This study aimed to examine the processes of consolidation and reconsolidation of visual‑figurative memory across several pathologies that are major causes of dementia in late adulthood. It included 150 participants aged 60–74, 21 % of whom were male. To assess the role of etiopathogenesis, patients with chronic cerebral ischemia—comparable to vascular cognitive impairment in international practice—were compared with those with Parkinson’s disease. To evaluate the influence of the duration of exposure to the harmful factor, patients with chronic cerebral ischemia were compared with individuals experiencing acute cerebrovascular accidents. Reconstructing F. Bartlett’s experiment, we examined visual‑figurative memory at several stages: during initial imprinting (copying) of information, at the onset of consolidation (40 minutes), during consolidation (four hours), and during reconsolidation (36 hours). The stimulus material, drawn from an ancient Indian epic, was deliberately unfamiliar to the participants. Assessment focused on figure integrity, the number of distortions, losses, and preserved elements. The study concluded that figure integrity was influenced by the duration of exposure to the harmful factor, whereas the etiopathogenetic factor had no effect. After initial imprinting and at the beginning of consolidation, all groups showed the greatest transformation of the symbol into an image, which remained relatively intact throughout the subsequent consolidation–reconsolidation process. Patients with chronic cerebral ischemia displayed a monotonically decreasing mnemonic trajectory, while those with acute cerebrovascular accidents showed a quasi‑periodic pattern. These findings were used to identify specific targets for rehabilitation.

Irina Aleksandrovna Izyumova, PhD in Psychology, Senior Lecturer at the Department of General and Developmental Psychology at the Institute of Clinical and Developmental Psychology at the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University.

Co Author:
Vera Borisovna Nikishina professor, doctor of psychological sciences, director of the Institute of Clinical Psychology and Social Work of the N. I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University