Working memory moderates the relation between the brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and psychotherapy outcome for depression

AbstractThe prospects of a cognitive neuroscience of syntax are considered with respect to functional neuroanatomy of two seemingly independent systems: Working Memory and syntactic representation and processing. It is proposed that these two systems are more closely related than previously supposed. In particular, it is claimed that a sentence with anaphoric dependencies involves several Working Memories, each entrusted with a different linguistic function. Components of Working Memory reside in the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus, which is associated with Broca’s region. When lesioned, this area manifests comprehension disruptions in the ability to analyze intra-sentential dependencies, suggesting that Working Memory spans over syntactic computations. The unification of considerations regarding Working Memory with a purely syntactic approach to Broca’s regions leads to the conclusion that mechanisms that compute transformations—and no other syntactic relations—reside in this area.

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Type 1 diabetes affects the brain functional connectivity underlying working memory processing

Psychophysiology ◽

10.1111/psyp.13969 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Geisa B. Gallardo‐Moreno ◽

Francisco J. Alvarado‐Rodríguez ◽

Rebeca Romo‐Vázquez ◽

Hugo Vélez‐Pérez ◽

Andrés A. González‐Garrido

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Memory Processing ◽

Brain Functional Connectivity ◽

The Brain

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Active information maintenance in working memory by a sensory cortex

10.1101/385393 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiaoxing Zhang ◽

Wenjun Yan ◽

Wenliang Wang ◽

Hongmei Fan ◽

Ruiqing Hou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Piriform Cortex ◽

Delay Period ◽

Sensory Cortex ◽

Critical Function ◽

Impaired Performance ◽

Anterior Piriform Cortex ◽

Electrophysiological Recordings ◽

Dual Task Paradigm ◽

The Brain

SummaryWorking memory is a critical function of the brain to maintain and manipulate information over delay periods of seconds. Sensory areas have been implicated in working memory; however, it is debated whether the delay-period activity of sensory regions is actively maintaining information or passively reflecting top-down inputs. We hereby examined the anterior piriform cortex, an olfactory cortex, in head-fixed mice performing a series of olfactory working memory tasks. Information maintenance is necessary in these tasks, especially in a dual-task paradigm in which mice are required to perform another distracting task while actively maintaining information during the delay period. Optogenetic suppression of the piriform cortex activity during the delay period impaired performance in all the tasks.Furthermore, electrophysiological recordings revealed that the delay-period activity of the anterior piriform cortex encoded odor information with or without the distracting task.Thus, this sensory cortex is critical for active information maintenance in working memory.

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Ebselen Prevents Cigarette Smoke-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction In Mice By Preserving Hippocampal Synaptophysin Expression

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1112319/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Simone N. De Luca ◽

Kurt Brassington ◽

Stanley M. H. Chan ◽

Aleksandar Dobric ◽

Kevin Mou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Dysfunction ◽

Memory Impairment ◽

Microglial Activation ◽

Pulmonary Inflammation ◽

Systemic Circulation ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Memory Impairments ◽

The Brain

Abstract Background: Cigarette smoking (CS) is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The “spill-over” of pulmonary inflammation into the systemic circulation may damage the brain, leading to cognitive dysfunction. Cessation of CS can improve pulmonary and neurocognitive outcomes, however, its benefit on the neuroinflammatory profile remains uncertain. Here, we investigate how CS exposure impairs neurocognition and whether this can be reversed with CS cessation or an antioxidant treatment. Methods: Male BALB/c mice were exposed CS (9 cigarettes/day for 8 weeks) followed by 4 weeks of CS cessation. Another cohort of CS-exposed mice were co-administrated with a glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) mimetic, ebselen (10mg/kg) or vehicle (5% CM-cellulose). We assessed pulmonary inflammation, spatial and working memory, and the hippocampal microglial, oxidative and synaptic profiles. Results: CS exposure increased lung inflammation which was reduced following CS cessation. CS caused spatial and working memory impairments which were attributed to hippocampal microglial activation and suppression of synaptophysin. CS cessation did not improve memory deficits or alter microglial activation. Ebselen completely prevented the CS-induced working and spatial memory impairments, which was associated with restored synaptophysin expression without altering microglial activation.Conclusion: We were able to model the CS-induced memory impairment and microglial activation seen in human COPD. The preventative effects of ebselen on memory impairment is likely to be dependent on a preserved synaptogenic profile. Cessation alone also appears to be insufficient in correcting the memory impairment, suggesting the importance of incorporating antioxidant therapy to help maximizing the benefit of cessation.

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Sex-Related Differences in White Matter Asymmetry and Its Implications for Verbal Working Memory in Psychosis High-Risk State

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.686967 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Saskia Steinmann ◽

Amanda E. Lyall ◽

Mina Langhein ◽

Felix L. Nägele ◽

Jonas Rauh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

White Matter ◽

High Risk ◽

Unscented Kalman Filter ◽

Digit Span ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Related Area ◽

Laterality Index ◽

The Brain

Objective: Sexual dimorphism has been investigated in schizophrenia, although sex-specific differences among individuals who are at clinical high-risk (CHR) for developing psychosis have been inconclusive. This study aims to characterize sexual dimorphism of language areas in the brain by investigating the asymmetry of four white matter tracts relevant to verbal working memory in CHR patients compared to healthy controls (HC). HC typically show a leftward asymmetry of these tracts. Moreover, structural abnormalities in asymmetry and verbal working memory dysfunctions have been associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities and are considered core features of schizophrenia.Methods: Twenty-nine subjects with CHR (17 female/12 male) for developing psychosis and twenty-one HC (11 female/10 male) matched for age, sex, and education were included in the study. Two-tensor unscented Kalman filter tractography, followed by an automated, atlas-guided fiber clustering approach, were used to identify four fiber tracts related to verbal working memory: the superior longitudinal fasciculi (SLF) I, II and III, and the superior occipitofrontal fasciculus (SOFF). Using fractional anisotropy (FA) of tissue as the primary measure, we calculated the laterality index for each tract.Results: There was a significantly greater right>left asymmetry of the SLF-III in CHR females compared to HC females, but no hemispheric difference between CHR vs. HC males. Moreover, the laterality index of SLF-III for CHR females correlated negatively with Backward Digit Span performance, suggesting a greater rightward asymmetry was associated with poorer working memory functioning.Conclusion: This study suggests increased rightward asymmetry of the SLF-III in CHR females. This finding of sexual dimorphism in white matter asymmetry in a language-related area of the brain in CHR highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the role of sex in the high-risk state. Future work investigating early sex-specific pathophysiological mechanisms, may lead to the development of novel personalized treatment strategies aimed at preventing transition to a more chronic and difficult-to-treat disorder.

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Pinging the brain to reveal hidden working memory states

10.33612/diss.151472370 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Michael Wolff

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Memory States ◽

The Brain

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Possible Effect of Headphone Usage on Working Memory Among Students in Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria‒Nigeria

Neurology and Neurobiology ◽

10.31487/j.nnb.2019.02.02 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Yushau Yusuf ◽

Muhammad U.A ◽

Isah F.A

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Signal Processing ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Stored Information ◽

Age Range ◽

The Relationship ◽

The Brain ◽

Back Task

Working memory is a system that is responsible for transient holding and processing of new and already stored information. It also involves processing for reasoning, comprehension, learning and memory updating. Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers that are designed to be held in place close to a user’s ear. They are electroacoustic transducers which convert electrical signals to a corresponding sound in the user’s ear. Several studies have recently shown a link between cognitive abilities and response to hearing aid and signal processing in the brain. Therefore, the relationship between headphone usage among healthy subjects become pertinent. This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of headphone on working memory using N-back task. One hundred (100) participants (55 headphone users and 45 non-headphone user’s) within the age range of 18-31 years were assessed. Participants were instructed to keep in memory, a series of letters and say “target” whenever there was a repetition of letter with exactly one intervening letter and to remain silent when any other letter appeared. The results of this study showed that there was no statistically significant difference in working memory between headphone and non-headphone users with p>0.05. In conclusion, this study revealed headphone use has no effect on working memory of the participants subjected to N–back test.

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Working Memory Training and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Cognitive and Working Memory Training ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199974467.003.0006 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 105-130

Author(s):

Jacky Au ◽

Martin Buschkuehl ◽

Susanne M. Jaeggi

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Electrical Stimulation ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Working Memory Training ◽

Memory Training ◽

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

The Brain

The aim of this chapter is to contribute to the discussion of the cognitive neuroscience of brain stimulation. In doing so, the authors emphasize work from their own laboratory that focuses both on working memory training and transcranial direct current stimulation. Transcranial direct current stimulation is one of the most commonly used and extensively researched methods of transcranial electrical stimulation. The chapter focuses on implementation of transcranial direct current stimulation to enhance and inform research on working memory training, and not on the underlying mechanisms of transcranial direct current stimulation. Thus, while respecting the intricacies and unknowns of the inner workings of electrical stimulation on the brain, the chapter relies on the premise that transcranial direct current stimulation is able to directly affect the electrophysiological profile of the brain and provides evidence that this in turn can influence behavior given the right parameters.

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