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Responding to a prospective memory task in the course of an ongoing activity requires switching tasks, which typically comes at a cost in performing the ongoing activity. Similarly, when the prospective memory task is deactivated, a cost can occur when previously relevant prospective memory targets appear in the course of the ongoing activity. In three experiments with undergraduate student participants (N = 226), in which cue focality was manipulated as a function of processing overlaps, we investigated the after-effects of activated and deactivated prospective memory target events. We predicted that lower focality results in stronger after-effects when the prospective memory task is activated but to weaker after-effects when the prospective memory task is deactivated. In contrast, we predicted that higher focality results in weaker after-effects when the prospective memory task is activated but to stronger after-effects when the prospective memory task is deactivated. For activated prospective memory, the pattern of results conformed to the expectations. For deactivated prospective memory, after-effects occurred only under high process overlap situations in a zero-target condition, in which participants were instructed for the prospective memory task, but never had the opportunity to perform it, indicating the special representational status of uncompleted intentions. We discuss these findings within the process overlap framework, which allows more fine-grained distinctions than the focal versus non-focal dichotomy.

Creativity is a multidimensional, multistage, and time-dependent process, which can be expressed in various artistic domains and sub-domains (e.g., visual arts, literature, music, and performing arts). The present study investigated the involvement of synesthetes in art, and whether the type of synesthesia determines the preferred artistic domain. We tested 709 participants with either grapheme-color, sound-color, or sequencespace synesthesia (monotypical synesthesia) or a combination thereof (multiple synesthesia) and nonsynesthete controls with the Artistic Creativity Domains Compendium (ACDC). The ACDC measures the involvement in art on the three levels “interest,” “ability,” and performance” for the four domains “visual arts,” “literature,” “music,” and “performing arts.” Overall, the results showed that synesthetes have an affinity for all four artistic domains compared with non-synesthete controls. Moreover, the presence of multiple types of synesthesia affected the specific preference. Besides, compared with monotoypical synesthetes, the group of grapheme-color-sound-color-and-sequence-space synesthetes showed higher involvement in all artistic domains, most pronounced in visual arts. Overall, the study demonstrates that synesthesia is associated with higher interest, ability, and performance in art.

MoTiC (Monolithic Timing Chip) is a prototype DMAPS Chip that builds on sensor technology developed in the ARCADIA project. The 50 by 50 µm2 pixels contain a small charge collecting electrode with a very low capacitance surrounded by radiation-hard in-pixel electronics. The chip contains a matrix of 5120 pixels on an area of 3.2 by 4 mm2. Each pixel features a trimmable and maskable comparator with a sample and hold circuit for the analog pulse height. Groups of 4 pixels share a TDC situated also in the readout matrix. This work presents the chip design and preliminary results of the hit efficiencies and spatial resolution measured in a first test beam campaign with 4-5 GeV/c electrons conducted at DESY., Proceedings of Science

In order to cope with cognitive conflicts, attention and knowledge are required. In some conditions, cognitive conflicts can boost subsequent memory and in other conditions, they can attenuate subsequent memory. The goal of the present study is to provide a narrative review of studies from the last decade in which Stroop or flanker conflicts, task switching, perceptual disfluency or semantic incongruence were manipulated at study. We propose an integrative framework considering attentional mechanisms and knowledge structures. Attentional mechanisms can refer to conflict resolution, which is required to explain the memory benefit for incongruent stimuli in Stroop and Flanker paradigms. Attentional mechanisms can also refer to attention allocation, which is required to explain the memory cost for targets and the memory benefit for task-irrelevant distractors in task-switching paradigms. Moreover, attention allocation policies can also account for the inconsistent results for perceptual disfluency manipulations. Prior knowledge is required to explain effects of semantic congruency and incongruency: Information that is expected, or congruent with prior knowledge, is better remembered, namely by pre-existing schemata. Moreover, information that is unexpected or incongruent with prior knowledge attracts attention and is better remembered. The impact of prior knowledge on memory performance thus results in a U-shape function. We integrate the findings according to this framework and suggest directions for future research.

The genus Sideritis (Lamiaceae) comprises around 150 species, of which many are popular herbal remedies in Mediterranean folk medicine. Already mentioned by Dioscorides and Theophrastus, the “ironwort” or “Greek mountain tea” has been receiving increased attention in recent years. A European Union herbal monograph and assessment report (HMPC) has been issued, covering the species Sideritis scardica, S. clandestina, S. raeseri, and S. syriaca. This study presents results of a first pharmacognostic examination of the botanical and phytochemical differences among and between these emerging commercial species, and other, less studied species. An HPTLC method is proposed for normal phase separation of the species; this means applying two mobile phases on silica plates and subsequent derivatization with natural product reagent (NP/PEG) for visualization of phenolic compounds and anisaldehyde for a broader detection. With the help of selected reference compounds, a system suitability test was established for proper chromatographic separation. The method was applied to specimens from botanical gardens and commercial raw material in order to test its suitability for differentiation and authentication. The HPTLC analysis also includes, for the first time, S. hyssopifolia and other less used Sideritis species. The results might enable the development of a validated phytochemical fingerprint authentication procedure for quality assurance of Sideritis herba.

Einladung zur tetranationalen Tagung „Phytotherapie 2022 – innovativ“ vom 16.–18. Juni in Zürich

The present study investigates the impact of process-based and strategy-based cognitive training to boost performance in healthy older adults. Three groups trained with either a dichotic listening training (process-based training, n = 25), an implementation intention strategy training (strategy-based training, n = 23), or served as a non-contact control group (n = 30). Our results demonstrated that training participants improved their performance in the trained tasks (process-based training: d = 3.01, strategy-based training: d = 2.6). For untrained tasks, the process-based training group showed significant working memory (d = .58) as well as episodic memory task improvement (d = 1.19) compared to the strategy-based training and to the non-contact control group (all d.03). In contrast, in the strategy-based training group there was a tendency towards some performance gain in a fluid intelligence test (d = .92). These results indicate that cognitive training can be tailored to improve specific cognitive abilities.

The hypnagogic state refers to a transitional stage between wakefulness and sleep, in which sensory perceptions can be experienced. In this review, we compile and discuss the recent scientific literature on hypnagogia research regarding the future directions proposed by Schacter (1976; Psychological Bulletin, 83, 452). After a short introduction discussing the terminology used in hypnagogia research and the differentiation of hypnagogic states with other related phenomena, we review the reported prevalence of hypnagogic states. Then, we evaluate the six future directions suggested by Schacter and we propose three further future directions. First, a better understanding of the emotional quality of hypnagogic states is needed. Second, a better understanding of why hypnagogic states occur so frequently in the visual and kinaesthetic modalities is needed. Lastly, a better understanding of the purpose of hypnagogic states is needed. In conclusion, research has made great progress in recent years, and we are one step closer to demystifying the hypnagogic state.

Selective attention is relevant for goal directed behavior as it allows people to attend to task-relevant target stimuli and to ignore task-irrelevant distractors. Attentional focus at encoding affects subsequent memory for target and distractor stimuli. Remembering selectively more targets than distractors represents memory selectivity. Brain imaging studies suggest that the superior parietal cortex is associated with the dorsal attentional network supporting top-down control of selective attention while the inferior parietal cortex is associated with the ventral attentional network supporting bottom-up attentional orienting. To investigate the roles of the dorsal and ventral networks in the effect of selective attention during encoding on long-term memory, we stimulated the left superior and the right inferior parietal cortex. Building on previous work, we applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) during a study phase where pictures and words were presented simultaneously and participants had to switch between a picture and a word decision. A subsequent recognition test assessed memory for target and distractor pictures and words. We hypothesized that a relative increase in activity in the dorsal network would boost selective attention while increased activity in the ventral network would impair selective attention. We also expected to find corresponding effects on memory. Enhanced selective attention should lead to higher memory selectivity, while impaired selective attention should lead to lower memory selectivity. Our results replicated that task switching reduced memory selectivity. However, we found no significant effects of tDCS. Thus, the present study questions the effectiveness of the present tDCS protocol for modulating attention during task switching and subsequent memory.

De nombreux medecins generalistes et pediatres sont regulierement confrontes aux questions de leurs patients quant aux mesures qu’ils recommanderaient, en plus de la vaccination contre la grippe saisonniere, pour la prevention et le traitement des maladies grippales, y compris la grippe et desormais la COVID-19. En medecine complementaire notamment, il existe un grand nombre de methodes eprouvees a cet effet, que nous souhaitons presenter dans cet article.

Cognitive training most commonly uses computerized tasks that stimulate simultaneous cognitive processing in two modalities, such as a dual n-back task with visual and auditive stimuli, or on two receptive channels, such as a listening task with dichotically presented stimuli. The present study was designed to compare a dual n-back task and a dichotic listening (DL) task with an active control condition (a simple listening task) and a no-training control condition for their impact on cognitive performance, daily life memory, and mindfulness. One hundred thirty healthy adults aged 18–55 years were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. The training consisted of twenty 15-min sessions spread across 4 weeks. The results indicated some improvement on episodic memory tasks and a trend for enhanced performance in an untrained working memory (WM) span task following cognitive training relative to the no-training control group. However, the only differential training effects were found for the DL training in increasing choice reaction performance and a trend for self-reported mindfulness. Transfer to measures of fluid intelligence and memory in daily life did not emerge. Additionally, we found links between self-efficacy and n-back training performance and between emotion regulation and training motivation. Our results contribute to the field of WM training by demonstrating that our listening tasks are comparable in effect to a dual n-back task in slightly improving memory. The possibility of improving attentional control and mindfulness through dichotic listening training is promising and deserves further consideration.

People remember more task-relevant information than task-irrelevant information, and this difference can be conceptualised as memory selectivity. Selectively attending and remembering relevant information is a key ability for goal-directed behaviour and is thus critical for leading an autonomous life. In the present study, we tested the influence of cognitive load on memory selectivity. Specifically, we investigated the effects of task switching, stimulus presentation duration, and preparation time during incidental learning in five experiments ( N = 351). For the study phase, we used two established task switching paradigms (cued and alternating runs). Participants were presented with picture–word pairs on which they performed one of two classification tasks. Depending on the task, participants had to attend to the picture or to the word. In a subsequent surprise recognition test, we assessed how well they remembered the targets and distractors. After 1 day or 1 week, a second recognition test assessed the longevity of the effects. Results showed that task switches (vs task repetitions), short (vs until response) stimulus duration, and short (vs long) preparation time reduced memory selectivity. The effect of preparation time was significant only in cued task switching but not in the alternating runs paradigm, highlighting the importance of advance cues for preparation effects on memory. With longer retention intervals, the effects washed out. In conclusion, higher cognitive load leads to lower selective attention and, consequently, to lower memory selectivity. The present study provides links between theories of attention, cognitive control, and memory.

Collective memory is shared by a group and is part of that group’s identity. Memory for political leaders is a prototypical case of collective memory. The present study investigated collective memory for Swiss federal councilors in order to test the trajectory of collective memory across four different generations (i.e., Millennials, Generation X, Baby-Boomers, and Silents) in a collaborative government system. In contrast to a presidential system, Switzerland is governed by seven equal councilors who share power and responsibilities. Thus, the individual member of the government is less important, and the number of councilors is larger compared to a presidential system, which may influence collective memory. The results revealed a recency effect as well as a generation-specific reminiscence effect, but no primacy effect as reported for presidential systems. These results indicate that the contribution of semantic memory and autobiographic memory to the trajectory of collective memory vary across government systems. Specifically, for a collaborative government system, autobiographic memory has a stronger contribution to the trajectory of collective memory.

A Ph. Eur. herbal drug monograph requires for identification testing besides macroscopic (A) and microscopic (B) evaluation a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) fingerprint, prescribed as identification testing in subsection C. The main active constituents of Cassia senna L. and Cassia angustifolia Vahl are the dianthrone glucosides (mainly sennoside A and B). Therefore, this study presents a high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method which uses the sennosides as characteristic constituents. The presented method results in a fast and simple fingerprint with characteristic yellow fluorescence for the sennosides due to derivatization with a potassium hydroxide solution. The use of a senna herbal drug dry extract as system suitability test (SST) allows for a cost-effective test control. The resolution of the sennosides zones is dependent on the extractives concentration. An overload of the analytes leads to tailing (u-shaped form) and broadening as well as change in the retardation factor (Rf). The presented method is a suitable fingerprint method for Ph. Eur. conform identification C.

Background Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is assumed to affect cortical excitability and dependent on the specific stimulation conditions either to increase or decrease learning. Objective The purpose of this study was to modulate implicit task sequence learning with tDCS. Methods As cortico-striatal loops are critically involved in implicit task sequence learning, tDCS was applied above the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In Experiment 1, anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS was applied before the start of the sequence learning task. In Experiment 2, stimulation was applied during the sequence learning task. Consolidation of learning was assessed after 24 h. Results The results of both experiments showed that implicit task sequence learning occurred consistently but it was not modulated by different tDCS conditions. Similarly, consolidation measured after a 24 h-interval including sleep was also not affected by stimulation. Conclusions These results indicate that a single session of DLPFC tDCS is not sufficient to modulate implicit task sequence learning. This study adds to the accumulating evidence that tDCS may not be as effective as originally thought.

For people with synaesthesia ordinary stimuli such as digits or letters induce concurrent experiences such as colours. Synaesthesia is associated with a memory advantage and the aim of this study was to investigate whether this advantage persists across time. We tested recognition memory of four different types of synaesthesia with different inducer-concurrent pairings across two sessions with a one-year retention interval. In the study phase, participants learned three kinds of stimuli (i.e., related to their inducer, related to their concurrent, or synaesthesia-unrelated): music, words and colours. Recognition memory was tested after one hour and after one year. After one hour, grapheme-colour and grapheme-colour-and-sound-colour synaesthetes showed synaesthesia-specific advantages. After one year, only grapheme-colour synaesthetes still showed an advantage. The results imply that a benefit through enhanced colour-processing is particularly strong and that synaesthesia can lead to a long-lasting memory benefit.

Understanding how consumers behave and make decisions has been extensively discussed in the marketing literature. Pessemier (1959) calls this a central problem of marketing management. Consumers do not always behave rationally (Ariely, 2010; Galbraith, 1938; Kahn, 1935).

Prospective memory performance can be enhanced by task importance, for example by promising a reward. Typically, this comes at costs in the ongoing task. However, previous research has suggested that social importance (e.g., providing a social motive) can enhance prospective memory performance without additional monitoring costs in activity-based and time-based tasks. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of social importance in an event-based task. We compared four conditions: social importance, promising a reward, both social importance and promising a reward, and standard prospective memory instructions (control condition). The results showed enhanced prospective memory performance for all importance conditions compared to the control condition. Although ongoing task performance was slowed in all conditions with a prospective memory task when compared to a baseline condition with no prospective memory task, additional costs occurred only when both the social importance and reward were present simultaneously. Alone, neither social importance nor promising a reward produced an additional slowing when compared to the cost in the standard (control) condition. Thus, social importance and reward can enhance event-based prospective memory at no additional cost.