scholarly journals Investigating Chronotype Orientation on Daily and Weekly Rhythm Fluctuations in Preschoolers Working Memory Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 150-157
Author(s):  
Zohre Nasiri Zarch ◽  
Massoud Sharifi ◽  
Mahmood Heidari ◽  
Shahla Pakdaman
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Mixed Analysis ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
Day Of The Week

Background: Chronopsychology researches claim that cognitive processes performance during learning in the educational environment in times of the day and days of the week fluctuate, and working memory is essential among these cognitive processes. The research aimed to study the rhythm of daily and weekly working memory performance of preschoolers based on their chronotype (morningness and eveningness) orientation. Methods: The research method is causal-comparative. The participants are 100 preschool children in Tehran that were selected based on purposive sampling. Their working memory was tested at different time intervals of (8, 11, 13, and 15) and weekly (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Saturday also considered as the first day of the week. Data collection instrument were children morningness-eveningness preference (CMEP) in the form of questionnaire and working memory test. Data analysis based on a mixed analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that preschoolers working memory performance during different days of the week and time of day was different (P<0.01). There was a significant difference between children in different groups regarding memory at different hours of the day, but on different days of the week, there was no significant difference in memory performance (P<0.01). Conclusion: According to the findings, teachers and clinicians are suggested to consider the importance of circadian rhythm parameters in assessing cognitive function in patients and healthy people. Awareness of individual differences of the morningness-eveningness type can be very effective in designing training programs and preventive health associated matters with each type.

scholarly journals Working memory deficits in schizophrenia are associated with the rs34884856 variant and expression levels of the NR4A2 gene in a sample Mexican population: a case control study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ruiz-Sánchez ◽  
Janet Jiménez-Genchi ◽  
Yessica M. Alcántara-Flores ◽  
Carlos J. Castañeda-González ◽  
Carlos L. Aviña-Cervantes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Mexican Population ◽  
High Resolution Melt ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Diseases ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Peripheral Mononuclear Cells

Abstract Background Cognitive functions represent useful endophenotypes to identify the association between genetic variants and schizophrenia. In this sense, the NR4A2 gene has been implicated in schizophrenia and cognition in different animal models and clinical trials. We hypothesized that the NR4A2 gene is associated with working memory performance in schizophrenia. This study aimed to analyze two variants and the expression levels of the NR4A2 gene with susceptibility to schizophrenia, as well as to evaluate whether possession of NR4A2 variants influence the possible correlation between gene expression and working memory performance in schizophrenia. Methods The current study included 187 schizophrenia patients and 227 controls genotyped for two of the most studied NR4A2 genetic variants in neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Genotyping was performed using High Resolution Melt and sequencing techniques. In addition, mRNA expression of NR4A2 was performed in peripheral mononuclear cells of 112 patients and 118 controls. A group of these participants, 54 patients and 87 controls, performed the working memory index of the WAIS III test. Results Both genotypic frequencies of the two variants and expression levels of the NR4A2 gene showed no significant difference when in patients versus controls. However, patients homozygous for the rs34884856 promoter variant showed a positive correlation between expression levels and auditory working memory. Conclusions Our finding suggested that changes in expression levels of the NR4A2 gene could be associated with working memory in schizophrenia depending on patients’ genotype in a sample from a Mexican population.

scholarly journals Working Memory Performance after Daily Caffeine Intake: Compromised Performance and Reduced Hippocampal Activity.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Shiuan Lin ◽  
Janine Weibel ◽  
Hans-Peter Landolt ◽  
Francesco Santini ◽  
Helen Christina Slawik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Caffeine Intake ◽  
Cognitive State ◽  
Placebo Condition ◽  
Memory Functions ◽  
Acute Withdrawal ◽  
Caffeine Withdrawal ◽  
Significant Difference

Neuroprotective effects of caffeine have been frequently reported in the context of disease and cognitive dysfunction as well as in epidemiological studies in humans. However, evidence on caffeine effects on neural and memory functions during daily intake in a healthy cognitive state remains scarce. This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study investigated working memory functions by N-back tasks and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) after daily caffeine intake compared to a placebo baseline and to acute caffeine withdrawal in 20 young healthy volunteers. Each volunteer was given 3 times 150 mg caffeine for 10 days in the daily caffeine condition, 3 times 150 mg mannitol for 10 days in the placebo condition, and 9-day caffeine plus 1-day mannitol in the acute withdrawal condition. During the 10th day, participants performed 4 N-back sessions (two loads each: 0- and 3-back) under controlled laboratory conditions. During the 4th session of N-Back (i.e. at 5.5 h, 36.5 h and > 10 days after the last caffeine intake in the caffeine, withdrawal, and placebo condition, respectively) we assessed blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activity. During the entire 10th day, in 0-back tasks, we observed longer reaction times (RTs) in the withdrawal compared to the placebo (Cohens d = 0.7) and caffeine condition (Cohens d = 0.6), but no significant effects of conditions on error rates. In contrast, in 3-back tasks (controlled for 0-back), the RTs in the caffeine condition were longer compared to placebo (Cohens d = 0.6) and withdrawal (Cohens d = 0.5). Error rates were higher during both caffeine and withdrawal conditions compared to placebo (Cohens d of both contrasts = 0.4). Whole-brain analyses on fMRI data did not reveal significant condition-dependent differences in activities between task loads. Across task loads, however, we observed a reduced hippocampal activation (Cohens d = -1.3) during the caffeine condition compared to placebo, while no significant difference in brain activities between withdrawal and placebo conditions. Taken together, the worse working memory function and the hippocampal hypoactivation implicate a potential detrimental effect of daily caffeine intake on neurocognitive functions of healthy adults. Moreover, they echo the hippocampal volumetric reduction reported previously in the same volunteers. Lastly, acute withdrawal from daily caffeine intake impairs both low-order cognitive processes and working memory performance. Taking earlier studies on acute caffeine effects into account, our findings indicate that daily caffeine intake elicits a dynamic change in cerebral activities during the course of repeated consumption, with unknown consequences in the long run.

scholarly journals Working Memory Deficits in Schizophrenia Are Associated With the Rs34884856 Variant and Expression Levels of the NR4A2 Gene in a Sample Mexican Population: A Case Control Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ruiz-Sánchez ◽  
Janet Jiménez-Genchi ◽  
Yessica M. Alcántara-Flores ◽  
Carlos J. Castañeda-González ◽  
Carlos L. Aviña-Cervantes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Mexican Population ◽  
High Resolution Melt ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Diseases ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Background Cognitive functions represent useful endophenotypes to identify the association between genetic variants and schizophrenia. In this sense, the NR4A2 gene has been implicated in schizophrenia and cognition in different animal models and clinical trials. We hypothesized that the NR4A2 gene is associated with working memory performance in schizophrenia. This study aimed to analyze two variants and the expression levels of the NR4A2 gene with susceptibility to schizophrenia, as well as to evaluate whether possession of NR4A2 variants influence the possible correlation between gene expression and working memory performance in schizophrenia. Methods The current study included 187 schizophrenia patients and 227 controls genotyped for two of the most studied NR4A2 genetic variants in neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Genotyping was performed using High Resolution Melt and sequencing techniques. In addition, mRNA expression of NR4A2 was performed in peripheral mononuclear cells of 112 patients and 118 controls. A group of these participants, 54 patients and 87 controls, performed the working memory index of the WAIS III test. Results Both genotypic frequencies of the two variants and expression levels of the NR4A2 gene showed no significant difference when in patients versus controls. However, patients homozygous for the rs34884856 promoter variant showed a positive correlation between expression levels and auditory working memory. In these patients, a decrease of NR4A2 mRNA expression was related to working memory impairment. Conclusions Our finding suggested that changes in expression levels of the NR4A2 gene could be associated with working memory in schizophrenia depending on patients´ genotype in a sample from a Mexican population.

scholarly journals 0632 Time of Day and Time on Task Effects on Working Memory and Sleepiness of Bus Drivers

SLEEP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A252-A252
Author(s):  
Maryam Maghsoudipour ◽  
Ramin Moradi ◽  
Mostafa Pouyakian ◽  
Mehdi Yaseri ◽  
Sara Moghimi
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Epworth Sleepiness Scale ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Bus Drivers ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence

Abstract Introduction Fatigue and sleepiness have direct effects on vigilance, and cognitive functions of drivers. The objective of this study was to analyze individual bus drivers' characteristics and work shift parameters and relation to the working memory performance and sleepiness. Methods This prospective study was conducted on 35 inter-city bus drivers by convenience sampling. We collected data during the time span of a 24-hour round trip by using the demographic questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), and reversed digit span memory test (part of the Wechsler-Adult Intelligence Test). A linear mixed model was used for statistic analysis. Results The mean (± SD) of Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was 6.4 (±2.7). 12.5% of drivers had excessive daytime sleepiness according to ESS results. The circadian effect of time of day on the drivers' working memories was statistically significant (P=0.001), and the working memory was minimum at 04:00 am (± 1). Additionally, the differences in sleepiness at different times of day were statistically significant (P=0.001); with the highest score at 04:00 am (± 1). Time on task and time of sleep parameters did not show a significant effect on working memory (p> 0.05). Time on task parameter affected sleepiness significantly (p=0.024). Conclusion The circadian factor was the most important predictor of cognitive performance compared to time on task (fatigue) and time of sleep. Although, time on task had a significant effect on sleepiness and sleepiness significantly decreased working memory. We conclude that optimizing the drivers' schedule is the most important intervention to optimize drivers' performance and increase road safety. Support (If Any) Not

Physical Activity Moderates Time-of-Day Differences in Older Adults' Working Memory Performance

2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie M. Bugg ◽  
Edward L. DeLosh ◽  
Benjamin A. Clegg
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Time Of Day

scholarly journals Adult neuromarkers of sustained attention and working memory predict inter- and intra-individual differences in these processes in youth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Kardan ◽  
Andrew J Stier ◽  
Carlos Cardenas-Inigues ◽  
Julia C Pruin ◽  
Kathryn E Schertz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Working Memory Model ◽  
Back Task

Sustained attention and working memory are central cognitive processes that vary between individuals, fluctuate over time, and have consequences for life and health outcomes. Here we characterize the functional brain architecture of these abilities in 9-11-year-old children using models based on functional magnetic resonance imaging functional connectivity. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we asked whether connectome-based models built to predict sustained attention and working memory in adults generalize to capture inter- and intra-individual differences in sustained attention and working memory performance in youth. Results revealed that a predefined connectome-based model of sustained attention predicted children's performance on the 0-back task, an attentionally taxing low-working-memory-load task. A predefined connectome-based model of working memory, on the other hand, also predicted performance on the 2-back task, an attentionally taxing high-working-memory-load task. The sustained attention model's predictive power was comparable to that achieved when predicting adults' 0-back performance and by a connectome-based model of cognition defined in the ABCD sample itself. Finally, the working memory model predicted children's recognition memory for n-back task stimuli. Together these results demonstrate that connectome-based models of sustained attention and working memory generalize to youth, reflecting the functional architecture of these processes in the developing brain.

scholarly journals Working memory task performance and chunking in early Alzheimer's disease

2011 ◽  
Vol 198 (5) ◽  
pp. 398-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Huntley ◽  
Daniel Bor ◽  
Adam Hampshire ◽  
Adrian Owen ◽  
Robert Howard
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mild Disease ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Encoding Strategy

BackgroundChunking is a powerful encoding strategy that significantly improves working memory performance in normal young people.AimsTo investigate chunking in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease and in a control group of elderly people without cognitive impairment.MethodPeople with mild Alzheimer's disease (n = 28) were recruited and divided according to Mini-Mental State Examination score into mild and very mild disease groups. A control group of 15 elderly individuals was also recruited. All participants performed digit and spatial working memory tasks requiring either unstructured sequences or structured sequences (which encourage chunking of information) to be recalled.ResultsThe control group and both disease groups performed significantly better on structured trials of the digit working memory tasks, indicating successful use of chunking strategies to improve verbal working memory performance. The control and very mild disease groups also performed significantly better on structured trials of the spatial task, whereas those with mild disease demonstrated no significant difference between the structured and unstructured spatial conditions.ConclusionsThe ability to use chunking as an encoding strategy to improve verbal working memory performance is preserved at the mild stage of Alzheimer's disease, whereas use of chunking to improve spatial working memory is impaired by this stage. Simple training in the use of chunking might be a beneficial therapeutic strategy to prolong working memory functioning in patients at the earliest stage of Alzheimer's disease.

scholarly journals Cannabidiol Does Not Cause Significant Changes to Working Memory Performance in the N-Back Task

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 1165
Author(s):  
Éamon Jones ◽  
Styliani Vlachou
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Common Era ◽  
Back Task

Cannabis use can be traced back to several centuries before the Common Era, when it was used for industrial, medicinal and recreational purposes. More recently, over 100 different cannabinoid compounds have been identified, one of which is cannabidiol (CBD), a compound widely used for anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic treatment. The literature surrounding the cognitive effects of CBD is limited, with most studies focusing on the effects of other cannabinoids on cognition. To expand this literature, this study investigated whether CBD causes significant differences to working memory (WM) functioning, as measured by the N-back task. It was hypothesised that CBD does not cause statistically significant differences to WM. In all, 54 participants, 33 females and 21 males, were recruited, with a mean age of 32.63 years. Of these 54 participants, 26 reported using CBD and no other cannabinoids, while 28 reported not using any cannabinoid. The participants were instructed to answer a short online survey to gather basic demographic data and to complete an online N-back task to measure WM. For the computerised N-back task, the participants completed a practice and three test blocks, where they were instructed to respond to whether a series of letter stimuli were presented one trial back (1-back), two trials back (2-back) or three trials back (3-back). Multivariate analysis of covariance yielded no statistically significant difference on either response time or response accuracy data between groups after controlling for how long the participants use CBD and for what reason they use CBD. These results support our hypothesis that CBD does not cause significant changes to WM functioning. Further research is greatly needed to investigate the long-term effects of CBD use on WM and on general cognitive functioning.

Influence of Anxiety on Cognitive Control Processes

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
DeMond M. Grant ◽  
Evan J. White
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Automatic Processes ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Emerging Treatments ◽  
Development Of Anxiety

Cognitive control is the ability to direct attention and cognitive resources toward achieving one’s goals. However, research indicates that anxiety biases multiple cognitive processes, including cognitive control. This occurs in part because anxiety leads to excessive processing of threatening stimuli at the expense of ongoing activities. This enhanced processing of threat interferes with several cognitive processes, which includes how individuals view and respond to their environment. Specifically, research indicates that anxious individuals devote their attention toward threat when considering both early, automatic processes and later, sustained attention. In addition, anxiety has negative effects on working memory, which involves the ability to hold and manipulate information in one’s consciousness. Anxiety has been found to decrease the resources necessary for effective working memory performance, as well as increase the likelihood of negative information entering working memory. Finally, anxiety is characterized by focusing excessive attention on mistakes, and there is also a reduction in the cognitive control resources necessary to correct behavior. Enhancing our knowledge of how anxiety affects cognitive control has broad implications for understanding the development of anxiety disorders, as well as emerging treatments for these conditions.

128 Raw Scores Best Differentiate Resilience and Vulnerability to Sleep Loss for Cognitive Throughput and Working Memory

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A52-A52
Author(s):  
Tess Brieva ◽  
Courtney Casale ◽  
Erika Yamazaki ◽  
Caroline Antler ◽  
Namni Goel
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Sleep Loss ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Average Performance ◽  
Time In Bed ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Optimal Approach

Abstract Introduction Substantial individual differences exist in cognitive deficits due to sleep restriction (SR) and total sleep deprivation (TSD), but the best approach to define such resilience and vulnerability remains a critical question. We compared multiple approaches and cutoff thresholds to define resilience and vulnerability using the Digit Symbol Substitution Task (DSST) and the Digit Span Task (DST). Methods Forty-one healthy adults (mean±SD ages,33.9±8.9y) participated in a 13-night experiment [two baseline nights (10h-12h time-in-bed, TIB), 5 SR nights (4h TIB), 4 recovery nights (12h TIB), and 36h TSD]. The DSST [measuring cognitive throughput] and DST [measuring working memory] were administered every 2h during wakefulness. Resilient/vulnerable groups were defined by average performance (DSST: number correct; DST: total correct from forward and backward versions) during SR1-5, average performance change from baseline during SR1-5, and variance in performance during SR1-5. Within each approach, groups were defined by +/-1 standard deviation (SD) and the top and bottom 12.5%, 20%, 25%, 33%, 50%. Bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapped t-tests compared performance between resilient and vulnerable groups during baseline and SR1-5. Kendall’s tau correlations compared the ranking of individuals in each group. Results T-tests showed significant differences between resilient/vulnerable groups at all raw score cutoffs for DSST and DST performance during SR and at baseline. Change from baseline t-tests showed significant differences during SR between the DSST groups only at 12.5%, 20%, and SD whereas DST t-tests showed significant differences at all cutoffs. Variance t-tests revealed a significant difference between the DSST groups only at 25% during SR. For the DSST, the variance vs. change from baseline comparison at all cutoffs and between raw score vs. change from baseline for the SD cutoff showed moderate correlations, and for the DST, the raw score vs. change from baseline correlation was moderate for 25% and 33%. Conclusion The resilient/vulnerable groups defined by raw score were more consistent than those defined by change from baseline or variance, and raw score did not track these approaches well. As such, raw score is the optimal approach to define cognitive throughput and working memory performance resiliency/vulnerability during sleep loss. Support (if any) ONR Award No. N00014-11-1-0361;NIH UL1TR000003;NASA NNX14AN49G and 80NSSC20K0243;NIH R01DK117488

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