Retrieval-induced forgetting and facilitation across the Alzheimer’s disease continuum: Behavioral and neuroanatomical evidence from a recognition-based paradigm.

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OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate facilitation (FAC) and retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) during episodic memory retrieval across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum and to examine their gray matter correlates in verbal and visual recognition tasks. METHOD: One hundred participants (28 AD, 29 amnestic mild cognitive impairment, 23 subjective cognitive decline [SCD], 20 healthy subjects) completed a modified retrieval-practice paradigm (mRPP) involving verbal and visual recognition tasks, a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, and 3T magnetic resonance imaging. FAC and RIF were computed at the group level and via individual proxy scores, and voxel-based morphometry was used to assess the association between mRPP indices and regional gray matter volumes. RESULTS: ² = 0.63). Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed distinct gray matter correlates across groups and tasks: Verbal RIF was negatively associated with frontotemporal regions in AD patients and parieto-occipital regions in healthy subjects, while visual indices showed widespread associations with temporal, subcortical, cerebellar, and sensorimotor regions, particularly in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and SCD groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows shared and modality-specific brain mechanisms of retrieval practice across AD stages. Preserved compensatory processes in SCD individuals give way to progressive regional disruption, supporting early, modality-tailored, and multimodal cognitive interventions to enhance cognition and delay cognitive decline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).