the N400, FN400, and Late Positive Component (LPC) in MCI. Reduced or delayed N400 and LPC responses, as well as altered scalp distributions, have been shown to be sensitive to verbal memory deficits in MCI, often preceding behavioral impairments. Moreover, ERP paradigms integrating semantic and episodic memory have shown that the interaction between memory systems further enhances diagnostic precision.
Conclusion: The reviewed literature highlights that verbal ERP paradigms are not only effective in differentiating MCI from HE but also capture subtle neurophysiological changes that might be overlooked by behavioral measures alone. These results underscore the potential of ERPs as non-invasive, cost-effective biomarkers for early cognitive impairment.
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2. Brookmeyer R, Gray S, Kawas C. Projections of Alzheimer's disease in the United States and the public health impact of delaying disease onset. Am J Public Health. 1998;88(9):1337-42.
3. Brookmeyer R, Johnson E, Ziegler-Graham K, Arrighi HM. Forecasting the global burden of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2007;3(3):186-91.
4. Lobo A, Launer LJ, Fratiglioni L, Andersen K, Di Carlo A, Breteler M, et al. Prevalence of dementia and major subtypes in Europe: a collaborative study of population-based cohorts. Neurology. 2000;54(5):S4.
5. Jack CR, Knopman DS, Jagust WJ, et al. Tracking pathophysiological processes in Alzheimer's disease: an updated hypothetical model of dynamic biomarkers. Lancet Neurol. 2013;12(2):207-16.
6. Petersen RC, Smith GE, Waring SC, Ivnik RJ, Tangalos EG, Kokmen E. Mild cognitive impairment: clinical characterization and outcome. Arch. Neurol. 1999;56(3):303-8.
7. Petersen RC, Stevens JC, Ganguli M, Tangalos EG, Cummings J, DeKosky ST. Practice parameter: early detection of dementia: mild cognitive impairment (an evidence-based review): report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2001;56(9):1133-42.
8. Ganguli M, Chang C-CH, Snitz BE, Saxton JA, Vanderbilt J, Lee C-W. Prevalence of mild cognitive impairment by multiple classifications: The Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) project. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010;18(8):674-83.
9. Gauthier S, Reisberg B, Zaudig M, et al. Mild cognitive impairment. Lancet. 2006;367(9518):1262-70.
10. Machulda M, Ward H, Borowski B, et al. Comparison of memory fMRI response among normal, MCI, and Alzheimer’s patients. Neurology. 2003;61(4):500-6.
11. Hojjati SH, Ebrahimzadeh A, Babajani-Feremi A. Identification of the early stage of Alzheimer's disease using structural MRI and resting-state fMRI. Front Neurol. 2019;10:904.
12. Li X, Wang F, Liu X, et al. Changes in brain function networks in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a resting-state fMRI study. Front Neurol. 2020;11:554032.
13. Braak H. Neuropathological staging of Alzheimer-related changes correlates with psychometrically assessed intellectual status. In: Terry RD, Katzman R, Bick KL, editors. Alzheimer's Disease: Advances in Clinical and Basic Research. Third International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1993, 131-137.
14. Taler V, Phillips NA. Language performance in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a comparative review. J. Clin. Exp. Neuropsychol. 2008;30(5):501-56.
15. Joubert S, Brambati SM, Ansado J, et al. The cognitive and neural expression of semantic memory impairment in mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia. 2010;48(4):978-88.
16. Taler V, Voronchikhina A, Gorfine G, Lukasik M. Knowledge of semantic features in mild cognitive impairment. J. Neurolinguistics. 2016;38:56-70.
17. Kutas M, Schmitt BM. Language in microvolts. Mind, brain, and language: Multidisciplinary perspectives. 2003:171-209.
18. Mufson EJ, Binder L, Counts SE, et al. Mild cognitive impairment: pathology and mechanisms. Acta Neuropathol. 2012;123:13-30.
19. Terry RD, Masliah E, Salmon DP, et al. Physical basis of cognitive alterations in Alzheimer's disease: synapse loss is the major correlate of cognitive impairment. Ann. Neurol: Official Journal of the American Neurological Association and the Child Neurology Society. 1991;30(4):572-80.
20. Mesulam M-M. Neuroplasticity failure in Alzheimer's disease: bridging the gap between plaques and tangles. Neuron. 1999;24(3):521-9.
21. Selkoe DJ. Alzheimer's disease is a synaptic failure. Science. 2002;298(5594):789-91.
22. Arksey H, O'malley L. Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Int. J. Soc. Res. 2005;8(1):19-32.
23. Levac D, Colquhoun H, O'brien KK. Scoping studies: advancing the methodology. Implement Sci. 2010;5(1):69.
24. Peters MD, Godfrey C, McInerney P, Munn Z, Tricco AC, Khalil H. Chapter 11: scoping reviews. JBI manual for evidence synthesis. 2020;169(7):467-73.
25. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann. Intern. Med. 2018;169(7):467-73.
26. Olichney JM, Morris S, Ochoa C, et al. Abnormal verbal event related potentials in mild cognitive impairment and incipient Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002;73(4):377-84.
27. Olichney J, Taylor J, Gatherwright J, et al. Patients with MCI and N400 or P600 abnormalities are at very high risk for conversion to dementia. Neurology. 2008;70(19_part_2):1763-70.
28. Ally BA, McKeever JD, Waring JD, Budson AE. Preserved frontal memorial processing for pictures in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia. 2009;47(10):2044-55.
29. Galli G, Ragazzoni A, Viggiano MP. Atypical event-related potentials in patients with mild cognitive impairment: an identification-priming study. Alzheimers Dement. 2010;6(4):351-8.
30. Hoppstädter M, King AV, Frölich L, Wessa M, Flor H, Meyer P. A combined electrophysiological and morphological examination of episodic memory decline in amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Front. aging neurosci. 2013;5:51.
31. Wolk DA, Manning K, Kliot D, Arnold SE. Recognition memory in amnestic-mild cognitive impairment: insights from event-related potentials. Front. aging neurosci. 2013;5:89.
32. Yang J-C, Chi L, Teichholtz S, et al. ERP abnormalities elicited by word repetition in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and amnestic MCI. Neuropsychologia. 2014;63:34-42.
33. Kuo M. Semantic encoding in mild cognitive impairment: A preliminary ERP study. Int. clin. neurosci. j. 2017;4(2):51-6.
34. Curran T. Brain potentials of recollection and familiarity. Mem. Cogn. 2000;28:923-38.
35. Ally BA, Budson AE. The worth of pictures: Using high density event-related potentials to understand the memorial power of pictures and the dynamics of recognition memory. NeuroImage. 2007;35(1):378-95.
36. Kutas M, Hillyard SA. Event-related brain potentials to grammatical errors and semantic anomalies. Mem. Cogn. 1983;11(5):539-50.
37. Holcomb PJ. Automatic and attentional processing: An event-related brain potential analysis of semantic priming. Brain Lang. 1988;35(1):66-85.
38. Marta K, Van Petten C. Psycholinguistics electrified: event-related brain potential investigations. In: Gernsbacher MA, editor. Handbook of psycholinguistics. New York: Academic Press; 1994. p. 83-143.
39. Karayanidis F, Andrews S, Ward PB, McConaghy N. Effects of inter‐item lag on word repetition: An event‐related potential study. Psychophysiology. 1991;28(3):307-18.
40. Petten CV, Kutas M, Kluender R, Mitchiner M, McIsaac H. Fractionating the word repetition effect with event-related potentials. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 1991;3(2):131-50.
41. Friedman D, Johnson Jr R. Event‐related potential (ERP) studies of memory encoding and retrieval: A selective review. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2000;51(1):6-28.
42. Olichney JM, Van Petten C, Paller KA, Salmon DP, Iragui VJ, Kutas M. Word repetition in amnesia: Electrophysiological measures of impaired and spared memory. Brain. 2000;123(9):1948-63.
43. Groh-Bordin C, Zimmer HD, Mecklinger A. Feature binding in perceptual priming and in episodic object recognition: Evidence from event-related brain potentials. Cogn. Brain Res. 2005;24(3):556-67.
44. Besson M, Kutas M, Petten CV. An event-related potential (ERP) analysis of semantic congruity and repetition effects in sentences. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 1992;4(2):132-49.
45. Yonelinas AP. Receiver-operating characteristics in recognition memory: evidence for a dual-process model. J. Exp. Psychol.: Learn. Mem. Cogn. 1994;20(6):1341.
46. Simons JS, Owen AM, Fletcher PC, Burgess PW. Anterior prefrontal cortex and the recollection of contextual information. Neuropsychologia. 2005;43(12):1774-83.
47. Yonelinas AP, Otten LJ, Shaw KN, Rugg MD. Separating the brain regions involved in recollection and familiarity in recognition memory. J. Neurosci. 2005;25(11):3002-8.
48. Ally BA, Simons JS, McKeever JD, Peers PV, Budson AE. Parietal contributions to recollection: electrophysiological evidence from aging and patients with parietal lesions. Neuropsychologia. 2008;46(7):1800-12.
49. Rugg MD, Curran T. Event-related potentials and recognition memory. Trends Cogn Sci. 2007;11(6):251-7.
50. Eichenbaum H, Yonelinas AP, Ranganath C. The medial temporal lobe and recognition memory. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2007;30(1):123-52.
51. Mintzer MZ, Snodgrass JG. The picture superiority effect: Support for the distinctiveness model. Am. J. Psychol. 1999;112(1):113.
52. Martin SJ, Grimwood PD, Morris RG. Synaptic plasticity and memory: an evaluation of the hypothesis. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 2000;23(1):649-711.
53. Chu KY, Cheng KH. Effects of transcranial direct-current stimulation and cognitive training on individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Mod Rehabil. 2024.
2. Brookmeyer R, Gray S, Kawas C. Projections of Alzheimer's disease in the United States and the public health impact of delaying disease onset. Am J Public Health. 1998;88(9):1337-42.
3. Brookmeyer R, Johnson E, Ziegler-Graham K, Arrighi HM. Forecasting the global burden of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2007;3(3):186-91.
4. Lobo A, Launer LJ, Fratiglioni L, Andersen K, Di Carlo A, Breteler M, et al. Prevalence of dementia and major subtypes in Europe: a collaborative study of population-based cohorts. Neurology. 2000;54(5):S4.
5. Jack CR, Knopman DS, Jagust WJ, et al. Tracking pathophysiological processes in Alzheimer's disease: an updated hypothetical model of dynamic biomarkers. Lancet Neurol. 2013;12(2):207-16.
6. Petersen RC, Smith GE, Waring SC, Ivnik RJ, Tangalos EG, Kokmen E. Mild cognitive impairment: clinical characterization and outcome. Arch. Neurol. 1999;56(3):303-8.
7. Petersen RC, Stevens JC, Ganguli M, Tangalos EG, Cummings J, DeKosky ST. Practice parameter: early detection of dementia: mild cognitive impairment (an evidence-based review): report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2001;56(9):1133-42.
8. Ganguli M, Chang C-CH, Snitz BE, Saxton JA, Vanderbilt J, Lee C-W. Prevalence of mild cognitive impairment by multiple classifications: The Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) project. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010;18(8):674-83.
9. Gauthier S, Reisberg B, Zaudig M, et al. Mild cognitive impairment. Lancet. 2006;367(9518):1262-70.
10. Machulda M, Ward H, Borowski B, et al. Comparison of memory fMRI response among normal, MCI, and Alzheimer’s patients. Neurology. 2003;61(4):500-6.
11. Hojjati SH, Ebrahimzadeh A, Babajani-Feremi A. Identification of the early stage of Alzheimer's disease using structural MRI and resting-state fMRI. Front Neurol. 2019;10:904.
12. Li X, Wang F, Liu X, et al. Changes in brain function networks in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a resting-state fMRI study. Front Neurol. 2020;11:554032.
13. Braak H. Neuropathological staging of Alzheimer-related changes correlates with psychometrically assessed intellectual status. In: Terry RD, Katzman R, Bick KL, editors. Alzheimer's Disease: Advances in Clinical and Basic Research. Third International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1993, 131-137.
14. Taler V, Phillips NA. Language performance in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a comparative review. J. Clin. Exp. Neuropsychol. 2008;30(5):501-56.
15. Joubert S, Brambati SM, Ansado J, et al. The cognitive and neural expression of semantic memory impairment in mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia. 2010;48(4):978-88.
16. Taler V, Voronchikhina A, Gorfine G, Lukasik M. Knowledge of semantic features in mild cognitive impairment. J. Neurolinguistics. 2016;38:56-70.
17. Kutas M, Schmitt BM. Language in microvolts. Mind, brain, and language: Multidisciplinary perspectives. 2003:171-209.
18. Mufson EJ, Binder L, Counts SE, et al. Mild cognitive impairment: pathology and mechanisms. Acta Neuropathol. 2012;123:13-30.
19. Terry RD, Masliah E, Salmon DP, et al. Physical basis of cognitive alterations in Alzheimer's disease: synapse loss is the major correlate of cognitive impairment. Ann. Neurol: Official Journal of the American Neurological Association and the Child Neurology Society. 1991;30(4):572-80.
20. Mesulam M-M. Neuroplasticity failure in Alzheimer's disease: bridging the gap between plaques and tangles. Neuron. 1999;24(3):521-9.
21. Selkoe DJ. Alzheimer's disease is a synaptic failure. Science. 2002;298(5594):789-91.
22. Arksey H, O'malley L. Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Int. J. Soc. Res. 2005;8(1):19-32.
23. Levac D, Colquhoun H, O'brien KK. Scoping studies: advancing the methodology. Implement Sci. 2010;5(1):69.
24. Peters MD, Godfrey C, McInerney P, Munn Z, Tricco AC, Khalil H. Chapter 11: scoping reviews. JBI manual for evidence synthesis. 2020;169(7):467-73.
25. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann. Intern. Med. 2018;169(7):467-73.
26. Olichney JM, Morris S, Ochoa C, et al. Abnormal verbal event related potentials in mild cognitive impairment and incipient Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002;73(4):377-84.
27. Olichney J, Taylor J, Gatherwright J, et al. Patients with MCI and N400 or P600 abnormalities are at very high risk for conversion to dementia. Neurology. 2008;70(19_part_2):1763-70.
28. Ally BA, McKeever JD, Waring JD, Budson AE. Preserved frontal memorial processing for pictures in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia. 2009;47(10):2044-55.
29. Galli G, Ragazzoni A, Viggiano MP. Atypical event-related potentials in patients with mild cognitive impairment: an identification-priming study. Alzheimers Dement. 2010;6(4):351-8.
30. Hoppstädter M, King AV, Frölich L, Wessa M, Flor H, Meyer P. A combined electrophysiological and morphological examination of episodic memory decline in amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Front. aging neurosci. 2013;5:51.
31. Wolk DA, Manning K, Kliot D, Arnold SE. Recognition memory in amnestic-mild cognitive impairment: insights from event-related potentials. Front. aging neurosci. 2013;5:89.
32. Yang J-C, Chi L, Teichholtz S, et al. ERP abnormalities elicited by word repetition in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and amnestic MCI. Neuropsychologia. 2014;63:34-42.
33. Kuo M. Semantic encoding in mild cognitive impairment: A preliminary ERP study. Int. clin. neurosci. j. 2017;4(2):51-6.
34. Curran T. Brain potentials of recollection and familiarity. Mem. Cogn. 2000;28:923-38.
35. Ally BA, Budson AE. The worth of pictures: Using high density event-related potentials to understand the memorial power of pictures and the dynamics of recognition memory. NeuroImage. 2007;35(1):378-95.
36. Kutas M, Hillyard SA. Event-related brain potentials to grammatical errors and semantic anomalies. Mem. Cogn. 1983;11(5):539-50.
37. Holcomb PJ. Automatic and attentional processing: An event-related brain potential analysis of semantic priming. Brain Lang. 1988;35(1):66-85.
38. Marta K, Van Petten C. Psycholinguistics electrified: event-related brain potential investigations. In: Gernsbacher MA, editor. Handbook of psycholinguistics. New York: Academic Press; 1994. p. 83-143.
39. Karayanidis F, Andrews S, Ward PB, McConaghy N. Effects of inter‐item lag on word repetition: An event‐related potential study. Psychophysiology. 1991;28(3):307-18.
40. Petten CV, Kutas M, Kluender R, Mitchiner M, McIsaac H. Fractionating the word repetition effect with event-related potentials. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 1991;3(2):131-50.
41. Friedman D, Johnson Jr R. Event‐related potential (ERP) studies of memory encoding and retrieval: A selective review. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2000;51(1):6-28.
42. Olichney JM, Van Petten C, Paller KA, Salmon DP, Iragui VJ, Kutas M. Word repetition in amnesia: Electrophysiological measures of impaired and spared memory. Brain. 2000;123(9):1948-63.
43. Groh-Bordin C, Zimmer HD, Mecklinger A. Feature binding in perceptual priming and in episodic object recognition: Evidence from event-related brain potentials. Cogn. Brain Res. 2005;24(3):556-67.
44. Besson M, Kutas M, Petten CV. An event-related potential (ERP) analysis of semantic congruity and repetition effects in sentences. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 1992;4(2):132-49.
45. Yonelinas AP. Receiver-operating characteristics in recognition memory: evidence for a dual-process model. J. Exp. Psychol.: Learn. Mem. Cogn. 1994;20(6):1341.
46. Simons JS, Owen AM, Fletcher PC, Burgess PW. Anterior prefrontal cortex and the recollection of contextual information. Neuropsychologia. 2005;43(12):1774-83.
47. Yonelinas AP, Otten LJ, Shaw KN, Rugg MD. Separating the brain regions involved in recollection and familiarity in recognition memory. J. Neurosci. 2005;25(11):3002-8.
48. Ally BA, Simons JS, McKeever JD, Peers PV, Budson AE. Parietal contributions to recollection: electrophysiological evidence from aging and patients with parietal lesions. Neuropsychologia. 2008;46(7):1800-12.
49. Rugg MD, Curran T. Event-related potentials and recognition memory. Trends Cogn Sci. 2007;11(6):251-7.
50. Eichenbaum H, Yonelinas AP, Ranganath C. The medial temporal lobe and recognition memory. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2007;30(1):123-52.
51. Mintzer MZ, Snodgrass JG. The picture superiority effect: Support for the distinctiveness model. Am. J. Psychol. 1999;112(1):113.
52. Martin SJ, Grimwood PD, Morris RG. Synaptic plasticity and memory: an evaluation of the hypothesis. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 2000;23(1):649-711.
53. Chu KY, Cheng KH. Effects of transcranial direct-current stimulation and cognitive training on individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Mod Rehabil. 2024.
| Issue | Articles in Press | |
| Section | Review Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Mild Cognitive Impairment; Event-related potentials; Episodic Memory; Electroencephalography; Aging | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Farmani H, Khatoonabadi A, Hadian Rasanani M. Event-Related Potentials in Verbal Episodic Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Scoping Review. jmr. 2026;(-).
