The inhibitory effect of long-term associative representation on working memory

The effect of part-list cuing on associative recognition

The modulation of part-list cuing on item memory has been well-documented, whereas its impact on associative memory remains largely unknown. The present study explored the effect of part-list cuing on associative recognition and, more specifically, whether this forgetting effect caused by part-list cuing is more sensitive to recollection or familiarity in recognition memory. Experiments 1a and 1b combined the intact/rearranged/new judgement task of associative recognition with the classical part-list cuing paradigm, and the result showed that part-list cuing impaired the recognition accuracy of "intact" and "rearranged" face-scene pairs. Moreover, the discriminability score of relational recognition and item recognition was significantly decreased in the part-list cuing condition compared to the no-part-list cuing condition. Experiments 2a and 2b further used the Remember/Know/Guess task to explore which recognition processes (recollection vs. familiarity) were sensitive to the presentation of part-list cuing. The results showed that part-list cuing reduced the familiarity of relational recognition and the recollection and familiarity of item recognition. These findings suggest that part-list cuing was harmful to the recognition of relationships (familiarity) and items (recollection and familiarity) in associative memory.

Determining the Individual Theta Frequency for Associative Memory Targeted Personalized Transcranial Brain Stimulation

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methods have gained increased interest in research and therapy of associative memory (AM) and its impairments. However, the one-size-fits-all approach yields inconsistent findings, thus putting forward the need for electroencephalography (EEG)-guided personalized frequency-modulated NIBS protocols to increase the focality and the effectiveness of the interventions. Still, extraction of individual frequency, especially in the theta band, turned out to be a challenging task. Here we present an approach to extracting the individual theta-band frequency (ITF) from EEG signals recorded during the AM task. The method showed a 93% success rate, good reliability, and the full range of variability of the extracted ITFs. This paper provides a rationale behind the adopted approach and critically evaluates it in comparison to the alternative methods that have been reported in the literature. Finally, we discuss how it could be used as an input parameter for personalized frequency-modulated NIBS approaches—transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcranial oscillatory current stimulation (otDCS) directed at AM neuromodulation.