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Your search keyword '"Voelker P"' showing total 3 results
Start Over Author "Voelker P" Journal cognitive neuroscience
3 results on '"Voelker P"'

1. White matter and reaction time: Reply to commentaries

Author

Voelker, Pascale, Piscopo, Denise, Weible, Aldis P, Lynch, Gary, Rothbart, Mary K, Posner, Michael I, and Niell, Cristopher M

Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Neurosciences, Cognition, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Humans, Reaction Time, White Matter, Diffusion tensor imaging, oligodendrocytes, oscillations, transfer, white matter, Psychology, Cognitive Sciences, Biological psychology, Cognitive and computational psychology
Abstract

We appreciate the many comments we received on our discussion paper and believe that they reflect a recognition of the importance of this topic worldwide. We point out in this reply that there appears to be a confusion between the role of oscillations in creating white matter and other functions of oscillations in communicating between neural areas during task performance or at rest. We also discuss some mechanisms other than the enhancement of white matter that must influence reaction time. We recognize the limited understanding we have of transfer and outline some future directions designed to improve our understanding of this process.

Published
2017

2. How changes in white matter might underlie improved reaction time due to practice

Author

Voelker, Pascale, Piscopo, Denise, Weible, Aldis P, Lynch, Gary, Rothbart, Mary K, Posner, Michael I, and Niell, Cristopher M

Subjects
Neurosciences, Clinical Research, Underpinning research, 1.2 Psychological and socioeconomic processes, Neurological, Mental health, Humans, Practice, Psychological, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Transfer, Psychology, White Matter, Attention networks, Conflict tasks, Genes, Epigenetic, Transfer, Psychology, Cognitive Sciences
Abstract

Why does training on a task reduce the reaction time for performing it? New research points to changes in white matter pathways as one likely mechanism. These pathways connect remote brain areas involved in performing the task. Genetic variations may be involved in individual differences in the extent of this improvement. If white matter change is involved in improved reaction time with training, it may point the way toward understanding where and how generalization occurs. We examine the hypothesis that brain pathways shared by different tasks may result in improved performance of cognitive tasks remote from the training.

Published
2017

3. Methylation polymorphism influences practice effects in children during attention tasks

Author

Voelker, Pascale, Sheese, Brad E., Rothbart, Mary K., and Posner, Michael I.

Abstract

ABSTRACTEpigenetic mechanisms mediate the influence of experience on gene expression. Methylation is a principal method for inducing epigenetic effects on DNA. In this paper, we examine alleles of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene that vary enzyme activity, altering the availability of the methyl donor and thus changing the efficiency of methylation. We hypothesized that alleles of the MTHFR gene would influence behavior in an attention-related task in conjunction with genes known to influence attention. We found that seven-year-old children homozygous for the C allele of MTHFR in interaction with the catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene showed greater improvement in overall reaction time (RT) and in conflict resolution with practice on the Attention Network Test (ANT). This finding indicates that methylation may operate on or through genes that influence executive network operation. However, MTHFR T allele carriers showed faster overall RT and conflict resolution. Some children showed an initial improvement in ANT RT followed by a decline in performance, and we found that alleles of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene were related to this performance decline. These results suggest a genetic dissociation between improvement while learning a skill and reduction in performance with continued practice.

Published
2017
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