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Wu W, Lohani S, Homan T, Krieger-Redwood K, Hoffman P. Healthy ageing has divergent effects on verbal and non-verbal semantic cognition. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1179-1189. [PMID: 37542428 PMCID: PMC11103919 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231195341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Semantic cognition refers to the storage and appropriate use of knowledge acquired over the lifespan and underpins our everyday verbal and non-verbal behaviours. Successful semantic cognition requires representation of knowledge and control processes which ensure that currently relevant aspects of knowledge are retrieved and selected. Although these abilities have been widely studied in healthy young populations and semantically impaired patients, it is unclear how they change as a function of healthy ageing, especially for non-verbal semantic processing. Here, we addressed this issue by comparing the performance profiles of young and older people on a semantic knowledge task and a semantic control task, across verbal (word) and non-verbal (picture) versions. The results revealed distinct patterns of change during adulthood for semantic knowledge and semantic control. Older people performed better in both verbal and non-verbal knowledge tasks than young people. However, although the older group showed preserved controlled retrieval for verbal semantics, they demonstrated a specific impairment for non-verbal semantic control. These findings indicate that the effects of ageing on semantic cognition are more complex than previously assumed, and that input modality plays an important role in the shifting cognitive architecture of semantics in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Suchismita Lohani
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Taylore Homan
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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2
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Baumard J, Lesourd M, Jarry C, Merck C, Etcharry-Bouyx F, Chauviré V, Belliard S, Osiurak F, Le Gall D. Knowing "what for," but not "where": Dissociation between functional and contextual tool knowledge in healthy individuals and patients with dementia. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2024; 30:97-106. [PMID: 37650212 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617723000486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Semantic tool knowledge underlies the ability to perform activities of daily living. Models of apraxia have emphasized the role of functional knowledge about the action performed with tools (e.g., a hammer and a mallet allow a "hammering" action), and contextual knowledge informing individuals about where to find tools in the social space (e.g., a hammer and a mallet can be found in a workshop). The goal of this study was to test whether contextual or functional knowledge, would be central in the organization of tool knowledge. It was assumed that contextual knowledge would be more salient than functional knowledge for healthy controls and that patients with dementia would show impaired contextual knowledge. METHODS We created an original, open-ended categorization task with ambiguity, in which the same familiar tools could be matched on either contextual or functional criteria. RESULTS In our findings, healthy controls prioritized a contextual, over a functional criterion. Patients with dementia had normal visual categorization skills (as demonstrated by an original picture categorization task), yet they made less contextual, but more functional associations than healthy controls. CONCLUSION The findings support a dissociation between functional knowledge ("what for") on the one hand, and contextual knowledge ("where") on the other hand. While functional knowledge may be distributed across semantic and action-related factors, contextual knowledge may actually be the name of higher-order social norms applied to tool knowledge. These findings may encourage researchers to test both functional and contextual knowledge to diagnose semantic deficits and to use open-ended categorization tests.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mathieu Lesourd
- Laboratoire de Recherches Intégratives en Neurosciences et Psychologie Cognitive & MSHE Ledoux, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | - Christophe Jarry
- Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (EA 4638), Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Catherine Merck
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Pontchaillou, Rennes, France
| | | | - Valérie Chauviré
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France
| | - Serge Belliard
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Pontchaillou, Rennes, France
| | - François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Didier Le Gall
- Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (EA 4638), Université d'Angers, Angers, France
- Département de Neurologie, Unité de Neuropsychologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, Angers, France
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Persichetti AS, Shao J, Denning JM, Gotts SJ, Martin A. Taxonomic structure in a set of abstract concepts. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1278744. [PMID: 38239478 PMCID: PMC10794597 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1278744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
A large portion of human knowledge comprises "abstract" concepts that lack readily perceivable properties (e.g., "love" and "justice"). Since abstract concepts lack such properties, they have historically been treated as an undifferentiated category of knowledge in the psychology and neuropsychology literatures. More recently, the categorical structure of abstract concepts is often explored using paradigms that ask participants to make explicit judgments about a set of concepts along dimensions that are predetermined by the experimenter. Such methods require the experimenter to select dimensions that are relevant to the concepts and further that people make explicit judgments that accurately reflect their mental representations. We bypassed these requirements by collecting two large sets of non-verbal and implicit judgments about which dimensions are relevant to the similarity between pairs of 50 abstract nouns to determine the representational space of the concepts. We then identified categories within the representational space using a clustering procedure that required categories to replicate across two independent data sets. In a separate experiment, we used automatic semantic priming to further validate the categories and to show that they are an improvement over categories that were defined within the same set of abstract concepts using explicit ratings along predetermined dimensions. These results demonstrate that abstract concepts can be characterized beyond their negative relation to concrete concepts and that categories of abstract concepts can be defined without using a priori dimensions for the concepts or explicit judgments from participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Persichetti
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, ML, United States
| | - Jiayu Shao
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, ML, United States
| | - Joseph M. Denning
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Stephen J. Gotts
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, ML, United States
| | - Alex Martin
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, ML, United States
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Ohm DT, Rhodes E, Bahena A, Capp N, Lowe M, Sabatini P, Trotman W, Olm CA, Phillips J, Prabhakaran K, Rascovsky K, Massimo L, McMillan C, Gee J, Tisdall MD, Yushkevich PA, Lee EB, Grossman M, Irwin DJ. Neuroanatomical and cellular degeneration associated with a social disorder characterized by new ritualistic belief systems in a TDP-C patient vs. a Pick patient. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1245886. [PMID: 37900607 PMCID: PMC10600461 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1245886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a spectrum of clinically and pathologically heterogenous neurodegenerative dementias. Clinical and anatomical variants of FTD have been described and associated with underlying frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) pathology, including tauopathies (FTLD-tau) or TDP-43 proteinopathies (FTLD-TDP). FTD patients with predominant degeneration of anterior temporal cortices often develop a language disorder of semantic knowledge loss and/or a social disorder often characterized by compulsive rituals and belief systems corresponding to predominant left or right hemisphere involvement, respectively. The neural substrates of these complex social disorders remain unclear. Here, we present a comparative imaging and postmortem study of two patients, one with FTLD-TDP (subtype C) and one with FTLD-tau (subtype Pick disease), who both developed new rigid belief systems. The FTLD-TDP patient developed a complex set of values centered on positivity and associated with specific physical and behavioral features of pigs, while the FTLD-tau patient developed compulsive, goal-directed behaviors related to general themes of positivity and spirituality. Neuroimaging showed left-predominant temporal atrophy in the FTLD-TDP patient and right-predominant frontotemporal atrophy in the FTLD-tau patient. Consistent with antemortem cortical atrophy, histopathologic examinations revealed severe loss of neurons and myelin predominantly in the anterior temporal lobes of both patients, but the FTLD-tau patient showed more bilateral, dorsolateral involvement featuring greater pathology and loss of projection neurons and deep white matter. These findings highlight that the regions within and connected to anterior temporal lobes may have differential vulnerability to distinct FTLD proteinopathies and serve important roles in human belief systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T. Ohm
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Emma Rhodes
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Alejandra Bahena
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Noah Capp
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - MaKayla Lowe
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Philip Sabatini
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Winifred Trotman
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Christopher A. Olm
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jeffrey Phillips
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Karthik Prabhakaran
- Penn Image Computing and Science Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Katya Rascovsky
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Lauren Massimo
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Corey McMillan
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - James Gee
- Penn Image Computing and Science Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - M. Dylan Tisdall
- Center for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Paul A. Yushkevich
- Penn Image Computing and Science Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Edward B. Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Murray Grossman
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David J. Irwin
- Penn Digital Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Enge A, Süß F, Abdel Rahman R. Instant Effects of Semantic Information on Visual Perception. J Neurosci 2023; 43:4896-4906. [PMID: 37286353 PMCID: PMC10312055 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2038-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Does our perception of an object change once we discover what function it serves? We showed human participants (n = 48, 31 females and 17 males) pictures of unfamiliar objects either together with keywords matching their function, leading to semantically informed perception, or together with nonmatching keywords, resulting in uninformed perception. We measured event-related potentials to investigate at which stages in the visual processing hierarchy these two types of object perception differed from one another. We found that semantically informed compared with uninformed perception was associated with larger amplitudes in the N170 component (150-200 ms), reduced amplitudes in the N400 component (400-700 ms), and a late decrease in alpha/beta band power. When the same objects were presented once more without any information, the N400 and event-related power effects persisted, and we also observed enlarged amplitudes in the P1 component (100-150 ms) in response to objects for which semantically informed perception had taken place. Consistent with previous work, this suggests that obtaining semantic information about previously unfamiliar objects alters aspects of their lower-level visual perception (P1 component), higher-level visual perception (N170 component), and semantic processing (N400 component, event-related power). Our study is the first to show that such effects occur instantly after semantic information has been provided for the first time, without requiring extensive learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT There has been a long-standing debate about whether or not higher-level cognitive capacities, such as semantic knowledge, can influence lower-level perceptual processing in a top-down fashion. Here we could show, for the first time, that information about the function of previously unfamiliar objects immediately influences cortical processing within less than 200 ms. Of note, this influence does not require training or experience with the objects and related semantic information. Therefore, our study is the first to show effects of cognition on perception while ruling out the possibility that prior knowledge merely acts by preactivating or altering stored visual representations. Instead, this knowledge seems to alter perception online, thus providing a compelling case against the impenetrability of perception by cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Enge
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive, Research Group Learning in Early Childhood and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Franziska Süß
- Fachhochschule des Mittelstands, 96050, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Rasha Abdel Rahman
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence," 10587, Berlin, Germany
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6
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Henry JD, Coundouris SP, Craik FIM, von Hippel C, Grainger SA. The cognitive tenacity of self-directed ageism. Trends Cogn Sci 2023:S1364-6613(23)00072-4. [PMID: 37147237 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Ageism refers to prejudice or discrimination based on a person's age. When ageism is directed at older people, it is unique in two ways: it is socially condoned in a manner that other types of prejudice are not, and the animus is eventually self-directed. Of central interest here is why ageism becomes self-directed in late adulthood, despite its potentially harmful personal costs. We present a cognitive model in which negative ageist beliefs become increasingly accessible and difficult to eliminate owing to broader developmental shifts in mentation. Given that these effects are contingent on our social environment, systemic changes in societal conceptions of age and aging are needed if we are to reduce vulnerability to self-directed ageism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie D Henry
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Sarah P Coundouris
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Courtney von Hippel
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sarah A Grainger
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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7
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Pham T, Archibald LMD. The role of working memory loads on immediate and long-term sentence recall. Memory 2023; 31:61-76. [PMID: 36107807 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2122999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
It is well-established that both phonological and semantic knowledge influence verbal working memory. However, the focus has primarily been on understanding phonological effects despite evidence of semantic influences. Articulatory suppression is a well-established task for preventing phonological processing. Methods to prevent semantic processing have rarely been used in the past, highlighting a need for developing a semantic interference task. We, therefore, conceptualised two novel tasks - an animacy categorisation and semantic relatedness judgement task. This study explored the impact of phonological (articulatory suppression) and semantic loads (animacy categorisation and semantic relatedness judgement) on immediate and delayed sentence recall. Additionally, sentence concreteness (concrete vs. abstract sentences) indexed semantic knowledge in verbal working memory. Across two studies, immediate recall revealed that articulatory suppression (preventing phonological processing) increased the size of the concreteness effect, while the novel semantic tasks (preventing semantic processing) reduced it suggesting that our semantic tasks were indeed imposing a semantic load. Further, relative long-term performance showed that more new words were remembered in articulatory suppression, whereas recall was disproportionately impaired in the semantic relatedness task. Our experimental paradigm offers phonological and semantic suppression tasks that can be used in parallel to investigate the interactions between working memory and language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Pham
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Lisa M D Archibald
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
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Chi C, Zeng X, Bruniaux P, Tartare G. A study on segmentation and refinement of key human body parts by integrating manual measurements. Ergonomics 2022; 65:60-77. [PMID: 34338605 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2021.1963489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Optimal ergonomic design for consumer goods (such as garments and furniture) cannot be perfectly realised because of imprecise interactions between products and human models. In this paper, we propose a new body classification method that integrates human skeleton features, expert experience, manual measurement methods, and statistical analysis (principal component analysis and K-means clustering). Taking the upper body of young males as an example, the proposed method enables the classification of upper bodies into a number of levels at three key body segments (the arm root [seven levels], the shoulder [five levels], and the torso [below the shoulder, eight levels]). From several experiments, we found that the proposed method can lead to more accurate results than the classical classification methods based on three-dimensional (3 D) human model and can provide semantic knowledge of human body shapes. This includes interpretations of the classification results at these three body segments and key feature point positions, as determined by skeleton features and expert experience. Quantitative analysis also demonstrates that the reconstruction errors satisfy the requirements of garment design and production. Practitioner summary The acquisition and classification of anthropometric data constitute the basis of ergonomic design. This paper presents a new method for body classification that leads to more accurate results than classical classification methods (which are based on human body models). We also provide semantic knowledge about the shape of human body. The proposed method can also be extended to 3 D body modelling and to the design of other consumer products, such as furniture, seats, and cars. Abbreviations: PCA: principal component analysis; KMO: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin; ANOVA: analysis of variance; 3D: three-dimensional; 2D: two-dimensional; ISO: International Standardisation Organisation; BFB: body-feature-based.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Chi
- Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, China
- Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Industries Textiles, Roubaix, France
| | - Xianyi Zeng
- Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Industries Textiles, Roubaix, France
| | - Pascal Bruniaux
- Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Industries Textiles, Roubaix, France
| | - Guillaume Tartare
- Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Industries Textiles, Roubaix, France
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Gong S, Dinesh Jackson Samuel R, Pandian S. Meta-Heuristic Feature Optimization for ontology-based data security in a campus workplace with robotic assistance. Work 2021; 68:913-922. [PMID: 33612533 DOI: 10.3233/wor-203425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For campus workplace secure text mining, robotic assistance with feature optimization is essential. The space model of the vector is usually used to represent texts. Besides, there are still two drawbacks to this basic approach: the curse and lack of semantic knowledge. OBJECTIVES This paper proposes a new Meta-Heuristic Feature Optimization (MHFO) method for data security in the campus workplace with robotic assistance. Firstly, the terms of the space vector model have been mapped to the concepts of data protection ontology, which statistically calculate conceptual frequency weights by term various weights. Furthermore, according to the designs of data protection ontology, the weight of theoretical identification is allocated. The dimensionality of functional areas is reduced significantly by combining standard frequency weights and weights based on data protection ontology. In addition, semantic knowledge is integrated into this process. RESULTS The results show that the development of the characteristics of this process significantly improves campus workplace secure text mining. CONCLUSION The experimental results show that the development of the features of the concept hierarchy structure process significantly enhances data security of campus workplace text mining with robotic assistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suning Gong
- School of Civil Engineering, Nantong Institute of Technology, Nantong, China
| | - R Dinesh Jackson Samuel
- Faculty of Technology, Design, and Environment, Visual Artificial Intelligence Lab, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
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Ngo CT, Benear SL, Popal H, Olson IR, Newcombe NS. Contingency of semantic generalization on episodic specificity varies across development. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2690-2697.e5. [PMID: 33887184 PMCID: PMC8222141 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Semantic memory-general knowledge of ideas and concepts-includes generalization processes that support inference. Episodic memory, on the other hand, preserves the specificity of individual events by binding together unique combinations of elements from an episode and relies on pattern separation to distinguish similar experiences. These two memory systems play complementary roles, supporting different mnemonic goals, but the nature and extent of their interdependence is unclear.1,2 Some models suggest that new information is encoded initially as hippocampus-dependent episodic memory and then, either through repetition or gist extraction, becomes semantic over time.3,4 These models also posit a neocortical route to semantic memory acquisition exists that can bypass the hippocampus.3 Both proposed routes are slow learning mechanisms, yet generalization can occur rapidly. Recent models suggest that fast generalization relies, in part, on the retrieval of individual but related episodes.5,6 Such episodic memory gating mechanisms render fast generalization contingent on the memory specificity of instances, a pattern that has been observed in adults.7,8 None of these models take into account the observation that generalization and episodic specificity have asynchronous developmental profiles, with generalization emerging years before episodic memory.9,10 We ask two questions about generalized and specific memory during early childhood: first, is rapid generalization contingent on remembering specific past memories? And second, does the strength or nature of this contingency differ across development? We found that the interdependence of generalization and episodic memory varies across development: generalization success in adults, but not in children, was contingent on context binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi T Ngo
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Susan L Benear
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Haroon Popal
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ingrid R Olson
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nora S Newcombe
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Rüth M, Breuer J, Zimmermann D, Kaspar K. The Effects of Different Feedback Types on Learning With Mobile Quiz Apps. Front Psychol 2021; 12:665144. [PMID: 34135824 PMCID: PMC8200521 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.665144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Testing is an effective learning method, and it is the basis of mobile quiz apps. Quiz apps have the potential to facilitate remote and self-regulated learning. In this context, automatized feedback plays a crucial role. In two experimental studies, we examined the effects of two feedback types of quiz apps on performance, namely, the standard corrective feedback of quiz apps and a feedback that incorporates additional information related to the correct response option. We realized a controlled lab setting (n = 68, Study 1) and an unsupervised mobile setting (n = 150, Study 2). In the learning phase, participants used the quiz app and received feedback. They also completed a subsequent test as well as a follow-up test 1 week later by using the same quiz app. Irrespective of feedback type and setting, cognitive outcomes (quiz scores) and metacognitive outcomes (response certainty) increased similarly in the short term and long term. Feedback effects were not moderated by participants' overall response certainty during learning, their prior knowledge, and the difficulty of quiz items. Moreover, we found that participants perceived the quiz app to be similarly attractive, interesting, and enjoyable in both feedback conditions and that they spent slightly more time to process quiz items in the lab setting. We discuss these results in detail, including the role of moderating and mediating factors and prospects for further research and practice. Overall, our results underline that quiz apps are useful and effective tools that can support the acquisition and retention of semantic knowledge in different learning settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Rüth
- Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Johannes Breuer
- Data Archive for the Social Sciences, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Kai Kaspar
- Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Abstract
As adults, we draw upon our ample knowledge about the world to support such vital cognitive feats as using language, reasoning, retrieving knowledge relevant to our current goals, planning for the future, adapting to unexpected events, and navigating through the environment. Our knowledge readily supports these feats because it is not merely a collection of stored facts, but rather functions as an organized, semantic network of concepts connected by meaningful relations. How do the relations that fundamentally organize semantic concepts emerge with development? Here, we cast a spotlight on a potentially powerful but often overlooked driver of semantic organization: Rich statistical regularities that are ubiquitous in both language and visual input. In this synthetic review, we show that a driving role for statistical regularities is convergently supported by evidence from diverse fields, including computational modeling, statistical learning, and semantic development. Finally, we identify a number of key avenues of future research into how statistical regularities may drive the development of semantic organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Unger
- Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus OH
| | - Anna V Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA
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Peer M, Brunec IK, Newcombe NS, Epstein RA. Structuring Knowledge with Cognitive Maps and Cognitive Graphs. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:37-54. [PMID: 33248898 PMCID: PMC7746605 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Humans and animals use mental representations of the spatial structure of the world to navigate. The classical view is that these representations take the form of Euclidean cognitive maps, but alternative theories suggest that they are cognitive graphs consisting of locations connected by paths. We review evidence suggesting that both map-like and graph-like representations exist in the mind/brain that rely on partially overlapping neural systems. Maps and graphs can operate simultaneously or separately, and they may be applied to both spatial and nonspatial knowledge. By providing structural frameworks for complex information, cognitive maps and cognitive graphs may provide fundamental organizing schemata that allow us to navigate in physical, social, and conceptual spaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Peer
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Iva K Brunec
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Nora S Newcombe
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Russell A Epstein
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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14
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Pozueta A, Lage C, Martínez MG, Kazimierczak M, Bravo M, López-García S, Riancho J, González-Suarez A, Vázquez-Higuera JL, de Arcocha-Torres M, Banzo I, Bonilla JJ, Berciano J, Rodríguez-Rodríguez E, Sánchez-Juan P. A Brief Drawing Task for the Differential Diagnosis of Semantic Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 72:151-160. [PMID: 31561372 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Semantic dementia (SD) is a subtype of frontotemporal lobe degeneration characterized by semantic loss, with other cognitive functions initially preserved. SD requires differential diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Semantic knowledge can be evaluated through different tests; however, most of them depend on language. OBJECTIVE We describe the development of a brief drawing task that may be helpful for the differential diagnosis of SD. METHODS Seventy-two patients, including 32 AD, 19 bvFTD, and 21 SD were asked to draw 12 items with different age of acquisition and familiarity, belonging to four different semantic categories. We employed the drawings of healthy volunteers to build a scoring scheme. RESULTS Turtle, strawberry, train, and envelope were the items of each category that best discriminated between groups and were selected for the Brief drawing task. The discriminatory power of the Brief drawing task between SD versus AD and bvFTD patients, estimated through the area under the curve was 0.84 (95% CI = 0.72-0.96, p = 0.000007). In a logistic model, the Brief drawing task (p = 0.003) and VOSP "number location" subtest (p = 0.016) were significant predictors of the diagnosis of SD versus AD and bvFTD after adjustment by the main covariates. The Brief drawing task provided clinically useful qualitative information. SD drawings were characterized by loss of the distinctive features, intrusions, tendency to prototype, and answers like "I don't know what this is". CONCLUSION The Brief drawing task appears to reveal deficits in semantic knowledge among patients with SD that may assist in the differential diagnosis with other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Pozueta
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - Carmen Lage
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - María García Martínez
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - Martha Kazimierczak
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - María Bravo
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - Sara López-García
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - Javier Riancho
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Hospital Sierrallana, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - Andrea González-Suarez
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - José Luis Vázquez-Higuera
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - María de Arcocha-Torres
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, University of Cantabria, Molecular imaging Group - IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Ignacio Banzo
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, University of Cantabria, Molecular imaging Group - IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Julio Jimenez Bonilla
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, University of Cantabria, Molecular imaging Group - IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - José Berciano
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - Eloy Rodríguez-Rodríguez
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - Pascual Sánchez-Juan
- Neurology Service and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 'Marqués de Valdecilla' University Hospital, University of Cantabria, Institute for Research 'Marqués de Valdecilla' (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
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15
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Signoret C, Andersen LM, Dahlström Ö, Blomberg R, Lundqvist D, Rudner M, Rönnberg J. The Influence of Form- and Meaning-Based Predictions on Cortical Speech Processing Under Challenging Listening Conditions: A MEG Study. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:573254. [PMID: 33100961 PMCID: PMC7546411 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.573254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Under adverse listening conditions, prior linguistic knowledge about the form (i.e., phonology) and meaning (i.e., semantics) help us to predict what an interlocutor is about to say. Previous research has shown that accurate predictions of incoming speech increase speech intelligibility, and that semantic predictions enhance the perceptual clarity of degraded speech even when exact phonological predictions are possible. In addition, working memory (WM) is thought to have specific influence over anticipatory mechanisms by actively maintaining and updating the relevance of predicted vs. unpredicted speech inputs. However, the relative impact on speech processing of deviations from expectations related to form and meaning is incompletely understood. Here, we use MEG to investigate the cortical temporal processing of deviations from the expected form and meaning of final words during sentence processing. Our overall aim was to observe how deviations from the expected form and meaning modulate cortical speech processing under adverse listening conditions and investigate the degree to which this is associated with WM capacity. Results indicated that different types of deviations are processed differently in the auditory N400 and Mismatch Negativity (MMN) components. In particular, MMN was sensitive to the type of deviation (form or meaning) whereas the N400 was sensitive to the magnitude of the deviation rather than its type. WM capacity was associated with the ability to process phonological incoming information and semantic integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carine Signoret
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Lau M Andersen
- The National Research Facility for Magnetoencephalography, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.,Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Örjan Dahlström
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Rina Blomberg
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Daniel Lundqvist
- The National Research Facility for Magnetoencephalography, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Mary Rudner
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Jerker Rönnberg
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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16
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Lau MC, Roodenrys S, Miller LM. Semantic feature effect in verbal short-term memory. Memory 2020; 28:815-829. [PMID: 32603246 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2020.1788096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The present study explored the influences of semantic features in immediate serial recall in order to further examine the involvement of semantic knowledge in short-term memory. The number of semantic features (NoF) was found to have a positive effect on short-term recall where high NoF words were remembered better than low NoF words (Experiment 1). This effect was replicated in a second experiment and was found to persist even after controlling for a potential confound (number of distinguishing features). It was further found that having more distinctive features facilitated recall performance of words whose representation was semantically poorer (Experiment 3). These results provide additional evidence of semantic influences in short-term memory and demonstrate that the organisation of semantic knowledge is reflected in short-term memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mabel C Lau
- School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Steven Roodenrys
- School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Leonie M Miller
- School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
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17
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Abstract
Semantic knowledge accumulates through explicit means and productive processes (e.g., analogy). These means work in concert when information explicitly acquired in separate episodes is integrated, and the integrated representation is used to self-derive new knowledge. We tested whether (a) self-derivation through memory integration extends beyond general information to science content, (b) self-derived information is retained, and (c) details of explicit learning episodes are retained. Testing was in second-grade classrooms (children 7-9 years). Children self-derived new knowledge; performance did not differ for general knowledge (Experiment 1) and science curriculum facts (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, children retained self-derived knowledge over one week. In Experiment 2, children remembered details of the learning episodes that gave rise to self-derived knowledge; performance suggests that memory integration is dependent on explicit prompts. The findings support nomination of self-derivation through memory integration as a model for accumulation of semantic knowledge and inform the processes involved.
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18
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Moore K, Convery R, Bocchetta M, Neason M, Cash DM, Greaves C, Russell LL, Clarke MTM, Peakman G, van Swieten J, Jiskoot L, Moreno F, Barandiaran M, Sanchez-Valle R, Borroni B, Laforce R, Doré MC, Masellis M, Tartaglia MC, Graff C, Galimberti D, Rowe JB, Finger E, Synofzik M, Karnath HO, Vandenberghe R, de Mendonça A, Maruta C, Tagliavini F, Santana I, Ducharme S, Butler C, Gerhard A, Levin J, Danek A, Otto M, Warren JD, Rohrer JD. A modified Camel and Cactus Test detects presymptomatic semantic impairment in genetic frontotemporal dementia within the GENFI cohort. Appl Neuropsychol Adult 2020; 29:112-119. [PMID: 32024404 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2020.1716357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Impaired semantic knowledge is a characteristic feature of some forms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), particularly the sporadic disorder semantic dementia. Less is known about semantic cognition in the genetic forms of FTD caused by mutations in the genes MAPT, C9orf72, and GRN. We developed a modified version of the Camel and Cactus Test (mCCT) to investigate the presence of semantic difficulties in a large genetic FTD cohort from the Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI) study. Six-hundred-forty-four participants were tested with the mCCT including 67 MAPT mutation carriers (15 symptomatic, and 52 in the presymptomatic period), 165 GRN mutation carriers (33 symptomatic, 132 presymptomatic), and 164 C9orf72 mutation carriers (56 symptomatic, 108 presymptomatic) and 248 mutation-negative members of FTD families who acted as a control group. The presymptomatic mutation carriers were further split into those early and late in the presymptomatic period (more than vs. within 10 years of expected symptom onset). Groups were compared using a linear regression model, adjusting for age and education, with bootstrapping. Performance on the mCCT had a weak negative correlation with age (rho = -0.20) and a weak positive correlation with education (rho = 0.13), with an overall abnormal score (below the 5th percentile of the control population) being below 27 out of a total of 32. All three of the symptomatic mutation groups scored significantly lower than controls: MAPT mean 22.3 (standard deviation 8.0), GRN 24.4 (7.2), C9orf72 23.6 (6.5) and controls 30.2 (1.6). However, in the presymptomatic groups, only the late MAPT and late C9orf72 mutation groups scored lower than controls (28.8 (2.2) and 28.9 (2.5) respectively). Performance on the mCCT correlated strongly with temporal lobe volume in the symptomatic MAPT mutation group (rho > 0.80). In the C9orf72 group, mCCT score correlated with both bilateral temporal lobe volume (rho > 0.31) and bilateral frontal lobe volume (rho > 0.29), whilst in the GRN group mCCT score correlated only with left frontal lobe volume (rho = 0.48). This study provides evidence for presymptomatic impaired semantic knowledge in genetic FTD. The different neuroanatomical associations of the mCCT score may represent distinct cognitive processes causing deficits in different groups: loss of core semantic knowledge associated with temporal lobe atrophy (particularly in the MAPT group), and impaired executive control of semantic information associated with frontal lobe atrophy. Further studies will be helpful to address the longitudinal change in mCCT performance and the exact time at which presymptomatic impairment occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Moore
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Rhian Convery
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Martina Bocchetta
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Mollie Neason
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - David M Cash
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Caroline Greaves
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Mica T M Clarke
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Georgia Peakman
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - John van Swieten
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lize Jiskoot
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Fermin Moreno
- Cognitive Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Myriam Barandiaran
- Cognitive Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Raquel Sanchez-Valle
- Alzheimer's disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic, Institut d'Investigacións Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Barbara Borroni
- Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Robert Laforce
- Clinique Interdisciplinaire de Mémoire, Département des Sciences Neurologiques, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Marie-Claire Doré
- Clinique Interdisciplinaire de Mémoire, Département des Sciences Neurologiques, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Mario Masellis
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Maria Carmela Tartaglia
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Caroline Graff
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital-Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniela Galimberti
- Centro Dino Ferrari, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Neurodegenerative Diseases Unit, Ospedale Policlinico, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Milan, IT
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Elizabeth Finger
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hans-Otto Karnath
- Division of Neuropsychology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Carolina Maruta
- Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory of Language Research, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Istituto Neurologica Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Isabel Santana
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Simon Ducharme
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Chris Butler
- Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alex Gerhard
- Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Adrian Danek
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jason D Warren
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
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19
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Luzzatti C, Mauri I, Castiglioni S, Zuffi M, Spartà C, Somalvico F, Franceschi M. Evaluating Semantic Knowledge Through a Semantic Association Task in Individuals With Dementia. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 2020; 35:1533317520917294. [PMID: 32308008 PMCID: PMC10623912 DOI: 10.1177/1533317520917294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2024]
Abstract
Conceptual knowledge is supported by multiple semantic systems that are specialized for the analysis of different properties associated with object concepts. Various types of semantic association between concrete concepts-categorical (CA), encyclopedic (EA), functional (FA), and visual-encyclopedic (VEA) associations-were tested through a new picture-to-picture matching task (semantic association task, SAT). Forty individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 13 with behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD), 6 with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and 37 healthy participants were tested with the SAT. Within-group comparisons highlighted a global impairment of all types of semantic association in bv-FTD individuals but a disproportionate impairment of EA and FA, with relative sparing of CA and VEA, in AD individuals. Single-case analyses detected dissociations in all dementia groups. Conceptual knowledge can be selectively impaired in various types of neurodegenerative disease on the basis of the specific cognitive process that is disrupted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Luzzatti
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Mauri
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Marta Zuffi
- Department of Neurology, MultiMedica Hospital, Castellanza, Italy
| | - Chiara Spartà
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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20
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Wong CH, Gau SSF, Chou TL. Neural correlates of association strength and categorical relatedness in youths with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2019; 12:1484-1494. [PMID: 31385651 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Impaired language and communication are commonly observed in youths with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the organization of semantic knowledge in youths with ASD remains unclear compared to typically developing (TD) youths. The present study addresses this issue by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the distinction between association strength and categorical relatedness of semantic knowledge. A sample of 31 male youths with ASD (mean age = 12.1 years, SD = 1.2) and 38 TD youths (mean age = 11.9 years, SD = 1.0) was recruited with matched age, gender, and handedness. Participants decided if two visually presented Chinese characters were semantically related during fMRI scanning. For weaker association strength, the ASD group showed greater left cuneus activation, which was positively correlated with the picture completion for visual perception, whereas the TD group showed greater middle temporal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus activation. For higher categorical relatedness, the TD group showed greater activation than the ASD group in the occipitotemporal cortex and left precuneus, which was positively correlated with the similarities for concept formulation. Findings imply that the ASD group may use lower-level visual information for both association strength and categorical relatedness. The TD group showed higher-level controlled processes of more elaborate semantic representations for association strength and more elaborate features of categorical knowledge for semantic selection and integration. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1484-1494. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present language/communication impairments. Exploring the difference of semantic processing between youths with ASD and typically developing (TD) youths is crucial for understanding the organization of semantic knowledge. We found different neural substrates of semantic knowledge between these two groups. ASD youths may rely more on lower-level visual information during semantic judgments, whereas TD youths showed higher-level controlled processes of more elaborate semantic representations for selection and integration of words, phrases, and sentences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciao-Han Wong
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Imaging Center for Integrated Body, Mind, and Culture Research, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Li Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Abstract
Cognitive aging is often described in the context of loss or decline. Emerging research suggests that the story is more complex, with older adults showing both losses and gains in cognitive ability. With increasing age, declines in controlled, or fluid, cognition occur in the context of gains in crystallized knowledge of oneself and the world. This inversion in cognitive capacities, from greater reliance on fluid abilities in young adulthood to increasingly crystallized or semanticized cognition in older adulthood, has profound implications for cognitive and real-world functioning in later life. The shift in cognitive architecture parallels changes in the functional network architecture of the brain. Observations of greater functional connectivity between lateral prefrontal brain regions, implicated in cognitive control, and the default network, implicated in memory and semantic processing, led us to propose the default-executive coupling hypothesis of aging. In this review we provide evidence that these changes in the functional architecture of the brain serve as a neural mechanism underlying the shifting cognitive architecture from younger to older adulthood. We incorporate findings spanning cognitive aging and cognitive neuroscience to present an integrative model of cognitive and brain aging, describing its antecedents, determinants, and implications for real-world functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- 1 Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University
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22
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Tobia MJ, Madan CR. Tool selection and the ventral-dorsal organization of tool-related knowledge. Physiol Rep 2018; 5:5/3/e13078. [PMID: 28183861 PMCID: PMC5309571 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.13078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tool selection is a cognitive process necessary for tool use, and may rely on distinct knowledge under different conditions. This fMRI experiment was designed to identify neural substrates mediating tool selection under different conditions. Participants performed a picture‐matching task that presented a recipient object and an action‐goal, and required the selection of the best tool object from among four candidates. Some trials allowed selection of the prototypical tool, whereas others forced selection of either a functionally substitutable or impossible tool. Statistical contrasts revealed significantly different activation between Proto and Sub conditions in frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. The middle temporal gyrus (MTG) bilaterally, and the right posterior cingulate were more strongly activated by prototypical tool selection, and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL), intraparietal sulcus (IPS), middle frontal gyrus, and precuneus were more strongly activated when selecting substitutable objects. These findings are concordant with previous neuroimaging studies of tool use knowledge in demonstrating that activation of the MTG represents functional knowledge for conventional tool usage, and activation of the IPL/IPS supports action (i.e., praxic) knowledge representations. These results contribute to the literature that dissociates the roles of ventral and dorsal streams in tool‐related knowledge and behavior, and emphasize the role of the left hemisphere for processing goal‐directed object interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Tobia
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem North Carolina .,Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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McCormick C, Rosenthal CR, Miller TD, Maguire EA. Deciding what is possible and impossible following hippocampal damage in humans. Hippocampus 2017; 27:303-314. [PMID: 27997994 PMCID: PMC5324536 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
There is currently much debate about whether the precise role of the hippocampus in scene processing is predominantly constructive, perceptual, or mnemonic. Here, we developed a novel experimental paradigm designed to control for general perceptual and mnemonic demands, thus enabling us to specifically vary the requirement for constructive processing. We tested the ability of patients with selective bilateral hippocampal damage and matched control participants to detect either semantic (e.g., an elephant with butterflies for ears) or constructive (e.g., an endless staircase) violations in realistic images of scenes. Thus, scenes could be semantically or constructively 'possible' or 'impossible'. Importantly, general perceptual and memory requirements were similar for both types of scene. We found that the patients performed comparably to control participants when deciding whether scenes were semantically possible or impossible, but were selectively impaired at judging if scenes were constructively possible or impossible. Post-task debriefing indicated that control participants constructed flexible mental representations of the scenes in order to make constructive judgements, whereas the patients were more constrained and typically focused on specific fragments of the scenes, with little indication of having constructed internal scene models. These results suggest that one contribution the hippocampus makes to scene processing is to construct internal representations of spatially coherent scenes, which may be vital for modelling the world during both perception and memory recall. © 2016 The Authors. Hippocampus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia McCormick
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Clive R Rosenthal
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas D Miller
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor A Maguire
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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24
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Lesourd M, Baumard J, Jarry C, Le Gall D, Osiurak F. A cognitive-based model of tool use in normal aging. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn 2016; 24:363-386. [PMID: 27685704 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2016.1218822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
While several cognitive domains have been widely investigated in the field of aging, the age-related effects on tool use are still an open issue and hardly any studies on tool use and aging is available. A significant body of literature has indicated that tool use skills might be supported by at least two different types of knowledge, namely, mechanical knowledge and semantic knowledge. However, neither the contribution of these kinds of knowledge to familiar tool use, nor the effects of aging on mechanical and semantic knowledge have been explored in normal aging. The aim of the present study was to fill this gap. To do so, 98 healthy elderly adults were presented with three tasks: a classical, familiar tool use task, a novel tool use task assessing mechanical knowledge, and a picture matching task assessing semantic knowledge. The results showed that aging has a negative impact on tool use tasks and on knowledge supporting tool use skills. We also found that aging did not impact mechanical and semantic knowledge in the same way, confirming the distinct nature of those forms of knowledge. Finally, our results stressed that mechanical and semantic knowledge are both involved in the ability to use familiar tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Lesourd
- a Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082) , Université de Lyon , Lyon , France
| | - Josselin Baumard
- b Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (EA 4638) , Université d'Angers , Angers , France.,c Unité de Neuropsychologie, Département de Neurologie , Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers , Angers , France
| | - Christophe Jarry
- b Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (EA 4638) , Université d'Angers , Angers , France.,c Unité de Neuropsychologie, Département de Neurologie , Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers , Angers , France
| | - Didier Le Gall
- b Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (EA 4638) , Université d'Angers , Angers , France.,c Unité de Neuropsychologie, Département de Neurologie , Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers , Angers , France
| | - François Osiurak
- a Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082) , Université de Lyon , Lyon , France.,d Institut Universitaire de France , Paris , France
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25
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Madan CR, Chen YY, Singhal A. ERPs Differentially Reflect Automatic and Deliberate Processing of the Functional Manipulability of Objects. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:360. [PMID: 27536224 PMCID: PMC4971017 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
It is known that the functional properties of an object can interact with perceptual, cognitive, and motor processes. Previously we have found that a between-subjects manipulation of judgment instructions resulted in different manipulability-related memory biases in an incidental memory test. To better understand this effect we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while participants made judgments about images of objects that were either high or low in functional manipulability (e.g., hammer vs. ladder). Using a between-subjects design, participants judged whether they had seen the object recently (Personal Experience), or could manipulate the object using their hand (Functionality). We focused on the P300 and slow-wave event-related potentials (ERPs) as reflections of attentional allocation. In both groups, we observed higher P300 and slow wave amplitudes for high-manipulability objects at electrodes Pz and C3. As P300 is thought to reflect bottom-up attentional processes, this may suggest that the processing of high-manipulability objects recruited more attentional resources. Additionally, the P300 effect was greater in the Functionality group. A more complex pattern was observed at electrode C3 during slow wave: processing the high-manipulability objects in the Functionality instruction evoked a more positive slow wave than in the other three conditions, likely related to motor simulation processes. These data provide neural evidence that effects of manipulability on stimulus processing are further mediated by automatic vs. deliberate motor-related processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Madan
- Department of Psychology, University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB, Canada; Department of Psychology, Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Yvonne Y Chen
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Anthony Singhal
- Department of Psychology, University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB, Canada; Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB, Canada
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26
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Chrysikou EG, Motyka K, Nigro C, Yang SI, Thompson-Schill SL. Functional Fixedness in Creative Thinking Tasks Depends on Stimulus Modality. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 10:425-435. [PMID: 28344724 DOI: 10.1037/aca0000050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Pictorial examples during creative thinking tasks can lead participants to fixate on these examples and reproduce their elements even when yielding suboptimal creative products. Semantic memory research may illuminate the cognitive processes underlying this effect. Here, we examined whether pictures and words differentially influence access to semantic knowledge for object concepts depending on whether the task is close- or open-ended. Participants viewed either names or pictures of everyday objects, or a combination of the two, and generated common, secondary, or ad hoc uses for them. Stimulus modality effects were assessed quantitatively through reaction times and qualitatively through a novel coding system, which classifies creative output on a continuum from top-down-driven to bottom-up-driven responses. Both analyses revealed differences across tasks. Importantly, for ad hoc uses, participants exposed to pictures generated more top-down-driven responses than those exposed to object names. These findings have implications for accounts of functional fixedness in creative thinking, as well as theories of semantic memory for object concepts.
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27
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Ryan JD, D'Angelo MC, Kamino D, Ostreicher M, Moses SN, Rosenbaum RS. Relational learning and transitive expression in aging and amnesia. Hippocampus 2015; 26:170-84. [PMID: 26234960 PMCID: PMC5014178 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Aging has been associated with a decline in relational memory, which is critically supported by the hippocampus. By adapting the transitivity paradigm (Bunsey and Eichenbaum (1996) Nature 379:255‐257), which traditionally has been used in nonhuman animal research, this work examined the extent to which aging is accompanied by deficits in relational learning and flexible expression of relational information. Older adults' performance was additionally contrasted with that of amnesic case DA to understand the critical contributions of the medial temporal lobe, and specifically, the hippocampus, which endures structural and functional changes in healthy aging. Participants were required to select the correct choice item (B versus Y) based on the presented sample item (e.g., A). Pairwise relations must be learned (A‐>B, B‐>C, C‐>D) so that ultimately, the correct relations can be inferred when presented with a novel probe item (A‐>C?Z?). Participants completed four conditions of transitivity that varied in terms of the degree to which the stimuli and the relations among them were known pre‐experimentally. Younger adults, older adults, and DA performed similarly when the condition employed all pre‐experimentally known, semantic, relations. Older adults and DA were less accurate than younger adults when all to‐be‐learned relations were arbitrary. However, accuracy improved for older adults when they could use pre‐experimentally known pairwise relations to express understanding of arbitrary relations as indexed through inference judgments. DA could not learn arbitrary relations nor use existing knowledge to support novel inferences. These results suggest that while aging has often been associated with an emerging decline in hippocampal function, prior knowledge can be used to support novel inferences. However, in case DA, significant damage to the hippocampus likely impaired his ability to learn novel relations, while additional damage to ventromedial prefrontal and anterior temporal regions may have resulted in an inability to use prior knowledge to flexibly express indirect relational knowledge. © 2015 The Authors Hippocampus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Ryan
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Daphne Kamino
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Sandra N Moses
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, York University
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28
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Abstract
Semantic memory impairment is classically associated with lesion of the anterior temporal lobe. We report the case of a patient with severe semantic knowledge impairment and anterograde amnesia after bilateral ischemic lesion of the fornix and of the basal forebrain following surgical clipping of an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) showed a temporal hypometabolism. Severe semantic impairment is a rare complication after rupture of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm and may result from disconnection of the temporal lobe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Solcà
- a Division of Neurorehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences , University Hospital and University of Geneva , CH-1211 Geneva 14 , Switzerland
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29
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Abstract
Category-specificity has been demonstrated in the human posterior ventral temporal cortex for a variety of object categories. Although object representations within the ventral visual pathway must be sufficiently rich and complex to support the recognition of individual objects, little is known about how specific objects are represented. Here, we used representational similarity analysis to determine what different kinds of object information are reflected in fMRI activation patterns and uncover the relationship between categorical and object-specific semantic representations. Our results show a gradient of informational specificity along the ventral stream from representations of image-based visual properties in early visual cortex, to categorical representations in the posterior ventral stream. A key finding showed that object-specific semantic information is uniquely represented in the perirhinal cortex, which was also increasingly engaged for objects that are more semantically confusable. These findings suggest a key role for the perirhinal cortex in representing and processing object-specific semantic information that is more critical for highly confusable objects. Our findings extend current distributed models by showing coarse dissociations between objects in posterior ventral cortex, and fine-grained distinctions between objects supported by the anterior medial temporal lobes, including the perirhinal cortex, which serve to integrate complex object information.
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Abstract
Knowledge about word and object meanings can be organized taxonomically (fruits, mammals, etc.) on the basis of shared features or thematically (eating breakfast, taking a dog for a walk, etc.) on the basis of participation in events or scenarios. An eye-tracking study showed that both kinds of knowledge are activated during comprehension of a single spoken word, even when the listener is not required to perform any active task. The results further revealed that an individual's relative activation of taxonomic relations compared to thematic relations predicts that individual's tendency to favor taxonomic over thematic relations when asked to choose between them in a similarity judgment task. These results indicate that individuals differ in the relative strengths of their taxonomic and thematic semantic knowledge and suggest that meaning information is organized in 2 parallel, complementary semantic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Mirman
- Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, 50 Township Line Road,Elkins Park, PA 19027, USA.
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Mirman D, Graziano KM. Damage to temporo-parietal cortex decreases incidental activation of thematic relations during spoken word comprehension. Neuropsychologia 2012; 50:1990-7. [PMID: 22571932 PMCID: PMC3389203 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2012] [Revised: 04/25/2012] [Accepted: 04/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Both taxonomic and thematic semantic relations have been studied extensively in behavioral studies and there is an emerging consensus that the anterior temporal lobe plays a particularly important role in the representation and processing of taxonomic relations, but the neural basis of thematic semantics is less clear. We used eye tracking to examine incidental activation of taxonomic and thematic relations during spoken word comprehension in participants with aphasia. Three groups of participants were tested: neurologically intact control participants (N=14), individuals with aphasia resulting from lesions in left hemisphere BA 39 and surrounding temporo-parietal cortex regions (N=7), and individuals with the same degree of aphasia severity and semantic impairment and anterior left hemisphere lesions (primarily inferior frontal gyrus and anterior temporal lobe) that spared BA 39 (N=6). The posterior lesion group showed reduced and delayed activation of thematic relations, but not taxonomic relations. In contrast, the anterior lesion group exhibited longer-lasting activation of taxonomic relations and did not differ from control participants in terms of activation of thematic relations. These results suggest that taxonomic and thematic semantic knowledge are functionally and neuroanatomically distinct, with the temporo-parietal cortex playing a particularly important role in thematic semantics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Mirman
- Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, 50 Township Line Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027, USA.
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32
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Fama R, Rosenbloom MJ, Sassoon SA, Thompson MA, Pfefferbaum A, Sullivan EV. Remote semantic memory for public figures in HIV infection, alcoholism, and their comorbidity. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2011; 35:265-76. [PMID: 21121935 PMCID: PMC3058901 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01342.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impairments in component processes of working and episodic memory mark both HIV infection and chronic alcoholism, with compounded deficits often observed in individuals comorbid for these conditions. Remote semantic memory processes, however, have only seldom been studied in these diagnostic groups. Examination of remote semantic memory could provide insight into the underlying processes associated with storage and retrieval of learned information over extended time periods while elucidating spared and impaired cognitive functions in these clinical groups. METHODS We examined component processes of remote semantic memory in HIV infection and chronic alcoholism in 4 subject groups (HIV, ALC, HIV + ALC, and age-matched healthy adults) using a modified version of the Presidents Test. Free recall, recognition, and sequencing of presidential candidates and election dates were assessed. In addition, component processes of working, episodic, and semantic memory were assessed with ancillary cognitive tests. RESULTS The comorbid group (HIV + ALC) was significantly impaired on sequencing of remote semantic information compared with age-matched healthy adults. Free recall of remote semantic information was also modestly impaired in the HIV + ALC group, but normal performance for recognition of this information was observed. Few differences were observed between the single diagnosis groups (HIV, ALC) and healthy adults, although examination of the component processes underlying remote semantic memory scores elicited differences between the HIV and ALC groups. Selective remote memory processes were related to lifetime alcohol consumption in the ALC group and to viral load and depression level in the HIV group. Hepatitis C diagnosis was associated with lower remote semantic memory scores in all 3 clinical groups. Education level did not account for group differences reported. CONCLUSIONS This study provides behavioral support for the existence of adverse effects associated with the comorbidity of HIV infection and chronic alcoholism on selective component processes of memory function, with untoward effects exacerbated by Hepatitis C infection. The pattern of remote semantic memory function in HIV + ALC is consistent with those observed in neurological conditions primarily affecting frontostriatal pathways and suggests that remote memory dysfunction in HIV + ALC may be a result of impaired retrieval processes rather than loss of remote semantic information per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosemary Fama
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
| | - Margaret J. Rosenbloom
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
| | | | | | - Adolf Pfefferbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
| | - Edith V. Sullivan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
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