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 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.

Symptomatic remission and neurocognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 2131-2139 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hofer ◽  
T. Bodner ◽  
A. Kaufmann ◽  
G. Kemmler ◽  
U. Mattarei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Functional Outcome ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Neurocognitive Functioning ◽  
Remission Status ◽  
Symptomatic Remission

BackgroundA cross-sectional study was conducted in participants with schizophrenia to explore a potential association between the patients' remission status and neurocognitive functioning and to examine whether these factors have an impact on functional outcome.MethodPsychopathological symptoms were rated by means of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale with symptom remission being assessed by applying the severity component of the recently proposed remission criteria. Tests for the cognitive battery were selected to cover domains known to be impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Next to pre-morbid intelligence, attention performance, executive functioning, verbal fluency, verbal learning and memory, working memory and visual memory were assessed. The joint effect of remission status and neurocognitive functioning on treatment outcome was investigated by logistic regression analysis.ResultsOut of 140 patients included in the study, 62 were symptomatically remitted. Mean age, education and sex distribution were comparable in remitted and non-remitted patients. Remitted patients showed significantly higher values on tests of verbal fluency, alertness and optical vigilance. Both symptomatic remission as well as performance on tests of working memory and verbal memory had a significant effect on the patients' employment status.ConclusionsIn the present study neuropsychological measures of frontal lobe functioning were associated with symptomatic remission from schizophrenia. In addition, both symptomatic remission and performance on tests of working memory and verbal memory had a significant effect on the patients' employment status. Longitudinal follow-up data are needed to determine how the associations of these determinants of functional outcome interact and change over time.

Impact of Androgen-Deprivation Therapy on Cognitive Function in Men With Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (34) ◽  
pp. 5030-5037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabbir M.H. Alibhai ◽  
Henriette Breunis ◽  
Narhari Timilshina ◽  
Shireen Marzouk ◽  
Diane Stewart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Androgen Deprivation Therapy ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Androgen Deprivation ◽  
Visuospatial Ability ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Immediate Memory

Purpose To evaluate the effects of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) on cognitive function in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer (PC). Patients and Methods The following three groups of men age 50 years or older and matched on age and education were enrolled: patients with PC starting continuous ADT (n = 77), patients with PC not receiving ADT (PC controls, n = 82), and healthy controls (n = 82). A battery of 14 neuropsychological tests, examining eight cognitive domains, was administered at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Changes in cognitive scores over time were analyzed using the following three approaches: multivariable linear regression; the proportion of participants per group with 1 standard deviation (SD) or greater declines, and the proportion of participants who declined by at least 1.5 SD on two or more tests. Results The mean age and education level of participants were 68.9 years (range, 50 to 87 years) and 15.4 years of education (range, 8 to 24 years), respectively. Adjusted for age and education, all three cohorts had similar cognitive scores at baseline other than in one test of working memory. In adjusted regressions, ADT use was not associated with significant changes in the domains of attention/processing speed, verbal fluency, verbal memory, visual memory, or cognitive flexibility at either 6 months (all P > .05) or 12 months (all P > .05). One test each of immediate memory (P = .029), working memory (P = .031), and visuospatial ability (P = .034) were worse among ADT users than controls at 12 months, but these findings were not confirmed using other analytic approaches. Conclusion There is no consistent evidence that 12 months of ADT use has an adverse effect on cognitive function in elderly men with PC.

Does Working Memory Impact Functional Outcomes in Individuals With ADHD: A Qualitative and Comprehensive Literature Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (13) ◽  
pp. 1592-1599
Author(s):  
Ronna Fried ◽  
Jessica Abrams ◽  
Anna Hall ◽  
Leah Feinberg ◽  
Amanda Pope ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Academic Functioning ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Comprehensive Literature Review ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Freedom From Distractibility

Objective: Working Memory (WM) is a domain of executive functioning often impaired in individuals with ADHD. Although assumed to cause difficulties across functioning, the scope of impairments from WM deficits in ADHD has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to examine outcomes associated with WM deficits in ADHD. Method: We conducted a search of the scientific literature on WM deficits, and Freedom From Distractibility (FFD), in ADHD using PubMed and PsycInfo databases. Results: The final sample included 11 controlled studies of WM/FFD deficits in ADHD with operationalized assessment of outcomes in academic, social, and emotional areas. WM assessment was divided into auditory-verbal memory (AVM) and spatial-visual memory (SWM). Seven studies examined WM deficits in academic functioning, eight studies assessed WM deficits in social functioning, and three assessed WM deficits in psychopathology. Conclusion: The majority of the literature suggests that WM deficits affect primarily academic functioning.

The relationship between early musical training and executive functions: Validation of effects of the sensitive period

2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562097869
Author(s):  
Jiejia Chen ◽  
Meike Scheller ◽  
Chuanyu Wu ◽  
Biyu Hu ◽  
Rong Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Music Training ◽  
Inhibition Response ◽  
The Relationship

Interest in the influence of musical training on executive functions (EFs) has been growing in recent years. However, the relationship between musical training and EFs remains unclear. By dividing EFs into inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, this study systematically examined its association with musical training in children, and further verified whether there was a sensitive period for the influence of music training on EFs. In Experiment 1, musically trained and untrained children were asked to complete the Go/No-go, Stroop, Continuous Performance, and Switching tasks. Results showed that musically trained children had an advantage in attention inhibition, response inhibition, and working memory, but not in cognitive flexibility. Moreover, the level of musical training was positively correlated with response inhibition and working memory abilities. In Experiment 2, results showed that early-trained musicians performed better on measures of attention inhibition, response inhibition, and working memory than did the age-matched control group, but late-trained musicians only performed better in attention inhibition. Thus, our findings suggest that music training is associated with enhanced EF abilities and provide the first evidence that early childhood is a sensitive period when musical training has a more powerful effect on the development of EFs.

scholarly journals Visual and verbal working memory loads interfere with scene viewing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Cronin ◽  
Candace Elise Peacock ◽  
John M. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Scene Viewing

Working memory is thought to be divided into distinct visual and verbal subsystems. Studies of visual working memory frequently use verbal working memory tasks as control conditions and/or use articulatory suppression to ensure visual load remains in visual memory. Using these verbal tasks relies on the assumption that the verbal working memory load will not interfere with the same processes as visual working memory. In the present study, participants maintained a visual or verbal working memory load while simultaneously viewing scenes. Because eye movements and visual working memory are closely linked, we anticipated the visual load would interfere with scene viewing (and vice versa), while the verbal load would not. Surprisingly, both visual and verbal memory loads interfered with scene viewing behavior, while scene viewing did not significantly interfere with performance on either memory task. These results suggest that a verbal working memory load can interfere with a visual task and contribute to the growing literature suggesting the visual and verbal subsystems of working memory are less distinct than previously thought. Our data also stands at odds with previous work suggesting that visual working memory is obligatorily recruited by saccadic eye movements.

Neurocognitive Vulnerability Indicators in Psychosis

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
N.S. Vyas ◽  
S. Frangou
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Visual Information Processing ◽  
Clinical Syndrome ◽  
Axis I

Background:Cognitive impairments are considered a component of the extended clinical syndrome of schizophrenia. the aim of the current project was to investigate putative cognitive deficits in individuals with Early Onset Schizophrenia (EOS; defined herein as onset before the age of 18) and their relatives.Methods:53 EOS probands and 117 unaffected first-degree-relatives were examined on memory (Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised), verbal learning and recognition (California Verbal Learning Test), and attention (SPAN of apprehension test and degraded-stimulus continuous performance test (DS-CPT)). the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV yielded four diagnostic groups: EOS probands; relatives with Mood Disorders; other Axis I diagnoses; and no diagnosis (healthy). Analysis of co-variance was performed with diagnosis as fixed factor and age as covariate.Results:EOS probands under performed on General Memory, Verbal Memory and Delayed Recall indices (WMS-R) compared to their relatives. both EOS and relatives with a mood disorder performed less well on Visual memory and Attention/Concentration indices [p< 0.001]. Relatives without Axis I diagnosis differentiated from EOS on all indices [p< 0.01]. Verbal learning and recognition impairments segregated in EOS and differentiated patients from their relatives. EOS probands and relatives with an Axis I diagnoses showed rapid visual information processing impairments (SPAN) compared to healthy relatives, while sustained attention (DS-CPT) remained relatively preserved in EOS and relatives.Conclusions:Genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may be mediated by visual information processing impairments, which differentiates healthy relatives from relatives with an Axis I diagnosis. Sustained attention seems to be a selective strength in EOS and relatives.

scholarly journals Investigating the influence of music training on verbal memory

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 814-820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra C. Taylor ◽  
Stephen A. Dewhurst
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Imagery ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Word List ◽  
Auditory Imagery ◽  
Music Training ◽  
Word Lists ◽  
Neural Factors

Previous research has shown that musical training is associated with enhanced verbal memory. The current study investigated the generality of this association by presenting undergraduates who had received musical training ( n = 20) and undergraduates with no formal music training ( n = 20) with four types of word list; high visual imagery, high auditory imagery, high tactile imagery, and abstract. Those who had received music training showed enhanced memory for all word lists, suggesting that music training leads to a general enhancement in verbal memory that is not restricted to specific types of words (e.g., those invoking auditory imagery). The findings support previous research in showing that music training enhances cognitive skills beyond those that are specific to the domain of music. The possible cognitive and neural factors underpinning this effect are discussed.

scholarly journals Fifteen to Twenty Seconds of Eye Movements Have No Effect on Believability of Positive Personal Verbal Statements: Results From a Working Memory Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-90
Author(s):  
Suzy Matthijssen ◽  
Marcel van den Hout
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Modality Effects ◽  
Visual Tasks ◽  
Auditory Tasks ◽  
Positive Memories

According to working memory theory, a task that taxes working memory during simultaneous focus on a memory will tend to reduce memory vividness and emotional intensity. Results have been found for both negative and positive memories. Some studies have shown the necessity of modality-specific tasks, with visual tasks producing greater deterioration of a visual memory, and auditory tasks reducing the quality of an auditory or verbal memory; other studies have reported cross-modality effects. Research has confirmed that eye movements similar to those in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy produce these effects on visual imagery. However, the effects of eye movements on positive verbal imagery remain unclear. This study tested the effects of eye movements on positive verbal statements. In two experiments, undergraduates performed 15–20 seconds of eye movements or 15–20 seconds of keeping eyes stationary while focusing on a statement of a positive relevant personality trait (e.g., “I’m persistent”). Results showed that 15–20 seconds of eye movements did not enhance or diminish participant’s belief in possessing the trait. Discussion focuses on methodological factors and calls for future research on the effect of eye movements on verbal material.

Disturbance Effect of Music on Processing of Verbal and Spatial Memories

2002 ◽  
Vol 94 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1251-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Iwanaga ◽  
Takako Ito
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Spatial Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Vocal Music ◽  
State Model ◽  
Spatial Memory Task ◽  
Natural Sound ◽  
Spatial Memories

The purpose of the present study was to examine the disturbance effect of music on performances of memory tasks. Subjects performed a verbal memory task and a spatial memory task in 4 sound conditions, including the presence of vocal music, instrumental music, a natural sound (murmurings of a stream), and no music. 47 undergraduate volunteers were randomly assigned to perform tasks under each condition. Perceived disturbance was highest under the vocal music condition regardless of the type of task. A disturbance in performance by music was observed only with the verbal memory task under the vocal and the instrumental music conditions. These findings were discussed from the perspectives of the working memory hypothesis and the changing state model.

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