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Esfahan SM, Nili MHHK, Hatami J, Sanayei M, Rezayat E. Aging decreases the precision of visual working memory. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2024; 31:762-776. [PMID: 37767882 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2023.2262105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES As individuals age, cognitive abilities such as working memory (WM), decline. In the current study, we investigated the effect of age on WM, and elucidated sources of errors. METHOD A total of 102 healthy individuals, aged 18 to 71, participated in this research. We designed and administered a face-based visual WM task, collecting responses via a graded scale in a delayed match-to-sample reproduction task. RESULTS The error of participants increased significantly as they aged. Our analysis revealed a significant age-related rise in the standard deviation of error distribution. However, there was no significant change in uniform probability with age. CONCLUSION We found that WM performance declines through the lifespan. Investigating the sources of error, we found that the precision of WM decreased monotonously with age. The results also indicated that the probability of guessing the response as a measure of random response is not affected by age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahrzad M Esfahan
- Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran
- Department of Psychology, Psychology and Educational Science Faculty, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Hossein H K Nili
- School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Hatami
- Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran
- Department of Psychology, Psychology and Educational Science Faculty, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Sanayei
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Rezayat
- Department of Psychology, Psychology and Educational Science Faculty, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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Manrique HM, Read DW, Walker MJ. On some statistical and cerebral aspects of the limits of working memory capacity in anthropoid primates, with particular reference to Pan and Homo, and their significance for human evolution. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105543. [PMID: 38220036 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Some comparative ontogenetic data imply that effective working-memory capacity develops in ways that are independent of brain size in humans. These are interpreted better from neuroscientific considerations about the continuing development of neuronal architecture in adolescents and young adults, than from one about gross brain mass which already is reached in childhood. By contrast, working-memory capacity in Pan never develops beyond that of three- or four-year-old children. The phylogenetic divergence begs the question of whether it is any longer plausible to infer from the fossil record, that over the past two million years, an ostensibly gradual increase in endocranial volumes, assigned to the genus Homo, can be correlated in a scientifically-meaningful manner with the gradual evolution of our effective executive working memory. It is argued that whereas Pan's effective working-memory capacity is relatively similar to that of its storage working-memory, our working memory is relatively larger with deeper executive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héctor M Manrique
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Universidad de Zaragoza, Campus Universitario de Teruel, Ciudad Escolar, s/n. 44003 Teruel, Spain.
| | - Dwight W Read
- Department of Anthropology and Department of Statistics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Michael J Walker
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
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Hassanzadeh Z, Bahrami F, Dortaj F. Exploring the dynamic interplay between learning and working memory within various cognitive contexts. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1304378. [PMID: 38420348 PMCID: PMC10899440 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1304378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The intertwined relationship between reinforcement learning and working memory in the brain is a complex subject, widely studied across various domains in neuroscience. Research efforts have focused on identifying the specific brain areas responsible for these functions, understanding their contributions in accomplishing the related tasks, and exploring their adaptability under conditions such as cognitive impairment or aging. Methods Numerous models have been introduced to formulate either these two subsystems of reinforcement learning and working memory separately or their combination and relationship in executing cognitive tasks. This study adopts the RLWM model as a computational framework to analyze the behavioral parameters of subjects with varying cognitive abilities due to age or cognitive status. A related RLWM task is employed to assess a group of subjects across different age groups and cognitive abilities, as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment tool (MoCA). Results Analysis reveals a decline in overall performance accuracy and speed with differing age groups (young vs. middle-aged). Significant differences are observed in model parameters such as learning rate, WM decay, and decision noise. Furthermore, among the middle-aged group, distinctions emerge between subjects categorized as normal vs. MCI based on MoCA scores, notably in speed, performance accuracy, and decision noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakieh Hassanzadeh
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fariba Bahrami
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fariborz Dortaj
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
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Ribeiro M, Yordanova YN, Noblet V, Herbet G, Ricard D. White matter tracts and executive functions: a review of causal and correlation evidence. Brain 2024; 147:352-371. [PMID: 37703295 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Executive functions are high-level cognitive processes involving abilities such as working memory/updating, set-shifting and inhibition. These complex cognitive functions are enabled by interactions among widely distributed cognitive networks, supported by white matter tracts. Executive impairment is frequent in neurological conditions affecting white matter; however, whether specific tracts are crucial for normal executive functions is unclear. We review causal and correlation evidence from studies that used direct electrical stimulation during awake surgery for gliomas, voxel-based and tract-based lesion-symptom mapping, and diffusion tensor imaging to explore associations between the integrity of white matter tracts and executive functions in healthy and impaired adults. The corpus callosum was consistently associated with all executive processes, notably its anterior segments. Both causal and correlation evidence showed prominent support of the superior longitudinal fasciculus to executive functions, notably to working memory. More specifically, strong evidence suggested that the second branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus is crucial for all executive functions, especially for flexibility. Global results showed left lateralization for verbal tasks and right lateralization for executive tasks with visual demands. The frontal aslant tract potentially supports executive functions, however, additional evidence is needed to clarify whether its involvement in executive tasks goes beyond the control of language. Converging evidence indicates that a right-lateralized network of tracts connecting cortical and subcortical grey matter regions supports the performance of tasks assessing response inhibition, some suggesting a role for the right anterior thalamic radiation. Finally, correlation evidence suggests a role for the cingulum bundle in executive functions, especially in tasks assessing inhibition. We discuss these findings in light of current knowledge about the functional role of these tracts, descriptions of the brain networks supporting executive functions and clinical implications for individuals with brain tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Ribeiro
- Service de neuro-oncologie, Hôpital La Pitié-Salpêtrière, Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière-Charles Foix, Sorbonne Université, 75013 Paris, France
- Université Paris Saclay, ENS Paris Saclay, Service de Santé des Armées, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, INSERM, Centre Borelli UMR 9010, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Yordanka Nikolova Yordanova
- Service de neurochirurgie, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Percy, Service de Santé des Armées, 92140 Clamart, France
| | - Vincent Noblet
- ICube, IMAGeS team, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7357, 67412 Illkirch, France
| | - Guillaume Herbet
- Praxiling, UMR 5267, CNRS, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Département de Neurochirurgie, Hôpital Gui de Chauliac, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France
| | - Damien Ricard
- Université Paris Saclay, ENS Paris Saclay, Service de Santé des Armées, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, INSERM, Centre Borelli UMR 9010, 75006 Paris, France
- Département de neurologie, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Percy, Service de Santé des Armées, 92140 Clamart, France
- Ecole du Val-de-Grâce, 75005 Paris, France
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Li X, Salami A, Persson J. Hub architecture of the human structural connectome: Links to aging and processing speed. Neuroimage 2023; 278:120270. [PMID: 37423273 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The human structural brain network, or connectome, has a rich-club organization with a small number of brain regions showing high network connectivity, called hubs. Hubs are centrally located in the network, energy costly, and critical for human cognition. Aging has been associated with changes in brain structure, function, and cognitive decline, such as processing speed. At a molecular level, the aging process is a progressive accumulation of oxidative damage, which leads to subsequent energy depletion in the neuron and causes cell death. However, it is still unclear how age affects hub connections in the human connectome. The current study aims to address this research gap by constructing structural connectome using fiber bundle capacity (FBC). FBC is derived from Constrained Spherical Deconvolution (CSD) modeling of white-matter fiber bundles, which represents the capacity of a fiber bundle to transfer information. Compared to the raw number of streamlines, FBC is less bias for quantifying connection strength within biological pathways. We found that hubs exhibit longer-distance connections and higher metabolic rates compared to peripheral brain regions, suggesting that hubs are biologically costly. Although the landscape of structural hubs was relatively age-invariant, there were wide-spread age effects on FBC in the connectome. Critically, these age effects were larger in connections within hub compared to peripheral brain connections. These findings were supported by both a cross-sectional sample with wide age-range (N = 137) and a longitudinal sample across 5 years (N = 83). Moreover, our results demonstrated that associations between FBC and processing speed were more concentrated in hub connections than chance level, and FBC in hub connections mediated the age-effects on processing speed. Overall, our findings indicate that structural connections of hubs, which demonstrate greater energy demands, are particular vulnerable to aging. The vulnerability may contribute to age-related impairments in processing speed among older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden.
| | - Alireza Salami
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden; Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden; Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden; Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - Jonas Persson
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden; Center for Lifespan Developmental Research (LEADER), School of Behavioral, Social and Legal Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro 701 82, Sweden
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Ye Z, Mo C, Liu S, Gao S, Feng L, Zhao B, Canida T, Wu YC, Hatch KS, Ma Y, Mitchell BD, Hong L, Kochunov P, Chen C, Zhao B, Chen S, Ma T. Deciphering the causal relationship between blood pressure and regional white matter integrity: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:1471-1483. [PMID: 37330925 PMCID: PMC10444533 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Elevated arterial blood pressure (BP) is a common risk factor for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, but no causal relationship has been established between BP and cerebral white matter (WM) integrity. In this study, we performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with individual-level data by defining two nonoverlapping sets of European ancestry individuals (genetics-exposure set: N = 203,111; mean age = 56.71 years, genetics-outcome set: N = 16,156; mean age = 54.61 years) from UK Biobank to evaluate the causal effects of BP on regional WM integrity, measured by fractional anisotropy of diffusion tensor imaging. Two BP traits: systolic and diastolic blood pressure were used as exposures. Genetic variant was carefully selected as instrumental variable (IV) under the MR analysis assumptions. We existing large-scale genome-wide association study summary data for validation. The main method used was a generalized version of inverse-variance weight method while other MR methods were also applied for consistent findings. Two additional MR analyses were performed to exclude the possibility of reverse causality. We found significantly negative causal effects (FDR-adjusted p < .05; every 10 mmHg increase in BP leads to a decrease in FA value by .4% ~ 2%) of BP traits on a union set of 17 WM tracts, including brain regions related to cognitive function and memory. Our study extended the previous findings of association to causation for regional WM integrity, providing insights into the pathological processes of elevated BP that might chronically alter the brain microstructure in different regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyao Ye
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Chen Mo
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Song Liu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Si Gao
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Li Feng
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Boao Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Travis Canida
- Department of Mathematics, The college of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yu-Chia Wu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kathryn S Hatch
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yizhou Ma
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Braxton D. Mitchell
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - L.Elliot Hong
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Peter Kochunov
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Chixiang Chen
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Bingxin Zhao
- Department of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Shuo Chen
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tianzhou Ma
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
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Jaeggi SM, Weaver AN, Carbone E, Trane FE, Smith-Peirce RN, Buschkuehl M, Flueckiger C, Carlson M, Jonides J, Borella E. EngAge - A metacognitive intervention to supplement working memory training: A feasibility study in older adults. AGING BRAIN 2023; 4:100083. [PMID: 38098966 PMCID: PMC10719574 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbas.2023.100083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Working Memory (WM) training has shown promise in supporting cognitive functioning in older adult populations, but effects that generalize beyond the trained task have been inconsistent. Targeting cognitive processes in isolation might be a limiting factor given that metacognitive and motivational factors have been shown to impact older adults' engagement with challenging cognitive activities, such as WM training. The current feasibility study implemented a novel metacognitive intervention in conjunction with WM training in older adults and examined its potential amplifying short- and long-term effects on cognitive and self-report outcomes as compared to WM or active control training alone. One-hundred and nineteen older adults completed a cognitive training over the course of 20 sessions at home. The cognitive training targeted either WM or general knowledge. In addition, one of the WM training groups completed a metacognitive program via group seminars. We tested for group differences in WM, inhibitory control, and episodic memory, and we assessed participants' perceived self-efficacy and everyday memory failures. At post-test, we replicated earlier work by demonstrating that participants who completed the WM intervention outperformed the active control group in non-trained WM measures, and to some extent, in inhibitory control. However, we found no evidence that the supplemental metacognitive program led to benefits over and above the WM intervention. Nonetheless, we conclude that our metacognitive program is a step in the right direction given the tentative long-term effects and participants' positive feedback, but more longitudinal data with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these early findings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elena Carbone
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Erika Borella
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
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Panikratova Y, Vlasova R, Lebedeva I, Sinitsyn V, Pechenkova E. Scope and Perspectives of Neuroimaging and Neurostimulation to Develop the Theory of Systemic and Dynamic Localization of Higher Mental Functions. CULTURAL-HISTORICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.17759/chp.2022180310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The theory of systemic and dynamic localization of higher mental functions by Lev Vygotsky and Alexander Luria was based on the data obtained via an original method, syndrome analysis of deficits of higher mental functions in patients with local brain injury. When this theory was being constructed, technical methods for brain investigation were only in their early stages. Although in later years Luria and his disciples pointed out that such methods were prominent for further development of Soviet/Russian neuropsychology, they are still rarely used by the followers of these scientists. In this article, we focus on neuroimaging and neurostimulation methods that are both noninvasive and the most accessible in Russia: structural, diffusion-weighted, and functional magnetic resonance imaging, as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation. We discuss their scope and perspectives for addressing research questions in neuropsychology and describe possible designs for neuropsychological studies in patients with local brain injury and healthy individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - V.E. Sinitsyn
- Lomonosov Moscow State University Medical Research and Educational Center
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