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Gicas KM, Benitah K, Thornton AE, Petersson AM, Jones PW, Stubbs JL, Jones AA, Panenka WJ, Lang DJ, Leonova O, Vila-Rodriguez F, Barr AM, Buchanan T, Su W, Vertinsky AT, Rauscher A, MacEwan GW, Honer WG. Using serial position effects to investigate memory dysfunction in homeless and precariously housed persons. Clin Neuropsychol 2023; 37:1710-1727. [PMID: 36790121 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2023.2178513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Background: Homeless and precariously housed persons exhibit significant memory impairment, but the component processes underlying memory dysfunction have not been explored. We examined the serial position profile (i.e., primacy and recency effects) of verbal memory and its neuroanatomical correlates to identify the nature of memory difficulties in a large cohort of homeless and precariously housed adults. Method: The sample included 227 community-dwelling homeless and precariously housed adults. Serial position scores (primacy, middle, recency) were computed using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare percent recall from each word list region. Age-adjusted correlations assessed associations between serial position scores and other cognitive domains (attention, processing speed, executive functioning). Regression analyses were conducted to examine regional brain volumes of interest (hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]) and their differential associations with serial position scores. Results: The serial position profile was characterized by a diminished recency effect in relation to the primacy effect. Serial position scores positively correlated with sustained attention and cognitive control. Larger hippocampal volume was associated with better primacy item recall. DLPFC volume was not associated with serial position recall after adjustment for false discovery rate. There were no associations between regional brain volumes and recency item recall. Conclusion: Our results suggest that commonly reported memory difficulties in homeless and precariously housed adults are likely secondary to a core deficit in executive control due to compromised frontal lobe functioning. These findings have implications for cognitive rehabilitation in this complex and vulnerable group.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katie Benitah
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Allen E Thornton
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Anna M Petersson
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Paul W Jones
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Jacob L Stubbs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Andrea A Jones
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - William J Panenka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Donna J Lang
- Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Olga Leonova
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Alasdair M Barr
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Tari Buchanan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Wayne Su
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Alexander Rauscher
- Department of Paediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - G William MacEwan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - William G Honer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- British Columbia Mental Health and Substance Use Services Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
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Mercer T, Jarvis RJ, Lawton R, Walters F. Tracking Proactive Interference in Visual Memory. Front Psychol 2022; 13:896866. [PMID: 35664155 PMCID: PMC9158505 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.896866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current contents of visual working memory can be disrupted by previously formed memories. This phenomenon is known as proactive interference, and it can be used to index the availability of old memories. However, there is uncertainty about the robustness and lifetime of proactive interference, which raises important questions about the role of temporal factors in forgetting. The present study assessed different factors that were expected to influence the persistence of proactive interference over an inter-trial interval in the visual recent probes task. In three experiments, participants encoded arrays of targets and then determined whether a single probe matched one of those targets. On some trials, the probe matched an item from the previous trial (a “recent negative”), whereas on other trials the probe matched a more distant item (a “non-recent negative”). Prior studies have found that recent negative probes can increase errors and slow response times in comparison to non-recent negative probes, and this offered a behavioral measure of proactive interference. In Experiment 1, factors of array size (the number of targets to be encoded) and inter-trial interval (300 ms vs. 8 s) were manipulated in the recent probes task. There was a reduction in proactive interference when a longer delay separated trials on one measure, but only when participants encoded two targets. When working memory capacity was strained by increasing the array size to four targets, proactive interference became stronger after the long delay. In Experiment 2, the inter-trial interval length was again manipulated, along with stimulus novelty (the number of stimuli used in the experiment). Proactive interference was modestly stronger when a smaller number of stimuli were used throughout the experiment, but proactive interference was minimally affected by the inter-trial interval. These findings are problematic for temporal models of forgetting, but Experiment 3 showed that proactive interference also resisted disruption produced by a secondary task presented within the inter-trial interval. Proactive interference was constantly present and generally resilient to the different manipulations. The combined data suggest a relatively durable, passive representation that can disrupt current working memory under a variety of different circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Mercer
- Centre for Psychological Research, School of Psychology, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
| | - Ruby-Jane Jarvis
- Centre for Psychological Research, School of Psychology, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
| | - Rebekah Lawton
- Centre for Psychological Research, School of Psychology, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
| | - Frankie Walters
- Centre for Psychological Research, School of Psychology, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
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