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Vartanian O, Replete V, Saint SA, Lam Q, Forbes S, Beaudoin ME, Brunyé TT, Bryant DJ, Feltman KA, Heaton KJ, McKinley RA, Van Erp JBF, Vergin A, Whittaker A. What Is Targeted When We Train Working Memory? Evidence From a Meta-Analysis of the Neural Correlates of Working Memory Training Using Activation Likelihood Estimation. Front Psychol 2022; 13:868001. [PMID: 35432071 PMCID: PMC9005969 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.868001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is the system responsible for maintaining and manipulating information, in the face of ongoing distraction. In turn, WM span is perceived to be an individual-differences construct reflecting the limited capacity of this system. Recently, however, there has been some evidence to suggest that WM capacity can increase through training, raising the possibility that training can functionally alter the neural structures supporting WM. To address the hypothesis that the neural substrates underlying WM are targeted by training, we conducted a meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of WM training using Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE). Our results demonstrate that WM training is associated exclusively with decreases in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses in clusters within the fronto-parietal system that underlie WM, including the bilateral inferior parietal lobule (BA 39/40), middle (BA 9) and superior (BA 6) frontal gyri, and medial frontal gyrus bordering on the cingulate gyrus (BA 8/32). We discuss the various psychological and physiological mechanisms that could be responsible for the observed reductions in the BOLD signal in relation to WM training, and consider their implications for the construct of WM span as a limited resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oshin Vartanian
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Vladyslava Replete
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Sidney Ann Saint
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Quan Lam
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah Forbes
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Monique E. Beaudoin
- Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Tad T. Brunyé
- U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, Natick, MA, United States
| | - David J. Bryant
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kathryn A. Feltman
- U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, Fort Rucker, AL, United States
| | - Kristin J. Heaton
- U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, United States
| | - Richard A. McKinley
- U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Jan B. F. Van Erp
- Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Soesterberg, Netherlands
- Department of Human Media Interaction, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
| | - Annika Vergin
- Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning, Federal Ministry of Defence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Annalise Whittaker
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, UK Ministry of Defence, Salisbury, United Kingdom
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Ripp I, Wu Q, Wallenwein L, Emch M, Yakushev I, Koch K. Neuronal efficiency following n-back training task is accompanied by a higher cerebral glucose metabolism. Neuroimage 2022; 253:119095. [PMID: 35304266 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies revealed lower neural activation during processing of an n-back task following working memory training, indicating a training-related increase in neural efficiency. In the present study, we asked if the training induced regional neural activation is accompanied by changes in glucose consumption. An active control and an experimental group of healthy middle-aged volunteers conducted 32 sessions of visual and verbal n-back trainings over 8 weeks. We analyzed data of 52 subjects (25 experimental and 27 control group) for practice effects underlying verbal working memory task and 50 subjects (24 experimental and 26 control group) for practice effects underlying visual WM task. The samples of these two tasks were nearly identical (data of 47 subjects were available for both verbal and visual tasks). Both groups completed neuroimaging sessions at a hybrid PET/MR system before and after training. Each session included criterion task fMRI and resting state positron emission tomography with FDG (FDG-PET). As reported previously, lower neural activation following n-back training was found in regions of the fronto-parieto-cerebellar circuitry during a verbal n-back task. Notably, these changes co-occurred spatially with a higher relative FDG-uptake. Decreased neural activation within regions of the fronto-parietal network during visual n-back task did not show co-occurring changes in relative FDG-uptake. There was no direct association between neuroimaging and behavioral measures, which could be due to the inter-subjects' variability in reaching capacity limits. Our findings provide new details for working memory training induced neural efficiency on a molecular level by integrating FDG-PET and fMRI measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Ripp
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich 81675, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Qiong Wu
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich 81675, Germany; Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
| | - Lara Wallenwein
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mónica Emch
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich 81675, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Igor Yakushev
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich 81675, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Kathrin Koch
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich 81675, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, Germany
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53
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van Dijck JP, Fias W, Cipora K. Spatialization in working memory and its relation to math anxiety. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1512:192-202. [PMID: 35274298 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is one of the most important cognitive functions that may play a role in the relation between math anxiety (MA) and math performance. The processing efficiency theory proposes that rumination and worrisome thoughts (induced by MA) result in less available WM resources (which are needed to solve math problems). At the same time, high MA individuals have lower verbal and spatial WM capacity in general. Extending these findings, we found that MA is also linked to the spatial coding of serial order in verbal WM: subjects who organize sequences from left-to-right in verbal WM show lower levels of MA compared with those who do not spatialize. Furthermore, these spatial coders have higher verbal WM capacity, better numerical order judgment abilities, and higher math scores. These findings suggest that spatially structuring the verbal mind is a promising cognitive correlate of MA and opens new avenues for exploring causal links between elementary cognitive processes and MA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Philippe van Dijck
- Department of Applied Psychology, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Flanders, Belgium.,Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wim Fias
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Krzysztof Cipora
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
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The prioritisation of motivationally salient stimuli in hemi-spatial neglect may be underpinned by goal-relevance: a meta-analytic review. Cortex 2022; 150:85-107. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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55
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Ramme RA, Neumann DL, Donovan CL. The relationship between cognitive ability and motivation during cognitive tasks of varying complexity. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2022.101782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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On the Relation between the Development of Working Memory Updating and Working Memory Capacity in Preschoolers. J Intell 2022; 10:jintelligence10010005. [PMID: 35225921 PMCID: PMC8883976 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence10010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims at investigating the relationship between working memory updating and working memory capacity in preschool children. A sample of 176 preschoolers (36–74 months) was administered a working memory updating task (Magic House) along with three working memory capacity tests that specifically measure their core attentional component (M capacity, as defined in the theory of constructive operators): Backward Word Span, Mr. Cucumber, and Direction Following Task. Correlational analyses and cross-classification prediction analyses were performed. Updating and capacity were significantly correlated, although the correlations were not high when age was partialled out. Capacity increased with age, and mediated the relation between age and updating. More importantly, cross-classification prediction analysis revealed that high updating scores with low M capacity, and low updating scores with relatively high M capacity, are possible events; the only combination ruled out was a low updating score with precocious development of M capacity. These facts demonstrate that updating skills in preschoolers depends on M capacity but does not coincide with it. Therefore, in cognitive developmental theories, the constructs of working memory updating and capacity should be distinguished, and on practical grounds, different tests should be used to measure them.
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Executive Functions and Improvement of Thinking: An Intervention Program to Enhance Deductive Reasoning Abilities. THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 25:e32. [DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2022.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Empirical and theoretical advances and application to society are moved at different speed. Application work is frequently developed later because it requires the integration of knowledge from different research areas. In the present paper, we integrate literature coming from diverse areas of research in order to design a deductive reasoning intervention, based on the involved executive functions. Executive functions include working memory (WM)’s online executive processes and other off-line functions such as task revising and planning. Deductive reasoning is a sequential thinking process driven by reasoners’ meta-deductive knowledge and goals that requires the construction and manipulation of representations. We present a new theoretical view about the relationship between executive function and higher-level thinking, a critical analysis of the possibilities and limitations of cognitive training, and a metacognitive training procedure on executive functions to improve deductive reasoning. This procedure integrates direct instruction on deduction and meta-deductive concepts (consistency, necessity) and strategies (search for counterexamples and exhaustivity), together with the simultaneous training of WM and executive functions involved: Focus and switch attention, update WM representations, inhibit and revise intuitive responses, and control the emotional stress yielded by tasks. Likewise, it includes direct training of some complex WM tasks that demands people to carry out similar cognitive assignment than deduction. Our training program would be included in the school curriculum and attempts not only to improve deductive reasoning in experimental tasks, but also to increase students’ ability to uncover fallacies in discourse, to automatize some basic logical skills, and to be able to use logical intuitions.
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58
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Zhao X, Wang L, Maes JHR. Training and transfer effects of working memory updating training in male abstinent long-term methamphetamine users. Addict Behav Rep 2021; 14:100385. [PMID: 34938843 PMCID: PMC8664865 DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine use is associated with cognitive impairments, including executive functioning. These impairments might be cause and/or effect of the drug (re-)use and have, therefore, motivated interventions to improve cognitive functioning. Until now, only very few studies have examined the effect of training working memory updating (WMU), one of the core executive functions, in this population. In the present study, 32 long-term male abstinent methamphetamine inpatients received either a multiple-session WMU training or an active control treatment. All participants performed a number of tasks assessing WMU, inhibition, and task-switching ability- before and after treatment. The WMU-trained patients improved their performance on the trained task and on a non-trained WMU task, reflecting near transfer. However, there was no beneficial training-induced effect for the other tasks, indicating the absence of far transfer. Possible treatment implications of these findings were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health of Gansu Province, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China.,School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health of Gansu Province, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China.,School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Joseph H R Maes
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, PO. Box 9104, Nijmegen 6500 HE, the Netherlands
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Ritakallio L, Fellman D, Jylkkä J, Waris O, Lönnroth N, Nervander R, Salmi J, Laine M. The Pursuit of Effective Working Memory Training: a Pre-registered Randomised Controlled Trial with a Novel Varied Training Protocol. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-021-00235-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWorking memory (WM) training, typically entailing repetitive practice with one or two tasks, has mostly yielded only limited task-specific transfer effects. We developed and tested a new WM training approach where the task paradigm, stimulus type, and predictability of the stimulus sequence were constantly altered during the 4-week training period. We expected that this varied training protocol would generate more extensive transfer by facilitating the use of more general strategies that could be applied to a range of WM tasks. Pre-post transfer effects following varied training (VT group, n = 60) were compared against traditional training (TT group, training a single adaptive WM task, n = 63), and active controls (AC, n = 65). As expected, TT evidenced strong task-specific near transfer as compared to AC. In turn, VT exhibited task-specific near transfer only on one of the measures, and only as compared to the TT group. Critically, no evidence for task-general near transfer or far transfer effects was observed. In sum, the present form of VT failed to demonstrate broader transfer. Nevertheless, as VT has met with success in other cognitive domains, future studies should probe if and how it would be possible to design WM training protocols that promote structural learning where common features of specific tasks would be identified and utilised when selecting strategies for novel memory tasks.
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60
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Fabio RA, Ingrassia M, Massa M. Transient and Long-Term Improvements in Cognitive Processes following Video Games: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 19:78. [PMID: 35010337 PMCID: PMC8751166 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the present study is to compare the short- and long-term effects of video-gaming by using the same measurements. More precisely, habitual and occasional video-gamers were compared so as to analyze the long-term effects. An ABABABA design was used to analyze the short-term effects. The first A refers to baseline measurements: Visual RT, Auditory RT, Aim trainer RT, Go/No-Go RT and N-Back RT. The first B refers to 30 min of gaming, the second A refers to the measurements used in the baseline, the second B refers to 60 min of a video game, the third A refers to the same measurements used in the baseline, the third B refers to a 30-min rest, and finally, the fourth A refers to the measurements used in the baseline. Seventy participants, twenty-nine habitual video-gamers and forty-one occasional video-gamers, participated in the study. The results showed a temporary improvement of cognitive functions (Visual RT, Auditory RT, Aim trainer RT, Go/No-Go RT and N-Back RT) in the short term and a strong enhancement of cognitive functions in the long term. The results are discussed in light of Flow Theory and the automatization process. Contribution of the study: The contribution of this research is to highlight that despite there being a transient enhancement of executive and cognitive functions through the use of mobile video games in the short-term period, with a decrease of performance after a 30-min rest, there is a strong increase of cognitive performance in the long-term period. Flow Theory and the automatization process together can explain this apparent inconsistency between the positive increase of long-term performance and the transient increase of short-term performance. One limitation of the present research is that it is not possible to distinguish whether the long-term enhancements can be attributed either to continued practice in the use of video games compared to non-gamers, or to the possibility that gamers are already predisposed to video game playing. Future research should address this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Angela Fabio
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98121 Messina, Italy; (M.I.); (M.M.)
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61
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Nouchi R, Nouchi H, Dinet J, Kawashima R. Cognitive Training with Neurofeedback Using NIRS Improved Cognitive Functions in Young Adults: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Brain Sci 2021; 12:brainsci12010005. [PMID: 35053748 PMCID: PMC8774006 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: A previous study has shown that cognitive training with neurofeedback (CT-NF) using down-regulation improves cognitive functions in young adults. Neurofeedback has two strategies for manipulating brain activity (down-regulation and upregulation). However, the benefit of CT-NF with the upregulation of cognitive functions is still unknown. In this study, we investigated whether the upregulation of CT-NF improves a wide range of cognitive functions compared to cognitive training alone. (2) Methods: In this double-blinded randomized control trial (RCT), 60 young adults were randomly assigned to one of three groups: CT-NF group, CT alone group, and an active control (ACT) group who played a puzzle game. Participants in the three groups used the same device (tablet PC and 2ch NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy)) and performed the training game for 20 min every day for four weeks. We measured brain activity during training in all groups, but only CT-NFs received NF. We also measured a wide range of cognitive functions before and after the intervention period. (3) Results: The CT-NF groups showed superior beneficial effects on episodic memory, working memory, and attention compared to the CT alone and ACT groups. In addition, the CT-NF group showed an increase in brain activity during CT, which was associated with improvements in cognitive function. (4) Discussion: This study first demonstrated that the CT-NF using the upregulation strategy has beneficial effects on cognitive functions compared to the CT alone. Our results suggest that greater brain activities during CT would enhance a benefit from CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Nouchi
- Department of Cognitive Health Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8575, Japan;
- Smart Aging Research Center (S.A.R.C.), Tohoku University, Seiryo-Machi 4-1, Sendai 980-8575, Japan;
- Correspondence:
| | - Haruka Nouchi
- Department of Cognitive Health Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8575, Japan;
| | - Jerome Dinet
- Department of Psychology, Université de Lorraine, F-54000 Nancy, France;
- Lorraine Research Laboratory in Computer Science and Its Applications (LORIA), Université de Lorraine, CNRS, INRIA, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Smart Aging Research Center (S.A.R.C.), Tohoku University, Seiryo-Machi 4-1, Sendai 980-8575, Japan;
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
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Audiffren J, Bloechle JL, Bresciani JP. Influence of mental workload on motion perception: A direct comparison of luminance-based and contrast-based stimuli. Vision Res 2021; 193:107977. [PMID: 34915398 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2021.107977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In order to study the impact of increased mental workload on motion detection, twenty-four observers performed a motion discrimination task in which they had to detect odd moving patches. Two types of moving patches were used, namely luminance-based and contrast-based patches. For both types of patches, the motion discrimination task was performed with and without an additional N-Back task aimed at increasing the mental workload. The dual task decreased discrimination performance for both types of patches, but the difference was significantly larger for contrast-based patches, i.e., for second-order motion stimuli, both as an absolute and relative increment. This suggests that motion discrimination requires larger cognitive resources for contrast-based than for luminance-based stimuli, thereby hinting at the higher complexity of the cognitive mechanisms underlying second-order motion detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Audiffren
- Control and Perception laboratory, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Jean-Luc Bloechle
- Control and Perception laboratory, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
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63
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Minihan S, Samimi Z, Schweizer S. The effectiveness of affective compared to neutral working memory training in university students with test anxiety. Behav Res Ther 2021; 147:103974. [PMID: 34624665 PMCID: PMC7611905 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Test anxiety (TA), defined as the emotional, physiological, and behavioural responses surrounding situations involving formal evaluation of performance, is a relatively common occurrence, and, when present, can be a disruptive factor in students' academic careers. Research indicates that working memory, in particular, affective working memory, is impaired in individuals with TA. The current study therefore explored whether training the application of working memory in affective contexts could reduce TA and associated cognitive and affective impairments. METHOD 60 Iranian university students (50% female; 19-22 years) with TA symptoms were randomized to receive 20 sessions of affective working memory training (aWMT), neutral working memory training (nWMT) or to a no-training control group. Prior and immediately after training, all participants completed measures of TA, working memory, cognitive control, and emotion regulation. RESULTS Compared to the control group, both the aWMT and the nWMT groups demonstrated improved cognitive and affective functioning from pre-to post-training. However, the reduction in TA symptoms and improvement in emotion regulation was greater in the aWMT group compared to the nWMT group. CONCLUSION aWMT may be an effective means of not only reducing TA, but also enhancing cognitive and affective functioning. These preliminary findings are promising given the potential for free and easy dissemination of aWMT in schools and online settings, including low- and middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savannah Minihan
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Developmental Affective Science Lab, Australia
| | - Zobair Samimi
- International University of Chabahar, Department of Educational Science, Chabahar, Iran
| | - Susanne Schweizer
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Developmental Affective Science Lab, Australia; University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group, UK.
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64
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Medina R, Bouhaben J, de Ramón I, Cuesta P, Antón-Toro L, Pacios J, Quintero J, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Maestú F. Electrophysiological Brain Changes Associated With Cognitive Improvement in a Pediatric Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Digital Artificial Intelligence-Driven Intervention: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e25466. [PMID: 34842533 PMCID: PMC8665400 DOI: 10.2196/25466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive stimulation therapy appears to show promising results in the rehabilitation of impaired cognitive processes in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. OBJECTIVE Encouraged by this evidence and the ever-increasing use of technology and artificial intelligence for therapeutic purposes, we examined whether cognitive stimulation therapy implemented on a mobile device and controlled by an artificial intelligence engine can be effective in the neurocognitive rehabilitation of these patients. METHODS In this randomized study, 29 child participants (25 males) underwent training with a smart, digital, cognitive stimulation program (KAD_SCL_01) or with 3 commercial video games for 12 weeks, 3 days a week, 15 minutes a day. Participants completed a neuropsychological assessment and a preintervention and postintervention magnetoencephalography study in a resting state with their eyes closed. In addition, information on clinical symptoms was collected from the child´s legal guardians. RESULTS In line with our main hypothesis, we found evidence that smart, digital, cognitive treatment results in improvements in inhibitory control performance. Improvements were also found in visuospatial working memory performance and in the cognitive flexibility, working memory, and behavior and general executive functioning behavioral clinical indexes in this group of participants. Finally, the improvements found in inhibitory control were related to increases in alpha-band power in all participants in the posterior regions, including 2 default mode network regions of the interest: the bilateral precuneus and the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex. However, only the participants who underwent cognitive stimulation intervention (KAD_SCL_01) showed a significant increase in this relationship. CONCLUSIONS The results seem to indicate that smart, digital treatment can be effective in the inhibitory control and visuospatial working memory rehabilitation in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Furthermore, the relation of the inhibitory control with alpha-band power changes could mean that these changes are a product of plasticity mechanisms or changes in the neuromodulatory dynamics. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN71041318; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71041318.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ignacio de Ramón
- Sincrolab Ltd, Madrid, Spain
- Laboratory of Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
- Faculty of Health, Camilo Jose Cela University, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain
| | - Pablo Cuesta
- Laboratory of Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
- Radiology Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Antón-Toro
- Laboratory of Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Pacios
- Laboratory of Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Quintero
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Infanta Leonor, Madrid, Spain
| | - Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
- Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fernando Maestú
- Laboratory of Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Beyond IQ: The Importance of Metacognition for the Promotion of Global Wellbeing. J Intell 2021; 9:jintelligence9040054. [PMID: 34842762 PMCID: PMC8628945 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence9040054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Global policy makers increasingly adopt subjective wellbeing as a framework within which to measure and address human development challenges, including policies to mitigate consequential societal problems. In this review, we take a systems-level perspective to assemble evidence from studies of wellbeing, of collective intelligence, and of metacognition and argue for a virtuous cycle for health promotion in which the increased collective intelligence of groups: (1) enhances the ability of such groups to address consequential societal problems; (2) promotes the wellbeing of societies and the individual wellbeing of people within groups; and, finally, (3) enables prosocial actions that further promote collective problem-solving and global wellbeing. Notably, evidence demonstrates that effective collaboration and teamwork largely depend on social skills for metacognitive awareness—the capacity to evaluate and control our own mental processes in the service of social problem-solving. Yet, despite their importance, metacognitive skills may not be well-captured by measures of general intelligence. These skills have instead been the focus of decades of research in the psychology of human judgment and decision-making. This literature provides well-validated tests of metacognitive awareness and demonstrates that the capacity to use analysis and deliberation to evaluate intuitive responses is an important source of individual differences in decision-making. Research in network neuroscience further elucidates the topology and dynamics of brain networks that enable metacognitive awareness, providing key targets for intervention. As such, we further discuss emerging scientific interventions to enhance metacognitive skills (e.g., based on mindfulness meditation, and physical activity and aerobic fitness), and how such interventions may catalyze the virtuous cycle to improve collective intelligence, societal problem-solving, and global wellbeing.
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66
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Zhang S, Yan X, Wang Y, Liu B, Gao X. Modulation of brain states on fractal and oscillatory power of EEG in brain-computer interfaces. J Neural Eng 2021; 18. [PMID: 34517346 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac2628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Objective. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is an objective reflection of the brain activities, which provides potential possibilities for brain state estimation based on EEG characteristics. However, how to mine the effective EEG characteristics is still a distressing problem in brain state monitoring.Approach. The phase-scrambled method was used to generate images with different noise levels. Images were encoded into a rapid serial visual presentation paradigm. N-back working memory method was employed to induce and assess fatigue state. The irregular-resampling auto-spectral analysis method was adopted to extract and parameterize (exponent and offset) the characteristics of EEG fractal components, which were analyzed in the four dimensions: fatigue, sustained attention, visual noise and experimental tasks.Main results. The degree of fatigue and visual noise level had positive effects on exponent and offset in the prefrontal lobe, and the ability of sustained attention negatively affected exponent and offset. Compared with visual stimuli task, rest task induced even larger values of exponent and offset and statistically significant in the most cerebral cortex. In addition, the steady-state visual evoked potential amplitudes were negatively and positively affected by the degree of fatigue and noise levels, respectively.Significance. The conclusions of this study provide insights into the relationship between brain states and EEG characteristics. In addition, this study has the potential to provide objective methods for brain states monitoring and EEG modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangen Zhang
- School of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Yan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Yijun Wang
- China State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Baolin Liu
- School of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaorong Gao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
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67
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De Lillo M, Brunsdon VEA, Bradford EEF, Gasking F, Ferguson HJ. Training executive functions using an adaptive procedure over 21 days (10 training sessions) and an active control group. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 74:1579-1594. [PMID: 33656380 PMCID: PMC8358555 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211002509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The degree to which executive function (EF) abilities (including working memory [WM], inhibitory control [IC], and cognitive flexibility [CF]) can be enhanced through training is an important question; however, research in this area is inconsistent. Previous cognitive training studies largely agree that training leads to improvements in the trained task, but the generalisability of this improvement to other related tasks remains controversial. In this article, we present a pre-registered experiment that used an adaptive training procedure to examine whether EFs can be enhanced through cognitive training, and directly compared the efficacy and generalisability across sub-components of EF using training programmes that target WM, IC, or CF versus an active control group. Participants (n = 160) first completed a battery of tasks that assessed EFs, then were randomly assigned to one of the four training groups, and completed an adaptive procedure over 21 days (10 training sessions) that targeted a specific sub-component of EF (or was comparatively engaging and challenging, but did not train a specific EF). At post-test, participants returned to the lab to repeat the battery of EF tasks. Results revealed robust direct training effects (i.e., on trained task), but limited evidence to support near (i.e., same EF, different task) and far (i.e., different EF and task) transfer effects. Where indirect training benefits emerged, the effects were more readily attributable to the overlapping training/assessment task routines, rather than more general enhancements to the underlying cognitive processes or neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina De Lillo
- School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Kent, UK
| | | | | | - Frank Gasking
- School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Kent, UK
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68
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Pahor A, Collins C, Smith RN, Moon A, Stavropoulos T, Silva I, Peng E, Jaeggi SM, Seitz AR. Multisensory Facilitation of Working Memory Training. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2021; 5:386-395. [PMID: 34485810 PMCID: PMC8415034 DOI: 10.1007/s41465-020-00196-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Research suggests that memorization of multisensory stimuli benefits performance compared to memorization of unisensory stimuli; however, little is known about multisensory facilitation in the context of working memory (WM) training and transfer. To investigate this, 240 adults were randomly assigned to an N-back training task that consisted of visual-only stimuli, alternating visual and auditory blocks, or audio-visual (multisensory) stimuli, or to a passive control group. Participants in the active groups completed 13 sessions of N-back training (6.7 hours in total) and all groups completed a battery of WM tasks: untrained N-back tasks, Corsi Blocks, Sequencing, and Symmetry Span. The Multisensory group showed similar training N-level gain compared to the Visual Only group, and both of these groups outperformed the Alternating group on the training task. As expected, all three active groups significantly improved on untrained visual N-back tasks compared to the Control group. In contrast, the Multisensory group showed significantly greater gains on the Symmetry Span task and to a certain extent on the Sequencing task compared to other groups. These results tentatively suggest that incorporating multisensory objects in a WM training protocol can benefit performance on the training task and potentially facilitate transfer to complex WM span tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Pahor
- University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, California, USA
- University of California, Irvine, School of Education, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Cindy Collins
- University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Rachel N Smith
- University of California, Irvine, School of Education, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Austin Moon
- University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Trevor Stavropoulos
- University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Ilse Silva
- University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Elaine Peng
- University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Susanne M Jaeggi
- University of California, Irvine, School of Education, School of Social Sciences (Department of Cognitive Sciences), Irvine, California, USA
| | - Aaron R Seitz
- University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, California, USA
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69
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Rodas JA, Greene CM. Working memory training does not improve executive functioning or fluid intelligence. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:666-679. [PMID: 34344249 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211039502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have reported that cognitive training can lead to improvements of complex mental skills such as intelligence. However, attempts to replicate these findings have not been very successful with many studies reporting lack of transferable effects on cognitive processes unrelated to the training task. On the contrary, transfer effects on cognitive processes closely related to the training task have been more commonly reported. In this study, we investigated the effects of a frequently used working-memory training programme on fluid intelligence and specific executive functions (updating, inhibition, switching, the focus of attention, and sustained attention). We remedied common issues with previous training studies by using an active control group, using more than one instrument to assess each function, and including a larger sample size. The experimental group showed significant improvement in the training task, indicating strong practice effects. However, no evidence of training-specific transfer was found in any of the variables investigated, and we could not find any of the previous improvements reported. Participants in both the training and control groups showed post-training improvements in most of the outcome variables, suggesting that practice effects can be found even when a task is only performed twice. We conclude by discussing possible explanations for the differences between our results and those reported in prior studies and recommend that any claims of improvement should be supported by studies capable of replicating them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose A Rodas
- School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Faculty of Psychology, University of Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Ciara M Greene
- School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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70
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Qiu B, Chen Y, He X, Liu T, Wang S, Zhang W. Short-Term Touch-Screen Video Game Playing Improves the Inhibition Ability. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18136884. [PMID: 34206942 PMCID: PMC8297281 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18136884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There is mixed evidence regarding whether video games affect executive function. The inconsistent results in this area may have to do with researchers’ conceptualizations of executive function as a unified construct or as a set of independent skills. In the current study, 120 university students were randomly assigned to play a video game or to watch a screen record of the video game. They then completed a series of behavioral tasks to assess the shifting, updating and inhibiting subcomponents of executive function. Scores on these tasks were also used as indicators of a component-general latent variable. Results based on analysis of covariance showed that, as predicted, the inhibition subcomponent, but not the updating or the shifting subcomponent, was significantly enhanced after gaming. The component-general executive function was not enhanced after gaming once the results were controlled for other subcomponents. The results were unrelated to participants’ self-reported positive and negative affect. The findings add key evidence to the literature on executive function and potentially contribute to the therapeutic use of video games to maintain executive function in the aged population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyu Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China; (B.Q.); (Y.C.); (X.H.); (T.L.); (S.W.)
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Yanrong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China; (B.Q.); (Y.C.); (X.H.); (T.L.); (S.W.)
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Xu He
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China; (B.Q.); (Y.C.); (X.H.); (T.L.); (S.W.)
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Ting Liu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China; (B.Q.); (Y.C.); (X.H.); (T.L.); (S.W.)
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Sixian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China; (B.Q.); (Y.C.); (X.H.); (T.L.); (S.W.)
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China; (B.Q.); (Y.C.); (X.H.); (T.L.); (S.W.)
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Correspondence:
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71
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Zuber P, Geiter E, de Quervain DJF, Magon S. Investigation of a Model-Based Working Memory Training With and Without Distractor Inhibition and Its Comparative Efficacy: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Healthy Old Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:682474. [PMID: 34211390 PMCID: PMC8239181 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.682474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Various working memory (WM) trainings have been tested, but differences in experimental designs, the lack of theoretical background, and the need of identifying task-related processes such as filtering efficiency limit conclusions about their comparative efficacy. Objectives: In this study, we compared the efficacy of a model-based WM training with (MB+) and without (MB) distractor inhibition on improving WM capacity to a dual n-back and active control condition. Methods: This randomized clinical trial included 123 healthy elderly adults (78 women, 45 men; aged 64.1 ± 8.3 years). All groups underwent 12 40-min training sessions over 3 weeks and four cognitive testing sessions. The first two sessions served as double baseline to account for practice effects. Primary outcome was WM capacity post-training measured by complex span tasks. Near and far transfer was assessed by simple span, n-back, visuospatial and verbal learning, processing speed, and reasoning tasks. Results: Due to preliminary termination (COVID-19), 93 subjects completed the post-training and 60 subjects the follow-up session. On a whole group level, practice effects occurred from prebaseline to baseline in WM capacity (b = 4.85, t (103) = 4.01, p < 0.001, r = 0.37). Linear mixed-effects models revealed a difference in WM capacity post-training between MB+ and MB (b = -9.62, t (82) = -2.52, p = 0.014, r = 0.27) and a trend difference between MB+ and dual n-back (b = -7.59, t (82) = -1.87, p = 0.065, r = 0.20) and control training (b = -7.08, t (82) = -1.86, p = 0.067, r = 0.20). Univariate analyses showed an increase between pre- and post-training for WM capacity within MB+ (t (22) = -3.34, p < 0.05) only. There was no difference between groups pre- and post-training regarding near and far transfer. Univariate analyses showed improved visuospatial learning within MB+ (t (21) = -3.8, p < 0.05), improved processing speed (t (23) = 2.19, p< 0.05) and n-back performance (t (23) = 2.12, p < 0.05) in MB, and improved n-back performance (t (25) = 3.83, p < 0.001) in the dual n-back training. Interpretation: A model-based WM training including filtering efficacy may be a promising approach to increase WM capacity and needs further investigation in randomized controlled studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priska Zuber
- Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Transfaculty Research Platform, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Emanuel Geiter
- Medical Image Analysis Center (MIAC AG), Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dominique J.-F. de Quervain
- Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Transfaculty Research Platform, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- University Psychiatric Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Magon
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland
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72
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Kimura T, Nakano W. Does a Cognitive Task Promote Implicit or Explicit Motor Learning? J Mot Behav 2021; 55:619-631. [PMID: 34121633 DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2021.1918053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
This study examined whether use of an N-back task could promote implicit and explicit motor learning. In Experiment 1, 30 healthy adults were assigned to an N-back task group (NTG) or a control task group (CG). All participants performed the serial reaction time task (SRTT) and generation task after either the N-back or control tasks. The results did not reveal whether the N-back task promoted implicit or explicit motor learning because participants in the NTG noticed a hidden loop in the SRTT and this "awareness" made it difficult to interpret the results in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, we examined whether the N-back task promoted explicit motor learning only using a modified SRTT. Thirty healthy adults were assigned to the NTG or the CG. On day 1, all participants performed the modified SRTT after either the N-back or control tasks. On day 7, all participants repeated the modified SRTT. As a result, the performance on the modified SRTT was faster in the NTG than in the CG on days 1 and 7. In summary, although the N-back task might promote explicit motor learning, the present study could not clearly conclude whether the N-back task promoted implicit and explicit motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takehide Kimura
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Wataru Nakano
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Tokoha University, 1-30 Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
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73
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Fleur DS, Bredeweg B, van den Bos W. Metacognition: ideas and insights from neuro- and educational sciences. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2021; 6:13. [PMID: 34103531 PMCID: PMC8187395 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-021-00089-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Metacognition comprises both the ability to be aware of one's cognitive processes (metacognitive knowledge) and to regulate them (metacognitive control). Research in educational sciences has amassed a large body of evidence on the importance of metacognition in learning and academic achievement. More recently, metacognition has been studied from experimental and cognitive neuroscience perspectives. This research has started to identify brain regions that encode metacognitive processes. However, the educational and neuroscience disciplines have largely developed separately with little exchange and communication. In this article, we review the literature on metacognition in educational and cognitive neuroscience and identify entry points for synthesis. We argue that to improve our understanding of metacognition, future research needs to (i) investigate the degree to which different protocols relate to the similar or different metacognitive constructs and processes, (ii) implement experiments to identify neural substrates necessary for metacognition based on protocols used in educational sciences, (iii) study the effects of training metacognitive knowledge in the brain, and (iv) perform developmental research in the metacognitive brain and compare it with the existing developmental literature from educational sciences regarding the domain-generality of metacognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien S Fleur
- Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Departement of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Bert Bredeweg
- Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Faculty of Education, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Wouter van den Bos
- Departement of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
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74
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Exploring Individual Differences as Predictors of Performance Change During Dual-N-Back Training. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2021; 5:480-498. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-021-00216-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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75
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Bednarek H, Przedniczek M, Olszewska JM, Niewiarowski J, Orzechowski J. The near- and far-transfer effects of cognitive training on attentional networks in women and men. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2021.1916508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Bednarek
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Przedniczek
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Jakub Niewiarowski
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jarosław Orzechowski
- Faculty of Psychology in Wroclaw, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wroclaw, Poland
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76
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Lawlor-Savage L, Kusi M, Clark CM, Goghari VM. No evidence for an effect of a working memory training program on white matter microstructure. INTELLIGENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2021.101541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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77
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Kimura T, Nakano W. Enhancement of prefrontal area excitability induced by a cognitive task: Impact on subsequence visuomotor task performance. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 181:107436. [PMID: 33831512 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive tasks may have the potential to improve visuomotor task performance; however, the reason for this is unclear. If this can be clarified, it may be possible to develop clinically valuable outcomes, such as promotion of motor learning though cognitive tasks. The present study aimed to investigate whether changes in prefrontal area excitability induced by cognitive tasks, especially within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), influenced the speed of improvement during visuomotor task performance. Twenty young healthy adults were recruited. The serial reaction time task (SRTT) was used to assess visuomotor task performance. Cognitive tasks included an adjusted N-back task, a non-adjusted N-back task, and a control task, which were evaluated on different days. Additionally, we measured cerebral hemodynamic activity using near-infrared spectroscopy while each cognitive task was being performed. We observed that the adjusted N-back task significantly enhanced the speed of improvement during the SRTT performance compared to the control task. However, there was no relationship between the speed of improvement during the SRTT performance and changes in prefrontal area excitability induced by the cognitive tasks. Our findings contribute towards developing an effective method that uses cognitive tasks to promote visuomotor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takehide Kimura
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, 6-8-33 Manabe, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Wataru Nakano
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Tokoha University, 1-30 Mizuochityou, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
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Malinovitch T, Jakoby H, Ahissar M. Training-induced improvement in working memory tasks results from switching to efficient strategies. Psychon Bull Rev 2021; 28:526-536. [PMID: 33063180 PMCID: PMC8062341 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-020-01824-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
It is debated whether training with a working memory (WM) task, particularly n-back, can improve general WM and reasoning skills. Most training studies found substantial improvement in the trained task, with little to no transfer to untrained tasks. We hypothesized that training does not increase WM capacity, but instead provides opportunities to develop an efficient task-specific strategy. We derived a strategy for the task that optimizes WM resources and taught it to participants. In two sessions, 14 participants who were taught this strategy performed as well as fourteen participants who trained for 40 sessions without strategy instructions. To understand the mechanisms underlying the no-instruction group's improvement, participants answered questionnaires during their training period. Their replies indicate that successful learners discovered the same strategy and their improvement was associated with this discovery. We conclude that n-back training allows the discovery of strategies that enable better performance with the same WM resources.
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79
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Pappa K, Flegal KE, Baylan S, Evans JJ. Working memory training: Taking a step back to retool and create a bridge between clinical and neuroimaging research methods. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2021; 29:1669-1680. [PMID: 33794120 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2021.1904243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Improvements in patient outcomes and mortality after brain injury alongside increasing ageing population have resulted in an increasing need to develop cognitive interventions for individuals experiencing changes in their cognitive function. One topic of increasing research interest is whether cognitive functions such as attention, memory and executive functioning can be improved through the use of working memory training interventions. Both clinical and neuroimaging researchers are working to evidence this, but their efforts rarely come together. We discuss here several issues that may be hindering progress in this area, including the tools researchers utilize to measure cognition, the choice between employing active or passive control groups, the focus on transfer effects at the expense of well-characterized training effects, and the overall lack of neuroimaging studies in individuals with neurological disorders. We argue that the only way to advance the field is to build bridges between the disciplines of clinical neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. We suggest a multi-level framework to validate the efficacy of working memory interventions and other forms of cognitive training that combine both clinical and neuroimaging approaches. We conclude that in order to move forward we need to form multidisciplinary teams, employ interdisciplinary methods, brain imaging quality rating tools and build national and international collaborations based on open science principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Pappa
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Kristin E Flegal
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Satu Baylan
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jonathan J Evans
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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80
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Motor adaptation is promoted by an incongruent Stroop task, but not by a congruent Stroop task. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:1295-1303. [PMID: 33616687 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06059-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Motor adaptation plays an important role in the acquisition of new motor skills. It has been reported that cognitive tasks can promote motor adaptation; however, which cognitive tasks effectively promote motor adaptation remains unknown. This study aimed to examine what factors of cognitive tasks contribute to promoting motor adaptation. Forty-two healthy young adults were randomly assigned to one of three groups: incongruent Stroop task group (iSTG), congruent Stroop task group (cSTG), and control group (CG). All participants underwent 20 blocks of a mouse-tracking task on the 1st and 2nd days. Before the mouse tracking task on the 1st day, the iSTG and cSTG completed the incongruent and congruent Stroop tasks, respectively. Participants in the CG did not perform any cognitive tasks. On the 28th day, all participants underwent 3 blocks of the mouse tracking task to evaluate their retention of motor adaptation. As a result, on the 1st day, the mouse tracking task performance improved equally for both groups. However, on the 2nd and 28th days, the mouse tracking task performance in the iSTG showed greater improvements for all blocks compared to those in the CG. These results suggest that the incongruent Stroop task promotes motor adaptation, but the congruent Stroop task does not. In addition, it is suggested that factors, which are primarily involved in the incongruent Stroop task, might promote motor adaptation.
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81
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Rennie JP, Jones J, Astle DE. Training-dependent transfer within a set of nested tasks. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 74:1327-1343. [PMID: 33535924 PMCID: PMC7614448 DOI: 10.1177/1747021821993772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Extended practice on a particular cognitive task can boost the performance of other tasks, even though they themselves have not been practised. This transfer of benefits appears to be specific, occurring most when tasks are very similar to those being trained. But what type of similarity is most important for predicting transfer? This question is addressed with a tightly controlled randomised design, with a relatively large sample (N = 175) and an adaptive control group. We created a hierarchical set of nested assessment tasks. Participants then trained on two of the tasks: one was relatively "low" in the hierarchy requiring just simultaneous judgements of shapes' spikiness, whereas the other was relatively "high" requiring delayed judgements of shapes' spikiness or number of spikes in a switching paradigm. Using the full complement of nested tasks before and after training, we could then test whether and how these "low" and "high" training effects cascade through the hierarchy. For both training groups, relative to the control, whether or not an assessment task shared a single specific feature was the best predictor of transfer patterns. For the low-level training group, the overall proportion of feature overlap also significantly predicted transfer, but the same was not true for the high-level training group. Finally, pre-training between-task correlations were not predictive of the pattern of transfer for either group. Together these findings provide an experimental exploration of the specificity of transfer and establish the nature of task overlap that is crucial for the transfer of performance improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Rennie
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jonathan Jones
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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82
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Dual n-back working memory training evinces superior transfer effects compared to the method of loci. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3072. [PMID: 33542383 PMCID: PMC7862396 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82663-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) training is a prevalent intervention for multiple cognitive deficits, however, the transfer effects to other cognitive tasks from gains in WM induced by different training techniques still remains controversial. Therefore, the current study recruited three groups of young adults to investigate the memory training transference, with N-back group (NBG) (n = 50) training on dual n-back task, Memory Palace group (MPG) (n = 50) on method of loci, and a blank control group (BCG) (n = 48) receiving no training. Our results showed that both training groups separately improved WM capacity on respective trained task. For untrained tasks, both training groups enhanced performance on digit-span task, while on change detection task, significant improvement was only observed in NBG. In conclusion, while both techniques can be used as effective training methods to improve WM, the dual n-back task training method, perhaps has a more prominent transfer effect than that of method of loci.
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83
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Walton L, Domellöf ME, Boraxbekk CJ, Domellöf E, Rönnqvist L, Bäckström D, Forsgren L, Stigsdotter Neely A. The Effects of Working Memory Updating Training in Parkinson's Disease: A Feasibility and Single-Subject Study on Cognition, Movement and Functional Brain Response. Front Psychol 2021; 11:587925. [PMID: 33519604 PMCID: PMC7838443 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.587925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In Parkinson’s disease (PD), the fronto-striatal network is involved in motor and cognitive symptoms. Working memory (WM) updating training engages this network in healthy populations, as observed by improved cognitive performance and increased striatal BOLD signal. This two-part study aimed to assess the feasibility of WM updating training in PD and measure change in cognition, movement and functional brain response in one individual with PD after WM updating training. A feasibility and single-subject (FL) study were performed in which patients with PD completed computerized WM updating training. The outcome measures were the pre-post changes in criterion and transfer cognitive tests; cognitive complaints; psychological health; movement kinematics; and task-related BOLD signal. Participants in the feasibility study showed improvements on the criterion tests at post-test. FL displayed the largest improvements on the criterion tests and smaller improvements on transfer tests. Furthermore, FL reported improved cognitive performance in everyday life. A shorter onset latency and smoother upper-limb goal-directed movements were measured at post-test, as well as increased activation within the striatum and decreased activation throughout the fronto-parietal WM network. This two-part study demonstrated that WM updating training is feasible to complete for PD patients and that change occurred in FL at post-test in the domains of cognition, movement and functional brain response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lois Walton
- Department of Social and Psychological Studies, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden
| | | | - Carl-Johan Boraxbekk
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.,Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen (ISMC), Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Erik Domellöf
- Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - David Bäckström
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Lars Forsgren
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anna Stigsdotter Neely
- Department of Social and Psychological Studies, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden.,Engineering Psychology, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden
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84
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Examining the Trainability and Transferability of Working-Memory Gating Policies. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-021-00205-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractInternal working memory (WM) gating control policies have been suggested to constitute a critical component of task-sets that can be learned and transferred to very similar task contexts (Bhandari and Badre (Cognition, 172, 33–43, 2018). Here, we attempt to expand these findings, examining whether such control policies can be also trained and transferred to other untrained cognitive control tasks, namely to task switching and AX-CPT. To this end, a context-processing WM task was used for training, allowing to manipulate either input (i.e., top-down selective entry of information into WM) or output (i.e., bottom-up selective retrieval of WM) gating control policies by employing either a context-first (CF) or context-last (CL) task structure, respectively. In this task, two contextual cues were each associated with two different stimuli. In CF condition, each trial began with a contextual cue, determining which of the two subsequent stimuli is target relevant. In contrast, in the CL condition the contextual cue appeared last, preceded by a target and non-target stimulus successively. Participants completed a task switching baseline assessment, followed by one practice and six training blocks with the WM context-processing training task. After completing training, task-switching and AX-CPT transfer blocks were administrated, respectively. As hypothesized, compared to CL training condition, CF training led to improved task-switching performance. However, contrary to our predictions, training type did not influence AX-CPT performance. Taken together, the current results provide further evidence that internal control policies are (1) inherent element of task-sets, also in task switching and (2) independent of S-R mappings. However, these results need to be cautiously interpreted due to baseline differences in task-switching performance between the conditions (overall slower RTs in the CF condition). Importantly though, our results open a new venue for the realm of cognitive enhancement, pointing here for the first time to the potential of control policies training in promoting wider transfer effects.
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85
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Nęcka E, Gruszka A, Hampshire A, Sarzyńska-Wawer J, Anicai AE, Orzechowski J, Nowak M, Wójcik N, Sandrone S, Soreq E. The Effects of Working Memory Training on Brain Activity. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11020155. [PMID: 33503877 PMCID: PMC7911688 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11020155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate if two weeks of working memory (WM) training on a progressive N-back task can generate changes in the activity of the underlying WM neural network. Forty-six healthy volunteers (23 training and 23 controls) were asked to perform the N-back task during three fMRI scanning sessions: (1) before training, (2) after the half of training sessions, and (3) at the end. Between the scanning sessions, the experimental group underwent a 10-session training of working memory with the use of an adaptive version of the N-back task, while the control group did not train anything. The N-back task in the scanning sessions was relatively easy (n = 2) in order to ensure high accuracy and a lack of between-group differences at the behavioral level. Such training-induced differences in neural efficiency were expected. Behavioral analyses revealed improved performance of both groups on the N-back task. However, these improvements resulted from the test-retest effect, not the training outside scanner. Performance on the non-trained stop-signal task did not demonstrate any transfer effect. Imaging analysis showed changes in activation in several significant clusters, with overlapping regions of interest in the frontal and parietal lobes. However, patterns of between-session changes of activation did not show any effect of training. The only finding that can be linked with training consists in strengthening the correlation between task performance accuracy and activation of the parietal regions of the neural network subserving working memory (left superior parietal lobule and right supramarginal gyrus posterior). These results suggest that the effects of WM training consist in learning that, in order to ensure high accuracy in the criterion task, activation of the parietal regions implicated in working memory updating must rise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Nęcka
- Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 31-007 Krakow, Poland; (A.G.); (M.N.); (N.W.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-126-332-432
| | - Aleksandra Gruszka
- Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 31-007 Krakow, Poland; (A.G.); (M.N.); (N.W.)
| | - Adam Hampshire
- The C3NL Lab, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BU, UK; (A.H.); (A.-E.A.); (S.S.); (E.S.)
| | | | - Andreea-Elena Anicai
- The C3NL Lab, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BU, UK; (A.H.); (A.-E.A.); (S.S.); (E.S.)
| | - Jarosław Orzechowski
- Department of Cognitive Psychology and Psychology of Individual Differences, Wroclaw Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, 53-238 Wrocław, Poland;
| | - Michał Nowak
- Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 31-007 Krakow, Poland; (A.G.); (M.N.); (N.W.)
| | - Natalia Wójcik
- Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 31-007 Krakow, Poland; (A.G.); (M.N.); (N.W.)
| | - Stefano Sandrone
- The C3NL Lab, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BU, UK; (A.H.); (A.-E.A.); (S.S.); (E.S.)
| | - Eyal Soreq
- The C3NL Lab, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BU, UK; (A.H.); (A.-E.A.); (S.S.); (E.S.)
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86
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Sánchez-Izquierdo M, Fernández-Ballesteros R. Cognition in Healthy Aging. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:962. [PMID: 33499254 PMCID: PMC7908458 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18030962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The study of cognitive change across a life span, both in pathological and healthy samples, has been heavily influenced by developments in cognitive psychology as a theoretical paradigm, neuropsychology and other bio-medical fields; this alongside the increase in new longitudinal and cohort designs, complemented in the last decades by the evaluation of experimental interventions. Here, a review of aging databases was conducted, looking for the most relevant studies carried out on cognitive functioning in healthy older adults. The aim was to review not only longitudinal, cross-sectional or cohort studies, but also by intervention program evaluations. The most important studies, searching for long-term patterns of stability and change of cognitive measures across a life span and in old age, have shown a great range of inter-individual variability in cognitive functioning changes attributed to age. Furthermore, intellectual functioning in healthy individuals seems to decline rather late in life, if ever, as shown in longitudinal studies where age-related decline of cognitive functioning occurs later in life than indicated by cross-sectional studies. The longitudinal evidence and experimental trials have shown the benefits of aerobic physical exercise and an intellectually engaged lifestyle, suggesting that bio-psycho-socioenvironmental factors concurrently with age predict or determine both positive or negative change or stability in cognition in later life.
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87
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Kattner F. Transfer of working memory training to the inhibitory control of auditory distraction. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 85:3152-3166. [PMID: 33449207 PMCID: PMC8476394 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01468-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Extended working memory training with the dual n-back task has been shown to improve performance on various untrained cognitive tasks, but previous findings were inconsistent with regard to the extent of such transfer. The dual n-back training task addresses multiple components of working memory as sequential information from two different stimulus modalities needs to be simultaneously encoded, maintained, continuously monitored and updated in working memory while irrelevant information needs to be inhibited. However, it is unclear which executive functions account for the observed transfer effects. In this study, the degree of inhibitory control required during training was manipulated by comparing two versions of the dual n-back task in which participants are asked to either respond or withhold a response on the less frequent trials when an item was identical to an item n trials back. Eight 80-min sessions of training with adaptive versions of both n-back tasks were shown to improve working memory updating. Moreover, in contrast to the standard n-back task, training on the inhibitory n-back task was found to reduce the interference in working memory produced by task-irrelevant speech. This result suggests that enhanced demand for inhibitory control during training enables transfer to the inhibition of distractor interference, whereas the standard n-back task primarily affects working memory updating. The training effects did not transfer to the inhibition of spatially incompatible responses in a Simon task, and it yielded no far transfer effects to untrained executive functions or measures of fluid intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Kattner
- Institute for Psychology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Alexanderstr. 10, 64283, Darmstadt, Germany.
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88
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Ophey A, Rehberg S, Giehl K, Eggers C, Reker P, van Eimeren T, Kalbe E. Predicting Working Memory Training Responsiveness in Parkinson's Disease: Both "System Hardware" and Room for Improvement Are Needed. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2021; 35:117-130. [PMID: 33410387 DOI: 10.1177/1545968320981956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Background. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are highly vulnerable to develop cognitive dysfunctions, and the mitigating potential of early cognitive training (CT) is increasingly recognized. Predictors of CT responsiveness, which could help to tailor interventions individually, have rarely been studied in PD. This study aimed to examine individual characteristics of patients with PD associated with responsiveness to targeted working memory training (WMT). Methods. Data of 75 patients with PD (age: 63.99 ± 9.74 years, 93% Hoehn & Yahr stage 2) without cognitive dysfunctions from a randomized controlled trial were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Latent change score models with and without covariates were estimated and compared between the WMT group (n = 37), who participated in a 5-week adaptive WMT, and a waiting list control group (n = 38). Results. Latent change score models yielded adequate model fit (χ2-test p > .05, SRMR ≤ .08, CFI ≥ .95). For the near-transfer working memory composite, lower baseline performance, younger age, higher education, and higher fluid intelligence were found to significantly predict higher latent change scores in the WMT group, but not in the control group. For the far-transfer executive function composite, higher self-efficacy expectancy tended to significantly predict larger latent change scores. Conclusions. The identified associations between individual characteristics and WMT responsiveness indicate that there has to be room for improvement (e.g., lower baseline performance) and also sufficient "hardware" (e.g., younger age, higher intelligence) to benefit in training-related cognitive plasticity. Our findings are discussed within the compensation versus magnification account. They need to be replicated by methodological high-quality research applying advanced statistical methods with larger samples.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Carsten Eggers
- University Hospital of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Universities of Marburg and Gießen, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Thilo van Eimeren
- University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
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89
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3D Multiple Object Tracking or Adaptive Dual n-back Training Boosts Simple Verbal Working Memory Span but Not Multitasking Performance in Military Participants. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-020-00201-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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90
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Brüchle W, Schwarzer C, Berns C, Scho S, Schneefeld J, Koester D, Schack T, Schneider U, Rosenkranz K. Physical Activity Reduces Clinical Symptoms and Restores Neuroplasticity in Major Depression. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:660642. [PMID: 34177647 PMCID: PMC8219854 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.660642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most common mental disorder and deficits in neuroplasticity are discussed as one pathophysiological mechanism. Physical activity (PA) enhances neuroplasticity in healthy subjects and improves clinical symptoms of MDD. However, it is unclear whether this clinical effect of PA is due to restoring deficient neuroplasticity in MDD. We investigated the effect of a 3-week PA program applied on clinical symptoms, motor excitability and plasticity, and on cognition in patients with MDD (N = 23), in comparison to a control intervention (CI; N = 18). Before and after the interventions, the clinical symptom severity was tested using self- (BDI-II) and investigator- (HAMD-17) rated scales, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocols were used to test motor excitability and paired-associative stimulation (PAS) to test long-term-potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity. Additionally, cognitive functions such as attention, working memory and executive functions were tested. After the interventions, the BDI-II and HAMD-17 decreased significantly in both groups, but the decrease in HAMD-17 was significantly stronger in the PA group. Cognition did not change notably in either group. Motor excitability did not differ between the groups and remained unchanged by either intervention. Baseline levels of LTP-like plasticity in the motor cortex were low in both groups (PA: 113.40 ± 2.55%; CI: 116.83 ± 3.70%) and increased significantly after PA (155.06 ± 10.48%) but not after CI (122.01 ± 4.1%). Higher baseline BDI-II scores were correlated with lower levels of neuroplasticity. Importantly, the more the BDI-II score decreased during the interventions, the stronger did neuroplasticity increase. The latter effect was particularly strong after PA (r = -0.835; p < 0.001). The level of neuroplasticity related specifically to the psychological/affective items, which are tested predominantly in the BDI-II. However, the significant clinical difference in the intervention effects was shown in the HAMD-17 which focuses more on somatic/neurovegetative items known to improve earlier in the course of MDD. In summary, PA improved symptoms of MDD and restored the deficient neuroplasticity. Importantly, both changes were strongly related on the individual patients' level, highlighting the key role of neuroplasticity in the pathophysiology and the clinical relevance of neuroplasticity-enhancing interventions for the treatment of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanja Brüchle
- Faculty of Medicine, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie Luebbecke, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Caroline Schwarzer
- Neurocognition and Action Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Christina Berns
- Faculty of Medicine, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie Luebbecke, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sebastian Scho
- Faculty of Medicine, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie Luebbecke, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Jessica Schneefeld
- Faculty of Medicine, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie Luebbecke, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dirk Koester
- Neurocognition and Action Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Department of Business Psychology, Faculty Business and Management, BSP Business School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Schack
- Neurocognition and Action Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Udo Schneider
- Faculty of Medicine, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie Luebbecke, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Karin Rosenkranz
- Faculty of Medicine, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie Luebbecke, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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91
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Is Training with the N-Back Task More Effective Than with Other Tasks? N-Back vs. Dichotic Listening vs. Simple Listening. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-020-00202-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCognitive training most commonly uses computerized tasks that stimulate simultaneous cognitive processing in two modalities, such as a dual n-back task with visual and auditive stimuli, or on two receptive channels, such as a listening task with dichotically presented stimuli. The present study was designed to compare a dual n-back task and a dichotic listening (DL) task with an active control condition (a simple listening task) and a no-training control condition for their impact on cognitive performance, daily life memory, and mindfulness. One hundred thirty healthy adults aged 18–55 years were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. The training consisted of twenty 15-min sessions spread across 4 weeks. The results indicated some improvement on episodic memory tasks and a trend for enhanced performance in an untrained working memory (WM) span task following cognitive training relative to the no-training control group. However, the only differential training effects were found for the DL training in increasing choice reaction performance and a trend for self-reported mindfulness. Transfer to measures of fluid intelligence and memory in daily life did not emerge. Additionally, we found links between self-efficacy and n-back training performance and between emotion regulation and training motivation. Our results contribute to the field of WM training by demonstrating that our listening tasks are comparable in effect to a dual n-back task in slightly improving memory. The possibility of improving attentional control and mindfulness through dichotic listening training is promising and deserves further consideration.
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92
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Miró-Padilla A, Bueichekú E, Adrián-Ventura J, Costumero V, Palomar-García MÁ, Villar-Rodríguez E, Marin-Marin L, Aguirre N, Ávila C. Sustained and transient gray matter volume changes after n-back training: A VBM study. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 178:107368. [PMID: 33348048 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Working memory training causes functional adaptations in the brain, which include changes in activation and functional connectivity that remain stable over time. Few studies have investigated gray matter (GM) changes after working memory training, and they have produced heterogeneous results without clarifying the stable effects of training. The present study was designed to test for sustained and transient anatomic changes after only 200 min of working memory training. The voxel-based morphometry technique was used in order to investigate the GM changes produced by a brief single n-back training, immediately and 5 weeks after finishing it. The sample was composed by 59 human participants who underwent MRI scanning and were assigned to either a training group or a passive control group. Results showed sustained GM volume enlargement in the right superior parietal cortex and a transient GM decrease in the right putamen. The brain adaptation in the right superior parietal cortex was stronger in individuals who showed greater improvements in performance. The results provide further evidence that a brief working memory training is able to produce brain plasticity in structures related to the trained task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Miró-Padilla
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Elisenda Bueichekú
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Jesús Adrián-Ventura
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Víctor Costumero
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - María-Ángeles Palomar-García
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Esteban Villar-Rodríguez
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Lidón Marin-Marin
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Naiara Aguirre
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - César Ávila
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
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93
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Salmi J, Soveri A, Salmela V, Alho K, Leppämäki S, Tani P, Koski A, Jaeggi SM, Laine M. Working memory training restores aberrant brain activity in adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:4876-4891. [PMID: 32813290 PMCID: PMC7643386 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of treatments for attention impairments is hampered by limited knowledge about the malleability of underlying neural functions. We conducted the first randomized controlled trial to determine the modulations of brain activity associated with working memory (WM) training in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At baseline, we assessed the aberrant functional brain activity in the n-back WM task by comparing 44 adults with ADHD with 18 healthy controls using fMRI. Participants with ADHD were then randomized to train on an adaptive dual n-back task or an active control task. We tested whether WM training elicits redistribution of brain activity as observed in healthy controls, and whether it might further restore aberrant activity related to ADHD. As expected, activity in areas of the default-mode (DMN), salience (SN), sensory-motor (SMN), frontoparietal (FPN), and subcortical (SCN) networks was decreased in participants with ADHD at pretest as compared with healthy controls, especially when the cognitive load was high. WM training modulated widespread FPN and SN areas, restoring some of the aberrant activity. Training effects were mainly observed as decreased brain activity during the trained task and increased activity during the untrained task, suggesting different neural mechanisms for trained and transfer tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juha Salmi
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical EngineeringAalto UniversityEspooFinland
- Department of Psychology and Speech‐Language PathologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Turku Institute for Advanced StudiesUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Anna Soveri
- Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Viljami Salmela
- Department of Psychology and LogopedicsUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- AMI Centre, Aalto NeuroimagingAalto UniversityEspooFinland
| | - Kimmo Alho
- Department of Psychology and LogopedicsUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- AMI Centre, Aalto NeuroimagingAalto UniversityEspooFinland
| | - Sami Leppämäki
- Department of PsychiatryHelsinki University HospitalHelsinkiFinland
| | - Pekka Tani
- Department of PsychiatryHelsinki University HospitalHelsinkiFinland
| | - Anniina Koski
- Department of PsychiatryHelsinki University HospitalHelsinkiFinland
| | - Susanne M. Jaeggi
- School of EducationUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Cognitive SciencesUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Matti Laine
- Department of PsychologyÅbo Akademi UniversityTurkuFinland
- Brain and Mind CenterUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
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94
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Assecondi S, Hu R, Eskes G, Read M, Griffiths C, Shapiro K. BRAINSTORMING: A study protocol for a randomised double-blind clinical trial to assess the impact of concurrent brain stimulation (tDCS) and working memory training on cognitive performance in Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). BMC Psychol 2020; 8:125. [PMID: 33243286 PMCID: PMC7694939 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-020-00454-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) admissions have an incidence of 385 per 100,000 of the population in the UK, and as brain injury often involves the frontal networks, cognitive domains affected are likely to be executive control, working memory, and problem-solving deficits, resulting in difficulty with everyday activities. The above observations make working memory, and related constructs such as attention and executive functioning attractive targets for neurorehabilitation. We propose a combined home-based rehabilitation protocol involving the concurrent administration of a working memory training program (adaptive N-back task) with non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to promote long-lasting modification of brain areas underlying working memory function. Method Patients with a working memory deficit will be recruited and assigned to two age-matched groups receiving working memory training for 2 weeks: an active group, receiving tDCS (2 mA for 20 min), and a control group, receiving sham stimulation. After the end of the first 2 weeks, both groups will continue the working memory training for three more weeks. Outcome measures will be recorded at timepoints throughout the intervention, including baseline, after the 2 weeks of stimulation, at the end of the working memory training regimen and 1 month after the completion of the training. Discussion The aim of the study is to assess if non-invasive tDCS stimulation has an impact on performance and benefits of a working memory training regimen. Specifically, we will examine the impact of brain stimulation on training gains, if changes in gains would last, and whether changes in training performance transfer to other cognitive domains. Furthermore, we will explore whether training improvements impact on everyday life activities and how the home-based training regimen is received by participants, with the view to develop an effective home healthcare tool that could enhance working memory and daily functioning. Trial registration This study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04010149 on July 8, 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Assecondi
- Visual Experience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. .,Center for Human Brian Health (CHBH), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Rong Hu
- Department of Neurology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Gail Eskes
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology & Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Michelle Read
- Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton, UK
| | - Chris Griffiths
- Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton, UK
| | - Kim Shapiro
- Visual Experience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Center for Human Brian Health (CHBH), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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95
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Dual n-back training improves functional connectivity of the right inferior frontal gyrus at rest. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20379. [PMID: 33230248 PMCID: PMC7683712 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77310-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that the benefits of working memory (WM) training can be attributed to functional and structural neural changes in the underlying neural substrate. In the current study, we investigated whether the functional connectivity of the brain at rest in the default mode network (DMN) changes with WM training. We varied the complexity of the training intervention so, that half of the participants attended dual n-back training whereas the other half attended single n-back training. This way we could assess the effects of different training task parameters on possible connectivity changes. After 16 training sessions, the dual n-back training group showed improved performance accompanied by increased functional connectivity of the ventral DMN in the right inferior frontal gyrus, which correlated with improvements in WM. We also observed decreased functional connectivity in the left superior parietal cortex in this group. The single n-back training group did not show significant training-related changes. These results show that a demanding short-term WM training intervention can alter the default state of the brain.
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96
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Working memory updating training promotes plasticity & behavioural gains: A systematic review & meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:209-235. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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97
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The Effects of Emotional Working Memory Training on Worry Symptoms and Error-Related Negativity of Individuals with High Trait Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Study. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-020-10164-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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98
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Pergher V, Vanbilsen N, Tournoy J, Schoenmakers B, Van Hulle MM. Impact of strategy use during N-Back training in older adults. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2020.1833891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Pergher
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, KU Leuven – University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nele Vanbilsen
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, KU Leuven – University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jos Tournoy
- University Hospitals Leuven & Department of Chronic Diseases, Metabolism and Ageing, KU Leuven – Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Marc M. Van Hulle
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, KU Leuven – University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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99
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Ophey A, Roheger M, Folkerts AK, Skoetz N, Kalbe E. A Systematic Review on Predictors of Working Memory Training Responsiveness in Healthy Older Adults: Methodological Challenges and Future Directions. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:575804. [PMID: 33173503 PMCID: PMC7591761 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.575804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Research on predictors of working memory training responsiveness, which could help tailor cognitive interventions individually, is a timely topic in healthy aging. However, the findings are highly heterogeneous, reporting partly conflicting results following a broad spectrum of methodological approaches to answer the question “who benefits most” from working memory training. Objective: The present systematic review aimed to systematically investigate prognostic factors and models for working memory training responsiveness in healthy older adults. Method: Four online databases were searched up to October 2019 (MEDLINE Ovid, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and PsycINFO). The inclusion criteria for full texts were publication in a peer-reviewed journal in English/German, inclusion of healthy older individuals aged ≥55 years without any neurological and/or psychiatric diseases including cognitive impairment, and the investigation of prognostic factors and/or models for training responsiveness after targeted working memory training in terms of direct training effects, near-transfer effects to verbal and visuospatial working memory as well as far-transfer effects to other cognitive domains and behavioral variables. The study design was not limited to randomized controlled trials. Results: A total of 16 studies including n = 675 healthy older individuals with a mean age of 63.0–86.8 years were included in this review. Within these studies, five prognostic model approaches and 18 factor finding approaches were reported. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies checklist, indicating that important information, especially regarding the domains study attrition, study confounding, and statistical analysis and reporting, was lacking throughout many of the investigated studies. Age, education, intelligence, and baseline performance in working memory or other cognitive domains were frequently investigated predictors across studies. Conclusions: Given the methodological shortcomings of the included studies, no clear conclusions can be drawn, and emerging patterns of prognostic effects will have to survive sound methodological replication in future attempts to promote precision medicine approaches in the context of working memory training. Methodological considerations are discussed, and our findings are embedded to the cognitive aging literature, considering, for example, the cognitive reserve framework and the compensation vs. magnification account. The need for personalized cognitive prevention and intervention methods to counteract cognitive decline in the aging population is high and the potential enormous. Registration: PROSPERO, ID CRD42019142750.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Ophey
- Department of Medical Psychology
- Neuropsychology & Gender Studies, Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mandy Roheger
- Department of Medical Psychology
- Neuropsychology & Gender Studies, Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ann-Kristin Folkerts
- Department of Medical Psychology
- Neuropsychology & Gender Studies, Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nicole Skoetz
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Elke Kalbe
- Department of Medical Psychology
- Neuropsychology & Gender Studies, Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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100
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Attention Networks in ADHD Adults after Working Memory Training with a Dual n-Back Task. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10100715. [PMID: 33050115 PMCID: PMC7600375 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10100715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients affected by Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are characterized by impaired executive functioning and/or attention deficits. Our study aim is to determine whether the outcomes measured by the Attention Network Task (ANT), i.e., the reaction times (RTs) to specific target and cue conditions and alerting, orienting, and conflict (or executive control) effects are affected by cognitive training with a Dual n-back task. We considered three groups of young adult participants: ADHD patients without medication (ADHD), ADHD with medication (MADHD), and age/education-matched controls. Working memory training consisted of a daily practice of 20 blocks of Dual n-back task (approximately 30 min per day) for 20 days within one month. Participants of each group were randomly assigned into two subgroups, the first one with an adaptive mode of difficulty (adaptive training), while the second was blocked at the level 1 during the whole training phase (1-back task, baseline training). Alerting and orienting effects were not modified by working memory training. The dimensional analysis showed that after baseline training, the lesser the severity of the hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, the larger the improvement of reaction times on trials with high executive control/conflict demand (i.e., what is called Conflict Effect), irrespective of the participants’ group. In the categorical analysis, we observed the improvement in such Conflict Effect after the adaptive training in adult ADHD patients irrespective of their medication, but not in controls. The ex-Gaussian analysis of RT and RT variability showed that the improvement in the Conflict Effect correlated with a decrease in the proportion of extreme slow responses. The Dual n-back task in the adaptive mode offers as a promising candidate for a cognitive remediation of adult ADHD patients without pharmaceutical medication.
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