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Cho I, Leger KR, Valoumas I, Mair RW, Goh JOS, Gutchess A. Effects of Age on Cross-Cultural Differences in the Neural Correlates of Memory Retrieval. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.25.591227. [PMID: 38712235 PMCID: PMC11071622 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.25.591227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Culture can shape memory, but little research investigates age effects. The present study examines the neural correlates of memory retrieval for old, new, and similar lures in younger and older Americans and Taiwanese. Results show that age and culture impact discrimination of old from new items. Taiwanese performed worse than Americans, with age effects more pronounced for Taiwanese. Americans activated the hippocampus for new more than old items, but pattern of activity for the conditions did not differ for Taiwanese, nor did it interact with age. The engagement of left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) differed across cultures. Patterns of greater activity for old (for Americans) or new (for Taiwanese) items were eliminated with age, particularly for older Americans. The results are interpreted as reflecting cultural differences in orientation to novelty vs. familiarity for younger, but not older, adults, with the LIFG supporting interference resolution at retrieval. Support is not as strong for cultural differences in pattern separation processes. Although Americans had higher levels of memory discrimination than Taiwanese and engaged the LIFG for correct rejections more than false alarms, the patterns of behavior and neural activity did not interact with culture and age. Neither culture nor age impacted hippocampal activity, which is surprising given the region's role in pattern separation. The findings suggest ways in which cultural life experiences and concomitant information processing strategies can contribute to consistent effects of age across cultures or contribute to different trajectories with age in terms of memory.
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Barber N, Valoumas I, Leger KR, Chang YL, Huang CM, Goh JOS, Gutchess A. Culture, prefrontal volume, and memory. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298235. [PMID: 38551909 PMCID: PMC10980194 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Prior cross-cultural studies have demonstrated differences among Eastern and Western cultures in memory and cognition along with variation in neuroanatomy and functional engagement. We further probed cultural neuroanatomical variability in terms of its relationship with memory performance. Specifically, we investigated how memory performance related to gray matter volume in several prefrontal lobe structures, including across cultures. For 58 American and 57 Taiwanese young adults, memory performance was measured with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) using performance on learning trial 1, on which Americans had higher scores than the Taiwanese, and the long delayed free recall task, on which groups performed similarly. MRI data were reconstructed using FreeSurfer. Across both cultures, we observed that larger volumes of the bilateral rostral anterior cingulate were associated with lower scores on both CVLT tasks. In terms of effects of culture, the relationship between learning trial 1 scores and gray matter volumes in the right superior frontal gyrus had a trend for a positive relationship in Taiwanese but not in Americans. In addition to the a priori analysis of select frontal volumes, an exploratory whole-brain analysis compared volumes-without considering CVLT performance-across the two cultural groups in order to assess convergence with prior research. Several cultural differences were found, such that Americans had larger volumes in the bilateral superior frontal and lateral occipital cortex, whereas Taiwanese had larger volumes in the bilateral rostral middle frontal and inferior temporal cortex, and the right precuneus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolette Barber
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States of America
| | - Ioannis Valoumas
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States of America
| | - Krystal R. Leger
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States of America
| | - Yu-Ling Chang
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Center for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Robotics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States of America
| | - Chih-Mao Huang
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Institute of Brain Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Joshua Oon Soo Goh
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Center for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Robotics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Angela Gutchess
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States of America
- Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States of America
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Khalaila R, Dasgupta J, Sturm V. The neuroscience of respect: insights from cross-cultural perspectives. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1259474. [PMID: 38179496 PMCID: PMC10766356 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1259474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Cultural values such as respect influence cognition, emotion, and behavior by modulating brain functioning. This mini-review discusses the cultural differences of respect as an essential human value, and the neural underpinnings accompanying them. Although neuroscientific studies are limited, we outline potential brain structures and networks that contribute to respect and use clinical examples to illustrate how behavior changes when these neural systems fail. A better understanding of the neuroanatomical basis of respect and its neural manifestations across cultures will help to advance current conceptualizations of the biology of human values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabia Khalaila
- Memory and Aging Center, Global Brain Health Institute, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Nursing Department, Zefat Academic College, Zefat, Israel
| | - Jayashree Dasgupta
- Memory and Aging Center, Global Brain Health Institute, San Francisco, CA, United States
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Samvedna Care, Gurugram, India
| | - Virginia Sturm
- Memory and Aging Center, Global Brain Health Institute, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation Endowed, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Xu J, Wainio-Theberge S, Wolff A, Qin P, Zhang Y, She X, Wang Y, Wolman A, Smith D, Ignaszewski J, Choueiry J, Knott V, Scalabrini A, Northoff G. Culture shapes spontaneous brain dynamics - Shared versus idiosyncratic neural features among Chinese versus Canadian subjects. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:312-330. [PMID: 37909114 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2278199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Environmental factors, such as culture, are known to shape individual variation in brain activity including spontaneous activity, but less is known about their population-level effects. Eastern and Western cultures differ strongly in their cultural norms about relationships between individuals. For example, the collectivism, interdependence and tightness of Eastern cultures relative to the individualism, independence and looseness of Western cultures, promote interpersonal connectedness and coordination. Do such cultural contexts therefore influence the group-level variability of their cultural members' spontaneous brain activity? Using novel methods adapted from studies of inter-subject neural synchrony, we compare the group-level variability of resting state EEG dynamics in Chinese and Canadian samples. We observe that Chinese subjects show significantly higher inter-subject correlation and lower inter-subject distance in their EEG power spectra than Canadian subjects, as well as lower variability in theta power and alpha peak frequency. We demonstrate, for the first time, different relationships among subjects' resting state brain dynamics in Chinese and Canadian samples. These results point to more idiosyncratic neural dynamics among Canadian participants, compared with more shared neural features in Chinese participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Xu
- Department of Philosophy, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Soren Wainio-Theberge
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Annemarie Wolff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pengmin Qin
- Centre for Studies of Psychological Applications, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yihui Zhang
- Centre for Studies of Psychological Applications, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xuan She
- Centre for Studies of Psychological Applications, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yingying Wang
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, College of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Angelika Wolman
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Smith
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julia Ignaszewski
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joelle Choueiry
- Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Verner Knott
- Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea Scalabrini
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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