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The impact of aging on sharp-wave ripple associated slow gamma oscillations: implications for memory consolidation

Poster Session D - Monday, March 9, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Taokorng Lim¹ (ataokorn@uw.edu), Gabrielle F. Shvartsman¹, Ian O’Leary¹, Anna K. Gillespie¹; ¹University of Washington, Seattle

Memory degradation is a natural part of the cognitive aging process. Sharp-wave ripples (SWRs), bouts of fast oscillatory (100-250 Hz) neural activity in the hippocampus, are important for memory consolidation. During SWRs, transient increases in slow gamma (20–50 Hz) power in the CA1 region of the hippocampus are thought to be important for organizing neural spiking in precisely ordered sequences. While some changes in SWR features have been reported in aged subjects, it is unknown whether age affects SWR-associated slow gamma. In this study, we recorded electrophysiological signals from the CA1 subregion of the hippocampus while young and aged rats performed a complex memory-guided task. We filtered the raw local field potential into slow gamma and SWR frequency bands, allowing us to assess and compare SWR-associated slow gamma activity between the young and aged animals and ask whether these differences correlate with performance differences on our task. Studying these differences strengthens our understanding of how the neural mechanisms underlying memory change across aging.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Development & aging