The impact of a migraine attack and its after-effects on perceptual organization, attention, and working memory

Cephalalgia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (14) ◽  
pp. 1419-1427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hille Koppen ◽  
Inge Palm-Meinders ◽  
Mark Kruit ◽  
Vera Lim ◽  
Aryo Nugroho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Migraine Attack ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Precedence Effect ◽  
Visual Features ◽  
Global Precedence ◽  
After Effects ◽  
Memory Functioning ◽  
Attentional Network ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Many migraine patients report cognitive complaints during the first hours or days following a migraine attack. The aim of this study was to assess whether and which cognitive (perceptual, attentional, or memory) processes are impaired during the first 48 hours after a migraine attack. Methods: Three different cognitive tasks (global-local task, the attentional network task, and N-back task) were administered to 16 migraine patients (13 migraine without aura; mean age 58 years, 15 female) and 18 controls (59 years, 15 female), matched on age, gender, and educational level. Tasks were administered at three time points; during the first headache free day following a migraine attack (first session), 24 hours later (second session), and 12 days after the attack (third session). Results: The attentional network and N-back tasks showed no significant differences between migraineurs and controls. In the global-local task, controls showed faster reaction times to global than to local stimuli, which is the standard global-precedence effect. This effect was absent in the migraineurs in all three sessions, especially if they used prophylaxis. Conclusion: Migraineurs had no impaired attentional or working-memory functioning in the 2 days after an attack. They did show impairments in the processing of global visual features compared with controls, both between and immediately after an attack.

scholarly journals Working Memory Functioning in Children With Poor Mathematical Skills

2015 ◽  
Vol 223 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Klesczewski ◽  
Janin Brandenburg ◽  
Anne Fischbach ◽  
Dietmar Grube ◽  
Marcus Hasselhorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Third Graders ◽  
Mathematical Skills ◽  
Memory Functioning ◽  
Mathematical Difficulties ◽  
Design Analyses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reading And Spelling ◽  
Reading And Spelling Difficulties ◽  
Additional Reading

Previous research on working memory (WM) in children with poor mathematical skills has yielded heterogeneous results, possibly due to inconsistent consideration of the IQ–achievement discrepancy and additional reading and spelling difficulties. To examine the impact of both, the WM of 68 average-achieving and 68 low-achieving third-graders in mathematics was assessed. Preliminary analyses showed that poor mathematical skills were associated with poor WM. Afterwards, children with isolated mathematical difficulties were separated from those with additional reading and spelling difficulties. Half of each group fulfilled the IQ–achievement discrepancy, resulting in a 2 (additional reading and spelling difficulties: yes/no) by 2 (IQ–achievement discrepancy: yes/no) factorial design. Analyses revealed that not fulfilling the IQ–achievement discrepancy was associated with poor visual WM, whereas additional reading and spelling difficulties were associated with poor central executive functioning in children fulfilling the IQ–achievement discrepancy. Therefore, WM in children with poor mathematical skills differs according to the IQ–achievement discrepancy and additional reading and/or spelling difficulties.

Mental health assessment in undergraduate students using DASS21 and Visual Working Memory Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gautam Kumar Baboo ◽  
Veeky Baths
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
The Impact

Substantial adolescence is spent in an academic environment where the student can experience varying intensities of depression, stress, and anxiety, which can be fatal. To address this concern, we utilized the Depression Anxiety and Stress Survey (DASS) 21 and Modified Sternberg working memory, thereby assessing the emotional states and assessing the impact on the cognitive ability of students (n=37, F=7) in terms of working memory. An intervention was provided (Art of Living YES+ program) for ten days. The assessment is carried out in the time window of two months before and after the intervention. F-test and T-test(p≤0.05) on the scores and reaction time are performed for hypothesis testing. This statistical analysis reveals that both the depression category and stress category reject the null hypothesis. Among the thirty-seven, only five students took part in the post-intervention assessment, the scores in 28% of the questions had lower scores, and 19 % did not have any change; however, there was an increase in the scores in 42% of the questions. No significant changes are observed in the working memory ability of the students. Based on reaction time analysis: 11.62%, 16.27%, and 25.58% are outliers for each type of question, respectively. Two participants showed significantly lower reaction times, indicating a faster reading ability than the rest. This study shows that the intervention can positively impact emotional states-depression, stress, and affect working memory abilities.

Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Impairs the Practice-dependent Proficiency Increase in Working Memory

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1687-1697 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ferrucci ◽  
S. Marceglia ◽  
M. Vergari ◽  
F. Cogiamanian ◽  
S. Mrakic-Sposta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
After Effects ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs ◽  
Cerebellar Tdcs ◽  
Sternberg Task

How the cerebellum is involved in the practice and proficiency of non-motor functions is still unclear. We tested whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the cerebellum (cerebellar tDCS) induces after-effects on the practice-dependent increase in the proficiency of a working memory (WM) task (Sternberg test) in 13 healthy subjects. We also assessed the effects of cerebellar tDCS on visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in four subjects and compared the effects of cerebellar tDCS on the Sternberg test with those elicited by tDCS delivered over the prefrontal cortex in five subjects. Our experiments showed that anodal or cathodal tDCS over the cerebellum impaired the practice-dependent improvement in the reaction times in a WM task. Because tDCS delivered over the prefrontal cortex induced an immediate change in the WM task but left the practice-dependent proficiency unchanged, the effects of cerebellar tDCS are structure-specific. Cerebellar tDCS left VEPs unaffected, its effect on the Sternberg task therefore seems unlikely to arise from visual system involvement. In conclusion, tDCS over the cerebellum specifically impairs the practice-dependent proficiency increase in verbal WM.

scholarly journals Does Articulatory Rehearsal Help Immediate Serial Recall?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra S. Souza ◽  
Klaus Oberauer
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Articulatory Suppression ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Serial Order ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Memory Functioning ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Baseline Experiment ◽  
Rehearsal Condition

Articulatory rehearsal is assumed to benefit verbal working memory. Yet, there is no experimental evidence supporting a causal link between rehearsal and serial-order memory, which is one of the hallmarks of working memory functioning. Across four experiments, we tested the hypothesis that rehearsal improves working memory by asking participants to rehearse overtly and by instructing different rehearsal schedules. In Experiments 1a, 1b, and 2, we compared an instructed cumulative-rehearsal condition against a free-rehearsal condition. The instruction increased the prevalence of cumulative rehearsal, but recall performance remained unchanged or decreased compared to the free-rehearsal baseline. Experiment 2 also tested the impact of a fixed rehearsal instruction; this condition yielded substantial performance costs compared to the baseline. Experiment 3 tested whether rehearsals (according to an experimenter-controlled protocol) are beneficial compared to a matched articulatory suppression condition that blocked rehearsals of the memoranda. Again, rehearsing the memoranda yielded no benefit compared to articulatory suppression. In sum, our results are incompatible with the notion that rehearsal is beneficial to working memory.

Association Between Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Symptoms and Attentional Network and Working Memory in Primary Schoolchildren

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (13) ◽  
pp. 1787-1795 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Camprodon-Rosanas ◽  
N. Ribas-Fitó ◽  
S. Batlle ◽  
C. Persavento ◽  
M. Alvarez-Pedrerol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Sluggish Cognitive Tempo ◽  
Neuropsychological Profile ◽  
Attentional Network ◽  
Primary Schoolchildren ◽  
Cognitive Tempo

Background: Few consistent data are available in relation to the cognitive and neuropsychological processes involved in sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms. The objective of this study was to determine the association of working memory and attentional networks with SCT symptoms in primary schoolchildren. Methods: The participants were schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 years ( n = 183) from primary schools in Catalonia (Spain). All the participants completed a working memory task (n-back) and an attentional network task (ANT). Their parents completed an SCT-Child Behavior Checklist self-report and a questionnaire concerning sociodemographic variables. Teachers of the participants provided information on ADHD symptoms and learning determinants. Results: SCT symptoms were correlated with lower scores in both the n-back and ANT. In multivariate regression analysis, SCT symptoms were associated with slower hit reaction times from the ANT. Conclusions: Our results suggest that SCT symptoms are associated with a neuropsychological profile that is different from the classical ADHD profile and characterized by slower reaction times.

scholarly journals How do worry and clinical status impact working memory performance? An experimental investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Held ◽  
Andreea Vîslă ◽  
Richard E. Zinbarg ◽  
Christine Wolfer ◽  
Christoph Flückiger
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Clinical Group ◽  
Generalised Anxiety Disorder ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Previous research has suggested that worry is negatively associated with working memory performance. However, it is unclear whether these findings would replicate across different worry levels and in individuals with anxiety and depressive disorders (i.e. clinical statuses). Method One-hundred-thirty-eight participants performed a two-block working memory task (150 trials per block). Based on participants` current clinical status, four groups were considered (generalised anxiety disorder group: n = 36; clinical group with another anxiety or mood disorders: n = 33; subclinical group: n = 27; control group: n = 42). Trait worry levels were collected from all of the participants. Working memory performance was measured as accuracy and reaction time. Results During the first block, higher worry scores were significantly associated with longer reaction times. Moreover, the generalised anxiety disorder group, clinical group, and subclinical groups demonstrated significantly longer reaction times compared to the control group in Block 1, when age was controlled for. From Block 1 to Block 2, all of the participants demonstrated a significant decrease in accuracy and reaction time, regardless of worry level or clinical status. Conclusion The results indicate that higher worry levels negatively impact WM processing efficiency. Moreover, when age was controlled for, we found participants` clinical status to be linked with WM impairments. The results highlight the relevance of investigating the impact of different worry levels on cognitive processes across clinical and non-clinical populations.

scholarly journals Forest Before Trees: Letter Stimulus and Sex Modulate Global Precedence in Visual Perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Álvarez-San Millán ◽  
Jaime Iglesias ◽  
Anahí Gutkin ◽  
Ela I. Olivares
Keyword(s):  
Visual Processing ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Hormonal Contraceptive ◽  
Precedence Effect ◽  
Congruent Condition ◽  
Global Precedence ◽  
Processing Style ◽  
Global And Local ◽  
Main Effects

The global precedence effect (GPE), originally referring to processing hierarchical visual stimuli composed of letters, is characterised by both global advantage and global interference. We present herein a study of how this effect is modulated by the variables letter and sex. The Navon task, using the letters “H” and “S,” was administered to 78 males and 168 females (69 follicular women, 52 luteal women, and 47 hormonal contraceptive users). No interaction occurred between the letter and sex variables, but significant main effects arose from each of these. Reaction times (RTs) revealed that the letter “H” was identified more rapidly in the congruent condition both in the global and the local task, and the letter “S” in the incongruent condition for the local task. Also, although RTs showed a GPE in both males and females, males displayed shorter reaction times in both global and local tasks. Furthermore, luteal women showed higher d’ index (discrimination sensitivity) in the congruent condition for the local task than both follicular women and hormonal contraceptive users, as well as longer exploration time of the irrelevant level during the global task than males. We conclude that, according to the linear periodicity law, the GPE is enhanced for compound letters with straight vs. curved strokes, whereas it is stronger in males than in females. Relevantly, luteal phase of the menstrual cycle seems to tilt women to rely on finer grained information, thus exhibiting an analytical processing style in global/local visual processing.

Do Children With Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Have Difficulties With Interference Control, Visuospatial Working Memory, and Selective Attention? Developmental Patterns and the Role of Severity and Persistence of DLD

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 3036-3050
Author(s):  
Elma Blom ◽  
Tessel Boerma
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Developmental Patterns ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have weaknesses in executive functioning (EF), specifically in tasks testing interference control and working memory. It is unknown how EF develops in children with DLD, if EF abilities are related to DLD severity and persistence, and if EF weaknesses expand to selective attention. This study aimed to address these gaps. Method Data from 78 children with DLD and 39 typically developing (TD) children were collected at three times with 1-year intervals. At Time 1, the children were 5 or 6 years old. Flanker, Dot Matrix, and Sky Search tasks tested interference control, visuospatial working memory, and selective attention, respectively. DLD severity was based on children's language ability. DLD persistence was based on stability of the DLD diagnosis. Results Performance on all tasks improved in both groups. TD children outperformed children with DLD on interference control. No differences were found for visuospatial working memory and selective attention. An interference control gap between the DLD and TD groups emerged between Time 1 and Time 2. Severity and persistence of DLD were related to interference control and working memory; the impact on working memory was stronger. Selective attention was unrelated to DLD severity and persistence. Conclusions Age and DLD severity and persistence determine whether or not children with DLD show EF weaknesses. Interference control is most clearly impaired in children with DLD who are 6 years and older. Visuospatial working memory is impaired in children with severe and persistent DLD. Selective attention is spared.

Skipping Breakfast Affects the Early Steps of Cognitive Processing

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118
Author(s):  
Andrés Antonio González-Garrido ◽  
Jacobo José Brofman-Epelbaum ◽  
Fabiola Reveca Gómez-Velázquez ◽  
Sebastián Agustín Balart-Sánchez ◽  
Julieta Ramos-Loyo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Electrical Brain Activity ◽  
Skipping Breakfast

Abstract. It has been generally accepted that skipping breakfast adversely affects cognition, mainly disturbing the attentional processes. However, the effects of short-term fasting upon brain functioning are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of skipping breakfast on cognitive processing by studying the electrical brain activity of young healthy individuals while performing several working memory tasks. Accordingly, the behavioral results and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) of 20 healthy university students (10 males) were obtained and compared through analysis of variances (ANOVAs), during the performance of three n-back working memory (WM) tasks in two morning sessions on both normal (after breakfast) and 12-hour fasting conditions. Significantly fewer correct responses were achieved during fasting, mainly affecting the higher WM load task. In addition, there were prolonged reaction times with increased task difficulty, regardless of breakfast intake. ERP showed a significant voltage decrement for N200 and P300 during fasting, while the amplitude of P200 notably increased. The results suggest skipping breakfast disturbs earlier cognitive processing steps, particularly attention allocation, early decoding in working memory, and stimulus evaluation, and this effect increases with task difficulty.

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