Neural Correlates of Sublexical Processing in Phonological Working Memory

This study investigated links between working memory and speech processing systems. We used delayed pseudoword repetition in fMRI to investigate the neural correlates of sublexical structure in phonological working memory (pWM). We orthogonally varied the number of syllables and consonant clusters in auditory pseudowords and measured the neural responses to these manipulations under conditions of covert rehearsal (Experiment 1). A left-dominant network of temporal and motor cortex showed increased activity for longer items, with motor cortex only showing greater activity concomitant with adding consonant clusters. An individual-differences analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between activity in the angular gyrus and the hippocampus, and accuracy on pseudoword repetition. As models of pWM stipulate that its neural correlates should be activated during both perception and production/rehearsal [Buchsbaum, B. R., & D'Esposito, M. The search for the phonological store: From loop to convolution. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20, 762–778, 2008; Jacquemot, C., & Scott, S. K. What is the relationship between phonological short-term memory and speech processing? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 480–486, 2006; Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. Working memory. In G. H. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation: Advances in research and theory (Vol. 8, pp. 47–89). New York: Academic Press, 1974], we further assessed the effects of the two factors in a separate passive listening experiment (Experiment 2). In this experiment, the effect of the number of syllables was concentrated in posterior–medial regions of the supratemporal plane bilaterally, although there was no evidence of a significant response to added clusters. Taken together, the results identify the planum temporale as a key region in pWM; within this region, representations are likely to take the form of auditory or audiomotor “templates” or “chunks” at the level of the syllable [Papoutsi, M., de Zwart, J. A., Jansma, J. M., Pickering, M. J., Bednar, J. A., & Horwitz, B. From phonemes to articulatory codes: an fMRI study of the role of Broca's area in speech production. Cerebral Cortex, 19, 2156–2165, 2009; Warren, J. E., Wise, R. J. S., & Warren, J. D. Sounds do-able: auditory–motor transformations and the posterior temporal plane. Trends in Neurosciences, 28, 636–643, 2005; Griffiths, T. D., & Warren, J. D. The planum temporale as a computational hub. Trends in Neurosciences, 25, 348–353, 2002], whereas more lateral structures on the STG may deal with phonetic analysis of the auditory input [Hickok, G. The functional neuroanatomy of language. Physics of Life Reviews, 6, 121–143, 2009].

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Brain hemodynamic response in Examiner–Examinee dyads during spatial short-term memory task: an fNIRS study

Experimental Brain Research ◽

10.1007/s00221-021-06073-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Francesco Panico ◽

Stefania De Marco ◽

Laura Sagliano ◽

Francesca D’Olimpio ◽

Dario Grossi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Memory Task ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

The Real

AbstractThe Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT) is a measure of spatial working memory (WM) in clinical practice, requiring an examinee to reproduce sequences of cubes tapped by an examiner. CBT implies complementary behaviors in the examiners and the examinees, as they have to attend a precise turn taking. Previous studies demonstrated that the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is activated during CBT, but scarce evidence is available on the neural correlates of CBT in the real setting. We assessed PFC activity in dyads of examiner–examinee participants while completing the real version of CBT, during conditions of increasing and exceeding workload. This procedure allowed to investigate whether brain activity in the dyads is coordinated. Results in the examinees showed that PFC activity was higher when the workload approached or reached participants’ spatial WM span, and lower during workload conditions that were largely below or above their span. Interestingly, findings in the examiners paralleled the ones in the examinees, as examiners’ brain activity increased and decreased in a similar way as the examinees’ one. In the examiners, higher left-hemisphere activity was observed suggesting the likely activation of non-spatial WM processes. Data support a bell-shaped relationship between cognitive load and brain activity, and provide original insights on the cognitive processes activated in the examiner during CBT.

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Dissociation between phonological working memory structures and motor programming units during speech motor-sequence learning

10.31234/osf.io/35y47 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew Masapollo ◽

Dante J. Smith ◽

Frank Guenther

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Motor Program ◽

Error Rates ◽

Frame Structure ◽

Motor Programming ◽

Consonant Clusters ◽

Motor Sequence ◽

Phonological Working Memory ◽

Speech Motor ◽

Novel Words

Purpose: This study investigated the nature of phonological working memory (PWM) structures and speech motor programming units by examining how performance gains from practicing non-native phoneme sequences generalize to novel sequences that overlap to varying degrees with the practiced sequences.Method: CCVCC words were constructed using consonant clusters that violated English phonological constraints, thus making them difficult to produce initially. After practicing a subset of the words over two consecutive days, participants were tested on the production of several types of word pairs, including novel words containing unpracticed clusters, practiced cluster words containing consonant clusters that were practiced but in different words from the test words, and fully learned words that were practiced in their entirety.Results: Utterance duration improvements from practicing clusters in one syllabic context fully transferred to novel words that included these clusters, while error rate improvements from practicing clusters in one syllabic context only partially generalized to new syllables utilizing these practiced clusters. Additionally, error rates for the first word in the pair (which depend primarily on motor program structure) showed partial improvements for learned clusters regardless of whether the cluster was practiced in the same part of the syllabic frame (onset or coda), whereas error rates for the second word (which reflect both PWM and motor programming mechanisms) were higher than even novel words if the cluster was practiced in the wrong syllable frame location, presumably due to interference effects in PWM. Conclusions: These results provide support for an onset-nucleus-coda syllabic frame structure in PWM and a syllable-frame-independent representation of common phoneme sub-sequences for motor programs.

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Brain Activation and Psychophysiologic Interaction in Association with a Phonological Working Memory Task

Modern Applied Science ◽

10.5539/mas.v8n5p97 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 97 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ahmad Nazlim Yusoff ◽

Hanani Abdul Manan ◽

Siti Zamratol-Mai Sarah Mukari ◽

Khairiah Abdul Hamid ◽

Elizabeth A. Franz

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Temporal Lobe ◽

Speech Processing ◽

Source Region ◽

Memory Task ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Phonological Working Memory ◽

Babble Noise ◽

The Right ◽

The Brain

Brain activation within, and psychophysiologic interaction between, significantly activated regions in the brain obtained from a phonological working memory experiment on a single participant were studied. Given that working memory and speech processing are key functions of human behaviour, this type of investigation is of fundamental importance to our understanding of brain-behaviour relationships. The study objectives were to determine the areas that respond significantly to a phonological working memory task and to investigate the influence of babble noise on their activation and the psychophysiologic interactions (PPI) between the source region and those activated areas. Three conditions were used during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans which were working memory in quiet (WMQ), working memory in noise (WMN) and listening to babble noise (N). More voxels are activated in the right temporal lobe than in the left during N condition due to the non-speech stimulus. However, a higher mean stimulus efficacy (?) of the point of maximum intensity in the left temporal lobe causes its signal intensity to be higher than in the right temporal lobe. Both the WMQ and WMN conditions resulted in similar activated regions in the brain but with a higher number of activated voxels (NOV) during WMQ for the right hemispheric areas in association with the working memory task. This is due to the sensitivity of those regions in perceiving and performing the phonological working memory task in quiet to a level that actually exceeds the activation enhancement commonly associated with the performance of working memory task in noise. This is supported by the PPI results that performing the working memory task is less influenced by noise for that particular brain region.

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Working Memory Function in Children with Single Side Deafness Using a Bone-Anchored Hearing Implant: A Case-Control Study

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000493722 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 238-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Arianna Di Stadio ◽

Laura Dipietro ◽

Roberta Toffano ◽

Francesca Burgio ◽

Antonietta De Lucia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Speech Processing ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Memory Function ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Single Side ◽

Significant Difference

The importance of a good hearing function to preserve memory and cognitive abilities has been shown in the adult population, but studies on the pediatric population are currently lacking. This study aims at evaluating the effects of a bone-anchored hearing implant (BAHI) on speech perception, speech processing, and memory abilities in children with single side deafness (SSD). We enrolled n = 25 children with SSD and assessed them prior to BAHI implantation, and at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups after BAHI implantation using tests of perception in silence and perception in phonemic confusion, dictation in silence and noise, and working memory and short-term memory function in conditions of silence and noise. We also enrolled and evaluated n = 15 children with normal hearing. We found a statistically significant difference in performance between healthy children and children with SSD before BAHI implantation in the scores of all tests. After 3 months from BAHI implantation, the performance of children with SSD was comparable to that of healthy subjects as assessed by tests of speech perception, working memory, and short-term memory function in silence condition, while differences persisted in the scores of the dictation test (both in silence and noise conditions) and of the working memory function test in noise condition. Our data suggest that in children with SSD BAHI improves speech perception and memory. Speech rehabilitation may be necessary to further improve speech processing.

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Implicación de la memoria visoespacial y fonológica en la heterogeneidad clínica del Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad (TDAH)

Anales de Psicología ◽

10.6018/analesps.34.1.289671 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 16 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ana Gallego Martínez ◽

Javier Fenollar Cortés ◽

Julia García Sevilla

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Control Group ◽

Adhd Group ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Phonological Working Memory ◽

Neuropsychological Tasks

Introduction: The interest in studying the neuropsychological deficits that lie behind ADHD, among which the Working Memory (WM) stands out in its visuospatial and phonological dimensions, has been on increase. The aim of the current study was to explore the performance differences concerning the short-term memory and the visuospatial and phonological working memory among control and clinical groups acknowledging the clinical heterogeneity of the disorder.Method: A group of 76 children with a prior diagnosis of ADHD was divided by the clinical subtype of the disorder: ADHD predominantly inattentive (n = 26, age M = 10,9, SD = 1,8; 66% male), and combined ADHD (n = 50, age M = 10.8, DT = 1.9; 61.5% male). Additionally, a control group of typically developing children was formed (n = 40, age M = 10.2, SD = 1.9; 57.5% male). Both groups completed a task battery to aimed to measure the short-term memory, as well as the visuospatial and phonological working memory.Results: The ADHD group showed a decreased performance at visuospatial (Corsi Block Task), as well as phonological (WISC Letter-Number Sequencing) working memory tasks. The decreased performance was consistent among the clinical subtypes. The dimensions of ADHD and the performance output in the neuropsychological tasks used in the study were not related.Discussion: This study offers empirical evidence to the hypothesis that suggests that children with ADHD show a poor performance than controls at Working Memory tasks, including both visuospatial and phonological WM. In addition, the results of the study suggested that there is no correlation between the dimensions of the ADHD and the performance output in the Working Memory tasks.

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Conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) supports core claims of Christiansen and Chater

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x15000928 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

Author(s):

Mary C. Potter

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation ◽

Language Comprehension ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Visual Presentation ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Use Of Knowledge

AbstractRapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of words or pictured scenes provides evidence for a large-capacity conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) that momentarily provides rich associated material from long-term memory, permitting rapid chunking (Potter 1993; 2009; 2012). In perception of scenes as well as language comprehension, we make use of knowledge that briefly exceeds the supposed limits of working memory.

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Working, Declarative, and Procedural Memory in Children With Developmental Language Disorder

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00135 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (12) ◽

pp. 4162-4178

Author(s):

Emily Jackson ◽

Suze Leitão ◽

Mary Claessen ◽

Mark Boyes

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Declarative Memory ◽

Memory Systems ◽

Procedural Memory ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Visual Spatial

Purpose Previous research into the working, declarative, and procedural memory systems in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) has yielded inconsistent results. The purpose of this research was to profile these memory systems in children with DLD and their typically developing peers. Method One hundred four 5- to 8-year-old children participated in the study. Fifty had DLD, and 54 were typically developing. Aspects of the working memory system (verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, and visual–spatial short-term memory) were assessed using a nonword repetition test and subtests from the Working Memory Test Battery for Children. Verbal and visual–spatial declarative memory were measured using the Children's Memory Scale, and an audiovisual serial reaction time task was used to evaluate procedural memory. Results The children with DLD demonstrated significant impairments in verbal short-term and working memory, visual–spatial short-term memory, verbal declarative memory, and procedural memory. However, verbal declarative memory and procedural memory were no longer impaired after controlling for working memory and nonverbal IQ. Declarative memory for visual–spatial information was unimpaired. Conclusions These findings indicate that children with DLD have deficits in the working memory system. While verbal declarative memory and procedural memory also appear to be impaired, these deficits could largely be accounted for by working memory skills. The results have implications for our understanding of the cognitive processes underlying language impairment in the DLD population; however, further investigation of the relationships between the memory systems is required using tasks that measure learning over long-term intervals. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13250180

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Slow Wave Activity Related to Working Memory Maintenance in the N-Back Task

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000164 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 141-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Kira Bailey ◽

Gregory Mlynarczyk ◽

Robert West

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Slow Wave ◽

Time Course ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Wave Activity ◽

Slow Wave Activity ◽

Response Accuracy ◽

Functional Neuroanatomy ◽

Stimulus Interval ◽

Back Task

Abstract. Working memory supports our ability to maintain goal-relevant information that guides cognition in the face of distraction or competing tasks. The N-back task has been widely used in cognitive neuroscience to examine the functional neuroanatomy of working memory. Fewer studies have capitalized on the temporal resolution of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to examine the time course of neural activity in the N-back task. The primary goal of the current study was to characterize slow wave activity observed in the response-to-stimulus interval in the N-back task that may be related to maintenance of information between trials in the task. In three experiments, we examined the effects of N-back load, interference, and response accuracy on the amplitude of the P3b following stimulus onset and slow wave activity elicited in the response-to-stimulus interval. Consistent with previous research, the amplitude of the P3b decreased as N-back load increased. Slow wave activity over the frontal and posterior regions of the scalp was sensitive to N-back load and was insensitive to interference or response accuracy. Together these findings lead to the suggestion that slow wave activity observed in the response-to-stimulus interval is related to the maintenance of information between trials in the 1-back task.

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What Is Left Is Right

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.14.1.78 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 78-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kenneth Hugdahl ◽

René Westerhausen

Keyword(s):

Speech Processing ◽

Information Transfer ◽

Hemispheric Asymmetry ◽

Functional Neuroimaging ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Functional Anatomy ◽

Posterior Part ◽

Functional Asymmetry ◽

Planum Temporale ◽

Evolution Of Speech

The present paper is based on a talk on hemispheric asymmetry given by Kenneth Hugdahl at the Xth European Congress of Psychology, Praha July 2007. Here, we propose that hemispheric asymmetry evolved because of a left hemisphere speech processing specialization. The evolution of speech and the need for air-based communication necessitated division of labor between the hemispheres in order to avoid having duplicate copies in both hemispheres that would increase processing redundancy. It is argued that the neuronal basis of this labor division is the structural asymmetry observed in the peri-Sylvian region in the posterior part of the temporal lobe, with a left larger than right planum temporale area. This is the only example where a structural, or anatomical, asymmetry matches a corresponding functional asymmetry. The increase in gray matter volume in the left planum temporale area corresponds to a functional asymmetry of speech processing, as indexed from both behavioral, dichotic listening, and functional neuroimaging studies. The functional anatomy of the corpus callosum also supports such a view, with regional specificity of information transfer between the hemispheres.

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The constructs of short-term memory and working memory

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e536982012-103 ◽

1997 ◽

Author(s):

Randall W. Engle ◽

Stephen Tuholski ◽

James Laughlin ◽

Andrew Conway

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory

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