scholarly journals In poetry, if meter has to help memory, it takes its time

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Sara Andreetta ◽  
Oleksandra Soldatkina ◽  
Vezha Boboeva ◽  
Alessandro Treves
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Cognitive Schema ◽  
Orlando Furioso ◽  
Italian Poetry ◽  
High Level ◽  
Cognitive Cost

To test the idea that poetic meter emerged as a cognitive schema to aid verbal memory, we focused on classical Italian poetry and on three components of meter: rhyme, accent, and verse length. Meaningless poems were generated by introducing prosody-invariant non-words into passages from Dante’s Divina Commedia and Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso. We then ablated rhymes, modified accent patterns, or altered the number of syllables. The resulting versions of each non-poem were presented to Italian native speakers, who were then asked to retrieve three target non-words. Surprisingly, we found that the integrity of Dante’s meter has no significant effect on memory performance. With Ariosto, instead, removing each component downgrades memory proportionally to its contribution to perceived metric plausibility. Counterintuitively, the fully metric versions required longer reaction times, implying that activating metric schemata involves a cognitive cost. Within schema theories, this finding provides evidence for high-level interactions between procedural and episodic memory.

scholarly journals In Poetry, if Meter has to Help Memory, it Takes its Time

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Andreetta ◽  
Oleksandra Soldatkina ◽  
Vezha Boboeva ◽  
Alessandro Treves
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Cognitive Schema ◽  
Balanced Design ◽  
Orlando Furioso ◽  
Italian Poetry ◽  
High Level ◽  
Cognitive Cost

To test the idea that poetic meter emerged as a cognitive schema to aid verbal memory, we have focused on classical Italian poetry and on its three basic components of meter: rhyme, accent and verse length. Meaningless poems were generated by introducing prosody-invariant non-words into passages from Dante's Divina Commedia and Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, which were then further manipulated by selectively ablating rhymes, modifying accent patterns or altering the number of syllables. The resulting four versions of each non-poem were presented in a fully balanced design to cohorts of high school educated Italian native speakers, who were then asked to retrieve 3 target non-words. Surprisingly, we found that the integrity of Dante's meter has no significant effect on memory performance. With passages derived from Ariosto, instead, removing each component downgrades memory by an amount proportional to its contribution to perceived metric plausibility, with rhymes having the strongest effects, followed by accents and then by verse length. Counterintuitively, the fully metric versions required longer reaction times, implying that activating metric schemata involves a cognitive cost. Within schema theories, this finding provides evidence for high-level interactions between procedural and episodic memory.

scholarly journals Lifespan trajectories and relationships to memory of the macro- and microstructure of the anterior and posterior hippocampus – a longitudinal multi-modal imaging study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Espen Langnes ◽  
Markus H. Sneve ◽  
Donatas Sederevicius ◽  
Inge K. Amlien ◽  
Kristine B Walhovd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Hippocampal Formation ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Microstructural Development

AbstractThere is evidence for a hippocampal long axis anterior-posterior (AP) differentiation in memory processing, which may have implications for the changes in episodic memory performance typically seen across development and aging. The hippocampal formation shows substantial structural changes with age, but the lifespan trajectories of hippocampal sub-regions along the AP axis are not established. The aim of the present study was to test whether the micro- and macro-structural age-trajectories of the anterior (aHC) and posterior (pHC) hippocampus are different. In a single-center longitudinal study, 1790 cognitively healthy participants, 4.1-93.4 years of age, underwent a total of 3367 MRI examinations and 3033 memory tests sessions over 1-6 time points, spanning an interval up to 11.1 years. T1-weighted scans were used to estimate the volume of aHC and pHC, and diffusion tensor imaging to measure mean diffusion (MD) within each region. We found that the macro- and microstructural lifespan-trajectories of aHC and pHC were clearly distinguishable, with partly common and partly unique variance shared with age. aHC showed a protracted period of microstructural development, while pHC microstructural development as indexed by MD was more or less completed in early childhood. In contrast, pHC showed larger unique aging-related changes. A similar aHC – pHC difference was observed for volume, although not as evident as for microstructure. All sub-regions showed age-dependent relationships to episodic memory function. For aHC micro- and macrostructure, the relationships to verbal memory performance varied significantly with age, being stronger among the older participants. Future research should disentangle the relationship between these structural properties and different memory processes – encoding vs. retrieval in particular – across the lifespan.

scholarly journals Aberrant prefrontal beta oscillations predict episodic memory encoding deficits in schizophrenia

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Meconi ◽  
Sarah Anderl-Straub ◽  
Heidelore Raum ◽  
Michael Landgrebe ◽  
Berthold Langguth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Brain Oscillations ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
Pattern Similarity

AbstractVerbal episodic memory is one of the core cognitive functions affected in patients suffering from schizophrenia (SZ). Although this verbal memory impairment in SZ is a well-known finding, our understanding about its underlying neurophysiological mechanisms is rather scarce. Here we address this issue by recording brain oscillations during a memory task in a sample of healthy controls and patients suffering from SZ. Brain oscillations represent spectral fingerprints of specific neurocognitive operations and are therefore a promising tool to identify neurocognitive mechanisms that are affected by SZ. Healthy controls showed a prominent suppression of left prefrontal beta oscillatory activity during successful memory formation, which replicates several previous oscillatory memory studies. In contrast, patients failed to exhibit such left prefrontal beta power suppression. Utilizing a new topographical pattern similarity approach, we further demonstrate that the degree of similarity between a patient's beta power decrease to that of the controls reliably predicted memory performance. This relationship between beta power decreases and memory was such that the patients' memory performance improved as they showed a more similar topographical beta desynchronization pattern compared to that of healthy controls. These findings suggest that left prefrontal beta power suppression (or lack thereof) during memory encoding is a possible biomarker for the observed encoding impairments in SZ in verbal memory. This lack of left prefrontal beta power decreases might indicate a specific semantic processing deficit of verbal material in patients with schizophrenia.

Spatial Visualization Ability Mediates the Male Advantage in Spatial and Visual Episodic Memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Siedlecki
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Spatial Visualization ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Female Advantage ◽  
Male Advantage ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Verbal Episodic Memory

Abstract. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 94 (N = 326) completed a battery of episodic memory tasks, as well as several measures of spatial visualization. A female advantage in verbal episodic memory and a male advantage in spatial and visual episodic memory were observed. Mediation analyses provided evidence that performance on spatial visualization tasks greatly influences the magnitude of the effect for sex differences among the different episodic memory constructs. In particular, the spatial visualization construct fully mediated the relationship between sex and episodic spatial memory performance. Further, when spatial visualization was included as a mediator in the model the relationship between sex and episodic verbal memory increased, and the relationship between sex and episodic visual memory reversed, such that women scored higher than men.

scholarly journals Beneficial Effects of Dark Chocolate for Episodic Memory in Healthy Young Adults: A Parallel-Groups Acute Intervention with a White Chocolate Control

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Lamport ◽  
Eleni Christodoulou ◽  
Christina Achilleos
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Dark Chocolate ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Auditory Verbal Learning ◽  
Learning Test

There is good evidence that cocoa flavonoids can acutely improve cognitive function in humans, possibly via mechanisms such as increased cerebral blood flow. To date, much of the evidence is based on measures of executive function with extracts and cocoa-based interventions with a high flavonoid content. The aim of the present study was to explore whether benefits to episodic verbal memory and mood are observed two hours post consumption of a commercially available dark chocolate (DC) bar relative to a 35 g white chocolate bar (WC). Ninety-eight healthy young adults (n = 57 females) aged 18–24 years consumed either a 35 g DC bar or a calorie-matched low flavonoid WC bar. Verbal episodic memory and mood were assessed pre consumption and 2 h post consumption. An ANOVA analysis showed that the DC was associated with better verbal memory performance for several outcome measures of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test relative to the WC, however, there were no effects on mood. These findings lend support to the notion that everyday available portions of dark chocolate can confer benefits to the brain in healthy consumers.

Relationship Between PET-Assessed Amyloid Burden and Visual and Verbal Episodic Memory Performance in Elderly Subjects

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-244
Author(s):  
Paula Squarzoni ◽  
Daniele de Paula Faria ◽  
Mônica Sanches Yassuda ◽  
Fábio Henrique de Gobbi Porto ◽  
Artur Martins Coutinho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Standard Uptake Value ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Elderly Subjects

Background: Studies of elderly subjects using biomarkers that are proxies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology have the potential to document meaningful relationships between cognitive performance and biomarker changes along the AD continuum. Objective: To document cognitive performance differences across distinct AD stages using a categorization based on the presence of PET-assessed amyloid-β (Aβ) burden and neurodegeneration. Methods: Patients with mild dementia compatible with AD (n = 38) or amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; n = 43) and a cognitively unimpaired group (n = 27) underwent PET with Pittsburgh compound-B (PiB) assessing Aβ aggregation (A+) and [18F]FDG-PET assessing neurodegeneration ((N)+). Cognitive performance was assessed with verbal and visual episodic memory tests and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results: The A+(N)+ subgroup (n = 32) showed decreased (p < 0.001) cognitive test scores compared to both A+(N)–(n = 18) and A–(N)–(n = 49) subjects, who presented highly similar mean cognitive scores. Despite its modest size (n = 9), the A–(N)+ subgroup showed lower (p < 0.043) verbal memory scores relative to A–(N)–subjects, and trend lower (p = 0.096) scores relative to A+(N)–subjects. Continuous Aβ measures (standard uptake value ratios of PiB uptake) were correlated most significantly with visual memory scores both in the overall sample and when analyses were restricted to dementia or (N)+ subjects, but not in non-dementia or (N)–groups. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that significant Aβ-cognition relationships are highly salient at disease stages involving neurodegeneration. The fact that findings relating Aβ burden to memory performance were detected only at (N)+ stages, together with the similarity of test scores between A+(N)–and A–(N)–subjects, reinforce the view that Aβ-cognition relationships during early AD stages may remain undetectable unless substantially large samples are evaluated.

scholarly journals Neural basis of episodic memory in the intermediate term after medial temporal lobe resection

2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 790-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woorim Jeong ◽  
Hyeongrae Lee ◽  
June Sic Kim ◽  
Chun Kee Chung
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Surgery Group

OBJECTIVEHow the brain supports intermediate-term preservation of memory in patients who have undergone unilateral medial temporal lobe resection (MTLR) has not yet been demonstrated. To understand the neural basis of episodic memory in the intermediate term after surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the authors investigated the relationship between the activation of the hippocampus (HIP) during successful memory encoding and individual memory capacity in patients who had undergone MTLR. They also compared hippocampal activation with other parameters, including structural volumes of the HIP, duration of illness, and age at seizure onset.METHODSThirty-five adult patients who had undergone unilateral MTLR at least 1 year before recruiting and who had a favorable seizure outcome were enrolled (17 left MTLR, 18 right MTLR; mean follow-up 6.31 ± 2.72 years). All patients underwent a standardized neuropsychological examination of memory function and functional MRI scanning with a memory-encoding paradigm of words and figures. Activations of the HIP during successful memory encoding were calculated and compared with standard neuropsychological memory scores, hippocampal volumes, and other clinical variables.RESULTSGreater activation in the HIP contralateral to the side of the resection was related to higher postoperative memory scores and greater postoperative memory improvement than the preoperative baseline in both patient groups. Specifically, postoperative verbal memory performance was positively correlated with contralateral right hippocampal activation during word encoding in the left-sided surgery group. In contrast, postoperative visual memory performance was positively correlated with contralateral left hippocampal activation during figure encoding in the right-sided surgery group. Activation of the ipsilateral remnant HIP was not correlated with any memory scores or volumes of the HIP; however, it had a negative correlation with the seizure-onset age and positive correlation with the duration of illness in both patient groups.CONCLUSIONSFor the first time, a neural basis that supports effective intermediate-term episodic memory after unilateral MTLR has been characterized. The results provide evidence that engagement of the HIP contralateral rather than ipsilateral to the side of resection is responsible for effective memory function in the intermediate term (> 1 year) after surgery in patients who have undergone left MTLR and right MTLR. Engagement of the material-specific contralesional HIP, verbal memory in the left-sided surgery group, and visual memory in the right-sided surgery group were observed.

Mode of Instruction and Memory Test Performance

1982 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Rogoff
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Test ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Verbal Instruction ◽  
Memory Tests ◽  
Mode Of Instruction ◽  
High Level ◽  
The U.S

Cross-cultural literature suggests that schooling's effect on cognitive test performance is due to school's reliance on instruction using language removed from its everyday context, in contrast with informal instruction using demonstration of skills. The present study takes advantage of variability in use of verbal instruction and demonstration by mothers teaching their 9-year-olds, in order to test the relation of mode of instruction to memory test performance. In study 1, with 31 children from a society (Highland Mayan) in which much of children's learning occurs through observation, maternal mode of instruction was highly predictive of performance on two verbal memory tests. However, mode of instruction was unrelated to performance on two scene memory tests. Thus, mode of instruction has specific predictiveness to verbal memory skills but not memory performance in general. Study 2 replicated study 1 with 30 U.S. children, and found that the U.S. mothers provided more verbal instruction and less demonstration than the Mayan mothers. In study 2, mode of instruction was not predictive of the children's memory test performance. This may be due to the U.S. children's exposure to a high level of verbal instruction rather than demonstration, a threshold above which further variation is unpredictive. The question whether exposure to verbal instruction vs. demonstration accounts for some of the demonstrated effects of schooling on test performance is answered with a qualified "yes": There is a relationship between maternal mode of instruction and test performance but only for tests relying on verbal material and for children whose exposure to verbal instruction is not as extreme as in Western culture. The effect is not general, and is contextually influenced.

Impact of Comorbid Depression on Serial Position Effects in Alzheimer’s Disease

GeroPsych ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nienke A. Hofrichter ◽  
Sandra Dick ◽  
Thomas G. Riemer ◽  
Carsten Schleussner ◽  
Monique Goerke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Word List ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Serial Position Effects ◽  
List Memory

Hippocampal dysfunction and deficits in episodic memory have been reported for both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Primacy performance has been associated with hippocampus-dependent episodic memory, while recency may reflect working memory performance. In this study, serial position profiles were examined in a total of 73 patients with MDD, AD, both AD and MDD, and healthy controls (HC) by means of CERAD-NP word list memory. Primacy performance was most impaired in AD with comorbid MDD, followed by AD, MDD, and HC. Recency performance, on the other hand, was comparable across groups. These findings indicate that primacy in AD is impaired in the presence of comorbid MDD, suggesting additive performance decrements in this specific episodic memory function.

Neural Encoding Correlates of High and Low Verbal Memory Performance

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibylle Heinze ◽  
Gudrun Sartory ◽  
Bernhard W. Müller ◽  
Armin de Greiff ◽  
Michael Forsting ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Extrastriate Cortex ◽  
Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽  
Premotor Area ◽  
High Performers ◽  
Rehearsal Strategy ◽  
Common Memory

Neuroimaging studies have indicated involvement of left prefrontal cortex and temporal areas in verbal memory processes. The current study used event-related functional neuroimaging to compare encoding of subsequently recalled and not recalled words in high and low memory performers. Fifteen healthy volunteers were given lists of words to learn with immediate recall and to read as a control condition. High performers reported to have visualized the words whereas low performers used a rehearsal strategy. Compared to reading, unsuccessful encoding was associated with thalamic and left premotor area (BA 6) activity. Comparing successful with unsuccessful learning yielded widespread activity of the left prefrontal and posterior temporal gyrus as well as the left superior parietal lobe in the whole group. Low performers showed activation of the left premotor area throughout learning and additionally of the left middle temporal and parahippocampal gyrus during successful encoding. High performers showed increased activation in the extrastriate cortex throughout learning and additionally in the left parietal post- and paracentral areas as well as in the right precuneus during successful encoding. The results suggest that high verbal memory performance is the result of spatiovisual activation concomitant to imagery and low performance of hippocampal and motor activation, the latter being associated with rehearsal, with a common memory circuit subserving both groups.

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