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Date of Award

Spring 2012

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Major

Neuroscience

First Advisor

Sarah Raskin

Abstract

Prospective memory (PM) is remembering to do something in the future and involves the ability to form and later realize intentions that are delayed over time (Einstein & McDaniel, 1990). The purpose of this experiment was to examine the underlying brain activity related to PM using event-related potentials (West & RossMunroe, 2002) and to determine the relationship between the electrophysiological measures and behavioral performance, as measured by the Memory for Intentions Screening Test (MIST) (Raskin, Buckheit, & Sherrod, 2011) in both healthy individuals (HA) and individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Results showed that individuals with TBI performed worse than HA on all variables of both the MIST and the computerized behavioral test. They also showed smaller amplitudes on all ERPs of interest when compared to HA. Lastly, when comparing the MIST and the computerized behavioral data, the MIST correlated more strongly with reaction time of the computerized behavioral test than with any other variables. Overall, these findings suggest that individuals with TBI have deficits in PM compared to HA and that the MIST and the computerized-behavioral tests are measuring similar PM-related processes.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. Accessible to members of the Trinity community only.

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