scholarly journals Output planning at the input stage in visual working memory

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (13) ◽  
pp. eabe8212
Author(s):  
Sage E. P. Boettcher ◽  
Daniela Gresch ◽  
Anna C. Nobre ◽  
Freek van Ede
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Action Preparation ◽  
Sensory Encoding

Working memory serves as the buffer between past sensations and future behavior, making it vital to understand not only how we encode and retain sensory information in memory but also how we plan for its upcoming use. We ask when prospective action goals emerge alongside the encoding and retention of visual information in working memory. We show that prospective action plans do not emerge gradually during memory delays but are brought into memory early, in tandem with sensory encoding. This action encoding (i) precedes a second stage of action preparation that adapts to the time of expected memory utilization, (ii) occurs even ahead of an intervening motor task, and (iii) predicts visual memory–guided behavior several seconds later. By bringing prospective action plans into working memory at an early stage, the brain creates a dual (visual-motor) memory code that can make memories more effective and robust for serving ensuing behavior.

Musicians show greater cross-modal integration, intermodal integration, and specialization in working memory than non-musicians

2020 ◽  
pp. 030573561989608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rielle Gagnon ◽  
Elena Nicoladis
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Music Training ◽  
Components Analysis

Theories of working memory (WM) often distinguish between a central component and peripheral components for verbal and visual information. In the present study, we tested whether musicians differed from non-musicians on WM capacity and structure, with a particular focus on motor memory. We compared individuals with instrumental music training ( n = 91) to those without musical training ( n = 99) on seven WM tasks, measuring visual, verbal, and motor memory. The results showed that the musicians only rarely outperformed non-musicians on WM tasks. As for memory structure, a principal components analysis revealed that the seven tasks loaded onto different components for non-musicians and musicians. In musicians, scores loaded onto three components that represent motor–visual memory, verbal memory, and memory for the movements of others. In contrast, there were only two extracted components for non-musicians. These results suggest that music training leads to greater cross-modal and intermodal integration in WM, as well as specialization within motor memory.

scholarly journals ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ФУНКЦІОНАЛЬНОГО СТАНУ ОРГАНІЗМУ І ОБРОБКИ СЕНСОРНОЇ ІНФОРМАЦІЇ В ОСІБ ЮНАЦЬКОГО ВІКУ

2021 ◽  
Vol 81 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 59-63
Author(s):  
О. S. Voloshyn ◽  
M. V. Hoviak ◽  
O. V. Popadiuk
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Circulatory System ◽  
The Body ◽  
External Respiration ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Satisfactory Level ◽  
Respiratory Systems

The aim of the work is to study the functional indicators of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, indicators of the efficiency of processing of visual information and motor response in adolescents with different levels of functional reserves of the heart. We studied indicators of heart rate, blood pressure, Skibinsky index, Rosenthal’s test, the speed of the visual-motor reaction (simple and differentiated), the number of errors made during the examination, the analysis of the indicators of the correction test, the volume of operational visual memory, the dynamics of the analysis of Schulte tables, the volume and distribution of attention. The study demonstrated that the functional indicators of the cardiovascular system are within the permissible limits. However, the heart rate of individuals with a satisfactory level of heart efficiency tends to approach the upper physiological limit. Skibinsky’s index corresponds to a satisfactory level for the females. This index indicates the average potential of the external respiration system and the correspondence of activity with the blood circulatory system. For the analysis of Schulte tables, the individuals of the first group spent 161.8 s ± 10.37 s, which is significantly faster than the index of the second group. Studies have not shown a relationship between the level of heart performance and indicators of the distribution of attention. However, the indicators of the volume of operative visual memory in individuals of the first group are much better: 65 % of individuals have a high level (the same index in the second group is 20 %), the participants with a low level of operative visual memory are absent, in contrast to the second group. The speed of simple and differentiated sensorimotor reactions in individuals of the first group is higher than those in the second group by 11.4 % and 10.6 %, respectively. This indicates a sufficient level of plasticity of nervous processes and the efficiency of arousal development. The performance indicators of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the speed of reactions of the nervous system of the examined, the efficiency of processing sensory information indicate the maturity of the functional systems of the body and are the physiological basis for the formation of an adequate functional state of the body. Individuals with a Rufier index level above the average showed less tension in the work of the heart and an effective course of sensorimotor reactions, indicating a sufficient level of plasticity of nervous processes.

scholarly journals Cortico-motor control dynamics orchestrates visual sampling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Tomassini ◽  
Eric Maris ◽  
Pauline Hilt ◽  
Luciano Fadiga ◽  
Alessandro D’Ausilio
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Phase Relationship ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Motor Output ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Visual Inputs

AbstractMovements overtly sample sensory information, making sensory analysis an active-sensing process. In this study, we show that visual information sampling is not just locked to the (overt) movement dynamics, but it is structured by the internal (covert) dynamics of cortico-motor control. We asked human participants to perform an isometric motor task – based on proprioceptive feedback – while detecting unrelated near-threshold visual stimuli. The motor output (Force) shows zero-lag coherence with brain activity (recorded via electroencephalography) in the beta-band, as previously reported. In contrast, cortical rhythms in the alpha-band systematically forerun the motor output by 200ms. Importantly, visual detection is facilitated when cortico-motor alpha (not beta) synchronization is enhanced immediately before stimulus onset, namely at the optimal phase relationship for sensorimotor communication. These findings demonstrate an automatic gating of visual inputs by the ongoing motor control processes, providing evidence of an internal and alpha-cycling visuomotor loop.

scholarly journals Relationship between Apgar scores and long-term cognitive outcomes in individuals with Down syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura del Hoyo Soriano ◽  
Tracie C. Rosser ◽  
Debra R. Hamilton ◽  
Danielle J. Harvey ◽  
Leonard Abbeduto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Apgar Score ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Verbal Comprehension

AbstractThis study examined the contribution of the Apgar score at 1 and 5 min after birth to later cognitive functioning in 168 individuals with Down syndrome who were between 6 and 25 years of age at time of cognitive testing. Our results showed that a lower Apgar score at 1 min was related to a worse performance in later cognitive measures of receptive vocabulary, verbal comprehension and production, visual memory and working memory. Results also showed that a lower Apgar score at 5 min was only related to worse later outcomes of verbal comprehension and production and auditory working memory. Our findings suggest a need for future studies investigating how specific perinatal events reflected in the Apgar score are linked to later cognitive functioning in individuals with Down syndrome.

scholarly journals Does perceptual grouping improve visuospatial working memory? Optimized processing or encoding bias

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Prieto ◽  
Vanesa Peinado ◽  
Julia Mayas
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Change Detection ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Detection Accuracy ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Gestalt Grouping ◽  
Color Similarity ◽  
Automatic Encoding ◽  
Change Detection Performance

AbstractVisual working memory has been defined as a system of limited capacity that enables the maintenance and manipulation of visual information. However, some perceptual features like Gestalt grouping could improve visual working memory effectiveness. In two different experiments, we aimed to explore how the presence of elements grouped by color similarity affects the change detection performance of both, grouped and non-grouped items. We combined a change detection task with a retrocue paradigm in which a six item array had to be remembered. An always valid, variable-delay retrocue appeared in some trials during the retention interval, either after 100 ms (iconic-trace period) or 1400 ms (working memory period), signaling the location of the probe. The results indicated that similarity grouping biased the information entered into the visual working memory, improving change detection accuracy only for previously grouped probes, but hindering change detection for non-grouped probes in certain conditions (Exp. 1). However, this bottom-up automatic encoding bias was overridden when participants were explicitly instructed to ignore grouped items as they were irrelevant for the task (Exp. 2).

scholarly journals Are visual working memory and episodic memory distinct processes? Insight from stroke patients by lesion-symptom mapping

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selma Lugtmeijer ◽  
◽  
Linda Geerligs ◽  
Frank Erik de Leeuw ◽  
Edward H. F. de Haan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Lesion Symptom Mapping ◽  
Criterion Setting ◽  
The Right

AbstractWorking memory and episodic memory are two different processes, although the nature of their interrelationship is debated. As these processes are predominantly studied in isolation, it is unclear whether they crucially rely on different neural substrates. To obtain more insight in this, 81 adults with sub-acute ischemic stroke and 29 elderly controls were assessed on a visual working memory task, followed by a surprise subsequent memory test for the same stimuli. Multivariate, atlas- and track-based lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) analyses were performed to identify anatomical correlates of visual memory. Behavioral results gave moderate evidence for independence between discriminability in working memory and subsequent memory, and strong evidence for a correlation in response bias on the two tasks in stroke patients. LSM analyses suggested there might be independent regions associated with working memory and episodic memory. Lesions in the right arcuate fasciculus were more strongly associated with discriminability in working memory than in subsequent memory, while lesions in the frontal operculum in the right hemisphere were more strongly associated with criterion setting in subsequent memory. These findings support the view that some processes involved in working memory and episodic memory rely on separate mechanisms, while acknowledging that there might also be shared processes.

scholarly journals Acute Intake of a Grape and Blueberry Polyphenol-Rich Extract Ameliorates Cognitive Performance in Healthy Young Adults During a Sustained Cognitive Effort

Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Philip ◽  
Patricia Sagaspe ◽  
Jacques Taillard ◽  
Claire Mandon ◽  
Joël Constans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Double Blind Study ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Safe Alternative ◽  
Memory And Attention

Despite an increasing level of evidence supporting the individual beneficial effect of polyphenols on cognitive performance, information related to the potential synergistic action of these phytonutrients on cognitive performance during a prolonged cognitive effort is currently lacking. This study investigated the acute and sustained action of a polyphenols-rich extract from grape and blueberry (PEGB), on working memory and attention in healthy students during a prolonged and intensive cognitive effort. In this randomised, cross-over, double blind study, 30 healthy students consumed 600 mg of PEGB or a placebo. Ninety minutes after product intake, cognitive functions were assessed for one hour using a cognitive demand battery including serial subtraction tasks, a rapid visual information processing (RVIP) task and a visual analogical scale. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and plasma flavan-3-ols metabolites quantification were also performed. A 2.5-fold increase in serial three subtraction variation net scores was observed following PEGB consumption versus placebo (p < 0.001). A trend towards significance was also observed with RVIP percentage of correct answers (p = 0.058). No treatment effect was observed on FMD. Our findings suggest that consumption of PEGB coupled with a healthy lifestyle may be a safe alternative to acutely improve working memory and attention during a sustained cognitive effort.

scholarly journals Lower verbalizability of visual stimuli modulates differences in estimates of working memory capacity between children with and without developmental language disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239694152094551
Author(s):  
Seçkin Arslan ◽  
Lucie Broc ◽  
Fabien Mathy
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Short Term

Background and aims Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) often perform below their typically developing peers on verbal memory tasks. However, the picture is less clear on visual memory tasks. Research has generally shown that visual memory can be facilitated by verbal representations, but few studies have been conducted using visual materials that are not easy to verbalize. Therefore, we attempted to construct non-verbalizable stimuli to investigate the impact of working memory capacity. Method and results We manipulated verbalizability in visual span tasks and tested whether minimizing verbalizability could help reduce visual recall performance differences across children with and without developmental language disorder. Visuals that could be easily verbalized or not were selected based on a pretest with non-developmental language disorder young adults. We tested groups of children with developmental language disorder (N = 23) and their typically developing peers (N = 65) using these high and low verbalizable classes of visual stimuli. The memory span of the children with developmental language disorder varied across the different stimulus conditions, but critically, although their storage capacity for visual information was virtually unimpaired, the children with developmental language disorder still had difficulty in recalling verbalizable images with simple drawings. Also, recalling complex (galaxy) images with low verbalizability proved difficult in both groups of children. An item-based analysis on correctly recalled items showed that higher levels of verbalizability enhanced visual recall in the typically developing children to a greater extent than the children with developmental language disorder. Conclusions and clinical implication: We suggest that visual short-term memory in typically developing children might be mediated with verbal encoding to a larger extent than in children with developmental language disorder, thus leading to poorer performance on visual capacity tasks. Our findings cast doubts on the idea that short-term storage impairments are limited to the verbal domain, but they also challenge the idea that visual tasks are essentially visual. Therefore, our findings suggest to clinicians working with children experiencing developmental language difficulties that visual memory deficits may not necessarily be due to reduced non-verbal skills but may be due to the high amount of verbal cues in visual stimuli, from which they do not benefit in comparison to their peers.

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