Effect of Pink Noise on EEG and Memory Performance in Memory Task

Abstract. Recently, Garfinkel and Critchley (2013) proposed to distinguish between three facets of interoception: interoceptive sensibility, interoceptive accuracy, and interoceptive awareness. This pilot study investigated how these facets interrelate to each other and whether interoceptive awareness is related to the metacognitive awareness of memory performance. A sample of 24 healthy students completed a heartbeat perception task (HPT) and a memory task. Judgments of confidence were requested for each task. Participants filled in questionnaires assessing interoceptive sensibility, depression, anxiety, and socio-demographic characteristics. The three facets of interoception were found to be uncorrelated and interoceptive awareness was not related to metacognitive awareness of memory performance. Whereas memory performance was significantly related to metamemory awareness, interoceptive accuracy (HPT) and interoceptive awareness were not correlated. Results suggest that future research on interoception should assess all facets of interoception in order to capture the multifaceted quality of the construct.

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Mindfulness Training as Cognitive Training in High-Demand Cohorts: An Initial Study in Elite Military Servicemembers

10.31231/osf.io/5hzy7 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Anthony Paul Zanesco ◽

Ekaterina Denkova ◽

Scott L. Rogers ◽

William K. MacNulty ◽

Amishi P. Jha

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Training ◽

Short Form ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Selection Criterion ◽

Initial Study ◽

Mindfulness Training ◽

Training Tool ◽

Cognitive Failures

Cognitive ability is a key selection criterion for entry into many elite professions. Herein, we investigate whether mindfulness training (MT) can enhance cognitive performance in elite military forces. The cognitive effects of a short-form 8-hour MT program contextualized for military cohorts, referred to as Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT), were assessed. Servicemembers received either a 2-week (n = 40) or 4-week (n = 36) version of MBAT, or no training (NTC, n = 44). Sustained attention and working memory task performance along with self-reported cognitive failures were assessed at study onset (T1) and 8-weeks later (T2). In contrast to both the NTC and 2-week MT groups, the 4-week MT group significantly improved over time on attention and working memory outcome measures. Among the 4-week more so than the 2-week MBAT participants, working memory performance improvements were correlated with their amount of out-of-class MT practice. In addition to these group-wise effects, all participants receiving MBAT decreased in their self-reported cognitive failures from T1 to T2. Importantly, none of these improvements were related to self-reported task motivation. Together, these results suggest that short-form MT, when delivered over a 4-week delivery schedule, may be an effective cognitive training tool in elite military cohorts.

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Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11070935 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 935

Author(s):

Ying Xing Feng ◽

Masashi Kiguchi ◽

Wei Chun Ung ◽

Sarat Chandra Dass ◽

Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Task Performance ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Affective State ◽

Memory Task ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Affective Factors ◽

Related Stress ◽

Haemodynamic Activity

The effect of stress on task performance is complex, too much or too little stress negatively affects performance and there exists an optimal level of stress to drive optimal performance. Task difficulty and external affective factors are distinct stressors that impact cognitive performance. Neuroimaging studies showed that mood affects working memory performance and the correlates are changes in haemodynamic activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We investigate the interactive effects of affective states and working memory load (WML) on working memory task performance and haemodynamic activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging on the PFC of healthy participants. We seek to understand if haemodynamic responses could tell apart workload-related stress from situational stress arising from external affective distraction. We found that the haemodynamic changes towards affective stressor- and workload-related stress were more dominant in the medial and lateral PFC, respectively. Our study reveals distinct affective state-dependent modulations of haemodynamic activity with increasing WML in n-back tasks, which correlate with decreasing performance. The influence of a negative effect on performance is greater at higher WML, and haemodynamic activity showed evident changes in temporal, and both spatial and strength of activation differently with WML.

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Multilab Direct Replication of Flavell, Beach, and Chinsky (1966): Spontaneous Verbal Rehearsal in a Memory Task as a Function of Age

Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/25152459211018187 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 251524592110181

Author(s):

Emily M. Elliott ◽

Candice C. Morey ◽

Angela M. AuBuchon ◽

Nelson Cowan ◽

Chris Jarrold ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Development ◽

Young Children ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Critical Role ◽

Memory Task ◽

Older Children ◽

Continuous Increase ◽

Verbal Rehearsal ◽

Picture Memory ◽

Spontaneous Production

Work by Flavell, Beach, and Chinsky indicated a change in the spontaneous production of overt verbalization behaviors when comparing young children (age 5) with older children (age 10). Despite the critical role that this evidence of a change in verbalization behaviors plays in modern theories of cognitive development and working memory, there has been only one other published near replication of this work. In this Registered Replication Report, we relied on researchers from 17 labs who contributed their results to a larger and more comprehensive sample of children. We assessed memory performance and the presence or absence of verbalization behaviors of young children at different ages and determined that the original pattern of findings was largely upheld: Older children were more likely to verbalize, and their memory spans improved. We confirmed that 5- and 6-year-old children who verbalized recalled more than children who did not verbalize. However, unlike Flavell et al., substantial proportions of our 5- and 6-year-old samples overtly verbalized at least sometimes during the picture memory task. In addition, continuous increase in overt verbalization from 7 to 10 years old was not consistently evident in our samples. These robust findings should be weighed when considering theories of cognitive development, particularly theories concerning when verbal rehearsal emerges and relations between speech and memory.

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The Effect of Divided Attention on Encoding and Retrieval in Episodic Memory Revealed by Positron Emission Tomography

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/089892900562093 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 267-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 89

Author(s):

Tetsuya Iidaka ◽

Nicole D. Anderson ◽

Shitij Kapur ◽

Roberto Cabez ◽

Fergus I. M. Craik

Keyword(s):

Positron Emission Tomography ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Divided Attention ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Emission Tomography ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

The effects of divided attention (DA) on episodic memory encoding and retrieval were investigated in 12 normal young subjects by positron emission tomography (PET). Cerebral blood flow was measured while subjects were concurrently performing a memory task (encoding and retrieval of visually presented word pairs) and an auditory tone-discrimination task. The PET data were analyzed using multivariate Partial Least Squares (PLS), and the results revealed three sets of neural correlates related to specific task contrasts. Brain activity, relatively greater under conditions of full attention (FA) than DA, was identified in the occipital-temporal, medial, and ventral-frontal areas, whereas areas showing relatively more activity under DA than FA were found in the cerebellum, temporo-parietal, left anterior-cingulate gyrus, and bilateral dorsolateral-prefrontal areas. Regions more active during encoding than during retrieval were located in the hippocampus, temporal and the prefrontal cortex of the left hemisphere, and regions more active during retrieval than during encoding included areas in the medial and right-prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cuneus. DA at encoding was associated with specific decreases in rCBF in the left-prefrontal areas, whereas DA at retrieval was associated with decreased rCBF in a relatively small region in the right-prefrontal cortex. These different patterns of activity are related to the behavioral results, which showed a substantial decrease in memory performance when the DA task was performed at encoding, but no change in memory levels when the DA task was performed at retrieval.

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Does Strategic Memory Training Improve the Working Memory Performance of Younger and Older Adults?

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169.54.4.311 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 311-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Barbara Carretti ◽

Erika Borella ◽

Rossana De Beni

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Memory Training ◽

Control Groups ◽

Improved Performance ◽

Strategic Training ◽

Strategic Memory ◽

Experimental Group

Abstract. The paper examines the effect of strategic training on the performance of younger and older adults in an immediate list-recall and a working memory task. The experimental groups of younger and older adults received three sessions of memory training, teaching the use of mental images to improve the memorization of word lists. In contrast, the control groups were not instructed to use any particular strategy, but they were requested to carry out the memory exercises. The results showed that strategic training improved performance of both the younger and older experimental groups in the immediate list recall and in the working memory task. Of particular interest, the improvement in working memory performance of the older experimental group was comparable to that of the younger experimental group.

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Memory-Related Frontal Brainwaves Predict Transition to Mild Cognitive Impairment in Healthy Older Individuals Five Years Before Diagnosis

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-200931 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Yang Jiang ◽

Juan Li ◽

Frederick A. Schmitt ◽

Gregory A. Jicha ◽

Nancy B. Munro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Differentiation Pattern

Background: Early prognosis of high-risk older adults for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), using noninvasive and sensitive neuromarkers, is key for early prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. We have developed individualized measures in electrophysiological brain signals during working memory that distinguish patients with aMCI from age-matched cognitively intact older individuals. Objective: Here we test longitudinally the prognosis of the baseline neuromarkers for aMCI risk. We hypothesized that the older individuals diagnosed with incident aMCI already have aMCI-like brain signatures years before diagnosis. Methods: Electroencephalogram (EEG) and memory performance were recorded during a working memory task at baseline. The individualized baseline neuromarkers, annual cognitive status, and longitudinal changes in memory recall scores up to 10 years were analyzed. Results: Seven of the 19 cognitively normal older adults were diagnosed with incident aMCI for a median 5.2 years later. The seven converters’ frontal brainwaves were statistically identical to those patients with diagnosed aMCI (n = 14) at baseline. Importantly, the converters’ baseline memory-related brainwaves (reduced mean frontal responses to memory targets) were significantly different from those who remained normal. Furthermore, differentiation pattern of left frontal memory-related responses (targets versus nontargets) was associated with an increased risk hazard of aMCI (HR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.03, 2.08). Conclusion: The memory-related neuromarkers detect MCI-like brain signatures about five years before diagnosis. The individualized frontal neuromarkers index increased MCI risk at baseline. These noninvasive neuromarkers during our Bluegrass memory task have great potential to be used repeatedly for individualized prognosis of MCI risk and progression before clinical diagnosis.

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Effects of amnesia on processing in the hippocampus and default mode network during a naturalistic memory task: a case study

10.31234/osf.io/e9n8c ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Christiane Oedekoven ◽

James L. Keidel ◽

Stuart Anderson ◽

Angus Nisbet ◽

Chris Bird

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Structural Mri ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Left Hippocampus ◽

Cortical Regions ◽

The Right ◽

Encoding And Retrieval

Despite their severely impaired episodic memory, individuals with amnesia are able to comprehend ongoing events. Online representations of a current event are thought to be supported by a network of regions centred on the posterior midline cortex (PMC). By contrast, episodic memory is widely believed to be supported by interactions between the hippocampus and these cortical regions. In this MRI study, we investigated the encoding and retrieval of lifelike events (video clips) in a patient with severe amnesia likely resulting from a stroke to the right thalamus, and a group of 20 age-matched controls. Structural MRI revealed grey matter reductions in left hippocampus and left thalamus in comparison to controls. We first characterised the regions activated in the controls while they watched and retrieved the videos. There were no differences in activation between the patient and controls in any of the regions. We then identified a widespread network of brain regions, including the hippocampus, that were functionally connected with the PMC in controls. However, in the patient there was a specific reduction in functional connectivity between the PMC and a region of left hippocampus when both watching and attempting to retrieve the videos. A follow up analysis revealed that in controls the functional connectivity between these regions when watching the videos was correlated with memory performance. Taken together, these findings support the view that the interactions between the PMC and the hippocampus enable the encoding and retrieval of multimodal representations of the contents of an event.

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Negative Effects of Embodiment in a Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Task in Children, Young Adults, and Older Adults

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.688174 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Gianluca Amico ◽

Sabine Schaefer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Young Adults ◽

Spatial Information ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Age Groups ◽

Memory Task ◽

Negative Effects

Studies examining the effect of embodied cognition have shown that linking one’s body movements to a cognitive task can enhance performance. The current study investigated whether concurrent walking while encoding or recalling spatial information improves working memory performance, and whether 10-year-old children, young adults, or older adults (Mage = 72 years) are affected differently by embodiment. The goal of the Spatial Memory Task was to encode and recall sequences of increasing length by reproducing positions of target fields in the correct order. The nine targets were positioned in a random configuration on a large square carpet (2.5 m × 2.5 m). During encoding and recall, participants either did not move, or they walked into the target fields. In a within-subjects design, all possible combinations of encoding and recall conditions were tested in counterbalanced order. Contrary to our predictions, moving particularly impaired encoding, but also recall. These negative effects were present in all age groups, but older adults’ memory was hampered even more strongly by walking during encoding and recall. Our results indicate that embodiment may not help people to memorize spatial information, but can create a dual-task situation instead.

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Not Just a Pot: Visual Episodic Memory in Cannabis Users and Polydrug Cannabis Users: ROC and ERP Preliminary Investigation

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2021.677793 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Alicja Anna Binkowska ◽

Natalia Jakubowska ◽

Maciej Gaca ◽

Natalia Galant ◽

Agnieszka Piotrowska-Cyplik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Visual Learning ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Memory Task ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Receiver Operating

Background While research has consistently identified an association between long-term cannabis use and memory impairments, few studies have examined this relationship in a polydrug context (i.e., when combining cannabis with other substances).Aims: In this preliminary study, we used event-related potentials to examine the recognition process in a visual episodic memory task in cannabis users (CU) and cannabis polydrug users (PU). We hypothesized that CU and PU will have both–behavioral and psychophysiological–indicators of memory processes affected, compared to matched non-using controls with the PU expressing more severe changes.Methods 29 non-using controls (CG), 24 CU and 27 PU were enrolled into the study. All participants completed a visual learning recognition task while brain electrical activity was recorded. Event-related potentials were calculated for familiar (old) and new images from a signal recorded during a subsequent recognition test. We used receiver operating characteristic curves for behavioral data analysis.Results The groups did not differ in memory performance based on receiver operating characteristic method in accuracy and discriminability indicators nor mean reaction times for old/new images. The frontal old/new effect expected from prior research was observed for all participants, while a parietal old/new effect was not observed. While, the significant differences in the late parietal component (LPC) amplitude was observed between CG and PU but not between CG and CU nor CU and PU. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the mean amplitude of the LPC component as a predictor of memory performance accuracy indicator. LPC amplitude predicts recognition accuracy only in the CG.Conclusion The results showed alterations in recognition memory processing in CU and PU groups compared to CG, which were not manifested on the behavioral level, and were the most prominent in cannabis polydrug users. We interpret it as a manifestation of the cumulative effect of multiple drug usage in the PU group.

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