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Making recognition decisions often requires us to reference the contents of working memory, the information available for ongoing cognitive processing. As such, understanding how recognition decisions are made when based on the contents of working memory is of critical importance. In this work we examine whether recognition decisions based on the contents of visual working memory follow a continuous decision process of graded information about the correct choice or a discrete decision process reflecting only knowing and guessing. We find a clear pattern in favor of a continuous latent strength model of visual working memory-based decision making, supporting the notion that visual recognition decision processes are impacted by the degree of matching between the contents of working memory and the choices given. Relation to relevant findings and the implications for human information processing more generally are discussed.

A neural signature of serial dependence has been found, which mirrors the attractive bias of visual information seen in behavioral experiments.

While the majority of studies have concluded that sleep deprivation causes detrimental effects on various cognitive processes, some studies reported conflicting results. We examined the effects of a 108-h total sleep deprivation (TSD) on working memory in the northern fur seal, an animal with unusual sleep phenomenology and long-range annual migrations. The performance of fur seals was evaluated in a two-choice visual delayed matching to sample (DMTS) task, which is commonly used to evaluate working memory. In baseline conditions, the performance of fur seals in a DMTS task based on the percentage of errors was somewhat comparable with that in nonhuman primates at similar delays. We have determined that a 108-h TSD did not affect fur seals' performance in a visual DMTS task as measured by overall percentage of errors and response latencies. On the contrary, all fur seals improved task performance over the study, including the baseline, TSD and recovery conditions. In addition, TSD did not change the direction and strength of the pattern of behavioral lateralization in fur seals. We conclude that a 108-h TSD did not interfere with working memory in a DMTS test in northern fur seals.

Parietal alpha activity shows a specific pattern of phasic changes during working memory. It decreases during the encoding and recall phases but increases during the maintenance phase. This study tested whether online rTMS delivered to the parietal cortex during the maintenance phase of a working memory task would increase alpha activity and hence improve working memory. Then, 46 healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups to receive 3-day parietal 10 Hz online rTMS (either real or sham, 3600 pulses in total) that were time-locked to the maintenance phase of a spatial span task (180 trials in total). Behavioral performance on another spatial span task and EEG signals during a change detection task were recorded on the day before the first rTMS (pretest) and the day after the last rTMS (posttest). We found that rTMS improved performance on both online and offline spatial span tasks. For the offline change detection task, rTMS enhanced alpha activity within the maintenance phase and improved interference control of working memory at both behavioral (K score) and neural (contralateral delay activity) levels. These results suggested that rTMS with alpha frequency time-locked to the maintenance phase is a promising way to boost working memory.

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors. Eye movement abnormalities are common in ASD, suggesting underlying cognitive impairments such as working memory and response inhibition. However, several investigations suggest deficits in inhibitory control and working memory among individuals with ASD, whereas others indicate performance levels similar to typically developing individuals. The variability observed in executive function (EF) profiles across various tasks and age cohorts underscores the intricate interplay between ASD and cognitive functioning. Therefore, to bridge these gaps and gain a comprehensive understanding of the specific components of EF affected by ASD, this study used eye-tracking technology to analyze cognitive processing. In the working memory task, the clinical group comprised adults with ASD (N = 52), aged between 25 and 47 years (M = 31.65 years, SD = 6.05), while the control group (non-ASD) included individuals (N = 53), aged between 25 and 55 years (M = 33.15 years, SD = 5.92). For the response inhibition task, the clinical group consisted of adults with ASD (N = 50), aged between 25 and 47 years (M = 31.66 years, SD = 6.153), and the control group comprising individuals (N = 56), aged between 25 and 55 years (M = 33.03 years, SD = 5.80). The study revealed that individuals with ASD demonstrate notable impairments and increased errors in EF, encompassing inhibitory control and working memory when compared to non-ASD individuals. Additionally, individuals with ASD exhibited differences in fixation duration, saccade count, and fixation count compared to their non-ASD counterparts, further highlighting the distinct cognitive profile associated with ASD. Analyzing EF in adults with ASD through eye movement patterns provides valuable insights into the underlying cognitive processes and attentional mechanisms at play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Working memory (WM) is suggested to play a pivotal role in relearning and neural restoration during stroke rehabilitation. Using EEG, this study investigated the oscillatory mechanisms of WM in subacute stroke. Methods: This study included 48 first subacute stroke patients (26 good-recovery, 22 poor-recovery, based on prognosis after a 4-week period) and 24 matched health controls. We examined the oscillatory characteristics and functional connectivity of the 0-back WM paradigm and assessed their associations with prognosis. Results: Patients of poor recovery are characterised by a loss of significant beta rebound, beta-band connectivity, as well as impaired working memory speed and performances. Meanwhile, patients with good recovery have preserved these capacities to some extent. Our data further identified beta rebound to be closely associated with working memory speed and performances. Conclusions: We provided novel findings that beta rebound and network connectivity as mechanistic evidence of impaired working memory in subacute stroke. These oscillatory features could potentially serve as a biomarker for brain stimulation technologies in stroke recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAimsMethods & proceduresResultsConclusionsWhile numerous studies observed notable changes in syntactic complexity among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), these studies predominantly concentrated on isolated internal structures of language but rarely defined the syntactic complexity variation in AD on a continuum. Given that working memory load exhibits a continuous rather than binary pattern in populations and plays a crucial role in syntactic processing and generation, research on syntactic complexity changes in AD could benefit from expanding to include this perspective.To examine the probabilistic distribution of syntactic complexity in AD under controlled sentence length conditions from the perspective of working memory, and to develop a comprehensive linguistic profile of syntactic complexity variation in AD by analyzing fine-grained syntactic features.The corpus materials consist of descriptions based on the Cookie-Theft picture component provided by 70 individuals with AD (mean MMSE = 20.97) and 70 cognitively intact elderly individuals (mean MMSE = 29.21) from the DementiaBank clinical language transcript dataset. We employed dependency distance to quantify working memory load and syntactic complexity. Additionally, three finer-grained dependency metrics, namely adjacent dependency distribution (1dd%), mean dependency distance (MDD) and dependency direction distribution, enable a deeper interpretation of the syntactic complexity variations in AD from different perspectives.(1) The distribution of dependency distances in AD was similar to that in the healthy control (HC) group, both following the Zipf-Alekseev model, and the variations of the parameters within the model were analogous between the two treebanks; (2) The performance of AD patients in adjacent dependency, MDD and dependency direction differed from that of the HC group across varying sentence lengths; (3) “Simplified” and “ungrammatical” structures were the primary syntactic features in AD.These findings confirmed the presence of syntactic impairments in AD. The decline of syntactic complexity can be attributed to the failure of the “End Weight” principle due to working memory deficits in AD patients. The study contributes to the easier identification of AD patients and more effective working memory interventions, thereby improving language production in AD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Theta-gamma coupling (TGC) describes the modulation of gamma oscillations by the theta phasic activity, which is crucial for processes such as the ordering of information during working memory (WM) performance. The mental arithmetic (MA), which involves performing calculations with numbers, is a crucial tool for evaluating and understanding the sensory processing and management abilities of WM. Evaluating TGC may provide greater insight into the neural mechanisms mediating WM deficits in panic disorder (PD). Methods: Medical and electroencephalography (EEG) records of psychiatric outpatient clinic between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 34 PD patients and 34 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent EEG to assess the overall functional interaction of the brain using multi-channel EEG analysis, focusing on specific brain regions including the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. EEG recordings were conducted during two sessions: a 5-min eyes-closed resting-state (RS) and a subsequent 5-min eyes-closed MA. The TGC and the spectral power of the theta and gamma frequency bands, which are well known to be associated with WM, were analysed. Results: Compared to those in HCs, TGC and theta power were significantly attenuated in PD patients. When analysing both HCs and PD patients together, RS TGC and relative theta power were negatively correlated with state anxiety and perceived stress scores, respectively. In contrast, TGC and relative theta power during the MA condition were positively correlated with the MA performance. Specifically, in PD patients, RS theta power across all electrodes was significantly negatively correlated with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score. Linear regression analysis revealed that theta power in the T5 channel remained negatively correlated with pathological anxiety as measured by the HAMA score, even after controlling for other confounding factors. Conclusions: This study highlights significant alterations in TGC and theta power in PD patients. PD patients exhibit reduced TGC and theta power compared to HCs, indicating deficits in the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety and/or WM in PD. These insights contribute to a better understanding of the neural basis of WM deficits in PD and suggest potential avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusions To investigate visual cognitive functions, including visual attention, executive function, and visual working memory, in children with anisometropic amblyopia versus those with normal vision.Thirty‐five children with anisometropic amblyopia and 34 with normal vision participated. Visual acuity, stereoacuity, and contrast sensitivity were measured, followed by the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery's six subtests for cognitive evaluation. Visual attention was assessed using reaction time (RTI) and rapid visual information processing (RVP). Executive function was evaluated through the multitasking test (MTT). Visual working memory was assessed with spatial working memory (SWM), delayed matching to sample (DMS), and paired association learning (PAL), all under binocular conditions.The amblyopia group exhibited longer reaction and movement times in the RTI than the control group (p < 0.01). A trend towards lower RVP A' scores, reflecting reduced ability to detect target sequences, appeared in the amblyopia group (p = 0.056). Amblyopic children demonstrated a lower multitasking cost in the MTT compared with the control group (p = 0.04). As difficulty increased in the SWM (from four to six boxes), amblyopic children revisited more (p = 0.01). In the DMS task, while no differences were observed across all delay times (p = 0.55), amblyopic children performed significantly worse than the control group under the 12‐second delay (p = 0.04). In the eight‐pattern PAL condition, the amblyopia group made more errors (p = 0.01).Children with anisometropic amblyopia performed poorly on neuropsychological tests, particularly visual attention and working memory, but outperformed the control group in multitasking. These findings highlight the broader cognitive impacts of anisometropic amblyopia beyond vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working memory (WM) and long-term memory (LTM) are often viewed as separate cognitive systems. Little is known about how these systems interact when forming memories. We recorded single neurons in the human medial temporal lobe while patients maintained novel items in WM and completed a subsequent recognition memory test for the same items. In the hippocampus, but not in the amygdala, the level of WM content-selective persistent activity during WM maintenance was predictive of whether the item was later recognized with high confidence or forgotten. By contrast, visually evoked activity in the same cells was not predictive of LTM formation. During LTM retrieval, memory-selective neurons responded more strongly to familiar stimuli for which persistent activity was high while they were maintained in WM. Our study suggests that hippocampal persistent activity of the same cells supports both WM maintenance and LTM encoding, thereby revealing a common single-neuron component of these two memory systems. [Display omitted] • Working memory (WM) and long-term memory (LTM) interact in the hippocampus • Persistent WM activity of category-selective neurons predicts LTM formation • LTM-selective neurons fire more for items encoded with strong WM activity • This suggests a single-neuron mechanism linking both WM and LTM systems in humans Daume et al. show that in the human hippocampus, working memory activity of memoranda-selective neurons predicts successful long-term memory (LTM). LTM retrieval, in turn, activates memory-selective neurons more strongly for items that were previously maintained with strong working memory activity, suggesting a shared neural mechanism supporting both memory systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored long-term retention of spatial memory in rats using an eight-arm radial maze. Crystal and Babb (Learning and motivation, 39(4), 278–284, 2008) previously demonstrated that rats could retain spatial memory for up to 25 h in the radial maze. Notably, they found performance improved with 48-h intertrial intervals compared with 24-h intervals. Our study investigated the effects of extending intertrial intervals on long-term retention of spatial memory by reducing the potential for proactive interference. Each trial comprised a learning phase, during which subjects were required to sequentially visit four randomly selected arms, followed by a free-choice test that included all eight arms, conducted after increasing the retention and intertrial intervals. The retention intervals were systematically increased from 1 h to 24, 48, and, ultimately, 72 h, with corresponding intertrial intervals expanding from 24 to 48, 120, and 144 h. Performance significantly surpassed chance levels across all conditions, demonstrating that rats are capable of retaining spatial memory for up to 72 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep deprivation has shown promise in rapidly alleviating depression symptoms without adverse effects, its impact on memory remains unclear, especially in depressed individuals. The study investigates the effects of total sleep deprivation on depression symptomatology and memory in aged rats with induced depression. The experiments were carried out on 8 adult male Sprague Dawley rats. A depression model was induced using the chronic retention stress paradigm. Total Sleep Deprivation was achieved using the "gentle handling" procedure. Behavioral tests, including the open field test, Y-maze, and novel object recognition test, were conducted to assess locomotor activity, spatial working memory, object recognition memory and depressive symptomatology. Sleep deprivation resulted in an initial increase in locomotor activity and exploration behaviors across different experimental setups. This heightened activity tended to normalize over time, suggesting a transient response to the lack of sleep. However, the total time spent in these zones was not significantly different from controls, suggesting that the fundamental engagement with the environment might remain intact despite altered entry behaviors. This suggests that the cognitive components of these behaviors may be resilient to short-term sleep loss. Overall, these findings suggest that the role of sleep is facilitating rather than essential in memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to develop a dual-task Mandarin Reading Span Test (RST) to assess verbal working memory related to speech perception in noise. Design: The test material was developed taking into account psycholinguistic factors (i.e. sentence structure, number of syllables, word familiarity, and sentences plausibility), to achieve good test reliability and face validity. The relationship between the 28-sentence Mandarin RST and speech perception in noise was confirmed using three speech perception in noise measures containing varying levels of contextual and linguistic information. Study sample: The study comprised 42 young adults with normal hearing and 56 older adult who were hearing aid users with moderate to severe hearing loss. Results: In older hearing aid users, the 28-sentence RST showed significant correlation with speech reception thresholds as measured by three Mandarin sentence in noise tests (rs or r = −.681 to −.419) but not with the 2-digit sequence Digit-in-Noise Test. Conclusion: The newly developed dual-task Mandarin RST, constructed with careful psycholinguistic consideration, demonstrates a significant relationship with sentence perception in noise. This suggests that the Mandarin RST could serve as a measure of verbal working memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To utilize the resource of working memory efficiently, the brain actively suppresses irrelevant information to focus cognitive resources on the task at hand. However, whether task‐irrelevant self‐related information can be suppressed is still an open question. This study explores the inhibitory effects of various types of identity‐associated information (self, friend, stranger) with an irrelevant distracting paradigm, in which participants are required to memorize the color while ignoring the shape during a memory array. In the subsequent test array, participants are asked to judge whether the color of the test item is the same as the memorized one, while the ignored shape features could also change. The results are as follows. (1) Self‐associated information survived the inhibitory effect no matter whether the interstimulus interval (ISI) was short or long. (2) Stranger‐associated information remained inhibitory effect in a long ISI (3000 ms). The results indicate that self‐associated information can bypass the executive system and remain active in working memory processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent functional MRI studies have implicated the cerebellum in working memory (WM) alongside the prefrontal cortex. Some findings indicate that the right cerebellum is activated during verbal tasks, while the left is engaged during visuospatial tasks, suggesting cerebellar lateralization in WM function. The cerebellum could be a potential target for non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to enhance WM function in cognitive disorders. However, the comprehensive influence of cerebellar lateralization on different types of WM and the effect of stimulation over the unilateral or bilateral cerebellum remain uncertain. This study was to investigate the cerebellum's functional lateralization and its specific impact on various aspects of WM in a causal manner using unilateral or bilateral cerebellar continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), a form of inhibitroy NIBS. Twenty-four healthy participants underwent four sessions of cTBS targeting the left, right, or bilateral Crus I of the cerebellum, or a sham condition, in a controlled cross-over design. WM performance was assessed pre- and post-stimulation using neuropsychological tests, including the 3-back task, spatial WM task, and digit span task. Results indicated that cTBS over the bilateral and right cerebellum both led to a greater improvement in 3-back task performance compared to sham stimulation. Additionally, active cTBS over the bilateral cerebellum yielded better performance in the spatial WM task than sham stimulation. However, no significant differences were observed between stimulation conditions for the auditory digit span task. This study may provide novel causal evidence highlighting the specific involvement of the right and bilateral cerebellum in various types of WM. Specifically, the right cerebellum appears crucial for updating and tracking 3-back WM content, while spatial WM processes require the coordinated engagement of both cerebellar hemispheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working memory refers to the process of temporarily storing and manipulating information. The role of the cerebellum in working memory is thought to be achieved through its connections with the prefrontal cortex. Previous studies showed that theta burst stimulation (TBS), a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, of the cerebellum changes its functional connectivity with the prefrontal cortex. Specifically, excitatory intermittent TBS (iTBS) increases, whereas inhibitory continuous TBS (cTBS) decreases this functional connectivity. We hypothesized that iTBS on the cerebellum will improve working memory, whereas cTBS will disrupt it. Sixteen healthy participants (10 women) participated in this study. Bilateral cerebellar stimulation was applied with a figure-of-eight coil at 3 cm lateral and 1 cm below the inion. The participants received iTBS, cTBS, and sham iTBS in three separate sessions in random order. Within 30 min after TBS, the participants performed four working memory tasks: letter 1-Back and 2-Back, digit span forward, and digit span backward. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of the type of stimulation (iTBS/cTBS/Sham) on performance in the digit span backward task (p = 0.02). The planned comparison showed that the cTBS condition had significantly lower scores than the sham condition (p = 0.01). iTBS and cTBS did not affect performance in the 1- and 2-Back and the digit span forward tasks compared to sham stimulation. The findings support the hypothesis that the cerebellum is involved in working memory, and this contribution may be disrupted by cTBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Relative clauses present a well-known processing asymmetry between object-extracted and subject-extracted dependencies across both typical and atypical populations. The present study aimed at exploring the comprehension of object and subject relative clauses as conceptualized by the Relativized Minimality framework in autistic children and in a group of age- and IQ-matched typically-developing children. The study also explored the way performance in relative clauses would be affected by the children's language and executive function skills. Method: Relative clause comprehension was tested through a sentence-picture matching task and language was tested with a receptive vocabulary task. Executive functions were assessed through backward digit recall and a Flanker test. Results: Object relative clauses were harder to parse for both groups than subject relatives, while number mismatch between the moved object Noun Phrase and the intervening subject Noun Phrase in object relatives boosted both groups' performances. Typically-developing children's performance in object relatives was predicted by both language and executive functions, while autistic children failed to use language and did not systematically draw on their executive functions in object relative clause comprehension. Conclusion: The findings suggest that relative clause processing in autism follows a normal developmental trajectory, and that difficulty with parsing object relative clauses stems from reduced language and executive functions rather than deficits in the children's morphosyntactic skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: This study examined the effects of working memory training (WMT) on WM and fluid intelligence. A novel four‐pronged model of mediated learning, cognitive functions, task characteristics and metacognition is presented as a conceptual basis for the Modifiability of a Working Memory Program (MWMP). Our basic assumption is that increasing WM depends on a synchronized combination of the four components. Sample: A group of typically developed preschool children (n = 62) participated in the experimental group, receiving the MWMP. They were compared with a control group (n = 56) of preschool children who engaged in a substitute program. This comparison allowed us to discern the specific effects of the MWMP. Methods: All participants received tests of WM, self‐regulation and analogical reasoning before and after the intervention. The MWMP was administered to children in the experimental group for 10 weekly sessions, each lasting 40 minutes, in small groups of two children. The children in the control group engaged in didactic activities that were part of a school curriculum routine for kindergartners for the same length of time. Results: We used ANCOVA analysis to compare the Treatment x Time with age and socioeconomic status as covariates. The findings revealed a higher improvement in some WM and self‐regulation tests among children in the experimental group compared to those in the control group. However, no significant transfer effects were observed in analogical thinking. Conclusion: The findings confirm the effectiveness of a non‐computerized WMT among kindergartners and support our four‐pronged theoretical model. We also discuss earlier findings on far‐transfer effects and educational implications. We suggest that future WM studies adopt the following: (1) the development of training methods that are theoretically anchored; (2) training procedures should not rely heavily on computerized exercises but can be adapted to group characteristics, educational settings and cost‐effectiveness aspects; (3) varying the task characteristics and training strategies to stimulate task‐intrinsic motivation; (4) identifying training strategies to produce cognitive improvements underlying WM; (5) intervention should target individuals in early development as much as possible; (6) development of training procedures that facilitate motivation; and (7) providing empirical evidence of far‐transfer effects for WM training. The empirical evidence should link gains in WM capacity and achievements in academic and other life domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurofeedback techniques provide participants immediate feedback on neuronal signals, enabling them to modulate their brain activity. This technique holds promise to unveil brain–behavior relationship and offers opportunities for neuroenhancement. Establishing causal relationships between modulated brain activity and behavioral improvements requires rigorous experimental designs, including appropriate control groups and large samples. Our primary objective was to examine whether a single neurofeedback session, designed to enhance working memory through the modulation of theta or high-alpha frequencies, elicits specific changes in electrophysiological and cognitive outcomes. Additionally, we explored predictors of successful neuromodulation. A total of 101 healthy adults were assigned to groups trained to increase frontal theta, parietal high alpha, or random frequencies (active control group). We measured resting-state EEG, working memory performance, and self-reported psychological states before and after one neurofeedback session. Although our analyses revealed improvements in electrophysiological and behavioral outcomes, these gains were not specific to the experimental groups. An increase in the frequency targeted by the training has been observed for the theta and high alpha groups, but training designed to increase randomly selected frequencies appears to induce more generalized neuromodulation compared with targeting a specific frequency. Among all the predictors of neuromodulation examined, resting theta and high alpha amplitudes predicted specifically the increase of those frequencies during the training. These results highlight the challenge of integrating a control group based on enhancing randomly selected frequency bands and suggest potential avenues for optimizing interventions (e.g., by including a control group trained in both up- and down-regulation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol use is significantly accentuated in young adults, making it important to explore the mechanisms underlying consumption. According to the dual process model, implicit associations have a significant influence on alcohol consumption. Literature has been shown that working memory can moderate the effect of implicit associations on alcohol use and its consequences on hazardous drinkers but conclusions about subjects with other drinking patterns are contradictory. Objective: This study aimed to assess the moderating role of working memory on the relationship between implicit associations and alcohol use and its consequences in a sample with a low-risk drinking pattern. Methods: Sixty-five young adults aged between 18 and 25 years were included. Participants answered questions about measures of consumption pattern, alcohol-related consequences, implicit alcohol-identity associations and working memory. Results: Evidence was found about the moderating role of working memory; in individuals with lower working memory there is a stronger link between alcohol-related implicit associations and alcohol use and its consequences. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the crucial role of working memory across different levels of consumption, allowing us to outline efforts that may prevent the evolution to more severe consumption patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a dynamical system that models the free recall dynamics of working memory. This model is an attractor neural network with n modules, named hypercolumns, and each module consists of m minicolumns. Under mild conditions on the connection weights between minicolumns, the authors investigate the long-term evolution behavior of the model, namely the existence and stability of equilibria and limit cycles. The authors also give a critical value in which Hopf bifurcation happens. Finally, the authors give a sufficient condition under which this model has a globally asymptotically stable equilibrium consisting of synchronized minicolumn states in each hypercolumn, which implies that in this case recalling is impossible. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the proposed theoretical results. Furthermore, a numerical example the authors give suggests that patterns can be stored in not only equilibria and limit cycles, but also strange attractors (or chaos). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mind wandering occurs when a reader's thoughts are unrelated to the text's ideas. We examined the relation between mind wandering and readers' memory for text. More specifically, we assessed whether mind wandering inhibits the reader's development of the situation model and thus their ability to identify and recall the text's most central ideas. Undergraduate participants (M = 18.92 years; SD = 1.32) read and recalled three expository passages. Participants responded to intermittent probes to report mind wandering frequency. We examined how mind wandering impacted the readers' situation model, indicated by the proportion of central and peripheral ideas recalled. Using path analysis models, we found that mind wandering negatively predicted the recall of central, but not peripheral, ideas. The effect of mind wandering on the recall of central ideas was not explained by working memory span (measured by WAIS-IV digit span backward and letter-number sequencing), word reading skill (measured by Letter-Word Identification and Word Attack), or general reading comprehension skill (measured by the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test). These results indicate that mind wandering hinders the recognition and recall of a text's most central ideas and suggest that mind wandering impacts the development of a coherent situation model. This effect seems to be independent of working memory, word reading, and general reading comprehension skill. Future studies should test approaches to decrease mind wandering among adult readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying working memory (WM) deficits in children with ADHD. Method: WM was compared between thirty-four children with ADHD and thirty-four matched controls using neuropsychological tests, spatial and verbal versions of modified delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) tasks, and the event-related potential technique. Results: Children with ADHD demonstrated poor behavioral performance, delayed P3 latencies in high-load spatial modified DMTS tasks during encoding, and delayed P2 and N2 latencies during retrieval in spatial modified DMTS tasks. In high-load verbal modified DMTS tasks during encoding, they showed a smaller P3 amplitude. Discussion: Pronounced deficits in the central executive system in children with ADHD were exhibited by neuropsychological tests and the modified DMTS task. Children with ADHD exhibited a slowing of processing speed during encoding. Under high-load conditions, they showed a reduced P3 amplitude during retrieval, suggesting reduced neural resource allocation was available when the central executive of the working memory was heavily loaded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Past research in developmental psychology has revealed close links between affect and planning ability over the life‐span. However, such links have rarely been studied in children from non‐clinical samples. To address this gap, the present study investigates whether negative affect, understood as a temperamental trait, affects planning ability in 5‐year‐old children. Moreover, it examines whether selected cognitive processes, that is inhibition, verbal working memory, and cognitive flexibility, mediate this relationship. A total of 103 children aged M = 5 years 4 months, SD = 2.7 months, and their parents participated in the study. The analyses, which employed a path mediation model, revealed that negative affect's influence on planning was entirely mediated by flexibility. Moreover, flexibility partially mediated the relationship between inhibition and planning, and verbal working memory had a direct effect on planning. The results provide a new insight into the relationship between negative affect and planning ability in non‐clinical preschool children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dyscalculia, a specific learning disorder per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fifth Edition (DSM-5), involves difficulties in math domains. Research on working memory's link to dyscalculia is crucial for effective interventions in children with the disorder. This study aims to examine the cognitive characteristics of Egyptian children with developmental dyscalculia by evaluating their performance in verbal and visuospatial working memory. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Unit of Phoniatrics, Ain Shams University. The study included 60 children, aged 8–11 years, split into two groups: 30 diagnosed with dyscalculia (with or without dyslexia), and 30 with typical development, matched for age and sex, and without any communication, language, speech, or learning disabilities. Both tests—the Test of Mathematical Abilities (TOMA-3) and the working memory test—were administered to both groups. Results and conclusion: Cases group show notably lower scores on tests measuring dyscalculia and working memory when compared to the control group. The highest percentage of impairment observed is in visual memory. However, there is no clinically significant difference between phonological (auditory) memory and visual memory. The correlation analysis indicated that the visuospatial sketchpad correlates with mathematical symbols and computations, while the phonological (auditory memory) shows a significant positive correlation with word problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The cognitive development of children and adolescents is crucial for their academic success and overall well-being. Physical activity has been linked to improved cognitive performance, but the specific effects of football training on cognitive function in this population remain unclear. This meta-analytic review aimed to comprehensively evaluate the impact of football training on cognitive performance in children and adolescents. Methods: Literature was searched through PubMed, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Embase, and Web of Science. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or crossover designs assessing cognitive performance following football training interventions. Outcome measures included attention, inhibitory control, and working memory. Data synthesis and meta-analysis were performed to determine the overall effect sizes. Results: Twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 1,574 children and 94 adolescents. Football training demonstrated moderate, statistically significant effects on attention (Hedges' g = −0.77, p = 0.01), inhibitory control (Hedges' g = −0.67, p = 0.02), and working memory (Hedges' g = −0.44, p = 0.03). The findings suggest that football training positively influences cognitive performance in children and adolescents. Conclusion: Football training holds promise for enhancing cognitive function in children and adolescents, particularly in attention, inhibitory control, and working memory. Theoretical frameworks emphasizing environmental enrichment, cardiovascular fitness, and cognitive component skills help elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Future research should explore how football training compares to other sports and assess whether integrative drills that combine cognitive elements with skill practice offer greater cognitive benefits than skill training alone. These insights support the inclusion of football in educational programs to foster cognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the risk of diabetes by examining changes in memory, working memory, and processing speed among older adults to provide evidence on how each cognitive domain is associated with the risk of diabetes in older adults. Methods: This study used Health and Retirement Study data and tracked the respondents from 2012 to 2020 (n = 5,748). The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-27 includes three cognitive tests (recall, seven subtraction, and counting backward tests) to assess each cognitive domain. A Cox proportional hazard regression was used to calculate the changes in the odds ratio (OR) of diabetes by increasing each cognitive function and the parameter in covariates. Results: We found that the OR of diabetes decreased with increasing universal cognitive function, increasing memory, working memory, and processing speed, and that age increased the OR in all analysis models. Conclusion: The findings of this study contribute to filling gaps in the literature by exploring: (a) the association between each cognitive function and the decline in diabetes risk and (b) the varying patterns of change in diabetes risk with increasing cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intentional removal of unwanted information allows us to focus on our current goals. Previous research has shown that suppressing the maintenance of neutral images in working memory can impair access to that information in immediate and delayed memory tests. However, it remains unclear whether maintenance suppression has the same impact on emotionally valenced images. Intrusive thinking (e.g., rumination) often involves negative thoughts that persist as individuals attempt to push them out of mind. Given the emotional nature of intrusive information that can repeatedly enter working memory, it is important to understand how the valence of information affects the ability to remove it. Participants in a non-clinical sample completed a working memory removal experiment using group-normed images with positive and negative valence. Participants encoded two images of the same valence on each trial, were cued to suppress or maintain one of them during a brief delay period, and then responded to a memory probe in which they indicated whether the test image had been presented on the current trial, regardless of whether or how it was cued. Our results demonstrate that participants were faster, relative to uncued items, to endorse an item that had been cued for maintenance, and slower to endorse an item that had been cued for suppression. Importantly, this pattern held for both positive and negative items and did not differ between valences. These findings replicate those obtained using emotionally neutral stimuli. Thus, this study demonstrates that maintenance suppression reduces the accessibility of visual information in working memory, regardless of its emotional valence, and suggests that this cognitive strategy could potentially be an effective tool in reducing intrusive thoughts that occupy the focus of attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the impact of task difficulty level on working memory (WM) has been addressed using a visual N-Back task, only few studies considered the effect of stimulus blur level. We investigated the effect of N-Back difficultly level, blur level as well as stimulus type using, for the first time, electroencephalogram (EEG) responses. We recruited 18 healthy young individuals and recorded their behavioural and EEG responses when participating in a single N-Back session. Our results showed interactions between blur level and stimulus type. Frequency band differences were found for all three stimulus types (faces, objects and natural scenes) when comparing no blur, modest, and severe blur. Additionally, when comparing stimuli, we found differences in higher frequency bands for faces compared to objects and natural scenes, for all three N-Back levels. Only in the frontal areas, differences in higher frequency bands were identified in objects compared to faces and natural scenes. These results offer new insights into the neural dynamics underlying WM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective memory refers to the ability to remember and execute planned tasks. This ability is associated with certain cognitive processes and personality traits. This study investigated the mediating role of impulsivity facets in the relationship between executive functions and prospective memory. Urmia University students (n = 201) participated in this cross-sectional study conducted from October to December 2023. Cluster sampling was employed for recruitment. Data were collected using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ), Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI), and Short UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale (S-UPPS-P). Correlational analyses and path analysis were conducted. The path analysis revealed that among impulsivity facets, just lack of perseverance partially mediates the relationship between working memory and prospective memory (β = .062, p < .05), but not between inhibition and prospective memory (β = .010). These findings suggest that working memory deficits contribute to prospective memory failures, with lack of perseverance acting as a single mediator. This highlights the importance of considering both lack of perseverance and working memory for a comprehensive understanding of prospective memory difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety can impair the central executive functioning in working memory (WM). Further, the adverse effect of anxiety on the central executive would be greater when threat-related distractors are present. This study investigated the effect of task-irrelevant emotional faces on WM updating in social anxiety. Forty-one socially anxious (SA) and thirty-nine non-anxious (NA) participants completed an emotional face interference n-back task coupled with eye movement recording. The results showed that, in the 2-back task, SA participants had longer reaction times in the angry-neutral and neutral-neutral interference conditions than in the no-interference condition, whereas NA participants had longer reaction times in the happy-neutral and neutral-neutral interference conditions than in the no-interference condition. In addition, SA participants initially fixated on angry faces more frequently and spent more time looking at them, whereas NA participants initially fixated on happy faces more frequently and spent more time looking at them. This study suggests that attentional bias towards social threats reduces the efficiency rather than effectiveness of WM updating in social anxiety. Moreover, SA individuals are better at resisting interference from task-irrelevant positive stimuli, while NA individuals are better at resisting interference from task-irrelevant threatening stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental hypoxia, resulting from reduced oxygen supply, poses a significant risk of dysfunctioning and damaging the neurocognitive system, particularly in relation to anxiety and stress. Inadequate oxygenation can lead to acute and chronic brain damage. Scholars used behavioral, hemodynamic, and electromagnetic neurofunctional techniques to investigate the effects of normobaric and hypobaric hypoxia on neurocognitive systems. They found a correlation between hypoxia, altered psychomotor responses, and changes in EEG alpha, theta, beta, and gamma rhythms, which affect spatial attention and memory. Hypoxia affects event related potential (ERP) components differently depending on latency. Perceptual responses N1 and P2 remain largely unaffected, while the amplitudes of preattentive MMN, vMMN, and P3a are significantly altered. Late latency components related to attention, particularly P3b, are also altered. These changes illustrate the spectrum from sensory detection to more complex cognitive processing, highlighting the brain's efficiency in managing information. Interestingly, the amplitudes of P3b, ADAN and CNV can increase with increased cognitive demands in hypoxia. This suggests a compensatory response. Prolonged exposure exacerbates these effects, resulting in compensatory delayed behavioral responses and alterations in behavioral monitoring and conflict inhibitory control, as reflected by reduced amplitudes in some attention related ERP components, including N2, N2pc, and ERN. Thus, neurocognitive function and integrity are under stress. ERP sources and hemodynamic images reveal that vulnerable brain regions include the frontal prefrontal cortices, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and parietal and visual cortices, which are essential for attention related processes like decision making and spatial memory. The auditory system appears less affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Examining the contribution of peripheral systems to cognitive function under healthy circumstances may improve our understanding of the systems that confer risk or resilience in diseased states. Endotoxemia—a pro-inflammatory response to the translocation of bacteria that reside in the gut on other sources (e.g., respiratory tract; infection) into the blood—was hypothesized to relate to worsened cognitive functioning. Gender was explored as a moderator. Methods: A sample of 162 healthy adults (25–65 years old) provided plasma, from which a measure of endotoxemia was determined [i.e., the ratio of lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) to soluble cluster of differentiation 14 receptors (sCD14)]. Participants performed an array of laboratory and ambulatory cognitive tasks at three timepoints, each separated by 9 months. Two sets of multilevel models were used: Prospective models, linking endotoxemia at baseline with changes in cognition across time, and coupling models, which examine correlations of endotoxemia with cognition across time. Results: A prospective model indicated lower levels of endotoxemia at baseline predicted improvements in working memory across the three timepoints; higher levels were associated with no change in cognitive performance. Gender was not found to modulate this finding. Interestingly, a coupling analysis of endotoxemia and gender across time showed that in men, those with higher endotoxemia performed better at the working memory task overall; in women, working memory performance was similar regardless of endotoxemia level. Conclusion: This work provides initial evidence that endotoxemia may be associated with a dampening of improvement in working memory, improvement consistent with practice effects, which should be expected in a sample of healthy, relatively young adults. The findings also provide preliminary evidence that, at least for men, higher degrees of endotoxemia are not inherently negative, and may link with short term positive outcomes for working memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study attempted to partially test the hypotheses recently proposed by Spagnolo, Garvey, and Hallett that patients with functional movement disorders (FMDs) should demonstrate impaired performance when presented with tasks that sample affect expression/perception, working memory, and cognitive/motor control. A retrospective chart review of the neuropsychological test performance of 17 adult FMD patients was performed to test these hypotheses. Performance on the Barrow Neurological Institute Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Fourth Edition, and the modified version of the Halstead Finger Tapping Test were used to measure these behaviors. Patients with FMD had difficulty performing tasks involving affect expression/perception and working memory relative to other cognitive functions. However, only one-third of the sample demonstrated clinically relevant slow finger tapping speeds. Our findings are consistent with the predictions proposed by Spagnolo et al. that disturbance of affect expression/perception and working memory are common in patients with FMD. However, there was less evidence for consistent disturbances in cognitive/motor control. Exploring what FMD patients experience when performing these tasks may facilitate their awareness of how non-neurological factors may contribute to their symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with deficits in working memory as well as underlying gamma oscillation power. Consistent with this, overall reductions in cortical excitation have also been described with MDD. In previous work, we have demonstrated that the monoamine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine increases gamma oscillation power in ex vivo hippocampal slices and that this is associated with concomitant increases in pyramidal arbour and reduced levels of plasticity‐restricting perineuronal nets (PNNs). In the present study, we have examined the effects of chronic treatment with pramipexole (PPX), a D3 dopamine receptor agonist, for its effects on gamma oscillation power as measured by in vivo electroencephalography (EEG) recordings in female BALB/c and C57Bl6 mice. We observe a modest but significant increase in 20–50 Hz gamma power with PPX in both strains. Additionally, biochemical analysis of prefrontal cortex lysates from PPX‐treated BALB/c mice shows a number of changes that could contribute to, or follow from, increased pyramidal excitability and/or gamma power. PPX‐associated changes include reduced levels of specific PNN components as well as tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteases‐1 (TIMP‐1), which inhibits long‐term potentiation of synaptic transmission. Consistent with its effects on gamma power, PNN proteins and TIMP‐1, chronic PPX treatment also improves working memory and reduces anhedonia. Together these results add to an emerging literature linking extracellular matrix and/or gamma oscillation power to both mood and cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground and AimsMethodResultsConclusionsWhen entering substance abuse treatment centers, some individuals with substance use disorder relapse whilst others do not. Predicting who is likely to relapse or not would enable for more effective treatment by targeting those who are at increased risk. Previous research would indicate that aspects related to cognitive control including cognitive bias, inhibitory control, and working memory may all be strong indicators of relapse likelihood. Therefore, this paper explores whether aspects of cognitive control can predict relapse likelihood.Participants were patients in substance treatment centers who were abstaining. They were tested on measures of cognitive bias (REsT), inhibitory control (go/no-go), and working memory (nBack). A follow-up survey was then issued after a twelve-week period to ascertain whether participants had remained abstinent or if they had relapsed.Relative to abstainers, individuals who relapsed had shown significant impairments in working memory and inhibitory control at baseline. They had also demonstrated increased preoccupation with substance-related stimuli as indicated by the cognitive bias measure.These findings demonstrate that deficits in cognitive control contribute to the maintenance of substance use disorder and substance usage. The results indicate that inhibitory and working memory deficits may contribute to initial engagement in substance abuse, followed by an increase in cognitive bias and further deficits in inhibitory control and WM contributing to an increased likelihood of relapse. This suggests that decreased cognitive control may increase relapse likelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working memory (WM) and reinforcement learning (RL) both influence decision-making, but how they interact to affect behaviour remains unclear. We assessed whether RL is influenced by the format of visual stimuli held in WM, either feature-based or unified, object-based representations. In a pre-registered paradigm, participants learned stimulus-action combinations that provided reward through 80% probabilistic feedback. In parallel, participants retained the RL stimulus in WM and were asked to recall this stimulus after each RL choice. Crucially, the format of representation probed in WM was manipulated, with blocks encouraging either separate features or bound objects to be remembered. Incentivising a feature-based WM representation facilitated feature-based learning, shown by an improved choice strategy. This reveals a role of WM in providing sustained internal representations that are harnessed by RL, providing a framework by which these two cognitive processes cooperate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Neuroimaging has expanded our understanding of pediatric brain disorders in which white matter organization and connectivity are crucial to functioning. Paralleling the known pathobiology of many neurodevelopmental disorders, traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood can alter trajectories of brain development. Specifically, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies in TBI have demonstrated white matter (WM) abnormalities that suggest microstructural disruptions that may underlie atypical neurodevelopment. The neurocognitive correlates of these previous findings will be explored in this study. Methods: Indicators of WM organization were collected in 44 pediatric patients with moderate/severe TBI and 76 controls over two post-injury time points: T1 (8–20 weeks) and T2 (54–96 weeks). Our previous work identified two TBI subgroups based on information processing differences: one with slower interhemispheric transfer times (IHTT) of visual information than controls and another with comparable IHTT. We extend this prior work by evaluating neurocognitive trajectories associated with divergent WM structure post-injury in slow and normal IHTT TBI subgroups. Results: At T1, both TBI subgroups performed significantly worse than controls on a norm-referenced working memory index (WMI), but only the Normal IHTT TBI subgroup significantly improved over the 12-month follow-up period (p = 0.014) to match controls (p = 0.119). In contrast, the Slow IHTT TBI subgroup did not show any recovery in working memory performance over time and performed more poorly than the control group (p < 0.001) at T2. Improvement in one of the two WMI subtests was associated with DTI indicators of WM disorganization in CC tracts to the precentral, postcentral, frontal, and parietal cortices. IHTT and WM mean diffusivity predicted 79% of the variance in cognitive recovery from T1 to T2 when also accounting for other known predictors of TBI recovery. Discussion: In the year following TBI, some pediatric patients experienced persisting working memory disturbance while others exhibited recovery; stratification was based on an event-related potential marker. More or less improvement in neurocognition was also associated with the degree of WM disorganization. IHTT, measured post-acutely after TBI, and progression of WM disorganization over time predicted neurocognitive trajectories at the chronic timeframe - potentially representing a prognostic biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Working memory is critical for individuals and has been found to be improved by electrical stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). However, the effects of different types of transcranial electrical stimulation on working memory are controversial, and the underlying mechanism remains uncertain. In this study, high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) and high-definition transcranial random noise stimulation (HD-tRNS) were applied to the DLPFC to observe the different effects on visual working memory (VWM). The aim was to explore the causal relationship between the electrical activity of the DLPFC and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) electrical activity and the contralateral delayed activity (CDA). Methods: Thirty-three healthy subjects received HD-tDCS, HD-tRNS and sham stimulation in a random order. Stimulation was applied to the left DLPFC for 20 min. The subjects underwent a color change-detection task as our VWM task and an auditory digit span test (DST) immediately after stimulation. Event-related potential (ERP) data were collected during the VWM task. Results: The results revealed significant differences between the different types of HD-tES. There was a remarkable increase in VWM capacity following HD-tDCS compared with both HD-tRNS (pa = 0.038) and sham stimulation (pa = 0.038). Additionally, the CDA from the PPC differed after stimulation of the DLPFC. Both HD-tDCS and HD-tRNS expanded the maximum CDA amplitude from set size of 4 to 6, whereas after sham stimulation, the maximum CDA was maintained at a set size of 4. Compared with the sham condition, only HD-tDCS induced a noteworthy increase in CDA amplitude (pa = 0.012). Notably, a significant correlation emerged between the mean CDA amplitude and VWM capacity (p < 0.001, r = − 0.402). Conclusion: These findings underscore the ability of HD-tDCS to target the DLPFC to augment working memory capacity while concurrently amplifying CDA amplitudes in the PPC through the frontoparietal network. Trial registration ChiCTR2300074898. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Methods Results Conclusion The long‐term prognosis of treated phenylketonuria (PKU) is a controversial issue. A controlled long‐term study was performed to assess the neuropsychological outcome in adult patients with early treated PKU.We investigated 27 patients aged 34–55 years (median age: 47 years) and 19 healthy controls, matched for age and socio‐economic status. Patients and controls were assessed for their full‐scale IQ (FSIQ), attention and information‐processing abilities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed in all patients. Neuropsychological assessments and MRI were repeated at a 15‐year follow‐up.In the entire interval of 15 years, cognitive performance of patients and controls remained unchanged. Older adult patients showed poorer cognitive performance at all assessment times compared to young adult patients and controls. Cognitive performance showed no correlation to MRI results. FSIQ, however, was significantly correlated with blood phenylalanine levels in the adolescent years of adult patients older than 47 years.Cognitive performance in adult patients with early treated PKU does not seem to deteriorate in a 15 years interval. Neuropsychological assessment revealed constant modest neurocognitive impairment in patients older than 47 years. This seems to refer to an early relaxation of diet that was recommended when the older patients were adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Background Introduction Methods Results or findings Discussion Conclusion and implications for nursing and/or health policy This study aims to examine the influence of single and double‐shift work schedules on hand function and cognitive capacities, specifically working memory, attention, and response time in nurses.Shift work, particularly in extended formats, is known to affect various physical and cognitive functions critical to nursing duties. Understanding these impacts is vital for managing nurse schedules to minimize health risks and maximize performance.With an increase in demands on healthcare systems, nurses often endure prolonged working hours, which may impair their cognitive and manual abilities, thereby affecting patient care quality.This study involved 45 nurses aged 20–40 years from shift‐oriented units providing direct patient care. Hand function was assessed using the Nine‐Hole Peg Test (9‐HPT). Cognitive functions such as working memory, attention, and response time were evaluated using the digit span task and the Stroop test, respectively. Two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis, assessing the interactions of time and shift type, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.The results revealed significant changes in all tested variables between pre‐ and post‐shift assessments and between single and double‐shift conditions. Notably, the double‐shift work significantly exacerbated declines in all measured functions.These findings suggest that double shifts may intensify the deterioration of essential nursing skills, potentially compromising patient care.This study underscores the detrimental effects of extended shift work on nurses' cognitive and manual functions. These insights should guide healthcare institutions in revising nurse scheduling practices to safeguard their well‐being and maintain high standards of patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractStress is known to be a risk factor for deficits in working memory creating profound cognitive disturbances resulting in lingering impairments and losses in social and occupational functioning. Although a body of research has identified mindfulness as a potential means of mitigating deficits in working memory, there is a paucity of studies on the association between mindfulness and deficits in working memory among those who have experienced COVID-19 traumatic stress. This exploratory cross-sectional study sought to examine the mitigating effect of mindfulness on COVID-19 stress impacting working memory. The sample included 484 college students in Israel and the USA. Correlation and multiple regression analyses indicated that COVID-19 stress had a modest, inverse association with both a self-report and task-based indicator of working memory. In separate models predicting the different operationalizations of working memory, results revealed different effects for Israeli and USA students. Mindfulness was significantly associated with task-based but not self-reported working memory. The results offered evidence for a small but significant effect of mindfulness as moderating the impact of COVID-19 stress on working memory deficits. This exploratory, cross-­sectional study, used a convenience sample limiting the generalizability and its ability to test causal effects, calling for replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between sports expertise and working memory (WM) has garnered increasing attention in experimental research. However, no meta-analysis has compared WM performance between athletes and non-athletes. This study addresses this gap by comparing WM performance between these groups and investigating potential moderators. A comprehensive literature search identified 21 studies involving 1455 participants from seven databases, including PubMed, Embase, and ProQuest. Athletes primarily engaged in basketball, football, and fencing, while non-athletes included some identified as sedentary. The risk of bias assessment indicated low risk across most domains. Publication bias, assessed through a funnel plot and statistical tests, showed no significant evidence of bias. The forest plot, using a random effects model, revealed moderate heterogeneity. The overall effect size indicated a statistically significant, albeit small, advantage for athletes over non-athletes (Hedges’ g = 0.30), persisting across sports types and performance levels. Notably, this advantage was more pronounced when athletes were contrasted with a sedentary population (Hedges’ g = 0.63), compared to the analysis where the sedentary population was excluded from the non-athlete reference group (Hedges’ g = 0.15). Our findings indicate a consistent link between sports expertise and improved WM performance, while sedentary lifestyles appear to be associated with WM disadvantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was to investigate the developmental characteristics of executive function (EF) in obese adolescents and the time-course effects of a 14-week exercise intervention combining aerobic exercise and resistance training on EF in this population. Methods: The experimental group of 28 obese junior high school students participated in the exercise intervention combining aerobic exercise and resistance training, while the control group of 24 healthy weight junior high school students engaged in the regular recess exercise. EF, including inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, was assessed 1 week prior to the exercise intervention and at 12 and 14 weeks post-intervention. Changes in EF sub-functions in both groups at different time points during the exercise intervention were analyzed. Results: The findings revealed that obese junior high school students exhibited lower levels of inhibition (p = 0.003, Cohen's d = 0.848) and cognitive flexibility (p = 0.013, Cohen's d = 0.706) compared to their healthy weight peers. The exercise intervention combining aerobic exercise and resistance training led to significant improvements in EF among obese junior high school students, with inhibition (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.713; p = 0.003, Cohen's d = 0.683) and cognitive flexibility (p = 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.797; p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.890) showing significant improvement at 12 and 14 weeks post-intervention, and working memory demonstrating significant improvement at 14 weeks (p = 0.004, Cohen's d = 0.710). No significant differences were observed in EF over time in healthy weight junior high school students. Conclusion: Obese adolescents had impaired EF, as evidenced by low levels of the inhibition and cognitive flexibility compared to healthy weight adolescents. The exercise intervention combining aerobic exercise and resistance training had a positive effect on EF of obese adolescents. The time-course effects of the intervention on improvements in inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility varied with intervention duration in obese adolescents, with significant changes in inhibition and cognitive flexibility observed at 12 weeks and significant changes in working memory at 14 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The development of reading and complex executive functions is fundamental for achieving social, academic, and professional success. So far, there is no single neuropsychological instrument that comprehensively assesses the domains of inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and reading comprehension. To assess executive functions related to reading, the "Assessment of Reading and Executive Functions" (AREF) was developed. In this study, we show initial evidence of validity and reliability for four subtests - Graphophonological-Semantic Flexibility, Inhibitory Control, Flexibility, and Working Memory. Methods: A total of 93 students from 4th to 9th grade, aged 8-14, in public (n = 61) and private (n = 32) schools were evaluated. Tasks from the AREF instrument, as well as measures of reading comprehension, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and intelligence, were administered. Correlations between AREF scores and the other measures were performed to assess external construct validity. Performance differences between school groups on AREF subtests were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests, and the internal consistency of the instrument's tasks was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results: The scores of the AREF subtests demonstrated significant positive correlations with reading measures (ranging from 0.339 to 0.367) and executive functions (ranging from 0.209 to 0.396). Significant differences were found in the performance of some AREF tasks when comparing individuals from public and private schools, as well as between 4th and 5th graders compared to students in higher grades. The internal consistency of the tasks was low for Graphophonological-Semantic Flexibility (Cronbach's α = 0.566), moderate for Inhibitory Control and Flexibility (Cronbach's α = 0.768), and high for Working Memory (Cronbach's α = 0.881). Discussion: The results provide initial evidence of construct validity and reliability for the AREF subtests. It is expected that this new neuropsychological test will contribute to the assessment of reading skills and executive functions, assisting in guiding clinical and educational interventions for individuals with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to maintain and manipulate sequential information in working memory, referred to as sequential working memory, plays a vital role in our daily life. While research has shown that methamphetamine abuse affects the neural substrates and the overall functioning of working memory, its specific impact on sequential working memory remains unclear. In this study, we asked 62 abstinent methamphetamine-dependent participants and 59 control participants to complete a digit ordering task in which they saw four digits one-by-one over time and subsequently rearranged them in ascending order. The four digits were presented either randomly in the experimental condition or in ascending order in the control condition. Results show that methamphetamine-dependent participants performed worse than the controls in the experimental condition in which sequential working memory was needed to complete the task, but not in the control condition in which only short-term memory was needed. This finding demonstrates that methamphetamine abuse impairs sequential working memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is still not fully explained what kind of cognitive sources the methods used in the assessment of listening effort are more sensitive to and how these measurement results are related to each other. The aim of the study is to ascertain which neural resources crucial for listening effort are most sensitive to objective measurement methods using differently degraded speech stimuli. Methods: A total of 49 individuals between the ages of 19 and 34 with normal hearing participated in the study. In the first stage, simultaneous pupillometry, electroencephalogram (EEG), and single‐task paradigm reaction time (RT) measurements were made during the challenging listening and repetition task with noise‐vocoded speech. Two speech reception thresholds (SRT) (50% and 80%) for two vocoding conditions (16 and 6 channels) were collected, resulting in 4 conditions. In the second stage, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and the test of attention in listening (TAIL) were applied. Stepwise linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictors of listening effort measurements. Results: A significant difference was found between 6 and 16 channel stimuli in both pupil dilation change and EEG alpha band power change. In the hardest listening condition, whereas RAVLT scores are significant predictors of pupil dilation change, TAIL scores are significant predictors of EEG alpha power. As the stimulus difficulty decreased, the factors that predicted both EEG and pupillometry results decreased. In the single‐task paradigm, a significant regression model could not be obtained at all four difficulty levels. Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was found that the pupil dilation change was more sensitive to auditory memory skills and the EEG alpha power change was more sensitive to auditory attention skills. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the sensitivity of different listening effort measurement methods to auditory cognitive skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive decline is a common challenge faced by older individuals with presbycusis; their performance on dual‐task (DT) activities is generally lower compared to those without hearing loss. However, the influence of hearing aids on nonauditory cognitive decline in this population remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the effect of hearing aids on nonauditory DT performance in older adults with presbycusis. Material and Methods: This study included older people with presbycusis who used hearing aids (P&HA group), those with presbycusis who did not use hearing aids (PoHA group), and a control group of healthy adults. Forward and backward digit span tests and timed up and go test (TUG) were administered to all individuals. TUG and motor and cognitive (forward and backward digit span) tasks were applied simultaneously to evaluate the participants' DT performance. Results: The study comprised 60 individuals with presbycusis (19 females, 41 males; mean age: 73.23 ± 6.49 years) and 30 healthy adults (15 females, 15 males; mean age: 35.93 ± 8.57 years). Healthy adults performed better than the P&HA and PoHA groups in all the administered tests (p < 0.05). There was a moderate negative relationship between the severity of hearing loss and the forward and backward digit span test performances (p < 0.05). The P&HA group performed better than the PoHA group on the DT cognitive forward and backward digit span tests. Conclusion: The use of hearing aids and their proper fitting are important not only for improving communication skills and reducing listening effort but also for supporting nonauditory cognitive functions, minimizing the risk of falls during DT activities, and enhancing the overall quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]