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Lyu S, Zhong S, Luo Y, Yan S, Ran H, Duan M, Song K, Ye K, Miao H, Hu Y, Song Z, Lai S, Zhang Y, He J, Zhu Y, Jia Y. Effects of virtual reality-based cognitive training for adolescents with depressive episodes: A pilot randomized controlled study. Psychiatry Res 2024; 340:116144. [PMID: 39167866 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116144] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is a common symptom in depression, yet few intervention strategies target adolescents. This study investigated the effects of an attention and working memory cognitive training system based on virtual reality (VRCT) in adolescents with mild to moderate depressive episodes. Adolescents with depression were randomized into a VR training group (VRG, n = 47) or a waitlist control group (WT, n = 46). The VR training consisted of three 10-min tasks per session, conducted three sessions per week for 20 sessions over 7 weeks. Forty-four healthy adolescents participated as a comparison group for baseline cognitive assessment. Cognitive functions and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Das-Naglieri cognitive assessment system, driven by the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive (PASS) processing theory, and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 at pre- and post-intervention. Baseline results indicated significantly lower cognitive scores in patients compared to healthy adolescents. Post-intervention, the VRG demonstrated significant improvements in all four cognitive scales (effect sizes 0.56 to 0.76) and a significant reduction in depressive symptoms compared to the WT. These findings suggest that VRCT holds potential for improving cognitive impairments and alleviating depressive symptoms in adolescents with depression. Further large-scale and follow-up studies are necessary to confirm long-term benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihui Lyu
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Shuming Zhong
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Yange Luo
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Shuya Yan
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Hanglin Ran
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Manying Duan
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Kailin Song
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Kaiwei Ye
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Haofei Miao
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Yilei Hu
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Zijin Song
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Shunkai Lai
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Yiliang Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Jiali He
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Yunxia Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Yanbin Jia
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
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Liegel N, Schneider D, Wascher E, Klatt LI, Arnau S. The effect of performance contingent reward prospects flexibly adapts to more versus less specific task goals. Psychophysiology 2024:e14678. [PMID: 39210245 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14678] [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: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
In some situations, for example, when we expect to gain a reward in case of good performance, goal-driven top-down attention is particularly strong. Little is known about the task specificity of such increases of top-down attention due to environmental factors. To understand to what extent performance-contingent reward prospects can result in specific and unspecific changes in cognitive processing, we here investigate reward effects under different levels of task specification. Thirty-two participants performed a visual or an auditory discrimination task cued by two consecutive visual stimuli: First, a reward cue indicated if good performance was rewarded. Second, a task cue announced either which of the two tasks would follow (precise cue) or that both tasks would follow equally likely (imprecise cue). Reward and task cue preciseness both significantly improved performance. Moreover, the response time difference between precisely and imprecisely cued trials was significantly stronger in rewarded than in unrewarded trials. These effects were reflected in event-related potential (ERP) slow wave amplitudes: Reward and preciseness both significantly enhanced the contingent negative variation (CNV) prior to the task stimulus. In an early CNV time interval, both factors also showed an interaction. A negative slow wave prior to the task cue was also significantly enhanced for rewarded trials. This effect correlated with the reward difference in response times. These results indicate that reward prospects trigger task-specific changes in preparatory top-down attention which can flexibly adapt over time and across different task requirements. This highlights that a reward-induced increase of cognitive control can occur on different specificity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Liegel
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Daniel Schneider
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Edmund Wascher
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Laura-Isabelle Klatt
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Stefan Arnau
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
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Hagen AC, Tracy BL, Stephens JA. Altered neural recruitment despite dual task performance recovery in athletes with repeat concussion. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.08.19.24312271. [PMID: 39228732 PMCID: PMC11370505 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.19.24312271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Sports-related concussions (SRCs) pose significant challenges to college-aged athletes, eliciting both immediate symptoms and subacute cognitive and motor function impairment. While most symptoms and impairments resolve within weeks, athletes with repeat SRCs may experience heightened risk for prolonged recovery trajectories, future musculoskeletal injuries, and long-term neurocognitive deficits. This includes impaired dual task performance and altered neurophysiology that could persist across the lifespan and elicit future pathophysiology and neurodegeneration. Thus, it is imperative to improve our understanding of neurophysiology after SRC. This study aimed to investigate the impact of repeat SRCs on dual task performance and associated neural recruitment using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). A total of 37 college-aged athletes (ages 18-24) participated in this cross-sectional observational study. Among these athletes, 20 had a history of two or more SRCs, while 17 had never sustained a SRC and served as controls. Participants completed the Neuroimaging-Compatible Dual Task Screen (NC-DTS) while fNIRS measured neural recruitment in the frontoparietal attention network and the primary motor and sensory cortices. Behavioral analysis revealed that athletes with repeat SRCs exhibited comparable single task and dual task performance to control athletes. Additionally, dual task effects (DTE), which capture performance declines in dual tasks versus single tasks, did not significantly differ between groups. Notably, the cohort of athletes with repeat SRC in this study had a longer time since their last SRC (mean = 1.75 years) than majority of previous SRC studies. Neuroimaging results indicated altered neural recruitment patterns in athletes with multiple repeat SRCs during both single and dual tasks. Specifically, athletes with repeat SRCs demonstrated increased prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation during single motor tasks compared to controls ( P < 0.001, d = 0.47). Conversely, during dual tasks, these same athletes exhibited reduced PFC activation ( P < 0.001, d = 0.29) and primary motor cortex (M1) activation ( P = 0.038, d = 0.16) compared to their single task activation. These findings emphasize the complex relationship between SRC history, dual task performance, and changes in neurophysiology. While athletes with repeat SRCs demonstrate recovery in behavioral dual task performance, persistent alterations in neural recruitment patterns suggest ongoing neurophysiological changes, possibly indicating compensatory neural strategies and inefficient neural resource allocation, even beyond symptom resolution and medical clearance. Understanding the compensatory neural recruitment strategies that support behavioral performance following repeat SRCs can inform return-to-play decisions, future musculoskeletal injury risk, and the long-term impact of SRCs on neurocognitive function.
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Zanjani MF, Ghoshuni M. Directional information flow analysis in memory retrieval: a comparison between exaggerated and normal pictures. Med Biol Eng Comput 2024:10.1007/s11517-024-03179-9. [PMID: 39141314 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-024-03179-9] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Working memory plays an important role in cognitive science and is a basic process for learning. While working memory is limited in regard to capacity and duration, different cognitive tasks are designed to overcome these difficulties. This study investigated information flow during a novel visual working memory task in which participants respond to exaggerated and normal pictures. Ten healthy men (mean age 28.5 ± 4.57 years) participated in two stages of the encoding and retrieval tasks. The electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are recorded. Moreover, the adaptive directed transfer function (ADTF) method is used as a computational tool to investigate the dynamic process of visual working memory retrieval on the extracted event-related potentials (ERPs) from the EEG signal. Network connectivity and P300 sub-components (P3a, P3b, and LPC) are also extracted during visual working memory retrieval. Then, the nonparametric Wilcoxon test and five classifiers are applied to network properties for features selection and classification between exaggerated-old and normal-old pictures. The Z-values of Ge is more distinctive rather than other network properties. In terms of the machine learning approach, the accuracy, F1-score, and specificity of the k-nearest neighbors (KNN), classifiers are 81%, 77%, and 81%, respectively. KNN classifier ranked first compared with other classifiers. Furthermore, the results of in-degree/out-degree matrices show that the information flows continuously in the right hemisphere during the retrieval of exaggerated pictures, from P3a to P3b. During the retrieval of visual working memory, the networks associated with attentional processes show greater activation for exaggerated pictures compared to normal pictures. This suggests that the exaggerated pictures may have captured more attention and thus required greater cognitive resources for retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mani Farajzadeh Zanjani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Majid Ghoshuni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.
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Yu L, Russ AN, Algamal M, Abedin MJ, Zhao Q, Miller MR, Perle SJ, Kastanenka KV. Slow wave activity disruptions and memory impairments in a mouse model of aging. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 140:12-21. [PMID: 38701647 PMCID: PMC11188680 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.04.006] [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: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
The aging population suffers from memory impairments. Slow-wave activity (SWA) is composed of slow (0.5-1 Hz) and delta (1-4 Hz) oscillations, which play important roles in long-term memory and working memory function respectively. SWA disruptions might lead to memory disturbances often experienced by older adults. We conducted behavioral tests in young and older C57BL/6 J mice. SWA was monitored using wide-field imaging with voltage sensors. Cell-specific calcium imaging was used to monitor the activity of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in these mice. Older mice exhibited impairments in working memory but not memory consolidation. Voltage-sensor imaging revealed aberrant synchronization of neuronal activity in older mice. Notably, we found older mice exhibited no significant alterations in slow oscillations, whereas there was a significant increase in delta power compared to young mice. Calcium imaging revealed hypoactivity in inhibitory neurons of older mice. Combined, these results suggest that neural activity disruptions might correlate with aberrant memory performance in older mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yu
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Alyssa N Russ
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Moustafa Algamal
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Md Joynal Abedin
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Qiuchen Zhao
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Morgan R Miller
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Stephen J Perle
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Ksenia V Kastanenka
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
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Zheng W, Sun Y, Wu H, Sun H, Zhang D. The interaction of top-down and bottom-up attention in visual working memory. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17397. [PMID: 39075215 PMCID: PMC11286856 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68598-y] [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: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the interplay between top-down and bottom-up attention in visual working memory (VWM) is crucial, although the specific challenges arising from this interaction remain ambiguous. In this study, we address this complexity by examining how cue informativeness and probe status of the salient items influence this interaction. Through three experiments, we manipulated top-down attention by varying probe frequencies using pre-cues and bottom-up attention by varying the visual salience of memory items. Experiment 1 explored cue informativeness at 100% and 50%, while Experiments 2 and 3 maintained cue informativeness at 80% and 50%. Additionally, Experiment 1 tested a few of the salient items, Experiment 2 excluded them, and Experiment 3 tested half of them in each cue condition. Across all experiments, we consistently observed cueing benefits for cue-directed items, albeit with costs to non-cued items. Furthermore, cue informativeness and the probe status of salient items emerged as critical factors influencing the interaction between top-down and bottom-up attention in VWM. These findings underscore the pivotal roles of cue informativeness and salient item relevance in shaping the dynamics of top-down and bottom-up attention within VWM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixi Zheng
- School of Public Health, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China.
| | - Yanchao Sun
- School of Psychology, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, 261042, China.
| | - Hehong Wu
- Neonatal Department, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, China.
| | - Hongwei Sun
- School of Public Health, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China.
- School of Psychology, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, 261042, China.
| | - Dexiang Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, 261042, China.
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Basu S, Phogat R, Jartarkar M, Banerjee B, Parmananda P. Role of visual brainwave entrainment on the resting state brainwaves of children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. CHILD 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38996080 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2024.2377656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
The relationship between brainwave oscillations and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-related cognitive challenges is a trending proposition in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience. Studies suggest the role of brainwave oscillations in the symptom expressions of ADHD-diagnosed children. Intervention studies have further suggested the scope of brain stimulation techniques in improving cognition. The current manuscript explored the effect of changes in the brainwaves post-sensory entrainment on cognitive performance of children. We calculated each participant's brainwave difference and ratios of theta, alpha, and beta power after the entrainment sessions. Further, we explored possible correlations between these values and the psychometric scores. The beta resting state showed the strongest association with selective attention performance of all participants. Theta-beta ratio (TBR) showed an inverse correlation with selective attention and working memory performances. The theta frequency was associated with decreased working performance in children without ADHD. Our findings also suggest a predominant role of TBR than the theta-alpha ratio in determining the cognitive performance of children with ADHD. The individual differences in the entrainment reception were attributed to the participant's age, IQ, and their innate baseline frequencies. The implications of our findings can initiate substantiating brainwave-based entrainment sessions as a therapeutic modality to improve cognition among children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandhya Basu
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, BITS Pilani, Zuarinagar, Goa, India
- School of Arts and Sciences, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, Karnataka; India
| | - Richa Phogat
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Mayur Jartarkar
- Centre for Behavioral Science in Finance, Economics, and Marketing, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Bidisha Banerjee
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, BITS Pilani, Zuarinagar, Goa, India
| | - Punit Parmananda
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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Dor A, Harrison C, Irani SR, Al-Diwani A, Grogan J, Manohar S. N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor-Antibody Encephalitis Impairs Maintenance of Attention to Items in Working Memory. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1500232024. [PMID: 38830760 PMCID: PMC11236588 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1500-23.2024] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
NMDA receptors (NMDARs) may be crucial to working memory (WM). Computational models predict that they sustain neural firing and produce associative memory, which may underpin maintaining and binding information, respectively. We test this in patients with antibodies to NMDAR (n = 10, female) and compare them with healthy control participants (n = 55, 20 male, 35 female). Patients were tested after recovery with a task that separates two aspects of WM: sustaining attention and feature binding. Participants had to remember two colored arrows. Then attention was directed to one of them. After a variable delay, they reported the direction of either the same arrow (congruent cue) or of the other arrow (incongruent cue). We asked how congruency affected recall precision and measured types of error. Patients had difficulty in both sustaining attention to an item over time and feature binding. Controls were less precise after longer delays and incongruent cues. In contrast, patients did not benefit from congruent cues at longer delays [group × congruency (long condition); p = 0.041], indicating they could not sustain attention. Additionally, patients reported the wrong item (misbinding errors) more than controls after congruent cues [group × delay (congruent condition), main effect of group; p ≤ 0.001]. Our results suggest NMDARs are critical for both maintaining attention and feature binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afrose Dor
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Corin Harrison
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
| | - Sarosh R Irani
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Al-Diwani
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
| | - John Grogan
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Sanjay Manohar
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
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Han Y, Du L, Huang Q, Cui D, Li Y. Enhancing specialization of attention-related EEG power and phase synchronism brain patterns by meditation. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae288. [PMID: 39024158 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae288] [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: 04/07/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Meditation, mental training that aims to improve one's ability to regulate their cognition, has been widely applied in clinical medicine. However, the mechanism by which meditation affects brain activity is still unclear. To explore this question, electroencephalogram data were recorded in 20 long-term meditators and 20 nonmeditators during 2 high-level cognitive tasks (meditation and mental calculation) and a relaxed resting state (control). Then, the power spectral density and phase synchronization of the electroencephalogram were extracted and compared between these 2 groups. In addition, machine learning was used to discriminate the states within each group. We found that the meditation group showed significantly higher classification accuracy and calculation efficiency than the control group. Then, during the calculation task, both the power and global phase synchronism of the gamma response decreased in meditators compared to their relaxation state; yet, no such change was observed in the control group. A potential explanation for our observations is that meditation improved the flexibility of the brain through neural plastic mechanism. In conclusion, we provided robust evidence that long-term meditation experience could produce detectable neurophysiological changes in brain activity, which possibly enhance the functional segregation and/or specialization in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yupeng Han
- School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou 510641, China
- Research Center for Brain-Computer Interfaces, Pazhou Laboratory, Qiaotou Street 248, Guangzhou 510665, China
| | - Lizhao Du
- Shanghai Med-X Engineering Research Center, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huashan Road 1954, Shanghai, 200030, China
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
| | - Qiyun Huang
- Research Center for Brain-Computer Interfaces, Pazhou Laboratory, Qiaotou Street 248, Guangzhou 510665, China
| | - Donghong Cui
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
- Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huanshan Road 1954, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yuanqing Li
- School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou 510641, China
- Research Center for Brain-Computer Interfaces, Pazhou Laboratory, Qiaotou Street 248, Guangzhou 510665, China
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Tröndle M, Langer N. Decomposing neurophysiological underpinnings of age-related decline in visual working memory. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 139:30-43. [PMID: 38593526 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.03.004] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Exploring the neural basis of age-related decline in working memory is vital in our aging society. Previous electroencephalographic studies suggested that the contralateral delay activity (CDA) may be insensitive to age-related decline in lateralized visual working memory (VWM) performance. Instead, recent evidence indicated that task-induced alpha power lateralization decreases in older age. However, the relationship between alpha power lateralization and age-related decline of VWM performance remains unknown, and recent studies have questioned the validity of these findings due to confounding factors of the aperiodic signal. Using a sample of 134 participants, we replicated the age-related decrease of alpha power lateralization after adjusting for the aperiodic signal. Critically, the link between task performance and alpha power lateralization was found only when correcting for aperiodic signal biases. Functionally, these findings suggest that age-related declines in VWM performance may be related to the decreased ability to prioritize relevant over irrelevant information. Conversely, CDA amplitudes were stable across age groups, suggesting a distinct neural mechanism possibly related to preserved VWM encoding or early maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Tröndle
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Methods of Plasticity Research, Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP) Dynamic of Healthy Aging, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Nicolas Langer
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Methods of Plasticity Research, Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP) Dynamic of Healthy Aging, Zurich, Switzerland
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Chen-Sankey J, Weiger C, La Capria K, Vassey J, Jeong M, Phan L, Unger JB, Allem JP, Berg CJ, Choi K. Young adults' visual attention to features of social media marketing for disposable e-cigarettes and associated perceptions. Addiction 2024. [PMID: 38923723 DOI: 10.1111/add.16586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS E-cigarette marketing exposure on social media influences perceptions; however, limited knowledge exists regarding marketing features attracting the most visual attention. This study examined visual attention to features of social media marketing for disposable e-cigarettes and related product perceptions. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Participants viewed 32 disposable marketing post images from social media (Instagram) using computer-based eye-tracking technology to assess standardized attention metrics of marketing features. They then completed a survey assessing positive product perceptions. The study took place in New Jersey, USA, June-September 2022, comprising young adults (aged 18-29) who do not use tobacco (n = 72) or who smoke cigarettes (n = 42). MEASUREMENTS We examined associations between 14 marketing features (e.g. product package, personal item, fruit/candy descriptor, social media account) and standardized attention metrics of dwell time (fixation duration) and entry time (time to first fixation). Then, we assessed attention metrics for each feature in relation to positive product perceptions (appeal and positive use expectancy). FINDINGS Among all participants, dwell time was the longest for the product descriptor [marginal means (MM) = 1.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.69, 1.86], social media account (MM = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.67, 1.85) and fruit/candy descriptor features (MM = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.41, 1.70); entry time was the shortest for the social media account (MM = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.26, 0.46), personal item (MM = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.56) and human model features (MM = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.72). Two use status groups had comparable dwell and entry times, except for the product descriptor feature. Longer dwell time for the product package feature increased positive product perceptions among both use status groups [regression coefficient (β) = 0.44 and 2.61]. Longer dwell time for fruit/candy descriptor (β = 1.80) and price promotion features (β = 4.04) increased positive product perceptions among those who smoke. CONCLUSIONS US young adults appear to be particularly visually engaged by disposable e-cigarette marketing that uses social media account features (account profile pictures, information about the products marketed and relevant hashtags) and features enhancing the products' personal relatability. Disposable product packages, fruit/candy descriptors and price promotions may increase the influence of social media marketing among various use status groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Chen-Sankey
- Rutgers University, Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Caitlin Weiger
- Rutgers University, Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Kathryn La Capria
- Rutgers University, Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Julia Vassey
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michelle Jeong
- Rutgers University, Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Lilianna Phan
- Dornsife School of Public Health and College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jennifer B Unger
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jon-Patrick Allem
- Rutgers University, Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Division of General Internal Medicine, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Carla J Berg
- Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- George Washington Cancer Center, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kelvin Choi
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, MD, USA
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12
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Balart-Sánchez SA, Bittencourt M, van der Naalt J, Maurits NM. Lower cognitive reserve is related to worse working memory performance in older adults after mTBI. An ERP study. Brain Inj 2024; 38:550-558. [PMID: 38481123 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2024.2328307] [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: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/15/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Older adults (OA) after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have a high risk of developing persistent post-injury cognitive impairments. Lower pre-morbid cognitive reserve (CR) is increasingly investigated as a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in OA. However, how CR protects against effects of mTBI at the brain level remains largely understudied. METHODS We examined 22 OA who sustained mTBI (mean 67.69 years, SD 5.11) in the sub-acute phase and 15 age- and CR-matched healthy OA (mean 68 years, SD 5.55) performing a three-level visual N-back task using electroencephalography. We calculated inverse efficiency scores of performance from accuracy and reaction times. Event-related potentials served as neurocognitive correlates of attentional (P2) and working memory (P3) processing. RESULTS Overall, mTBI OA performed worse than healthy OA (p = 0.031). Lower CR generally decreased performance (p < 0.001). Furthermore, with increasing task difficulty, task performance was more affected by CR (p = 0.004). At the brain level, P2 amplitude was lower in mTBI OA than in healthy OA (p = 0.05). There was no clear effect of CR on P2 or P3 measures. CONCLUSION As mTBI OA with lower CR performed worse on a working-memory task, lower CR may be a risk factor for worse recovery after mTBI in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Balart-Sánchez
- Department of Neurology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - M Bittencourt
- Department of Neurology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - J van der Naalt
- Department of Neurology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - N M Maurits
- Department of Neurology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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13
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Raimo S, Maggi G, Ilardi CR, Cavallo ND, Torchia V, Pilgrom MA, Cropano M, Roldán-Tapia MD, Santangelo G. The relation between cognitive functioning and activities of daily living in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia: a meta-analysis. Neurol Sci 2024; 45:2427-2443. [PMID: 38347298 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-024-07366-2] [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: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Literature suggests that dementia and, more generally, cognitive impairment affect the capacity to carry out activities of daily living (ADL) in aging. However, it is important to decipher the weight of specific cognitive domains and neurodegenerative profiles mainly related to ADL difficulties. A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the nature and strength of the association between cognitive functioning and ADL in healthy older adults, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia. A comprehensive search of the PubMed, PsycINFO (PROQUEST), and Scopus databases for cross-sectional or longitudinal studies up until December 2022. Our meta-analytic results revealed that: overall, instrumental ADL (IADL) showed a significant association with executive functioning, in particular, abstraction ability/concept formation, set-shifting, and processing speed/complex attention/working memory, regardless of type of participants (i.e., healthy older adults, MCI, and dementia); whereas ADL (both basic ADL, BADL, and IADL) significantly correlated with global cognitive functioning and long-term verbal memory, with a moderator effect of clinical condition (e.g., increasing ES based on the level of cognitive impairment). Moreover, visuospatial and language abilities significantly correlated with ADL, mainly when performance-based tasks were used for ADL assessment. These findings emphasize the importance of neuropsychological assessment in aging to early identify people most at risk of functional decline and shed light on the need to consider specific cognitive abilities in rehabilitation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Raimo
- Department of Psychology, 'Luigi Vanvitelli' University of Campania, Caserta, Italy.
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'Magna Graecia' University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
| | - Gianpaolo Maggi
- Department of Psychology, 'Luigi Vanvitelli' University of Campania, Caserta, Italy
| | - Ciro Rosario Ilardi
- Department of Psychology, 'Luigi Vanvitelli' University of Campania, Caserta, Italy
| | | | - Valentina Torchia
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'Magna Graecia' University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | | | - Maria Cropano
- Department of Psychology, 'Luigi Vanvitelli' University of Campania, Caserta, Italy
| | | | - Gabriella Santangelo
- Department of Psychology, 'Luigi Vanvitelli' University of Campania, Caserta, Italy
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14
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Arabacı G, Cakir BS, Parris BA. The effect of high-frequency rTMS over left DLPFC and fluid abilities on goal neglect. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1073-1086. [PMID: 38519612 PMCID: PMC11147841 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02770-y] [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: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Goal neglect refers to when an aspect of task instructions is not utilised due to increased competition between goal representations, an attentional limit theoretically linked to working memory. In an attempt to alleviate goal neglect and to investigate the association between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)-supported working memory and goal neglect, we used high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to the left DLPFC whilst participants completed the letter-monitoring task, a measure of goal neglect, and an N3-back task, a working memory task known to be affected by rTMS of the left DLPFC, following 20 min of active and sham stimulation (run on separate days). We found increased accuracy on the N3-back task in addition to decreased goal neglect in the active compared to sham condition when controlling for age and fluid abilities (as assessed by matrix reasoning performance). Furthermore, analysis showed that active stimulation improvements on both the N3-back and letter-monitoring tasks were greater for those with higher fluid abilities. These findings provide support for the link between the DLPFC-support working memory and goal neglect. Increased performance on the N3-back task also supports the literature reporting a link between left DLPFC and verbal working memory. Results are evaluated in the context of potential use to alleviate symptoms of disorders related to goal neglect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gizem Arabacı
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, UK.
| | - Batuhan S Cakir
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, UK
| | - Benjamin A Parris
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, UK
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15
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Shi Y, Zhang Y. Reliability and validity of a novel attention assessment scale (broken ring enVision search test) in the Chinese population. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1375326. [PMID: 38784625 PMCID: PMC11111916 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1375326] [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: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The correct assessment of attentional function is the key to cognitive research. A new attention assessment scale, the Broken Ring enVision Search Test (BReViS), has not been validated in China. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the BReViS in the Chinese population. Methods From July to October 2023, 100 healthy residents of Changzhou were selected and subjected to the BReViS, Digital Cancelation Test (D-CAT), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and Digit Span Test (DST). Thirty individuals were randomly chosen to undergo the BReViS twice for test-retest reliability assessment. Correlation analysis was conducted between age, education level, gender, and various BReViS sub-tests including Selective Attention (SA), Orientation of Attention (OA), Focal Attention (FA), and Total Errors (Err). Intergroup comparisons and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Additionally, correlation analyses between the BReViS sub-tests and with other attention tests were also analyzed. Results The correlation coefficients of the BReViS sub-tests (except for FA) between the two tests were greater than 0.600 (p < 0.001), indicating good test-retest reliability. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.874, suggesting high internal consistency reliability. SA showed a significant negative correlation with the net score of D-CAT (r = -0.405, p < 0.001), and a significant positive correlation with the error rate of D-CAT (r = 0.401, p < 0.001), demonstrating good criterion-related validity. The correlation analysis among the results of each sub-test showed that the correlation coefficient between SA and Err was 0.532 (p < 0.001), and between OA and Err was-0.229 (p < 0.05), whereas there was no significant correlation between SA, OA, and FA, which indicated that the scale had good informational content validity and structural validity. Both SA and Err were significantly correlated with age and years of education, while gender was significantly correlated with OA and Err. Multiple linear regression suggested that Err was mainly affected by age and gender. There were significant differences in the above indexes among different age, education level and gender groups. Correlation analysis with other attention tests revealed that SA negatively correlated with DST forward and backward scores and SDMT scores. Err positively correlated with D-CAT net scores and negatively with D-CAT error rate, DST forward and backward scores, and SDMT scores. OA and FA showed no significant correlation with other attention tests. Conclusion The BReViS test, demonstrating good reliability and validity, assessing not only selective attention but also gauging capacities in immediate memory, information processing speed, visual scanning, and hand-eye coordination. The results are susceptible to demographic variables such as age, gender, and education level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, China
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16
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Wright RS, Allan AC, Gamaldo AA, Morgan AA, Lee AK, Erus G, Davatzikos C, Bygrave DC. Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with working memory and hippocampal volumes among older adults. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38656243 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2024.2345926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
It is not well understood how neighborhood disadvantage is associated with specific domains of cognitive function and underlying brain health within older adults. Thus, the objective was to examine associations between neighborhood disadvantage, brain health, and cognitive performance, and examine whether associations were more pronounced among women. The study included 136 older adults who underwent cognitive testing and MRI. Neighborhood disadvantage was characterized using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regressions were run. Multiple regressions, adjusted for age, sex, education, and depression, showed that higher ADI state rankings (greater disadvantage) were associated with poorer working memory performance (p < .01) and lower hippocampal volumes (p < .01), but not total, frontal, and white matter lesion volumes, nor visual and verbal memory performance. There were no significant sex interactions. Findings suggest that greater neighborhood disadvantage may play a role in working memory and underlying brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexa C Allan
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Anna K Lee
- Center for Biomedical Image Computing and Analytics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Guray Erus
- Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Desirée C Bygrave
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, USA
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17
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Devenney EM, Tse NY, O’Callaghan C, Kumfor F, Ahmed RM, Caga J, Hazelton JL, Carrick J, Halliday GM, Piguet O, Kiernan MC, Hodges JR. An attentional and working memory theory of hallucination vulnerability in frontotemporal dementia. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae123. [PMID: 38725706 PMCID: PMC11081077 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The rate and prevalence of hallucinations in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia is well established. The mechanisms for underlying vulnerability however are the least well described in FTD compared with other neuropsychiatric conditions, despite the presence of these features significantly complicating the diagnostic process. As such, this present study aimed to provide a detailed characterization of the neural, cognitive and behavioural profile associated with a predisposition to hallucinatory experiences in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. In total, 153 patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia were recruited sequentially for this study. A group of patients with well characterized hallucinations and good-quality volumetric MRI scans (n = 23) were genetically and demographically matched to a group without hallucinations (n = 23) and a healthy control cohort (n = 23). All patients were assessed at their initial visit by means of a detailed clinical interview, a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and MRI. Data were analysed according to three levels: (i) the relationship between neural structures, cognition, behaviour and hallucinations in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia; (ii) the impact of the C9orf72 expansion; and (iii) hallucination subtype on expression of hallucinations. Basic and complex attentional (including divided attention and working memory) and visual function measures differed between groups (all P < 0.001) with hallucinators demonstrating poorer performance, along with evidence of structural changes centred on the prefrontal cortex, caudate and cerebellum (corrected for False Discovery Rate at P < 0.05 with a cluster threshold of 100 contiguous voxels). Attentional processes were also implicated in C9orf72 carriers with hallucinations with structural changes selectively involving the thalamus. Patients with visual hallucinations in isolation showed a similar pattern with emphasis on cerebellar atrophy. Our findings provided novel insights that attentional and visual function subsystems and related distributed brain structures are implicated in the generation of hallucinations in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, that dissociate across C9orf72, sporadic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and for the visual subtype of hallucinations. This loading on attentional and working memory measures is in line with current mechanistic models of hallucinations that frequently suggest a failure of integration of cognitive and perceptual processes. We therefore propose a novel cognitive and neural model for hallucination predisposition in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia that aligns with a transdiagnostic model for hallucinations across neurodegeneration and psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Devenney
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Neurology Department, Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney 2145, Australia
| | - Nga Yan Tse
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Systems Lab, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Claire O’Callaghan
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Fiona Kumfor
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Rebekah M Ahmed
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Memory and Cognition Clinic, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Jashelle Caga
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Jessica L Hazelton
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Memory and Cognition Clinic, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires B1644BID, Argentina
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (Brain Lat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago 7941169, Chile
| | - James Carrick
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Glenda M Halliday
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Olivier Piguet
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Matthew C Kiernan
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick 2031, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales 2031, Australia
- Neurology Department, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, NSW 2031, Australia
| | - John R Hodges
- Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
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18
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Stanković M, Allenmark F, Shi Z. High task demand in dual-target paradigm redirects experimentally increased anxiety to uphold goal-directed attention. Perception 2024; 53:263-275. [PMID: 38517398 PMCID: PMC10960321 DOI: 10.1177/03010066241232593] [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: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that state anxiety facilitates stimulus-driven attentional capture and impairs goal-directed attentional control by increasing sensitivity to salient distractors or threat cues or narrowing spatial attention. However, recent findings in this area have been mixed, and less is known about how state-dependent anxiety may affect attentional performance. Here, we employed a novel dual-target search paradigm to investigate this relationship. This paradigm allowed us to investigate attentional control and how focus narrows under different anxiety states. Participants watched a short movie-either anxiety-inducing or neutral-before engaging in the dual-target visual search task. We found that they performed faster and more accurately in trials without the salient distractor compared to those with distractors, and they performed better in tasks presented on the center than the periphery. However, despite a significant increase in self-reported anxiety in the anxiety-inducing session, participants' performance in terms of speed and accuracy remain comparable across both anxious and neutral sessions. This resilience is likely due to compensatory mechanisms that offset anxiety, a result of the high demands and working memory load inherent in the dual-target task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miloš Stanković
- University of Regensburg, Germany; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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19
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Jones SD, Stewart HJ, Westermann G. A maturational frequency discrimination deficit may explain developmental language disorder. Psychol Rev 2024; 131:695-715. [PMID: 37498700 PMCID: PMC11115354 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000436] [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: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Auditory perceptual deficits are widely observed among children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Yet, the nature of these deficits and the extent to which they explain speech and language problems remain controversial. In this study, we hypothesize that disruption to the maturation of the basilar membrane may impede the optimization of the auditory pathway from brainstem to cortex, curtailing high-resolution frequency sensitivity and the efficient spectral decomposition and encoding of natural speech. A series of computational simulations involving deep convolutional neural networks that were trained to encode, recognize, and retrieve naturalistic speech are presented to demonstrate the strength of this account. These neural networks were built on top of biologically truthful inner ear models developed to model human cochlea function, which-in the key innovation of the present study-were scheduled to mature at different rates over time. Delaying cochlea maturation qualitatively replicated the linguistic behavior and neurophysiology of individuals with language learning difficulties in a number of ways, resulting in (a) delayed language acquisition profiles, (b) lower spoken word recognition accuracy, (c) word finding and retrieval difficulties, (d) "fuzzy" and intersecting speech encodings and signatures of immature neural optimization, and (e) emergent working memory and attentional deficits. These simulations illustrate many negative cascading effects that a primary maturational frequency discrimination deficit may have on early language development and generate precise and testable hypotheses for future research into the nature and cost of auditory processing deficits in children with language learning difficulties. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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20
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Wu W. We know what attention is! Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:304-318. [PMID: 38103983 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.11.007] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Attention is one of the most thoroughly investigated psychological phenomena, yet skepticism about attention is widespread: we do not know what it is, it is too many things, there is no such thing. The deficiencies highlighted are not about experimental work but the adequacy of the scientific theory of attention. Combining common scientific claims about attention into a single theory leads to internal inconsistency. This paper demonstrates that a specific functional conception of attention is incorporated into the tasks used in standard experimental paradigms. In accepting these paradigms as valid probes of attention, we commit to this common conception. The conception unifies work at multiple levels of analysis into a coherent scientific explanation of attention. Thus, we all know what attention is.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne Wu
- Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Philosophy and Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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21
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Koevoet D, Strauch C, Van der Stigchel S, Mathôt S, Naber M. Revealing visual working memory operations with pupillometry: Encoding, maintenance, and prioritization. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2024; 15:e1668. [PMID: 37933423 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Pupillary dynamics reflect effects of distinct and important operations of visual working memory: encoding, maintenance, and prioritization. Here, we review how pupil size predicts memory performance and how it provides novel insights into the mechanisms of each operation. Visual information must first be encoded into working memory with sufficient precision. The depth of this encoding process couples to arousal-linked baseline pupil size as well as a pupil constriction response before and after stimulus onset, respectively. Subsequently, the encoded information is maintained over time to ensure it is not lost. Pupil dilation reflects the effortful maintenance of information, wherein storing more items is accompanied by larger dilations. Lastly, the most task-relevant information is prioritized to guide upcoming behavior, which is reflected in yet another dilatory component. Moreover, activated content in memory can be pupillometrically probed directly by tagging visual information with distinct luminance levels. Through this luminance-tagging mechanism, pupil light responses reveal whether dark or bright items receive more attention during encoding and prioritization. Together, conceptualizing pupil responses as a sum of distinct components over time reveals insights into operations of visual working memory. From this viewpoint, pupillometry is a promising avenue to study the most vital operations through which visual working memory works. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Attention Psychology > Memory Psychology > Theory and Methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Koevoet
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christoph Strauch
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Sebastiaan Mathôt
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marnix Naber
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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22
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Navarro E, Hao H, Rosales KP, Conway ARA. An item response theory approach to the measurement of working memory capacity. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:1697-1714. [PMID: 37170060 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02115-3] [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] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Complex span tasks are perhaps the most widely used paradigm to measure working memory capacity (WMC). Researchers assume that all types of complex span tasks assess domain-general WM. However, most research supporting this claim comes from factor analysis approaches that do not examine task performance at the item level, thus not allowing comparison of the characteristics of verbal and spatial complex span tasks. Item response theory (IRT) can help determine the extent to which different complex span tasks assess domain-general WM. In the current study, spatial and verbal complex span tasks were examined using IRT. The results revealed differences between verbal and spatial tasks in terms of item difficulty and block difficulty, and showed that most subjects with below-average ability were able to answer most items correctly across all tasks. In line with previous research, the findings suggest that examining domain-general WM by using only one task might elicit skewed scores based on task domain. Further, visuospatial complex span tasks should be prioritized as a measure of WMC if resources are limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Navarro
- Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
| | - Han Hao
- Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA
- College of Arts & Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Kevin P Rosales
- Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences , California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Andrew R A Conway
- Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA
- College of Arts & Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
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Craig M, Greer J. Post-encoding task engagement not attentional load is detrimental to awake consolidation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3025. [PMID: 38321066 PMCID: PMC10847105 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53393-6] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The fate of new memories depends partly on the cognitive state experienced immediately following encoding. Wakeful rest, relative to task engagement, benefits retention and this effect is typically explained through a consolidation account: rest is theorised to provide a state of minimal interference, which would otherwise disrupt consolidation. Yet, the determinants of consolidation interference, notably the contribution of attention, remain poorly characterised. Through a repeated measures design, we investigated attention load's impact on consolidation. In three phases, participants encountered a set of nonwords and underwent immediate recognition testing, experienced a 5-min delay condition, and completed a delayed recognition test for the nonwords. This cycle repeated for each phase before proceeding to the next. Delay conditions comprised of wakeful rest and two sustained attention to response tasks (SART) that were of low (SART-fixed) and high (SART-random) attention load. Immediate memory was matched across conditions, but delayed recognition was poorer after completing the SART-fixed and SART-random conditions, relative to rest. There was no difference between the two SART conditions. These data provide insights into the factors that contribute to the success of consolidation and indicate that the attention load of a task does not determine the magnitude of consolidation interference and associated forgetting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Craig
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - Joanna Greer
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
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24
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Hartmann EM, Gade M, Steinhauser M. Neural correlates of adaptive cognitive control in working memory. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14457. [PMID: 37861241 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14457] [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: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Conflicts in working memory (WM) can occur when retrieval cues activate competing items, which impairs the efficiency of retrieval. It has recently been shown that WM retrieval adapts similarly to these conflicts as predicted by conflict monitoring theory for selective attention tasks. Here, we utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate whether conflict and adaptive control in WM are reflected by the same neural markers that have previously been described for selective attention tasks. In our task, participants encoded two differently colored memory lists that contained four digits each (i.e., 2 5 7 1 and 4 5 9 1), and had to recognize whether a probe item from a specific list and position was correct or incorrect. Conflict during retrieval emerged when digits at corresponding positions (e.g., 2 and 5 at the first position) were different (incongruent), but not when these digits were the same (congruent). In behavioral data, we found a congruency sequence effect, that is, responses to incongruent probe items were slower, and this effect was reduced following trials with incongruent probe items. In ERPs, this behavioral marker of adaptive control was accompanied by two effects. First, congruency affected the amplitude of an N450, and this conflict effect was reduced after incongruent trials. Second, the posterior P3 amplitude varied with the congruency of the current and the previous trial. Both results resemble those found for the Stroop task and thus highlight the similarity between conflict and adaptive control in WM and selective attention tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria Hartmann
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
| | - Miriam Gade
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
- Department of Sciences, Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Steinhauser
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
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25
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Colverson A, Barsoum S, Cohen R, Williamson J. Rhythmic musical activities may strengthen connectivity between brain networks associated with aging-related deficits in timing and executive functions. Exp Gerontol 2024; 186:112354. [PMID: 38176601 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112354] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Brain aging and common conditions of aging (e.g., hypertension) affect networks important in organizing information, processing speed and action programming (i.e., executive functions). Declines in these networks may affect timing and could have an impact on the ability to perceive and perform musical rhythms. There is evidence that participation in rhythmic musical activities may help to maintain and even improve executive functioning (near transfer), perhaps due to similarities in brain regions underlying timing, musical rhythm perception and production, and executive functioning. Rhythmic musical activities may present as a novel and fun activity for older adults to stimulate interacting brain regions that deteriorate with aging. However, relatively little is known about neurobehavioral interactions between aging, timing, rhythm perception and production, and executive functioning. In this review, we account for these brain-behavior interactions to suggest that deeper knowledge of overlapping brain regions associated with timing, rhythm, and cognition may assist in designing more targeted preventive and rehabilitative interventions to reduce age-related cognitive decline and improve quality of life in populations with neurodegenerative disease. Further research is needed to elucidate the functional relationships between brain regions associated with aging, timing, rhythm perception and production, and executive functioning to direct design of targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Colverson
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, 1651 4th street, San Francisco, CA, United States of America.
| | - Stephanie Barsoum
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, College of Medicine, University of Florida, PO Box 100277, Gainesville, FL 32610-0277, United States of America
| | - Ronald Cohen
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, College of Medicine, University of Florida, PO Box 100277, Gainesville, FL 32610-0277, United States of America
| | - John Williamson
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, College of Medicine, University of Florida, PO Box 100277, Gainesville, FL 32610-0277, United States of America
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26
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Cunningham SJ, Ahmed Z, March J, Golden K, Wilks C, Ross J, McLean JF. Put you in the problem: Effects of self-pronouns on mathematical problem-solving. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:308-325. [PMID: 37129461 PMCID: PMC10798033 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231174229] [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: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Self-cues such as personal pronouns are known to elicit processing biases, such as attention capture and prioritisation in working memory. This may impact the performance of tasks that have a high attentional load like mathematical problem-solving. Here, we compared the speed and accuracy with which children solved numerical problems that included either the self-cue "you," or a different character name. First, we piloted a self-referencing manipulation with N = 52, 7 to 11 year-olds, testing performance on addition and subtraction problems that had either a single referent ("You"/"Sam") or more than one referent. We took into account operation and positioning of the pronoun and also measured performance on attention and working memory tasks. We found a robust accuracy advantage for problems that included "you," regardless of how many characters were included. The accuracy advantage for problems with a self-pronoun was not statistically associated with individual differences in attention or working memory. In our main study (9 to 11 year-olds, N = 144), we manipulated problem difficulty by creating consistently and inconsistently worded addition and subtraction problems. We found significantly higher speed and accuracy for problems that included "you." However, this effect varied by task difficulty, with the self-pronoun effect being strongest in the most difficult inconsistently worded, subtraction problems. The advantage of problems with a self-pronoun was not associated with individual differences in working memory. These findings suggest that self-cues like the pronoun "you" can be usefully applied in numerical processing tasks, an effect that may be attributable to the effects of self-cues on attention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zahra Ahmed
- School of Applied Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, UK
| | - Joshua March
- School of Applied Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, UK
| | - Karen Golden
- School of Applied Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, UK
| | | | - Josephine Ross
- Psychology, School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Janet F McLean
- School of Applied Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, UK
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Wyche NJ, Edwards M, Goodhew SC. An updating-based working memory load alters the dynamics of eye movements but not their spatial extent during free viewing of natural scenes. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:503-524. [PMID: 37468789 PMCID: PMC10805812 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02741-1] [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] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between spatial deployments of attention and working memory load is an important topic of study, with clear implications for real-world tasks such as driving. Previous research has generally shown that attentional breadth broadens under higher load, while exploratory eye-movement behaviour also appears to change with increasing load. However, relatively little research has compared the effects of working memory load on different kinds of spatial deployment, especially in conditions that require updating of the contents of working memory rather than simple retrieval. The present study undertook such a comparison by measuring participants' attentional breadth (via an undirected Navon task) and their exploratory eye-movement behaviour (a free-viewing recall task) under low and high updating working memory loads. While spatial aspects of task performance (attentional breadth, and peripheral extent of image exploration in the free-viewing task) were unaffected by the load manipulation, the exploratory dynamics of the free-viewing task (including fixation durations and scan-path lengths) changed under increasing load. These findings suggest that temporal dynamics, rather than the spatial extent of exploration, are the primary mechanism affected by working memory load during the spatial deployment of attention. Further, individual differences in exploratory behaviour were observed on the free-viewing task: all metrics were highly correlated across working memory load blocks. These findings suggest a need for further investigation of individual differences in eye-movement behaviour; potential factors associated with these individual differences, including working memory capacity and persistence versus flexibility orientations, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Wyche
- Research School of Psychology (Building 39), The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
| | - Mark Edwards
- Research School of Psychology (Building 39), The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Stephanie C Goodhew
- Research School of Psychology (Building 39), The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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28
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Plater L, Giammarco M, Joubran S, Al-Aidroos N. Control over attentional capture within 170 ms by long-term memory control settings: Evidence from the N2pc. Psychon Bull Rev 2024; 31:283-292. [PMID: 37566216 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02352-9] [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] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Observers adopt attentional control settings (ACSs) based on their goals that guide the capture of attention: Searched-for stimuli capture attention, and stimuli that are not searched for do not. While previous behavioural research indicates that observers can adopt long-term memory (LTM) ACSs (Giammarco et al. Visual Cognition, 24, 78-101, 2016), it seems surprising that representations in LTM could guide attention quickly enough to control attentional capture. To assess the claim that LTM ACSs exert control over early attentional orienting, we recorded electroencephalography while participants studied and searched for 30 target objects in an attention cueing task. Participants reported the studied target and ignored the preceding cues. To control for perceptual evoked responses, on each trial we presented two cue objects (one studied and one nonstudied). Even though participants were instructed to ignore the cues, studied cues produced the N2pc event-related potential, indicating early attentional orienting that was preferentially directed towards the studied cue versus the nonstudied cue. Critically, the N2pc was detectable within 170 ms, confirming that LTM ACSs rapidly control early capture. We propose an update to contemporary models of attentional capture to account for rapid attentional guidance by LTM ACSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Plater
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Maria Giammarco
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Samantha Joubran
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Naseem Al-Aidroos
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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29
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Du N, Meng X, Li J, Shi L, Zhang X. Decline in Working Memory in Stable Schizophrenia May Be Related to Attentional Impairment: Mediating Effects of Negative Symptoms, a Cross-Sectional Study. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2024; 20:149-158. [PMID: 38288268 PMCID: PMC10822768 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s447965] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe mental illness, Cognitive deficits and negative symptoms (NS) are prevalent in individuals with SCZ and are crucial indicators of functional recovery. It is well known that cognitive symptoms and negative symptoms are interrelated and that negative symptoms can affect the ability to take cognitive tests. However, the specific relationship between attention, working memory (WM), and NS in stable SCZ remains unclear. This study aims to explore these associations and provide valuable insights for the subsequent treatment of SCZ. Methods We conducted a comprehensive assessment of 145 patients with stable SCZ using the Chinese Brief Neurocognitive Suite of Tests (C-BCT) and the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Results Patients with abnormal cognition exhibited significantly higher PANSS total scores, cognitive symptom scores, and NS than those with normal cognition (P<0.05). Pearson's correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between digital breadth(DB) and continuous operation(CO) (r=0.389, P<0.001), as well as a significant negative correlation between DB and NS (r=-0.291, P<0.001). Moreover, CO showed a negative correlation with NS (r=-0.173, P<0.05). However, no significant correlations were found between the digital breadth-anterograde score and CO or NS (r=0.148, P>0.05; r=-0.068, P>0.05). Notably, NS were identified as a mediator in the relationship between attention and WM (effect size=0.024). Conclusion Our findings highlight significant associations between WM, attention, and NS in individuals with stable SCZ. Moreover, attention not only directly impacts WM but also indirectly influences it through NS. Addressing cognitive deficits and NS in the treatment of SCZ may lead to improved overall outcomes for affected individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Du
- Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
- Anhui Clinical Center for Mental and Psychological Diseases, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaojing Meng
- Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
- Anhui Clinical Center for Mental and Psychological Diseases, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jingwei Li
- Anhui Clinical Center for Mental and Psychological Diseases, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Shi
- Anhui Clinical Center for Mental and Psychological Diseases, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xulai Zhang
- Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
- Anhui Clinical Center for Mental and Psychological Diseases, Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China
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30
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Cowan N, Bao C, Bishop-Chrzanowski BM, Costa AN, Greene NR, Guitard D, Li C, Musich ML, Ünal ZE. The Relation Between Attention and Memory. Annu Rev Psychol 2024; 75:183-214. [PMID: 37713810 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-040723-012736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
The relation between attention and memory has long been deemed important for understanding cognition, and it was heavily researched even in the first experimental psychology laboratory by Wilhelm Wundt and his colleagues. Since then, the importance of the relation between attention and memory has been explored in myriad subdisciplines of psychology, and we incorporate a wide range of these diverse fields. Here, we examine some of the practical consequences of this relation and summarize work with various methodologies relating attention to memory in the fields of working memory, long-term memory, individual differences, life-span development, typical brain function, and neuropsychological conditions. We point out strengths and unanswered questions for our own embedded processes view of information processing, which is used to organize a large body of evidence. Last, we briefly consider the relation of the evidence to a range of other theoretical views before drawing conclusions about the state of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson Cowan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;
| | - Chenye Bao
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;
| | | | - Amy N Costa
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;
| | - Nathaniel R Greene
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;
| | - Dominic Guitard
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Chenyuan Li
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;
| | - Madison L Musich
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;
| | - Zehra E Ünal
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;
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31
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Wang SY, Gong XM, Zhan LZ, You FH, Sun Q. Attention influences the effects of the previous form orientation on the current motion direction estimation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1394. [PMID: 38228771 PMCID: PMC10791700 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52069-5] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have found that the estimates of motion directions are biased toward the previous form orientations, showing serial dependence, and the serial dependence does not involve cognitive abilities. In the current study, we conducted two experiments to investigate whether and how attention-a cognitive ability-affected the serial dependence. The results showed that serial dependence was present in the current study, reproducing the previous findings. Importantly, when the attentional load reduced the reliability (i.e., estimation accuracy and precision) of previous form orientations (Experiment 1), the serial dependence decreased, meaning that the biases of motion direction estimates toward previous form orientations were reduced; in contrast, when the attentional load reduced the reliability of current motion directions (Experiment 2), the serial dependence increased, meaning that the biases of motion direction estimates toward previous form orientations were increased. These trends were well consistent with the prediction of the Bayesian inference theory. Therefore, the current study revealed the involvement of attention in the serial dependence of current motion direction estimation on the previous form orientation, demonstrating that the serial dependence was cognitive and the attentional effect can be a Bayesian inference process, initially revealing its computational mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Yu Wang
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiu-Mei Gong
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin-Zhe Zhan
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People's Republic of China
| | - Fan-Huan You
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Sun
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People's Republic of China.
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Jinhua, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People's Republic of China.
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32
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Witzki A, Sievert A, Küper K, Leyk D, Nagler UKJ. Generic military simulation of a complex workplace. A new tool for applied research in military settings. MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 36:114-124. [PMID: 38193869 PMCID: PMC10790801 DOI: 10.1080/08995605.2021.2000319] [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: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In almost any military occupational specialty soldiers must monitor and react to stimuli, store and process information, make and communicate decisions, while using different in- and output modalities. When assessing influences on performance, e.g., by sleep-deprivation or heat-stress in intervention designs, researchers face a dilemma: They can either examine highly trained military experts in their jobs, thus risking limited generalizability of their results, or use standard measures of cognitive performance with little ecological relevance. To solve this dilemma, we developed a multidimensional job simulation by abstracting a wide range of military jobs into a generic military simulation of a complex workplace (GEMS COW). It had to meet the following requirements: 1) validly and reliably measure the relevant psychological constructs of the abstracted jobs, 2) require only minimal training, and 3) score high acceptance with military specialists. GEMS COW assesses attention, short-term memory (sm), and working memory (wm) in a lifelike setting. Three studies were conducted focusing on psychometric properties (Study 1, N = 74), overall task complexity in an intervention design (Study 2, N = 54), and acceptance (Study 3, N = 22) of GEMS COW. Psychometric properties proved satisfactory (construct validities: wm = .58, attention = .45, sm =.68; retest reliability: .61-.90). The simulation has a medium to high mental difficulty and soldiers accept it as a realistic military task. GEMS COW is easy to learn and reliably measures psychological constructs in a complex generic simulation. It can be used in intervention studies and may easily be implemented in other languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Witzki
- Health and Performance Promotion, Bundeswehr Institute for Preventive Medicine, Andernach, Germany
| | - Alexander Sievert
- Health and Performance Promotion, Bundeswehr Institute for Preventive Medicine, Andernach, Germany
| | - Kristina Küper
- Health and Performance Promotion, Bundeswehr Institute for Preventive Medicine, Andernach, Germany
| | - Dieter Leyk
- Health and Performance Promotion, Bundeswehr Institute for Preventive Medicine, Andernach, Germany
- Research Group Epidemiology of Performance, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ursa K. J. Nagler
- Health and Performance Promotion, Bundeswehr Institute for Preventive Medicine, Andernach, Germany
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Johansen T, Øyeflaten I, Eriksen HR, Lyby PS, Dittrich WH, Holsen I, Jakobsen H, Jensen C. Changes in memory and attention during and after occupational rehabilitation: A longitudinal study. Work 2024; 77:949-961. [PMID: 37781841 DOI: 10.3233/wor-230027] [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] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is need for more knowledge about the relationship between work and cognitive functioning in sick-listed individuals. OBJECTIVE This study investigated whether the degree of work participation is relevant for recovery of cognitive functioning in sick-listed individuals. METHODS 177 occupational rehabilitation participants and 70 controls participated in a non-randomised, longitudinal study. Participants completed computerised cognitive tests targeting sustained attention and working memory at start and end of rehabilitation and 3 and 12 months after rehabilitation. The change score performance in attention and memory between start and end, start and 3 months and 12 months was compared in individuals on sick leave 100-75%, 74-40% and 39-0% (three sick leave groups) of the time in the year after rehabilitation, and a control group not being on sick leave. Fixed effect analysis of covariance adjusting for education and work ability was used. RESULTS The sick leave group 100-75% had significantly lower score on work ability compared to the other groups at baseline. The main findings indicated that the sick leave group 39-0% improved significantly more in sustained attention compared to the sick leave group 100-75% between start and end of rehabilitation and from start of rehabilitation to 3 and 12 months after. CONCLUSION The degree of work participation seems relevant to recovery of the cognitive function sustained attention in sick-listed individuals. These findings encourage work rehabilitation clinicians, work consultants and employers to develop RTW plans which take into account that graded employment influence cognitive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Johansen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Occupational Rehabilitation, Rauland, Norway
| | - Irene Øyeflaten
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Occupational Rehabilitation, Rauland, Norway
- NORCE, Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
| | - Hege R Eriksen
- Department of Sport, Food and Natural Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Winand H Dittrich
- FOM Hochschule, KCI Competence Center for Behavioral Economics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Inge Holsen
- Red Cross Haugland Rehabilitation Center, Flekke, Norway
| | | | - Chris Jensen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Occupational Rehabilitation, Rauland, Norway
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Baker C, Love T. Modulating Complex Sentence Processing in Aphasia Through Attention and Semantic Networks. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:5011-5035. [PMID: 37934886 PMCID: PMC11001378 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-23-00298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Lexical processing impairments such as delayed and reduced activation of lexical-semantic information have been linked to syntactic processing disruptions and sentence comprehension deficits in individuals with aphasia (IWAs). Lexical-level deficits can also preclude successful lexical encoding during sentence processing and amplify the processing costs of similarity-based interference during syntactic retrieval. We investigate whether two manipulations to engage attention and pre-activate semantic features of a target (to-be-retrieved) noun will (a) boost lexical activation during initial lexical encoding and (b) facilitate syntactic dependency linking through improved resolution of interference in IWAs and neurologically unimpaired age-matched controls (AMCs). METHOD Eye-tracking-while-listening with a visual world paradigm was used to investigate whether semantic and attentional manipulations modulated initial lexical processing and downstream syntactic retrieval of the direct-object noun in object-relative sentences. RESULTS In the attention and semantic manipulations, the AMC group showed no changes in initial lexical access levels; however, gaze patterns revealed clear facilitations in dependency linking and interference resolution. In the IWA group, the attentional cue increased and maintained activation of N1 with modest facilitations in dependency linking. In the semantic condition, IWA results showed a greater degree of facilitation during dependency linking. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that attention and semantic activation are parameters that may be manipulated to strengthen encoding of lexical representations to facilitate retrieval (i.e., dependency linking) and mitigate similarity-based interference. In IWAs, these manipulations may help to reduce lexical processing deficits that can preclude successful encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Baker
- SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Language & Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA
| | - Tracy Love
- SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Language & Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
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35
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Park H, Doh H, Lee E, Park H, Ahn WY. The neurocognitive role of working memory load when Pavlovian motivational control affects instrumental learning. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011692. [PMID: 38064498 PMCID: PMC10732416 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Research suggests that a fast, capacity-limited working memory (WM) system and a slow, incremental reinforcement learning (RL) system jointly contribute to instrumental learning. Thus, situations that strain WM resources alter instrumental learning: under WM loads, learning becomes slow and incremental, the reliance on computationally efficient learning increases, and action selection becomes more random. It is also suggested that Pavlovian learning influences people's behavior during instrumental learning by providing hard-wired instinctive responses including approach to reward predictors and avoidance of punishment predictors. However, it remains unknown how constraints on WM resources affect instrumental learning under Pavlovian influence. Thus, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (N = 49) in which participants completed an instrumental learning task with Pavlovian-instrumental conflict (the orthogonalized go/no-go task) both with and without extra WM load. Behavioral and computational modeling analyses revealed that WM load reduced the learning rate and increased random choice, without affecting Pavlovian bias. Model-based fMRI analysis revealed that WM load strengthened RPE signaling in the striatum. Moreover, under WM load, the striatum showed weakened connectivity with the ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex when computing reward expectations. These results suggest that the limitation of cognitive resources by WM load promotes slow and incremental learning through the weakened cooperation between WM and RL; such limitation also makes action selection more random, but it does not directly affect the balance between instrumental and Pavlovian systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heesun Park
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hoyoung Doh
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eunhwi Lee
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Harhim Park
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Woo-Young Ahn
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
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Sharma Y, Persson LM, Golubickis M, Jalalian P, Falbén JK, Macrae CN. Facial first impressions are not mandatory: A priming investigation. Cognition 2023; 241:105620. [PMID: 37741097 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105620] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
A common assertion is that, based around prominent character traits, first impressions are spontaneously extracted from faces. Specifically, mere exposure to a person is sufficient to trigger the involuntary extraction of core personality characteristics (e.g., trustworthiness, dominance, competence), an outcome that supports a range of significant judgments (e.g., hiring, investing, electing). But is this in fact the case? Noting ambiguities in the extant literature, here we used a repetition priming procedure to probe the extent to which impressions of dominance are extracted from faces absent the instruction to evaluate the stimuli in this way. Across five experiments in which either the character trait of interest was made increasingly obvious to participants (Expts. 1-3) or attention was explicitly directed toward the faces to generate low-level/high-level judgments (Expts. 4 & 5), no evidence for the spontaneous extraction of first impressions was observed. Instead, priming only emerged when judgments of dominance were an explicit requirement of the task at hand. Thus, at least using a priming methodology, the current findings contest the notion that first impressions are a mandatory product of person perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadvi Sharma
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Linn M Persson
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | | | - Johanna K Falbén
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - C Neil Macrae
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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37
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Hughes Z, Ball LJ, Richardson C, Judge J. A meta-analytical review of the impact of mindfulness on creativity: Framing current lines of research and defining moderator variables. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:2155-2186. [PMID: 37442873 PMCID: PMC10728263 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02327-w] [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] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Findings relating to the impact of mindfulness interventions on creative performance remain inconsistent, perhaps because of discrepancies between study designs, including variability in the length of mindfulness interventions, the absence of control groups or the tendencies to explore creativity as one unitary construct. To derive a clearer understanding of the impact that mindfulness interventions may exert on creative performance, two meta-analytical reviews were conducted, drawing respectively on studies using a control group design (n = 20) and studies using a pretest-posttest design (n = 17). A positive effect was identified between mindfulness and creativity, both for control group designs (d = 0.42, 95% CIs [0.29, 0.54]) and pretest-posttest designs (d = 0.59, 95% CIs [0.38, 0.81]). Subgroup analysis revealed that intervention length, creativity task (i.e., divergent vs. convergent thinking tasks) and control group type, were significant moderators for control group studies, whereas only intervention length was a significant moderator for pretest-posttest studies. Overall, the findings support the use of mindfulness as a tool to enhance creative performance, with more advantageous outcomes for convergent as opposed to divergent thinking tasks. We discuss the implications of study design and intervention length as key factors of relevance to future research aimed at advancing theoretical accounts of the relationship between mindfulness and creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Hughes
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK.
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK
| | - Cassandra Richardson
- Department of Psychology, The University of Winchester, Winchester, SO22 4NR, UK
| | - Jeannie Judge
- School of Psychology and Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK
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Décaillet M, Denervaud S, Huguenin-Virchaux C, Besuchet L, Bickle-Graz M, Fischer-Fumeaux CJ, Schneider J. Executive functions assessment in very preterm children at school age: A pilot study about a clinical and experimental approach. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. CHILD 2023:1-12. [PMID: 38015558 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2023.2287059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
While the survival rate of very preterm (VPT) infants has increased in the last decades, they are still at risk of developing long-term neurodevelopmental impairments, especially regarding self-regulatory abilities, and goal-directed behaviors. These skills rely on executive functions (EFs), an umbrella term encompassing the core capacities for inhibition, shifting, and working memory. Existing comprehensive tests are time-consuming and therefore not suitable for all pediatric neuropsychological assessments. The Flanker task is an experimental computer game having the advantage to last less than ten minutes while giving multiple EFs measures. Here, we tested the potency of this task in thirty-one VPT children aged 8-10 years during their clinical assessment. First, we found that VPT children performed in the norm for most clinical tests (i.e., WISC-V, BRIEF, and NEPSY) except for the CPT-3 where they were slower with more omission errors, which could indicate inattentiveness. Second, some Flanker task scores were correlated with standardized clinical testing without resisting to multiple comparisons correction. Finally, compared to full-term children, VPT children showed poorer performance in global EFs measure and lower accuracy in the Flanker task. These findings suggest that this child-friendly version of the Flanker task demonstrated a reasonable sensitivity in capturing EFs with good discrimination between VPT and term children despite VPT children's mild difficulties. It may represent a promising tool for neuropsychological assessments and be suitable as a screening test, providing further validating larger studies. Moreover, while VPT schoolchildren globally display normal intelligence, subtle difficulties that seem to relate to EFs are observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Décaillet
- Clinic of Neonatology, Department of Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Departement of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
| | - Solange Denervaud
- Departement of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cléo Huguenin-Virchaux
- Clinic of Neonatology, Department of Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
| | - Laureline Besuchet
- Clinic of Neonatology, Department of Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
| | - Myriam Bickle-Graz
- Clinic of Neonatology, Department of Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Céline Julie Fischer-Fumeaux
- Clinic of Neonatology, Department of Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Juliane Schneider
- Clinic of Neonatology, Department of Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
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Panov G, Dyulgerova S, Panova P. Cognition in Patients with Schizophrenia: Interplay between Working Memory, Disorganized Symptoms, Dissociation, and the Onset and Duration of Psychosis, as Well as Resistance to Treatment. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3114. [PMID: 38137335 PMCID: PMC10740456 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11123114] [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: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is traditionally associated with the presence of psychotic symptoms. In addition to these, cognitive symptoms precede them and are present during the entire course of the schizophrenia process. The present study aims to establish the relationship between working memory (short-term memory and attention), the features of the clinical picture, and the course of the schizophrenic process, gender distribution and resistance to treatment. METHODS In total, 105 patients with schizophrenia were observed. Of these, 66 were women and 39 men. Clinical status was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Symptom Scale (DOCS), scale for dissociative experiences (DES) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)-cognitive functions using the Luria 10-word test with fixation assessment, reproduction and attention analysis. The clinical evaluation of resistance to the treatment showed that 45 patients were resistant to the ongoing medical treatment and the remaining 60 had an effect from the therapy. RESULTS Our study showed that, in most patients, we found disorders of working memory and attention. In 69.82% of the patients, we found problems with fixation; in 38.1%, problems with reproduction; and in 62.86%, attention disorders. Conducting a regression analysis showed that memory and attention disorders were mainly related to the highly disorganized symptoms scale, the duration of the schizophrenic process and the dissociation scale. It was found that there was a weaker but significant association between the age of onset of schizophrenia and negative symptoms. In the patients with resistant schizophrenia, much greater violations of the studied parameters working memory and attention were found compared to the patients with an effect from the treatment. CONCLUSION Impairments in working memory and attention are severely affected in the majority of patients with schizophrenia. Their involvement is most significant in patients with resistance to therapy. Factors associated with the highest degree of memory and attention impairment were disorganized symptoms, duration of schizophrenia, dissociative symptoms and, to a lesser extent, onset of illness. This analysis gives us the right to consider that the early and systematic analysis of cognition is a reliable marker for tracking both clinical dynamics and the effect of treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgi Panov
- Psychiatric Clinic, University Hospital for Active Treatment “Prof. Dr. Stoyan Kirkovich”, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
- Medical Faculty, University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”, 8000 Burgas, Bulgaria
| | - Silvana Dyulgerova
- Psychiatric Clinic, University Hospital for Active Treatment “Prof. Dr. Stoyan Kirkovich”, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
| | - Presyana Panova
- Medical Faculty, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria;
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Hao L, Fan Y, Zhang X, Rong X, Sun Y, Liu K. Functional physical training improves fitness and cognitive development in 4~5 years old children. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1266216. [PMID: 38034291 PMCID: PMC10684932 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266216] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Development of physical and cognitive function is very critical in 4~5 years children. It has been addressed in this research if the 18 weeks of specific functional training with or without cognitive training can be effective on improving fitness and cognitive development in 4~5 years preschool children. Methods A total of 126 preschool children in the 4~5 age range were selected as participants and randomly assigned to one of four groups: the control group (C), the functional physical training group (P), the cognitive training group (CT), and the functional physical training combined with cognitive training group (PCT). Results The results revealed significant pre/post differences in body height and weight among all four groups of children. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in physical fitness between the C group and the CT group after the intervention. However, the children in the P group and the PCT group showed significant improvements in three indicators including standing long jump, continuous jump, and 10-meter shuttle running. Additionally, the children in P group, CT group, and the PCT group demonstrated significant improvement in simple reaction time, attention, and spatial memory. No significant cognitive improvement was found in C group. Conclusion Functional physical training with or without cognitive intervention can promote both physical fitness and cognitive development in children aged 4~5 years. Cognitive training alone can significantly improve cognitive function but not physical. Therefore, functional physical training can be used alone to improve the physical and cognitive abilities for aged 4~5 years old children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Hao
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongzhao Fan
- Department of Physical Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, China
| | - Xiaojuan Zhang
- Graduate School, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangjiang Rong
- Graduate School, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing, China
| | - Youping Sun
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Brain Peace Science Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States
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Jalalian P, Golubickis M, Sharma Y, Neil Macrae C. Learning about me and you: Only deterministic stimulus associations elicit self-prioritization. Conscious Cogn 2023; 116:103602. [PMID: 37952404 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103602] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Self-relevant material has been shown to be prioritized over stimuli relating to others (e.g., friend, stranger), generating benefits in attention, memory, and decision-making. What is not yet understood, however, is whether the conditions under which self-related knowledge is acquired impacts the emergence of self-bias. To address this matter, here we used an associative-learning paradigm in combination with a stimulus-classification task to explore the effects of different learning experiences (i.e., deterministic vs. probabilistic) on self-prioritization. The results revealed an effect of prior learning on task performance, with self-prioritization only emerging when participants acquired target-related associations (i.e., self vs. friend) under conditions of certainty (vs. uncertainty). A further computational (i.e., drift diffusion model) analysis indicated that differences in the efficiency of stimulus processing (i.e., rate of information uptake) underpinned this self-prioritization effect. The implications of these findings for accounts of self-function are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parnian Jalalian
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
| | - Marius Golubickis
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - Yadvi Sharma
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - C Neil Macrae
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
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42
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Guo X, Dobkins K. Private speech improves cognitive performance in young adults. Conscious Cogn 2023; 116:103585. [PMID: 37944294 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103585] [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: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The current study investigated the relationship between private speech usage and cognitive performance in young adults. Participants (n = 103, mean age = 20.21 years) were instructed to complete a visual-spatial working memory task while talking out loud to themselves as much as possible (Private Speech condition). We found that participants performed better on trials for which they produced a greater amount of private speech. To establish causality, we further found that participants performed better in the Private Speech condition than in a condition in which they were instructed to remain silent (Quiet condition). These beneficial effects of private speech were not moderated by task difficulty, which was manipulated by varying image labelability. However, participants who used more private speech during the task, as well as those who reported greater use of self-management private speech in everyday life, showed the greatest benefits. These findings have implications for real-world educational/instructional settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinqi Guo
- University of California, San Diego, United States
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43
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Valentine TR, Kratz AL. Feasibility, reliability, and validity of ambulatory cognitive tests in fibromyalgia and matched controls. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2023; 29:893-901. [PMID: 36762635 PMCID: PMC10412734 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617723000073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This observational study examined the feasibility, reliability, and validity of repeated ambulatory cognitive tests in fibromyalgia (FM). METHOD Adults with FM (n = 50) and matched controls (n = 50) completed lab-based neuropsychological tests (NIH Toolbox) followed by eight days of smartphone-based ambulatory testing of processing speed (symbol search) and working memory (dot memory) five times daily. Feasibility was assessed based on response rates. Reliability was evaluated using overall average between-person reliabilities for the full assessment period and by determining the number of assessment days necessary to attain reliabilities of >.80 and >.90. To assess convergent validity, correlations were calculated between ambulatory test scores and NIH Toolbox scores. Test performance was contrasted between the FM and non-FM groups to examine known-groups validity. RESULTS Average rates of response to the ambulatory cognitive tests were 89.5% in FM and 90.0% in non-FM. Overall average between-person reliabilities were ≥.96. In FM, between-person reliability exceeded .90 after two days for symbol search and three days for dot memory. Symbol search scores correlated with NIH Toolbox processing speed scores in both groups, though there were no significant group differences in symbol search performance. Dot memory scores correlated with NIH Toolbox working memory scores in both groups. FM participants exhibited worse dot memory performance than did non-FM participants. CONCLUSIONS Repeated ambulatory tests of processing speed and working memory demonstrate feasibility and reliability in FM, though evidence for construct validity is mixed. The findings demonstrate promise for future research and clinical applications of this approach to assessing cognition in FM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas R. Valentine
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Anna L. Kratz
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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44
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Godwin KE, Thompson CA, Kaur F, Iwai Y, Fitzsimmons CJ, Taber JM. Attending to what's important: what heat maps may reveal about attention, inhibitory control, and fraction arithmetic performance. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1210266. [PMID: 38023049 PMCID: PMC10646336 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1210266] [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: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Math proficiency is an important predictor of educational attainment and life success. However, developing mathematical competency is challenging, and some content (e.g., fractions) can be enigmatic. Numerous factors are suspected to influence math performance, including strategy knowledge, attention, and executive functions. In two online studies, we investigated the relationship between adults' fraction arithmetic performance, confidence judgments, inhibitory control (a component of executive functions), and attention to strategy-relevant fraction components. We explored the utility of heat maps (based on mouse clicks) to measure adults' attention to strategy-relevant fraction arithmetic components (operationalized according to each mathematical operation). In Study 1, attending to strategy-relevant fraction components was correlated with inhibitory control, but this finding did not replicate in Study 2. Across both studies, inhibitory control and attention to strategy-relevant fraction components were correlated with arithmetic accuracy. Intraindividual variability in participants' attention to strategy-relevant fraction components was also found. Our findings suggest that heat map questions may be a viable alternative to assess participants' attention during fraction tasks and that attention to specific fraction-arithmetic problem features is related to problem-solving accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karrie E. Godwin
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Clarissa A. Thompson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
| | - Freya Kaur
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yuika Iwai
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Jennifer M. Taber
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
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Jassal YR, Kelly S, DiMaria M, Jacobsen R, Brigham D, Hawkins S, Rafferty C, Wolfe KR. Implications of attention and executive functioning weaknesses in youth with Fontan circulation. Child Neuropsychol 2023; 29:1021-1040. [PMID: 36082702 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2022.2120191] [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: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Youth with Fontan circulation (Fontan) are at-risk for impairments in attention and executive functioning (EF) due to a confluence of genetic, prenatal, surgical, and medical risk factors. We sought to describe attention and EF in this population, measured via standardized performance-based tests and caregiver rating scales. We then examined how weaknesses in attention and EF were related to outcomes in other neurobehavioral domains, including adaptive behavior and academic achievement. Our sample included 93 youth with Fontan who were referred for neuropsychological evaluations as part of standard clinical care. The cohort as a whole measured between 0.18 to 0.99 standard deviations below normative means across domains of attention, EF, academic achievement, and intellectual ability. In addition, caregiver-reported concerns for attention, EF, anxiety, and depression were elevated, and approximately 0.35 to 0.85 standard deviations above normative means. Lastly, caregiver-reported adaptive behavior measured 0.93 to 1.24 standard deviations below normative values. Academic outcomes were differentially affected by demographic and attention/EF variables, while depression and caregiver-reported EF predicted adaptive behavior. Findings from this study underscore the importance of routine neuropsychological evaluation as part of comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for individuals with Fontan, with the goal of enhancing neurobehavioral and functional outcomes across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmine R Jassal
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Sarah Kelly
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Michael DiMaria
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Roni Jacobsen
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Dania Brigham
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Stephen Hawkins
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Carey Rafferty
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Kelly R Wolfe
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
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46
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Strori D, Souza PE. The role of working memory in speech recognition by hearing-impaired older listeners: does the task matter? Int J Audiol 2023; 62:1067-1075. [PMID: 36285707 PMCID: PMC10130232 DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2022.2128445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Working memory refers to a cognitive system that holds a limited amount of information in a temporarily heightened state of availability, for use in ongoing cognitive tasks. Research suggests a link between working memory and speech recognition. In this study, we investigated this relationship using two working memory tests that differed in regard to the operationalisation of the link between working memory and attention: the auditory visual divided attention test (AVDAT) and the widely used reading span test. DESIGN The relationship between speech-in-noise recognition and working memory was examined for two different working memory tests that varied in methodological and theoretical aspects, using a within-subject design. STUDY SAMPLE Nineteen hearing-impaired older listeners participated. RESULTS We found a strong link between the reading span test and speech-in-noise recognition and a less robust link between the AVDAT and speech-in-noise recognition. There was evidence for the role of selective attention in speech-in-noise recognition, shown via the new AVDAT measure. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the strength of the relationship between speech-in-noise recognition and working memory may be influenced by the match between the demands and the stimuli of the speech-in-noise task and those of the working memory test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorina Strori
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - Pamela E. Souza
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208
- Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208
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47
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Hutcheon EA, Vakorin VA, Nunes AS, Ribary U, Ferguson S, Claydon VE, Doesburg SM. Comparing neuronal oscillations during visual spatial attention orienting between normobaric and hypobaric hypoxia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18021. [PMID: 37865721 PMCID: PMC10590435 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45308-8] [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: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Normobaric hypoxia (NH) and hypobaric hypoxia (HH) are both used to train aircraft pilots to recognize symptoms of hypoxia. NH (low oxygen concentration) training is often preferred because it is more cost effective, simpler, and safer than HH. It is unclear, however, whether NH is neurophysiologically equivalent to HH (high altitude). Previous studies have shown that neural oscillations, particularly those in the alpha band (8-12 Hz), are impacted by hypoxia. Attention tasks have been shown to reliably modulate alpha oscillations, although the neurophysiological impacts of hypoxia during cognitive processing remains poorly understood. To address this we investigated induced and evoked power alongside physiological data while participants performed an attention task during control (normobaric normoxia or NN), NH (fraction of inspired oxygen = 12.8%, partial pressure of inspired oxygen = 87.2 mmHg), and HH (3962 m, partial pressure of inspired oxygen = 87.2 mmHg) conditions inside a hypobaric chamber. No significant differences between NH and HH were found in oxygen saturation, end tidal gases, breathing rate, middle cerebral artery velocity and blood pressure. Induced alpha power was significantly decreased in NH and HH when compared to NN. Participants in the HH condition showed significantly increased induced lower-beta power and evoked higher-beta power, compared with the NH and NN conditions, indicating that NH and HH differ in their impact on neurophysiological activity supporting cognition. NH and HH were found not to be neurophysiologically equivalent as electroencephalography was able to differentiate NH from HH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A Hutcheon
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
| | - Vasily A Vakorin
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Adonay S Nunes
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Urs Ribary
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Sherri Ferguson
- Environmental Physiology and Medicine Unit, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Victoria E Claydon
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
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48
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Verschooren S, Egner T. When the mind's eye prevails: The Internal Dominance over External Attention (IDEA) hypothesis. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:1668-1688. [PMID: 36988893 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02272-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Throughout the 20th century, the psychological literature has considered attention as being primarily directed at the outside world. More recent theories conceive attention as also operating on internal information, and mounting evidence suggests a single, shared attentional focus between external and internal information. Such sharing implies a cognitive architecture where attention needs to be continuously shifted between prioritizing either external or internal information, but the fundamental principles underlying this attentional balancing act are currently unknown. Here, we propose and evaluate one such principle in the shape of the Internal Dominance over External Attention (IDEA) hypothesis: Contrary to the traditional view of attention as being primarily externally oriented, IDEA asserts that attention is inherently biased toward internal information. We provide a theoretical account for why such an internal attention bias may have evolved and examine findings from a wide range of literatures speaking to the balancing of external versus internal attention, including research on working memory, attention switching, visual search, mind wandering, sustained attention, and meditation. We argue that major findings in these disparate research lines can be coherently understood under IDEA. Finally, we consider tentative neurocognitive mechanisms contributing to IDEA and examine the practical implications of more deliberate control over this bias in the context of psychopathology. It is hoped that this novel hypothesis motivates cross-talk between the reviewed research lines and future empirical studies directly examining the mechanisms that steer attention either inward or outward on a moment-by-moment basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Verschooren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Tobias Egner
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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Xing S, Yang J. The Impact of Interpreting Training Experience on the Attentional Networks and Their Dynamics. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1306. [PMID: 37759907 PMCID: PMC10526303 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Interpreting, a complicated and demanding bilingual task, depends heavily on attentional control. However, few studies have focused on the interpreters' advantages in attention, and the findings so far have been inconsistent. Meanwhile, the connection between attentional networks and other cognitive abilities, such as working memory (WM), has rarely been explored in interpreters. The present study investigated whether interpreting experience (IE) contributed to the attentional networks of bilinguals and explored the link between interpreters' attention and WM. Three groups of Chinese-English bilinguals, differing only in their duration of interpreting training (the More-IE group, the Less-IE group, and the No-IE group), completed the Attention Network Test (ANT). Results showed that only the alerting network was more efficient in the More-IE group than in the Less-IE and No-IE groups; moreover, the dynamics between the alerting and executive networks were significant only in the More-IE group. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between the executive effect and the working memory capacity (WMC) in the More-IE group. Our study validated and provided empirical support for the Attentional Control Model, stimulating further research into neurocognitive mechanisms of advanced second language learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunjie Xing
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510420, China;
| | - Jing Yang
- School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Balıkçı İ, Tok S, Binboğa E. The effect of background audio and audiovisual stimuli on students' autonomic responses during and after an experimental academic examination. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3153. [PMID: 37522750 PMCID: PMC10498078 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3153] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown during the online-distant education period, certain students tended to combine their courses and homework with TV or social media news or other media content, such as classical music, including a wealth of audio and audiovisual stimuli. As the audio and audiovisual stimuli existing in a learning environment may affect students' autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses negatively, the present study aimed to monitor the impact of background TV, classical music, and silence on students' ANS activity represented by heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), blood volume amplitude (BVA), and skin conductance level (SCL) during and after an experimental academic examination. METHOD Seventy-six students were randomly allocated to background TV, classical music, or silence groups. The experiment with repeated measures design consisted of four consecutive periods: baseline, anticipation, challenge, and recovery, lasting 4 min each. RESULTS Within-subject analyses indicated significant HRV decrement only in the background TV group. Regardless of the experimental groups, HR and SCL increased while BVA decreased during the task. In addition, the between-subject analysis showed that the background TV group experienced significantly larger changes in HR and HRV parameters compared to the other experimental groups relative to their respective baseline measurements. CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, we concluded that relative to classical music and silence, background TV, including audiovisual and verbal stimuli, extant in a learning environment might raise students' sympathetic activity. Further, classical music, without lyrics, may suppress the withdrawal of vagal activity and elevate the autonomic regulation capacity during the academic reading comprehension task. HRV is a more valid and reliable indicator of students' autonomic responses during a challenging academic task.
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Affiliation(s)
- İlker Balıkçı
- Faculty of Sports SciencesManisa Celal Bayar UniversityManisaTurkey
| | - Serdar Tok
- Faculty of Sports SciencesManisa Celal Bayar UniversityManisaTurkey
| | - Erdal Binboğa
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of BiophysicsEge UniversityİzmirTurkey
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