1
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Li J, Cao Y, Ou S, Jiang T, Wang L, Ma N. The effect of total sleep deprivation on working memory: evidence from diffusion model. Sleep 2024; 47:zsae006. [PMID: 38181126 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Working memory is crucial in human daily life and is vulnerable to sleep loss. The current study investigated the impact of sleep deprivation on working memory from the information processing perspective, to explore whether sleep deprivation affects the working memory via impairing information manipulation. METHODS Thirty-seven healthy adults attended two counterbalanced protocols: a normal sleep night and a total sleep deprivation (TSD). The N-back and the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) assessed working memory and sustained attention. Response time distribution and drift-diffusion model analyses were applied to explore cognitive process alterations. RESULTS TSD increased the loading effect of accuracy, but not the loading effect of response time in the N-back task. TSD reduced the speed of information accumulation, increased the variability of the speed of accumulation, and elevated the decision threshold only in 1-back task. Moreover, the slow responses of PVT and N-back were severely impaired after TSD, mainly due to increased information accumulation variability. CONCLUSIONS The present study provides a new perspective to investigate behavioral performance by using response time distribution and drift-diffusion models, revealing that sleep deprivation affected multicognitive processes underlying working memory, especially information accumulation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Li
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Sleep Research, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Yixuan Cao
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Sleep Research, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Simei Ou
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Sleep Research, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Tianxiang Jiang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Sleep Research, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Ling Wang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Sleep Research, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Ning Ma
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Center for Sleep Research, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
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2
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Rizza A, Pedale T, Mastroberardino S, Olivetti Belardinelli M, Van der Lubbe RHJ, Spence C, Santangelo V. Working Memory Maintenance of Visual and Auditory Spatial Information Relies on Supramodal Neural Codes in the Dorsal Frontoparietal Cortex. Brain Sci 2024; 14:123. [PMID: 38391698 PMCID: PMC10886761 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020123] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The frontoparietal attention network plays a pivotal role during working memory (WM) maintenance, especially under high-load conditions. Nevertheless, there is ongoing debate regarding whether this network relies on supramodal or modality-specific neural signatures. In this study, we used multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to evaluate the neural representation of visual versus auditory information during WM maintenance. During fMRI scanning, participants maintained small or large spatial configurations (low- or high-load trials) of either colour shades or sound pitches in WM for later retrieval. Participants were less accurate in retrieving high- vs. low-load trials, demonstrating an effective manipulation of WM load, irrespective of the sensory modality. The frontoparietal regions involved in maintaining high- vs. low-load spatial maps in either sensory modality were highlighted using a conjunction analysis. Widespread activity was found across the dorsal frontoparietal network, peaking on the frontal eye fields and the superior parietal lobule, bilaterally. Within these regions, MVPAs were performed to quantify the pattern of distinctness of visual vs. auditory neural codes during WM maintenance. These analyses failed to reveal distinguishable patterns in the dorsal frontoparietal regions, thus providing support for a common, supramodal neural code associated with the retention of either visual or auditory spatial configurations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Rizza
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Tiziana Pedale
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Serena Mastroberardino
- Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences & Education, University of Perugia, Piazza G. Ermini 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Marta Olivetti Belardinelli
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- ECONA, Interuniversity Centre for Research on Cognitive Processing in Natural and Artificial Systems, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Rob H J Van der Lubbe
- Cognition, Data and Education, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Vision Science and Optometry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Wieniawskiego 1, 61-712 Poznan, Poland
| | - Charles Spence
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Oxford OX2 6BW, UK
| | - Valerio Santangelo
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences & Education, University of Perugia, Piazza G. Ermini 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
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3
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Scharinger C, Prislan L, Bernecker K, Ninaus M. Gamification of an n-back working memory task - is it worth the effort? An EEG and eye-tracking study. Biol Psychol 2023; 179:108545. [PMID: 36965785 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108545] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023]
Abstract
Gamification of cognitive tasks might positively affect emotional-motivational factors (emotional design perspective) or negatively affect cognitive factors like working memory load (minimalistic design perspective). The current study examined the effects of gamification in a spatial n-back working memory task on task performance, task load (i.e., working memory load and effort), and subjective task experience. Task load was assessed by the physiological process measures pupil dilation and EEG theta (4 - 6Hz) and alpha (8 - 13Hz) frequency band power. Gamification was achieved by elements of emotional design (i.e., the visual screen design using, e.g., color, cartoon figures as n-back stimuli, and a narrative embedding of the task). While EEG and eye-tracking were recorded, participants conducted gamified and non-gamified 1-back and 2-back load levels. The gamification resulted in positive effects on subjective task experience and affect. Despite these effects, gamification did not affect task performance and task load. However, exploratory analyses revealed increased EEG theta power at right-parietal electrodes for gamified task versions compared to non-gamified ones. Potentially, this effect might indicate participants' increased effort or concentration in the gamified n-back task. In line with an emotional design perspective, gamification positively altered subjective task experience and affect without hampering task performance and therefore justify the extra effort of implementing game elements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Prislan
- Department of Teaching and Learning with Intelligent Systems (LLiS), University of Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Katharina Bernecker
- Department of Psychology - Psychology of Motivation, Volition, and Emotion, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Ninaus
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria; LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, Germany
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4
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Linares R, Pelegrina S. The relationship between working memory updating components and reading comprehension. Cogn Process 2023; 24:253-265. [PMID: 36773185 PMCID: PMC10110648 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-023-01127-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of retrieval and substitution components of working memory updating to reading comprehension. Difficulties in reading comprehension have been related to the inability to update information in working memory. Updating is a complex process comprising various subprocesses, such as retrieving information into the focus of attention and substituting information that is no longer relevant. Various numerical subtasks requiring or not requiring the substitution and retrieval components of working memory updating, as well as reading comprehension and general cognitive measures, were administered to a sample (n = 148) of 4th grade children. Less-skilled comprehenders showed lower accuracy when information retrieval was required. In contrast, substitution was not related to reading comprehension. These findings suggest that reading comprehension difficulties are related to the efficacy of information retrieval during updating in working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Linares
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Paraje Las Lagunillas S/N, 23071, Jaén, Spain.
| | - Santiago Pelegrina
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Paraje Las Lagunillas S/N, 23071, Jaén, Spain
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5
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Pacheco J, Garvey MA, Sarampote CS, Cohen ED, Murphy ER, Friedman-Hill SR. Annual Research Review: The contributions of the RDoC research framework on understanding the neurodevelopmental origins, progression and treatment of mental illnesses. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:360-376. [PMID: 34979592 PMCID: PMC8940667 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) proposed the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative as an alternate way to organize research of mental illnesses, by looking at dimensions of functioning rather than being tied to categorical diagnoses. This paper briefly discusses the motivation for and organization of RDoC, and then explores the NIMH portfolio and recent work to monitor the utility and progress that RDoC has afforded developmental research. To examine how RDoC has influenced the NIMH developmental research portfolio over the last decade, we employed a natural language processing algorithm to identify the number of developmental science grants classified as incorporating an RDoC approach. Additional portfolio analyses examine temporal trends in funded RDoC-relevant grants, publications and citations, and research training opportunities. Reflecting on how RDoC has influenced the focus of grant applications, we highlight examples from research on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), childhood irritability, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Lastly, we consider how the dimensional and transdiagnostic approaches emphasized in RDoC have facilitated research on personalized intervention for heterogeneous disorders and preventive/early interventions targeting emergent or subthreshold psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Pacheco
- Division of Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health
- RDoC Unit, National Institute of Mental Health
| | | | | | - Elan D. Cohen
- Office of Science Policy, Planning, and Communications, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Eric R. Murphy
- Division of Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health
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6
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Zhang RC, Madan CR. How does caffeine influence memory? Drug, experimental, and demographic factors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:525-538. [PMID: 34563564 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.033] [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: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Caffeine is a widely used nootropic drug, but its effects on memory in healthy participants have not been sufficiently evaluated. Here we review evidence of the effects of caffeine on different types of memory, and the associated drug, experimental, and demographical factors. There is limited evidence that caffeine affects performance in memory tasks beyond improved reaction times. For drug factors, a dose-response relationship may exist but findings are inconsistent. Moreover, there is evidence that the source of caffeine can modulate its effects on memory. For experimental factors, past studies often lacked a baseline control for diet and sleep and none discussed the possible reversal of withdrawal effect due to pre-experimental fasting. For demographic factors, caffeine may interact with sex and age, and the direction of the effect may depend on the dose, individual tolerance, and metabolism at baseline. Future studies should incorporate these considerations, as well as providing continued evidence on the effect of caffeine in visuospatial, prospective, and implicit memory measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruo-Chong Zhang
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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7
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Cognitive Control of Working Memory: A Model-Based Approach. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060721. [PMID: 34071635 PMCID: PMC8230184 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060721] [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: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM)-based decision making depends on a number of cognitive control processes that control the flow of information into and out of WM and ensure that only relevant information is held active in WM's limited-capacity store. Although necessary for successful decision making, recent work has shown that these control processes impose performance costs on both the speed and accuracy of WM-based decisions. Using the reference-back task as a benchmark measure of WM control, we conducted evidence accumulation modeling to test several competing explanations for six benchmark empirical performance costs. Costs were driven by a combination of processes, running outside of the decision stage (longer non-decision time) and showing the inhibition of the prepotent response (lower drift rates) in trials requiring WM control. Individuals also set more cautious response thresholds when expecting to update WM with new information versus maintain existing information. We discuss the promise of this approach for understanding cognitive control in WM-based decision making.
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8
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Trutti AC, Verschooren S, Forstmann BU, Boag RJ. Understanding subprocesses of working memory through the lens of model-based cognitive neuroscience. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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9
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Spawton-Rice JH, Walker Z. Do cognitive training applications improve executive function in children with adverse childhood experiences? A pilot study. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-CHILD 2020; 11:373-382. [PMID: 33290097 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2020.1854094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Executive function (EF) is comprised of inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility, core components which more complex skills and abilities develop from, including problem solving, reasoning and planning. Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) negatively impact the development of these skills and in turn life outcomes. This pilot-study explores the use of computerized cognitive training applications (CCTA) (software-based training programs) in school, to improve these skills in children aged 6-11 with ACE. A pre-post-test, between-subject experimental design using an experimental and a placebo-control group was used. The control group were matched to the experimental group by prior academic attainment level and age. A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) assessed changes in EF across two time-points between the experimental and the control group. Both groups of participants were selected based on an ACE parent-report questionnaire score of 4+ (n = 32). EF was measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), assessing far-transfer of training to behavioral measures of EF. Results show CCTA had a significant positive impact on executive function, particularly on working memory. This small-scale pilot study presents exciting directions for future research into the role of CCTA in order to confirm conclusions drawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Henry Spawton-Rice
- Psychology and Human Development, University College London Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
| | - Zachary Walker
- Psychology and Human Development, University College London Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
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10
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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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11
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Jiménez JP, Martin L, Dounce IA, Ávila-Contreras C, Ramos F. Methodological aspects for cognitive architectures construction: a study and proposal. Artif Intell Rev 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10462-020-09901-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), efforts to achieve human-like behavior have taken very different paths through time. Cognitive Architectures (CAs) differentiate from traditional AI approaches, due to their intention to model cognitive and behavioral processes by understanding the brain’s structure and their functionalities in a natural way. However, the development of distinct CAs has not been easy, mainly because there is no consensus on the theoretical basis, assumptions or even purposes for their creation nor how well they reflect human function. In consequence, there is limited information about the methodological aspects to construct this type of models. To address this issue, some initial statements are established to contextualize about the origins and directions of cognitive architectures and their development, which help to outline perspectives, approaches and objectives of this work, supported by a brief study of methodological strategies and historical aspects taken by some of the most relevant architectures to propose a methodology which covers general perspectives for the construction of CAs. This proposal is intended to be flexible, focused on use-case tasks, but also directed by theoretic paradigms or manifestos. A case study between cognitive functions is then detailed, using visual perception and working memory to exemplify the proposal’s assumptions, postulates and binding tools, from their meta-architectural conceptions to validation. Finally, the discussion addresses the challenges found at this stage of development and future work directions.
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12
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M YP, S M, M F, M J, R V, B VA, H K. Identification of the Cognitive Interference Effect Related to Stroop Stimulation: Using Dynamic Causal Modeling of Effective Connectivity in Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). J Biomed Phys Eng 2020; 10:467-478. [PMID: 32802795 PMCID: PMC7416094 DOI: 10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.1174] [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: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Background: The Stroop test is a well-known model to denote the decline in performance under the incongruent condition, which requires selective attention and control of competitive responses. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy can identify activated brain regions associated with the Stroop interference effect. Objective: This research aims to identify the neural correlates associated with the Stroop tasks within the brain activated regions. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, twelve right-handed healthy controls were investigated by means of a multi-channels fNIRS unit during the execution of the Stroop test. Effective connectivity changes in the prefrontal cortex between Stroop attentional conflict and rest states were calculated using DCM approach to investigate (1) areas known for selective attention and (2) analyze inter-network functional connectivity strength (FCS) by selecting several brain functional networks. Results: The results indicated that an increased activity was recorded in the LDLPFC during incongruent condition, while under neutral condition, the increase in activity was even more pronounced in those areas. Effect of Stroop interference associated with significant consistent causes an increase in the RDLPFC to DMPFC, LDLPFC to DMPFC and LDLPFC to RPFC effective connectivity strengths. Conclusion: This study showed the use of DCM algorithm for fNIRS data with respect to fMRI has provided additional information about the directional connectivity and causal interactions in LPFC networks during a conflict processing. Eventually, high temporal resolution fNIRS can be a promising tool for monitoring functional brain activation under the cognitive paradigms in neurological research and psychotherapy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousef Pour M
- PhD, School of Medicine, Aja university of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masjoodi S
- PhD, School of Medicine, Aja university of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fooladi M
- MSc, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Jalalvandi M
- MSc, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Vosoughi R
- MSc, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Vejdani Afkham B
- MSc, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Khabiri H
- MSc, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
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13
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Mayer JS, Korinth S, Peters B, Fiebach CJ. An Electrophysiological Dissociation of Encoding vs. Maintenance Failures in Visual-Spatial Working Memory. Front Psychol 2020; 11:522. [PMID: 32265809 PMCID: PMC7105797 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) performance varies substantially among individuals but the precise contribution of different WM component processes to these functional limits remains unclear. By analyzing different types of responses in a spatial WM task, we recently demonstrated a functional dissociation between confident and not-confident errors reflecting failures of WM encoding and maintenance, respectively. Here, we use event-related brain potentials to further explore this dissociation. Healthy participants performed a delayed orientation-discrimination task and rated their response confidence for each trial. The encoding-related N2pc component was significantly reduced for confident errors compared to confident correct responses, which is indicative of an encoding failure. In contrast, the maintenance-related contra-lateral delay activity was similar for these response types indicating that in confident error trials, WM representations – potentially the wrong ones – were maintained accurately and with stability throughout the delay interval. However, contra-lateral delay activity measured during the early part of the delay period was decreased for not-confident errors, potentially reflecting compromised maintenance processes. These electrophysiological findings contribute to a refined understanding of the encoding and maintenance processes that contribute to limitations in WM performance and capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutta S. Mayer
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- *Correspondence: Jutta S. Mayer,
| | | | - Benjamin Peters
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christian J. Fiebach
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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14
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Zhang W, Lang S, Zheng Y, Qin X, Chen H, You Y, Ou H. The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Versus Electroacupuncture on Working Memory in Healthy Subjects. J Altern Complement Med 2019; 25:637-642. [PMID: 31033335 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2018.0532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Working memory (WM) can influence human thought processes through interactions with perception, long-term memory, and behavior. In recent years, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and electric acupuncture have been used to improve the performance of WM. Therefore, due to the n-back task as a continuous performance task that is commonly used to measure WM, the aim of this study is to investigate the differences in short-term efficacy between tDCS and electroacupuncture on WM under n-back task paradigm in healthy subjects. Methods: Forty-four college students (age: 23.70 ± 1.52 years; education: 16.93 ± 2.24 years) were recruited as experimental subjects and randomly divided into two groups by a random double-blind two-stage crossover experiment design. Group A received a tDCS intervention followed by at least 1 week of washout period and then the electroacupuncture intervention. Group B had the opposite sequence of interventions. The WM test under the n-back task paradigm was conducted before and after each intervention, and the changes in the accuracy (number of correct responses) and correct response time (RT) before and after the interventions were detected. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 24.0 to compare the short-term efficacy of tDCS and electroacupuncture on WM under different tasks. Results: In the 0-back task and 1-back tasks, there was no significant difference in the accuracy or RT before and after the interventions between tDCS and electroacupuncture stimulation. In the 2-back task, there was no significant difference in the accuracy before and after interventions between tDCS and electroacupuncture stimulation. However, there was a significant difference in RT (p < 0.05), which was lower after tDCS than after electroacupuncture in the 2-back task. Conclusion: The results show that tDCS with anodal stimulation on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex could increase the RT of the 2-back task performance in comparison with electroacupuncture stimulation of the Baihui (GV20) and Shenting (DU24) acupoints. The present results indicate that tDCS may have greater impact on WM in healthy subjects than electroacupuncture stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Zhang
- 1 Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shijuan Lang
- 1 Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuxin Zheng
- 1 Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi Qin
- 1 Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongxin Chen
- 1 Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaoyao You
- 1 Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haining Ou
- 1 Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,2 Experiment Education Model Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,3 Department of Rehabilitation, Guangdong Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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15
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Suzuki M, Kawagoe T, Nishiguchi S, Abe N, Otsuka Y, Nakai R, Asano K, Yamada M, Yoshikawa S, Sekiyama K. Neural Correlates of Working Memory Maintenance in Advanced Aging: Evidence From fMRI. Front Aging Neurosci 2018; 10:358. [PMID: 30459595 PMCID: PMC6232505 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM)-related brain activity is known to be modulated by aging; particularly, older adults demonstrate greater activity than young adults. However, it is still unclear whether the activity increase in older adults is also observed in advanced aging. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was designed to clarify the neural correlates of WM in advanced aging. Further, we set out to investigate in the case that adults of advanced age do show age-related increase in WM-related activity, what the functional significance of this over-recruitment might be. Two groups of older adults – “young–old” (61–70 years, n = 17) and “old–old” (77–82 years, n = 16) – were scanned while performing a visual WM task (the n-back task: 0-back and 1-back). WM effects (1-back > 0-back) common to both age groups were identified in several regions, including the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the inferior parietal cortex, and the insula. Greater WM effects in the old–old than in the young–old group were identified in the right caudal DLPFC. These results were replicated when we performed a separate analysis between two age groups with the same level of WM performance (the young–old vs. a “high-performing” subset of the old–old group). There were no regions where WM effects were greater in the young–old group than in the old–old group. Importantly, the magnitude of the over-recruitment WM effects positively correlated with WM performance in the old–old group, but not in the young–old group. The present findings suggest that cortical over-recruitment occurs in advanced old age, and that increased activity may serve a compensatory function in mediating WM performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Suzuki
- Division of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.,Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Kawagoe
- Division of Human and Social Sciences, Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Shu Nishiguchi
- Department of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Nobuhito Abe
- Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yuki Otsuka
- Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ryusuke Nakai
- Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kohei Asano
- Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Minoru Yamada
- Department of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Kaoru Sekiyama
- Division of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.,Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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16
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Palladino P, Artuso C. Working Memory Updating: Load and Binding. The Journal of General Psychology 2018; 145:45-63. [PMID: 29345539 DOI: 10.1080/00221309.2017.1415083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we aimed to examine how specific objects are updated in working memory. We compared conditions in which contents or content-context bindings from working memory were both encoded and updated (Experiment 1). In addition, for bindings, we manipulated the memory load (i.e., number of contents) to maintain during updating. Results indicated that memory load did not specifically affect the process; rather, the content-context binding (vs. single contents) was critical in determining the increase in response latencies. Results were replicated even in Experiment 2, in which we manipulated the spatial locations of the to-be-recognized probes. Results showed evidence of a potential dissociation between updating of memory contents-only and content-context bindings. In addition, memory load and spatial coherence between phases and probe recognition did not interact with updating performance. Overall, results were taken as a contribution toward mapping the complex nature of the updating mechanism.
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17
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Lee H, Kim J. Load-sensitive impairment of working memory for biological motion in schizophrenia. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186498. [PMID: 29028821 PMCID: PMC5640230 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired working memory (WM) is a core cognitive deficit in schizophrenia. Nevertheless, past studies have reported that patients may also benefit from increasing salience of memory stimuli. Such efficient encoding largely depends upon precise perception. Thus an investigation on the relationship between perceptual processing and WM would be worthwhile. Here, we used biological motion (BM), a socially relevant stimulus that schizophrenics have difficulty discriminating from similar meaningless motions, in a delayed-response task. Non-BM stimuli and static polygons were also used for comparison. In each trial, one of the three types of stimuli was presented followed by two probes, with a short delay in between. Participants were asked to indicate whether one of them was identical to the memory item or both were novel. The number of memory items was one or two. Healthy controls were more accurate in recognizing BM than non-BM regardless of memory loads. Patients with schizophrenia exhibited similar accuracy patterns to those of controls in the Load 1 condition only. These results suggest that information contained in BM could facilitate WM encoding in general, but the effect is vulnerable to the increase of cognitive load in schizophrenia, implying inefficient encoding driven by imprecise perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Lee
- Department of Psychology, Duksung Women’s University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jejoong Kim
- Department of Psychology, Duksung Women’s University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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18
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Heinzel S, Lorenz RC, Duong QL, Rapp MA, Deserno L. Prefrontal-parietal effective connectivity during working memory in older adults. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 57:18-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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19
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Jones A, Hardman CA, Lawrence N, Field M. Cognitive training as a potential treatment for overweight and obesity: A critical review of the evidence. Appetite 2017; 124:50-67. [PMID: 28546010 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this review is to critically evaluate the effectiveness and candidate mechanisms of action of psychological interventions which aim to either (a) improve the capacity for self-regulatory, reflective processes or (b) reduce the impact of automatic appetitive processes, in an attempt to influence food intake and associated weight-gain. Our aim was to examine three important issues regarding each type of intervention: i) whether the intervention influenced behaviour in the laboratory, ii) whether the intervention influenced behaviour and/or body mass index in the real world, and iii) whether the proposed mechanism of action was supported by evidence. We systematically searched three commonly used databases and identified 32 articles which were relevant to at least one of these issues. The majority of studies attempted to manipulate food intake in the laboratory using associative learning paradigms, in normal-weight female participants. Most of the laboratory studies demonstrated the predicted effects of interventions on behaviour in the laboratory, but studies that attempted to translate these interventions outside of the laboratory yielded more mixed findings. The hypothesised mechanisms of action received inconsistent support across studies. We identified several limitations which may complicate interpretation of findings in this area, including heterogeneity of study methods, small sample sizes, and absence of adequate control groups. We provide recommendations for future studies that aim to develop and evaluate these promising interventions for the reduction of overweight and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Jones
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK; UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, University of Liverpool, UK.
| | | | | | - Matt Field
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK; UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, University of Liverpool, UK
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20
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McKenna R, Rushe T, Woodcock KA. Informing the Structure of Executive Function in Children: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Data. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:154. [PMID: 28439231 PMCID: PMC5383671 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of executive function (EF) has been the focus of much debate for decades. What is more, the complexity and diversity provided by the developmental period only adds to this contention. The development of executive function plays an integral part in the expression of children's behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities. Understanding how these processes are constructed during development allows for effective measurement of EF in this population. This meta-analysis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the structure of executive function in children. A coordinate-based meta-analysis was conducted (using BrainMap GingerALE 2.3), which incorporated studies administering functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during inhibition, switching, and working memory updating tasks in typical children (aged 6-18 years). The neural activation common across all executive tasks was compared to that shared by tasks pertaining only to inhibition, switching or updating, which are commonly considered to be fundamental executive processes. Results support the existence of partially separable but partially overlapping inhibition, switching, and updating executive processes at a neural level, in children over 6 years. Further, the shared neural activation across all tasks (associated with a proposed "unitary" component of executive function) overlapped to different degrees with the activation associated with each individual executive process. These findings provide evidence to support the suggestion that one of the most influential structural models of executive functioning in adults can also be applied to children of this age. However, the findings also call for careful consideration and measurement of both specific executive processes, and unitary executive function in this population. Furthermore, a need is highlighted for a new systematic developmental model, which captures the integrative nature of executive function in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Róisín McKenna
- School of Psychology, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland
| | | | - Kate A. Woodcock
- School of Psychology, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland
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21
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Scharinger C, Soutschek A, Schubert T, Gerjets P. Comparison of the Working Memory Load in N-Back and Working Memory Span Tasks by Means of EEG Frequency Band Power and P300 Amplitude. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:6. [PMID: 28179880 PMCID: PMC5263141 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
According to theoretical accounts, both, N-back and complex span tasks mainly require working memory (WM) processing. In contrast, simple span tasks conceptually mainly require WM storage. Thus, conceptually, an N-back task and a complex span task share more commonalities as compared to a simple span task. In the current study, we compared an N-back task, a complex operation span task (Ospan), and a simple digit span task (Dspan) by means of typical WM load-related measures of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) like the parietal alpha and beta frequency band power, the frontal theta frequency band power, and the P300 amplitude, to examine whether these tasks would show commonalities or differences in WM processing-load. We expected that increasing WM-load would generally lead to a decreased alpha and beta frequency band power, an increased theta frequency band power, and a decreased P300 amplitude. Yet, based on the conceptual considerations, we hypothesized that the outcomes of these measures would be more comparable between the N-back and the Ospan as compared to the Dspan. Our hypotheses were partly confirmed. The N-back and the Ospan showed timely more prolonged alpha frequency band power effects as compared to the Dspan. This might indicate higher demands on WM processing in the former two tasks. The theta frequency band power and the P300 amplitude were most pronounced in the N-back task as compared to both span tasks. This might indicate specific demands on cognitive control in the N-back task. Additionally, we observed that behavioral performance measures correlated with changes in EEG alpha power of the N-back and the Ospan, yet not of the Dspan. Taken together, the hypothesized conceptual commonalities between the N-back task and the Ospan (and, for the Dspan, differences) were only partly confirmed by the electrophysiological WM load-related measures, indicating a potential need for reconsidering the theoretical accounts on WM tasks and the value of a closer link to electrophysiological research herein.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexander Soutschek
- Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland
| | - Torsten Schubert
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinBerlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-WittenbergHalle, Germany
| | - Peter Gerjets
- Knowledge Media Research CenterTübingen, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Eberhard-Karls-Universität TübingenTübingen, Germany
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22
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Pastori C, Francione S, Pelle F, de Curtis M, Gnatkovsky V. Fluency tasks generate beta-gamma activity in language-related cortical areas of patients during stereo-EEG monitoring. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2016; 163:50-56. [PMID: 27684988 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A quantitative method was developed to map cortical areas responsive to cognitive tasks during intracerebral stereo-EEG recording sessions in drug-resistant patients candidate for epilepsy surgery. Frequency power changes were evaluated with a computer-assisted analysis in 7 patients during phonemic fluency tasks. All patients were right-handed and were explored with depth electrodes in the dominant frontal lobe. We demonstrate that fluency tasks enhance beta-gamma frequencies and reduce background activities in language network regions of the dominant hemisphere. Non-reproducible changes were observed in other explored brain areas during cognitive tests execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Pastori
- Unit of Epileptology and Experimental Neurophysiology, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Francione
- Claudio Munari Epilepsy Surgery Center, Ospedale Niguarda, Milano, Italy
| | - Federica Pelle
- Claudio Munari Epilepsy Surgery Center, Ospedale Niguarda, Milano, Italy
| | - Marco de Curtis
- Unit of Epileptology and Experimental Neurophysiology, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Vadym Gnatkovsky
- Unit of Epileptology and Experimental Neurophysiology, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
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23
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Al Abed AS, Sellami A, Brayda-Bruno L, Lamothe V, Noguès X, Potier M, Bennetau-Pelissero C, Marighetto A. Estradiol enhances retention but not organization of hippocampus-dependent memory in intact male mice. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 69:77-89. [PMID: 27038677 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Because estrogens have mostly been studied in gonadectomized females, effects of chronic exposure to environmental estrogens in the general population are underestimated. Estrogens can enhance hippocampus-dependent memory through the modulation of information storage. However, declarative memory, the hippocampus-dependent memory of facts and events, demands more than abilities to retain information. Specifically, memory of repetitive events of everyday life such as "where I parked" requires abilities to organize/update memories to prevent proactive interference from similar memories of previous "parking events". Whether such organizational processes are estrogen-sensitive is unknown. We here studied, in intact young and aged adult mice, drinking-water (1μM) estradiol effects on both retention and organizational components of hippocampus-dependent memory, using a radial-maze task of everyday-like memory. Demand on retention vs organization was manipulated by varying the time-interval separating repetitions of similar events. Estradiol increased performance in young and aged mice under minimized organizational demand, but failed to improve the age-associated memory impairment and diminished performance in young mice under high organizational demand. In fact, estradiol prolonged mnemonic retention of successive events without improving organization abilities, hence resulted in more proactive interference from irrelevant memories. c-Fos imaging of testing-induced brain activations showed that the deterioration of young memory was associated with dentate gyrus dysconnectivity, reminiscent of that seen in aged mice. Our findings support the view that estradiol is promnesic but also reveal that such property can paradoxically impair memory. These findings have important outcomes regarding health issues relative to the impact of environmental estrogens in the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Shaam Al Abed
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Azza Sellami
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Laurent Brayda-Bruno
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Valérie Lamothe
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Xavier Noguès
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Mylène Potier
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | | | - Aline Marighetto
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
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24
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Linares R, Bajo MT, Pelegrina S. Age-related differences in working memory updating components. J Exp Child Psychol 2016; 147:39-52. [PMID: 26985577 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2016.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate possible age-related changes throughout childhood and adolescence in different component processes of working memory updating (WMU): retrieval, transformation, and substitution. A set of numerical WMU tasks was administered to four age groups (8-, 11-, 14-, and 21-year-olds). To isolate the effect of each of the WMU components, participants performed different versions of a task that included different combinations of the WMU components. The results showed an expected overall decrease in response times and an increase in accuracy performance with age. Most important, specific age-related changes in the retrieval component were found, demonstrating that the effect of retrieval on accuracy was larger in children than in adolescents or young adults. These findings indicate that the availability of representations from outside the focus of attention may change with age. Thus, the retrieval component of updating could contribute to the age-related changes observed in the performance of many updating tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Linares
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
| | - M Teresa Bajo
- Research Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
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25
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Altered Effective Connectivity during a Processing Speed Task in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2016; 22:216-24. [PMID: 26888618 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617715001034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Processing speed impairment is the most prevalent cognitive deficit in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the neural mechanisms associated with processing speed remain under debate. The current investigation provides a dynamic representation of the functioning of the brain network involved in processing speed by examining effective connectivity pattern during a processing speed task in healthy adults and in MS individuals with and without processing speed impairment. METHODS Group assignment (processing speed impaired vs. intact) was based on participants' performance on the Symbol Digit Modalities test (Parmenter, Testa, Schretlen, Weinstock-Guttman, & Benedict, 2010). First, brain regions involved in the processing speed task were determined in healthy participants. Time series from these functional regions of interest of each group of participants were then subjected to the effective connectivity analysis (Independent Multiple-Sample Greedy Equivalence Search and Linear, Non-Gaussian Orientation, Fixed Structure algorithms) that showed causal influences of one region on another during task performance. RESULTS The connectivity pattern of the processing speed impaired group was significantly different from the connectivity pattern of the processing speed intact group and of the healthy control group. Differences in the strength of common connections were also observed. CONCLUSIONS Effective connectivity results reveal that MS individuals with processing speed impairment not only have connections that differ from healthy participants and MS individuals without processing speed impairment, but also have increased strengths of connections.
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26
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Chen Y, Huang X. Modulation of Alpha and Beta Oscillations during an n-back Task with Varying Temporal Memory Load. Front Psychol 2016; 6:2031. [PMID: 26779113 PMCID: PMC4705233 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal information can be retained and manipulated in working memory (WM). Neural oscillatory changes in WM were examined by varying temporal WM load. Electroencephalography was obtained from 18 subjects performing a temporal version of the visual n-back WM task (n = 1 or 2). Electroencephalography revealed that posterior alpha power decreased and temporal region-distributed beta power increased as WM load increased. This result is consistent with previous findings that posterior alpha band reflects inhibition of task-irrelevant information. Furthermore, findings from this study suggest that temporal region-distributed beta band activity is engaged in the active maintenance of temporal duration in WM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youguo Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Center of Studies for Psychology and Social Development, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University Chongqing, China
| | - Xiting Huang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Center of Studies for Psychology and Social Development, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University Chongqing, China
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27
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Berti S. Switching Attention Within Working Memory is Reflected in the P3a Component of the Human Event-Related Brain Potential. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 9:701. [PMID: 26779009 PMCID: PMC4701918 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The flexible access to information in working memory is crucial for adaptive behavior. It is assumed that this is realized by switching the focus of attention within working memory. Switching of attention is mirrored in the P3a component of the human event-related brain potential (ERP) and it has been argued that the processes reflected by the P3a are also relevant for selecting information within working memory. The aim of the present study was to further evaluate whether the P3a mirrors genuine switching of attention within working memory by applying an object switching task: Participants updated a memory list of four digits either by replacing one item with another digit or by processing the stored digit. ERPs were computed separately for two types of trials: (1) trials in which an object was repeated and (2) trials in which a switch to a new object was required in order to perform the task. Object-switch trials showed increased response times compared with repetition trials in both task conditions. In addition, switching costs were increased in the processing compared with the replacement condition. Pronounced P3a’s were obtained in switching trials but there were no difference between the two updating tasks (replacement or processing). These results were qualified by the finding that the magnitude of the visual location shift also affects the ERPs in the P3a time window. Taken together, the present pattern of results suggest that the P3a reflects an initial process of selecting information in working memory but not the memory updating itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Berti
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Mainz, Germany
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28
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Ardestani A, Shen W, Darvas F, Toga AW, Fuster JM. Modulation of Frontoparietal Neurovascular Dynamics in Working Memory. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 28:379-401. [PMID: 26679214 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Our perception of the world is represented in widespread, overlapping, and interactive neuronal networks of the cerebral cortex. A majority of physiological studies on the subject have focused on oscillatory synchrony as the binding mechanism for representation and transmission of neural information. Little is known, however, about the stability of that synchrony during prolonged cognitive operations that span more than just a few seconds. The present research, in primates, investigated the dynamic patterns of oscillatory synchrony by two complementary recording methods, surface field potentials (SFPs) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The signals were first recorded during the resting state to examine intrinsic functional connectivity. The temporal modulation of coactivation was then examined on both signals during performance of working memory (WM) tasks with long delays (memory retention epochs). In both signals, the peristimulus period exhibited characteristic features in frontal and parietal regions. Examination of SFP signals over delays lasting tens of seconds, however, revealed alternations of synchronization and desynchronization. These alternations occurred within the same frequency bands observed in the peristimulus epoch, without a specific correspondence between any definite cognitive process (e.g., WM) and synchrony within a given frequency band. What emerged instead was a correlation between the degree of SFP signal fragmentation (in time, frequency, and brain space) and the complexity and efficiency of the task being performed. In other words, the incidence and extent of SFP transitions between synchronization and desynchronization-rather than the absolute degree of synchrony-augmented in correct task performance compared with incorrect performance or in a control task without WM demand. An opposite relationship was found in NIRS: increasing task complexity induced more uniform, rather than fragmented, NIRS coactivations. These findings indicate that the particular features of neural oscillations cannot be linearly mapped to cognitive functions. Rather, information and the cognitive operations performed on it are primarily reflected in their modulations over time. The increased complexity and fragmentation of electrical frequencies in WM may reflect the activation of hierarchically diverse cognits (cognitive networks) in that condition. Conversely, the homogeneity in coherence of NIRS responses may reflect the cumulative vascular reactions that accompany that neuroelectrical proliferation of frequencies and the longer time constant of the NIRS signal. These findings are directly relevant to the mechanisms mediating cognitive processes and to physiologically based interpretations of functional brain imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen Ardestani
- University of California, Los Angeles.,Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Wei Shen
- University of California, Los Angeles
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29
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Peters B, Bledowski C, Rieder M, Kaiser J. Recurrence of task set-related MEG signal patterns during auditory working memory. Brain Res 2015; 1640:232-42. [PMID: 26683086 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2015] [Revised: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Processing of auditory spatial and non-spatial information in working memory has been shown to rely on separate cortical systems. While previous studies have demonstrated differences in spatial versus non-spatial processing from the encoding of to-be-remembered stimuli onwards, here we investigated whether such differences would be detectable already prior to presentation of the sample stimulus. We analyzed broad-band magnetoencephalography data from 15 healthy adults during an auditory working memory paradigm starting with a visual cue indicating the task-relevant stimulus feature for a given trial (lateralization or pitch) and a subsequent 1.5-s pre-encoding phase. This was followed by a sample sound (0.2s), the delay phase (0.8s) and a test stimulus (0.2s) after which participants made a match/non-match decision. Linear discriminant functions were trained to decode task-specific signal patterns throughout the task, and temporal generalization was used to assess whether the neural codes discriminating between the tasks during the pre-encoding phase would recur during later task periods. The spatial versus non-spatial tasks could indeed be discriminated after the onset of the cue onwards, and decoders trained during the pre-encoding phase successfully discriminated the tasks during both sample stimulus encoding and during the delay phase. This demonstrates that task-specific neural codes are established already before the memorandum is presented and that the same patterns are reestablished during stimulus encoding and maintenance. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Auditory working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Peters
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str.10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Christoph Bledowski
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str.10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Maria Rieder
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str.10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jochen Kaiser
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str.10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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The relation between a multicomponent working memory and intelligence: The roles of central executive and short-term storage functions. INTELLIGENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2015.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Li XQ, Zheng YY, Zhao HY, Xia JY. How the speed of working memory updating influences the on-line thematic processing of simple sentences in Mandarin Chinese. Cogn Neurodyn 2015; 8:447-64. [PMID: 26396645 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-014-9292-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2014] [Revised: 04/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
This ERP study used electrophysiological technique to examine how individual differences in the speed of working memory updating influence the use of syntactic and semantic information during on-line sentence argument interpretation, and the time course of that working memory updating effect. The basic structure of the experimental sentences was "Noun + Verb + adverb + 'le' + a two-character word", with the Noun being the sentence initial argument. This initial argument is animate or inanimate and the following verb disambiguates it as an agent or patient. The results at the initial argument revealed that, the quick-updating group elicited a larger positivity over the frontal cortex (within 500-800 ms post-noun onset) as compared with the slow-updating group. At the following disambiguating verb, the slow-updating group only showed a word order effect, indicating that the patient-first condition elicited a larger P600 (within 500-1,000 ms post-verb onset) than the agent-first one; for the quick-updating group, at the early stage of processing, the patient-first sentences elicited a larger N400 (within 300-500 ms post-verb onset) than the agent-first ones only when the initial argument was inanimate; however, at the late stage, the patient-first sentences elicited an enhanced P600 (within 800-1,000 ms post-verb onset) only when the initial argument was animate. These results suggested that the speed of working memory updating not only influences the maintenance of sentence argument when the contents of working memory change but also influences the efficiency of integrating that argument with the verb at a late time point. When integrating the argument with the disambiguating verb, individuals with quick-updating ability can combine multiple sources of information (both noun animacy and word order), and conduct rapid and fine-grained two-stage processing; individuals with slow-updating ability, however, only rely on one dominant source of information types (word order), and conducted slow and course-grained processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Qing Li
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 People's Republic of China ; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hai-Yan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 People's Republic of China ; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Yan Xia
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 People's Republic of China ; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Modulation of working memory updating: Does long-term memory lexical association matter? Cogn Process 2015; 17:49-57. [DOI: 10.1007/s10339-015-0735-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Abstract
Visual attention enables observers to select behaviorally relevant information based on spatial locations, features, or objects. Attentional selection is not limited to physically present visual information, but can also operate on internal representations maintained in working memory (WM) in service of higher-order cognition. However, only little is known about whether attention to WM contents follows the same principles as attention to sensory stimuli. To address this question, we investigated in humans whether the typically observed effects of object-based attention in perception are also evident for object-based attentional selection of internal object representations in WM. In full accordance with effects in visual perception, the key behavioral and neuronal characteristics of object-based attention were observed in WM. Specifically, we found that reaction times were shorter when shifting attention to memory positions located on the currently attended object compared with equidistant positions on a different object. Furthermore, functional magnetic resonance imaging and multivariate pattern analysis of visuotopic activity in visual (areas V1-V4) and parietal cortex revealed that directing attention to one position of an object held in WM also enhanced brain activation for other positions on the same object, suggesting that attentional selection in WM activates the entire object. This study demonstrated that all characteristic features of object-based attention are present in WM and thus follows the same principles as in perception.
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Ueltzhöffer K, Armbruster-Genç DJN, Fiebach CJ. Stochastic Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Stability and Flexibility. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004331. [PMID: 26068119 PMCID: PMC4466596 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive stability and flexibility are core functions in the successful pursuit of behavioral goals. While there is evidence for a common frontoparietal network underlying both functions and for a key role of dopamine in the modulation of flexible versus stable behavior, the exact neurocomputational mechanisms underlying those executive functions and their adaptation to environmental demands are still unclear. In this work we study the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying cue based task switching (flexibility) and distractor inhibition (stability) in a paradigm specifically designed to probe both functions. We develop a physiologically plausible, explicit model of neural networks that maintain the currently active task rule in working memory and implement the decision process. We simplify the four-choice decision network to a nonlinear drift-diffusion process that we canonically derive from a generic winner-take-all network model. By fitting our model to the behavioral data of individual subjects, we can reproduce their full behavior in terms of decisions and reaction time distributions in baseline as well as distractor inhibition and switch conditions. Furthermore, we predict the individual hemodynamic response timecourse of the rule-representing network and localize it to a frontoparietal network including the inferior frontal junction area and the intraparietal sulcus, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This refines the understanding of task-switch-related frontoparietal brain activity as reflecting attractor-like working memory representations of task rules. Finally, we estimate the subject-specific stability of the rule-representing attractor states in terms of the minimal action associated with a transition between different rule states in the phase-space of the fitted models. This stability measure correlates with switching-specific thalamocorticostriatal activation, i.e., with a system associated with flexible working memory updating and dopaminergic modulation of cognitive flexibility. These results show that stochastic dynamical systems can implement the basic computations underlying cognitive stability and flexibility and explain neurobiological bases of individual differences. In this work we develop a neurophysiologically inspired dynamical model that is capable of solving a complex behavioral task testing cognitive stability and flexibility. We can individually fit the behavior of each of 20 human subjects that conducted this stability-flexibility task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The physiological nature of our model allows us to estimate the energy consumption of the rule-representing module, which we use to predict the hemodynamic fMRI response. Through this model-based prediction, we localize the rule module to a frontoparietal network known to be required for cognitive stability and flexibility. In this way we both validate our model, which is based on noisy attractor dynamics, and specify the computational role of a cortical network that is well-established in human neuroimaging research. Additionally, we quantify the individual stability of the rule-representing states and relate this stability to individual differences in energy consumption during task switching versus distractor inhibition. Hereby we show that the activation of a thalamocorticostriatal network involved in the dopaminergic modulation of cognitive stability is modulated by the model-derived stability of the frontoparietal rule-representing network. Altogether, we show that noisy dynamic systems are likely to implement the basic computations underlying cognitive stability and flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Ueltzhöffer
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Diana J. N. Armbruster-Genç
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christian J. Fiebach
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg, Germany
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- IDeA Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Abstract
Working memory denotes the ability to retain stimuli in mind that are no longer physically present and to perform mental operations on them. Electro- and magnetoencephalography allow investigating the short-term maintenance of acoustic stimuli at a high temporal resolution. Studies investigating working memory for non-spatial and spatial auditory information have suggested differential roles of regions along the putative auditory ventral and dorsal streams, respectively, in the processing of the different sound properties. Analyses of event-related potentials have shown sustained, memory load-dependent deflections over the retention periods. The topography of these waves suggested an involvement of modality-specific sensory storage regions. Spectral analysis has yielded information about the temporal dynamics of auditory working memory processing of individual stimuli, showing activation peaks during the delay phase whose timing was related to task performance. Coherence at different frequencies was enhanced between frontal and sensory cortex. In summary, auditory working memory seems to rely on the dynamic interplay between frontal executive systems and sensory representation regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Kaiser
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University , Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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36
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Abstract
Stone tools provide some of the most abundant, continuous, and high resolution evidence of behavioral change over human evolution, but their implications for cognitive evolution have remained unclear. We investigated the neurophysiological demands of stone toolmaking by training modern subjects in known Paleolithic methods (“Oldowan”, “Acheulean”) and collecting structural and functional brain imaging data as they made technical judgments (outcome prediction, strategic appropriateness) about planned actions on partially completed tools. Results show that this task affected neural activity and functional connectivity in dorsal prefrontal cortex, that effect magnitude correlated with the frequency of correct strategic judgments, and that the frequency of correct strategic judgments was predictive of success in Acheulean, but not Oldowan, toolmaking. This corroborates hypothesized cognitive control demands of Acheulean toolmaking, specifically including information monitoring and manipulation functions attributed to the "central executive" of working memory. More broadly, it develops empirical methods for assessing the differential cognitive demands of Paleolithic technologies, and expands the scope of evolutionary hypotheses that can be tested using the available archaeological record.
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37
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Sex differences on prefrontally-dependent cognitive tasks. Brain Cogn 2015; 93:42-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2014.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Revised: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Dobryakova E, Boukrina O, Wylie GR. Investigation of Information Flow During a Novel Working Memory Task in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury. Brain Connect 2015; 5:433-41. [PMID: 25490432 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2014.0283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is often compromised after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A number of functional and effective connectivity studies investigated the interaction between brain regions during WM task performance. However, previously used WM tasks did not allow differentiation of WM subprocesses such as capacity and manipulation. We used a novel WM paradigm, CapMan, to investigate effective connectivity associated with the capacity and manipulation subprocesses of WM in individuals with TBI relative to healthy controls (HCs). CapMan allows independent investigation of brain regions associated with capacity and manipulation, while minimizing the influence of other WM-related subprocesses. Areas of the fronto-parietal WM network, previously identified in healthy individuals as engaged in capacity and manipulation during CapMan, were analyzed with the Independent Multiple-sample Greedy Equivalence Search (IMaGES) method to investigate the differences in information flow between healthy individuals and individuals with TBI. We predicted that diffuse axonal injury that often occurs after TBI might lead to changes in task-based effective connectivity and result in hyperconnectivity between the regions engaged in task performance. In accordance with this hypothesis, TBI participants showed greater inter-hemispheric connectivity and less coherent information flow from posterior to anterior brain regions compared with HC participants. Thus, this study provides much needed evidence about the potential mechanism of neurocognitive impairments in individuals affected by TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Dobryakova
- 1 Kessler Foundation , West Orange, New Jersey.,2 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School , Newark, New Jersey
| | - Olga Boukrina
- 3 Department of Psychology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School , Newark, New Jersey
| | - Glenn R Wylie
- 1 Kessler Foundation , West Orange, New Jersey.,2 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School , Newark, New Jersey.,4 Department of Veteran's Affairs, War Related Illness & Injury Study Center , East Orange, New Jersey
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39
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Stewart SB, Koller JM, Campbell MC, Black KJ. Arterial spin labeling versus BOLD in direct challenge and drug-task interaction pharmacological fMRI. PeerJ 2014; 2:e687. [PMID: 25538867 PMCID: PMC4266850 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A carefully controlled study allowed us to compare the sensitivity of ASL (arterial spin labeling) and BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) fMRI for detecting the effects of the adenosine A2a antagonist tozadenant in Parkinson disease. The study compared the effect of drug directly or the interaction of the drug with a cognitive task. Only ASL detected the direct effect of tozadenant. BOLD was more sensitive to the cognitive task, which (unlike most drugs) allows on–off comparisons over short periods of time. Neither ASL nor BOLD could detect a cognitive-pharmacological interaction. These results are consistent with the known relative advantages of each fMRI method, and suggest that for drug development, directly imaging pharmacodynamic effects with ASL may have advantages over cognitive-pharmacological interaction BOLD, which has hitherto been the more common approach to pharmacological fMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie B Stewart
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA ; Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA
| | - Jonathan M Koller
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA
| | - Meghan C Campbell
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA ; Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA
| | - Kevin J Black
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA ; Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA ; Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA ; Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA ; Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA
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Kaller CP, Loosli SV, Rahm B, Gössel A, Schieting S, Hornig T, Hennig J, Tebartz van Elst L, Weiller C, Katzev M. Working memory in schizophrenia: behavioral and neural evidence for reduced susceptibility to item-specific proactive interference. Biol Psychiatry 2014; 76:486-94. [PMID: 24768119 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2013] [Revised: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Susceptibility to item-specific proactive interference (PI) contributes to interindividual differences in working memory (WM) capacity and complex cognition relying on WM. Although WM deficits are a well-recognized impairment in schizophrenia, the underlying pathophysiological effects on specific WM control functions, such as the ability to resist item-specific PI, remain unknown. Moreover, opposing hypotheses on increased versus reduced PI susceptibility in schizophrenia are both justifiable by the extant literature. METHODS To provide first insights into the behavioral and neural correlates of PI-related WM control in schizophrenia, a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment was conducted in a sample of 20 patients and 20 well-matched control subjects. Demands on item-specific PI were experimentally manipulated in a recent-probes task (three runs, 64 trials each) requiring subjects to encode and maintain a set of four target items per trial. RESULTS Compared with healthy control subjects, schizophrenia patients showed a significantly reduced PI susceptibility in both accuracy and latency measures. Notably, reduced PI susceptibility in schizophrenia was not associated with overall WM impairments and thus constituted an independent phenomenon. In addition, PI-related activations in inferior frontal gyrus and anterior insula, typically assumed to support PI resistance, were reduced in schizophrenia, thus ruling out increased neural efforts as a potential cause of the patients' reduced PI susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS The present study provides first evidence for a diminished vulnerability of schizophrenia patients to item-specific PI, which is presumably a consequence of the patients' more efficient clearing of previously relevant WM traces and the accordingly reduced likelihood for item-specific PI to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph P Kaller
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg; BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Sandra V Loosli
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg; Biological and Personality Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg
| | - Benjamin Rahm
- Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz
| | - Astrid Gössel
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg
| | | | - Tobias Hornig
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg; Department of Psychiatry , University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg
| | - Jürgen Hennig
- Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg; Medical Physics, Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg; BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg; Department of Psychiatry , University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg
| | - Cornelius Weiller
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg; BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Katzev
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg
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Kolinsky R, Monteiro-Plantin RS, Mengarda EJ, Grimm-Cabral L, Scliar-Cabral L, Morais J. How formal education and literacy impact on the content and structure of semantic categories. Trends Neurosci Educ 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2014.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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43
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Kearney-Ramos TE, Fausett JS, Gess JL, Reno A, Peraza J, Kilts CD, James GA. Merging clinical neuropsychology and functional neuroimaging to evaluate the construct validity and neural network engagement of the n-back task. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2014; 20:736-50. [PMID: 24963641 PMCID: PMC4290162 DOI: 10.1017/s135561771400054x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The n-back task is a widely used neuroimaging paradigm for studying the neural basis of working memory (WM); however, its neuropsychometric properties have received little empirical investigation. The present study merged clinical neuropsychology and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the construct validity of the letter variant of the n-back task (LNB) and to further identify the task-evoked networks involved in WM. Construct validity of the LNB task was investigated using a bootstrapping approach to correlate LNB task performance across clinically validated neuropsychological measures of WM to establish convergent validity, as well as measures of related but distinct cognitive constructs (i.e., attention and short-term memory) to establish discriminant validity. Independent component analysis (ICA) identified brain networks active during the LNB task in 34 healthy control participants, and general linear modeling determined task-relatedness of these networks. Bootstrap correlation analyses revealed moderate to high correlations among measures expected to converge with LNB (|ρ|≥ 0.37) and weak correlations among measures expected to discriminate (|ρ|≤ 0.29), controlling for age and education. ICA identified 35 independent networks, 17 of which demonstrated engagement significantly related to task condition, controlling for reaction time variability. Of these, the bilateral frontoparietal networks, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, bilateral superior parietal lobules including precuneus, and frontoinsular network were preferentially recruited by the 2-back condition compared to 0-back control condition, indicating WM involvement. These results support the use of the LNB as a measure of WM and confirm its use in probing the network-level neural correlates of WM processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tonisha E. Kearney-Ramos
- Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Jennifer S. Fausett
- Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Jennifer L. Gess
- Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Ashley Reno
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | | | - Clint D. Kilts
- Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - G. Andrew James
- Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
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44
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Lepach AC, Pauls F, Petermann F. Executive functioning and visual working memory. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2014; 22:100-7. [PMID: 25072205 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2013.860603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The matter of modality is controversially discussed in the context of working memory (WM). There is evidence that modality-specific processes are accompanied by amodal processes to some extent. We investigated the relationship between executive-functioning tasks and visual WM (VWM) and were especially interested in the issue of amodal processes. Our correlational analyses suggest modality-independent relations of the tasks. We also aimed to quantify to what extent executive functioning is meaningful for VWM performances. We therefore estimated the relationship between executive tasks and VWM performances in a healthy (n = 710) and a clinical traumatic brain injury sample (n = 151) as well as in the combined total sample. The results indicate a substantial relevance of the verbal task for VWM performances in the total and the clinical sample but a low relevance in the healthy sample. These results could support assumptions of resource-depending differences in the relations of executive functioning and VWM but need further validation due to limitations of our study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja C Lepach
- a Center for Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation , University Bremen , Bremen , Germany
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45
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46
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Mayer JS, Kim J, Park S. Failure to benefit from target novelty during encoding contributes to working memory deficits in schizophrenia. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2014; 19:268-79. [PMID: 24215367 PMCID: PMC3945723 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2013.854199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although working memory (WM) impairments are well documented in schizophrenic patients (PSZ), the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of target salience during encoding to determine whether impaired visual attention in PSZ leads to poor WM. METHODS Thirty-one PSZ and 28 demographically matched healthy controls (HC) performed a spatial delayed-response task. Attentional demands were manipulated during WM encoding by presenting high salient (novel) or low salient (familiar) targets. Participants also rated their level of response confidence at the end of each trial, allowing us to analyse different response types. RESULTS WM was impaired in PSZ. Increasing target salience by increasing novelty improved WM performance in HC but not in PSZ. Poor WM performance in PSZ was largely due to an increase in the proportion of incorrect but high confident responses most likely reflecting a failure to encode the correct target. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that dysfunctions of non-mnemonic attentional processes during encoding contribute to WM impairments in schizophrenia and may represent an important target for cognitive remediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutta S. Mayer
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA,Department of Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jejoong Kim
- Department of Psychology, Duksung Women's University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sohee Park
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
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47
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Kaiser J, Bledowski C, Dietrich J. Neural correlates of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment. Cortex 2014; 54:33-50. [PMID: 24632463 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Revised: 01/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cancer survivors frequently experience cognitive deficits following chemotherapy. The most commonly affected functions include memory, attention and executive control. The present paper reviews animal research and clinical studies including event-related potential (ERP) and neuroimaging investigations of chemotherapy-related changes of brain structure and function. In rodents, chemotherapeutic substances have been shown to damage neural precursor cells and white matter tracts and are associated with impairments of learning and memory. Structural and functional changes associated with chemotherapy have also been observed in humans. Structural imaging has revealed gray and white matter volume reductions and altered white matter microstructure. Functional studies using either ERPs or hemodynamic imaging have shown that chemotherapy alters the activation patterns of cortical networks involved in higher cognitive functions. Collectively, these findings support the existence of the "chemobrain" phenomenon beyond the patients' subjective reports. However, the rather small number of studies and methodological limitations of some of the pioneering investigations call for further research of high methodological quality, including larger numbers of subjects with appropriate controls to delineate the temporal and spatial pattern of chemotherapy-associated central nervous system (CNS) toxicity. Brain activation studies in humans might systematically vary task difficulty levels to distinguish between compensatory hyper-activations on the one hand and deficient recruitment of resources on the other hand. Integrative functions could be tested by connectivity analyses using both electrophysiological and hemodynamic measures. The ultimate goal should be the development of cognitive-behavioral and pharmacological interventions to reduce the cognitive side effects of the medically indispensable but neurotoxic chemotherapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Kaiser
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Christoph Bledowski
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jörg Dietrich
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, MGH Cancer Center and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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48
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Cwik JC, Sartory G, Schürholt B, Knuppertz H, Seitz RJ. Posterior Midline Activation during Symptom Provocation in Acute Stress Disorder: An fMRI Study. Front Psychiatry 2014; 5:49. [PMID: 24847285 PMCID: PMC4021128 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional imaging studies of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder showed wide-spread activation of midline cortical areas during symptom provocation, i.e., exposure to trauma-related cues. The present study aimed at investigating neural activation during exposure to trauma-related pictures in patients with acute stress disorder (ASD) shortly after the traumatic event. Nineteen ASD patients and 19 healthy control participants were presented with individualized pictures of the traumatic event and emotionally neutral control pictures during the acquisition of whole-brain data with a 3-T fMRI scanner. Compared to the control group and to control pictures, ASD patients showed significant activation in midline cortical areas in response to trauma-related pictures including precuneus, cuneus, postcentral gyrus, and pre-supplementary motor area. The results suggest that the trauma-related pictures evoke emotionally salient self-referential processing in ASD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan C Cwik
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Wuppertal , Wuppertal , Germany ; Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bochum , Bochum , Germany
| | - Gudrun Sartory
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Wuppertal , Wuppertal , Germany
| | - Benjamin Schürholt
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Wuppertal , Wuppertal , Germany
| | - Helge Knuppertz
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Wuppertal , Wuppertal , Germany
| | - Rüdiger J Seitz
- Department of Neurology, University of Düsseldorf , Düsseldorf , Germany
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49
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Pujol N, Penadés R, Rametti G, Catalán R, Vidal-Piñeiro D, Palacios E, Bargallo N, Bernardo M, Junqué C. Inferior frontal and insular cortical thinning is related to dysfunctional brain activation/deactivation during working memory task in schizophrenic patients. Psychiatry Res 2013; 214:94-101. [PMID: 23993992 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 05/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Although working memory is known to be impaired in schizophrenia the anatomical and functional relationships underlying this deficit remain to be elucidated. A combined imaging approach involving functional and structural magnetic resonance techniques was used, applying independent component analysis and surface-based morphometry to 14 patients with schizophrenia and 14 healthy controls. Neurocognitive functioning was assessed by a neuropsychological test battery that measured executive function. It was hypothesized that working memory dysfunctional connectivity in schizophrenia is related to underlying anatomical abnormalities. Patients with schizophrenia showed cortical thinning in the left inferior frontal gyrus and insula, which explained 57% of blood oxygenation level-dependent signal magnitude in functional magnetic resonance imaging in the central executive network (lateral prefrontal and parietal cortex) over-activation and default mode network (anterior and posterior cingulate) deactivation. No structure-function relationship emerged in the healthy control group. The study provides evidence to suggest that dysfunctional activation/deactivation patterns in schizophrenia may be explained in terms of underlying gray matter deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Pujol
- Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, C/Casanova 143, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), C/ Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Institute of Neurosciences (ICN), Hospital Clinic, C/ Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
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50
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Neural correlates of cognitive remediation in patients with mood disorders. Psychiatry Res 2013; 214:142-52. [PMID: 23993991 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2012] [Revised: 06/02/2013] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the brain changes that mediate improvement following cognitive remediation. We used neuropsychological tests and functional magnetic resonance imaging to study working memory and recollection memory in patients with mood disorders, before (PRE) and after (POST) 10 weeks of cognitive remediation. Thirty-eight patients completed a recollection memory task at PRE (28 had complete PRE and POST scans) and 35 patients completed an n-back working memory task at PRE (23 had complete PRE and POST scans). We also compared patients at PRE with two groups of healthy controls subjects (n=18 for the recollection memory task and n=15 for the working memory task). At PRE, compared to controls, patients had (i) poorer backward digit span scores, (ii) lower accuracy scores and weaker frontopolar activation during the 2-back condition, and (iii) poorer recollection scores and altered medial temporal activation on the recollection memory task. Following remediation, patients (i) improved on the backward digit span, (ii) activation increased in lateral and medial prefrontal, superior temporal, and lateral parietal regions in the 2-back condition, and (iii) recollection-related activation increased in the bilateral hippocampus. Improvements in 2-back accuracy correlated with activation increases in lateral and medial prefrontal and lateral parietal regions, and improved recollection scores correlated with activation increases in the left hippocampus. PRE-POST improvements on the backward digit span correlated with PRE-POST improvements in 2-back task accuracy; however, there was no direct association between improvement on the backward digit span following training and change in functional activation. These findings suggest that cognitive remediation may lead to behavioural improvements on tests of working memory. The relation between behavioural change and changes in functional activation following remediation requires further study.
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