Gains following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial visual acuity.

PubMed

Yehezkel, Oren; Sterkin, Anna; Lev, Maria; Levi, Dennis M; Polat, Uri

2016-04-28

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the dependence of perceptual learning gains on initial visual acuity (VA), in a large sample of subjects with a wide range of VAs. A large sample of normally sighted and presbyopic subjects (N = 119; aged 40 to 63) with a wide range of uncorrected near visual acuities (VA, -0.12 to 0.8 LogMAR), underwent perceptual learning. Training consisted of detecting briefly presented Gabor stimuli under spatial and temporal masking conditions. Consistent with previous findings, perceptual learning induced a significant improvement in near VA and reading speed under conditions of limited exposure duration. Our results show that the improvements in VA and reading speed observed following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial VA, with only a minor fraction of the observed improvement that may be attributed to the additional sessions performed by those with the worse VA.

New perspectives on sea use management: initial findings from European experience with marine spatial planning.

PubMed

Douvere, Fanny; Ehler, Charles N

2009-01-01

Increased development pressures on the marine environment and the potential for multiple use conflicts, arising as a result of the current expansion of offshore wind energy, fishing and aquaculture, dredging, mineral extraction, shipping, and the need to meet international and national commitments to biodiversity conservation, have led to increased interest in sea use planning with particular emphasis on marine spatial planning. Several European countries, on their own initiative or driven by the European Union's Marine Strategy and Maritime Policy, the Bergen Declaration of the North Sea Conference, and the EU Recommendation on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, have taken global leadership in implementing marine spatial planning. Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany in the North Sea, and the United Kingdom in the Irish Sea, have already completed preliminary sea use plans and zoning proposals for marine areas within their national jurisdictions. This paper discusses the nature and context of marine spatial planning, the international legal and policy framework, and the increasing need for marine spatial planning in Europe. In addition, the authors review briefly three marine spatial planning initiatives in the North Sea and conclude with some initial lessons learned from these experiences.

Similarities and differences between the brain networks underlying allocentric and egocentric spatial learning in rat revealed by cytochrome oxidase histochemistry.

PubMed

Rubio, S; Begega, A; Méndez, M; Méndez-López, M; Arias, J L

2012-10-25

The involvement of different brain regions in place- and response-learning was examined using a water cross-maze. Rats were trained to find the goal from the initial arm by turning left at the choice point (egocentric strategy) or by using environmental cues (allocentric strategy). Although different strategies were required, the same maze and learning conditions were used. Using cytochrome oxidase histochemistry as a marker of cellular activity, the function of the 13 diverse cortical and subcortical regions was assessed in rats performing these two tasks. Our results show that allocentric learning depends on the recruitment of a large functional network, which includes the hippocampal CA3, dentate gyrus, medial mammillary nucleus and supramammillary nucleus. Along with the striatum, these last three structures are also related to egocentric spatial learning. The present study provides evidence for the contribution of these regions to spatial navigation and supports a possible functional interaction between the two memory systems, as their structural convergence may facilitate functional cooperation in the behaviours guided by more than one strategy. In summary, it can be argued that spatial learning is based on dynamic functional systems in which the interaction of brain regions is modulated by task requirements. Copyright © 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Excitotoxic lesions of the infralimbic, but not prelimbic cortex facilitate reversal of appetitive discriminative context conditioning: the role of the infralimbic cortex in context generalization

PubMed Central

Ashwell, Rachel; Ito, Rutsuko

2014-01-01

The prelimbic and infralimbic regions of the rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are important components of the limbic cortico-striatal circuit, receiving converging projections from the hippocampus (HPC) and amygdala. Mounting evidence points to these regions having opposing roles in the regulation of the expression of contextual fear and context-induced cocaine-seeking. To investigate this functional differentiation in motivated behavior further, this study employed a novel radial maze task previously shown to be dependent on the integrity of the hippocampus and its functional connection to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell, to investigate the effects of selective excitotoxic lesions of the prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) upon the spatial contextual control over reward learning. To this end, rats were trained to develop discriminative responding towards a reward-associated discrete cue presented in three out of six spatial locations (3 arms out of 6 radial maze arms), and to avoid the same discrete cue presented in the other three spatial locations. Once acquired, the reward contingencies of the spatial locations were reversed, such that responding to the cue presented in a previously rewarded location was no longer rewarded. Furthermore, the acquisition of spatial learning was probed separately using conditioned place preference (CPP) and the monitoring of arm selection at the beginning of each training session. Lesions of the PL transiently attenuated the acquisition of the initial cue approach training and spatial learning, while leaving reversal learning intact. In contrast, IL lesions led to a significantly superior performance of spatial context-dependent discriminative cue approach and reversal learning, in the absence of a significant preference for the new reward-associated spatial locations. These results indicate that the PL and IL have functionally dissociative, and potentially opposite roles in the regulation of spatial contextual control over appetitive learning. PMID:24616678

A Spatially Constrained Multi-autoencoder Approach for Multivariate Geochemical Anomaly Recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lirong, C.; Qingfeng, G.; Renguang, Z.; Yihui, X.

2017-12-01

Separating and recognizing geochemical anomalies from the geochemical background is one of the key tasks in geochemical exploration. Many methods have been developed, such as calculating the mean ±2 standard deviation, and fractal/multifractal models. In recent years, deep autoencoder, a deep learning approach, have been used for multivariate geochemical anomaly recognition. While being able to deal with the non-normal distributions of geochemical concentrations and the non-linear relationships among them, this self-supervised learning method does not take into account the spatial heterogeneity of geochemical background and the uncertainty induced by the randomly initialized weights of neurons, leading to ineffective recognition of weak anomalies. In this paper, we introduce a spatially constrained multi-autoencoder (SCMA) approach for multivariate geochemical anomaly recognition, which includes two steps: spatial partitioning and anomaly score computation. The first step divides the study area into multiple sub-regions to segregate the geochemical background, by grouping the geochemical samples through K-means clustering, spatial filtering, and spatial constraining rules. In the second step, for each sub-region, a group of autoencoder neural networks are constructed with an identical structure but different initial weights on neurons. Each autoencoder is trained using the geochemical samples within the corresponding sub-region to learn the sub-regional geochemical background. The best autoencoder of a group is chosen as the final model for the corresponding sub-region. The anomaly score at each location can then be calculated as the euclidean distance between the observed concentrations and reconstructed concentrations of geochemical elements.The experiments using the geochemical data and Fe deposits in the southwestern Fujian province of China showed that our SCMA approach greatly improved the recognition of weak anomalies, achieving the AUC of 0.89, compared with the AUC of 0.77 using a single deep autoencoder approach.

Developing and Testing an Online Tool for Teaching GIS Concepts Applied to Spatial Decision-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carver, Steve; Evans, Andy; Kingston, Richard

2004-01-01

The development and testing of a Web-based GIS e-learning resource is described. This focuses on the application of GIS for siting a nuclear waste disposal facility and the associated principles of spatial decision-making using Boolean and weighted overlay methods. Initial student experiences in using the system are analysed as part of a research…

Frames of reference in spatial language acquisition.

PubMed

Shusterman, Anna; Li, Peggy

2016-08-01

Languages differ in how they encode spatial frames of reference. It is unknown how children acquire the particular frame-of-reference terms in their language (e.g., left/right, north/south). The present paper uses a word-learning paradigm to investigate 4-year-old English-speaking children's acquisition of such terms. In Part I, with five experiments, we contrasted children's acquisition of novel word pairs meaning left-right and north-south to examine their initial hypotheses and the relative ease of learning the meanings of these terms. Children interpreted ambiguous spatial terms as having environment-based meanings akin to north and south, and they readily learned and generalized north-south meanings. These studies provide the first direct evidence that children invoke geocentric representations in spatial language acquisition. However, the studies leave unanswered how children ultimately acquire "left" and "right." In Part II, with three more experiments, we investigated why children struggle to master body-based frame-of-reference words. Children successfully learned "left" and "right" when the novel words were systematically introduced on their own bodies and extended these words to novel (intrinsic and relative) uses; however, they had difficulty learning to talk about the left and right sides of a doll. This difficulty was paralleled in identifying the left and right sides of the doll in a non-linguistic memory task. In contrast, children had no difficulties learning to label the front and back sides of a doll. These studies begin to paint a detailed account of the acquisition of spatial terms in English, and provide insights into the origins of diverse spatial reference frames in the world's languages. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Age differences in spatial working memory contributions to visuomotor adaptation and transfer.

PubMed

Langan, Jeanne; Seidler, Rachael D

2011-11-20

Throughout our life span we encounter challenges that require us to adapt to the demands of our changing environment; this entails learning new skills. Two primary components of motor skill learning are motor acquisition, the initial process of learning the skill, and motor transfer, when learning a new skill is benefitted by the overlap with a previously learned one. Older adults typically exhibit declines in motor acquisition compared to young adults, but remarkably, do not demonstrate deficits in motor transfer [10]. Our recent work demonstrates that a failure to engage spatial working memory (SWM) is associated with skill learning deficits in older adults [16]. Here, we investigate the role that SWM plays in both motor learning and transfer in young and older adults. Both age groups exhibited performance savings, or positive transfer, at transfer of learning for some performance variables. Measures of spatial working memory performance and reaction time correlated with both motor learning and transfer for young adults. Young adults recruited overlapping brain regions in prefrontal, premotor, parietal and occipital cortex for performance of a SWM and a visuomotor adaptation task, most notably during motor learning, replicating our prior findings [12]. Neural overlap between the SWM task and visuomotor adaptation for the older adults was limited to parietal cortex, with minimal changes from motor learning to transfer. Combined, these results suggest that age differences in engagement of cognitive strategies have a differential impact on motor learning and transfer. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Age differences in spatial working memory contributions to visuomotor adaptation and transfer

PubMed Central

Langan, Jeanne; Seidler, Rachael. D.

2011-01-01

Throughout our life span we encounter challenges that require us to adapt to the demands of our changing environment; this entails learning new skills. Two primary components of motor skill learning are motor acquisition, the initial process of learning the skill, and motor transfer, when learning a new skill is benefitted by the overlap with a previously learned one. Older adults typically exhibit declines in motor acquisition compared to young adults, but remarkably, do not demonstrate deficits in motor transfer (Seidler, 2007). Our recent work demonstrates that a failure to engage spatial working memory (SWM) is associated with skill learning deficits in older adults (Anguera et al., 2011). Here, we investigate the role that SWM plays in both motor learning and transfer in young and older adults. Both age groups exhibited performance savings, or positive transfer, at transfer of learning for some performance variables. Measures of spatial working memory performance and reaction time correlated with both motor learning and transfer for young adults. Young adults recruited overlapping brain regions in prefrontal, premotor, parietal and occipital cortex for performance of a SWM and a visuomotor adaptation task, most notably during motor learning, replicating our prior findings (Anguera et al., 2010). Neural overlap between the SWM task and visuomotor adaptation for the older adults was limited to parietal cortex, with minimal changes from motor learning to transfer. Combined, these results suggest that age differences in engagement of cognitive strategies have a differential impact on motor learning and transfer. PMID:21784106

Sex-specific effects of prenatal chronic mild stress on adult spatial learning capacity and regional glutamate receptor expression profiles.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Ma, Yuchao; Hu, Jingmin; Zhang, Xinxin; Cheng, Wenwen; Jiang, Han; Li, Min; Ren, Jintao; Zhang, Xiaosong; Liu, Mengxi; Sun, Anji; Wang, Qi; Li, Xiaobai

2016-07-01

Both animal experiments and clinical studies have demonstrated that prenatal stress can cause cognitive disorders in offspring. To explore the scope of these deficits and identify potential underlying mechanisms, we examined the spatial learning and memory performance and glutamate receptor (GluR) expression patterns of adult rats exposed to prenatal chronic mild stress (PCMS). Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to reveal the interrelationships among spatial learning indices and GluR expression changes. Female PCMS-exposed offspring exhibited markedly impaired spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) task compared to control females, while PCMS-exposed males showed better initial spatial learning in the MWM compared to control males. PCMS also altered basal and post-MWM glutamate receptor expression patterns, but these effects differed markedly between sexes. Male PCMS-exposed offspring exhibited elevated basal expression of NR1, mGluR5, and mGluR2/3 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), whereas females showed no basal expression changes. Following MWM training, PCMS-exposed males expressed higher NR1 in the PFC and mammillary body (MB), higher mGluR2/3 in PFC, and lower NR2B in the hippocampus (HIP), PFC, and MB compared to unstressed MWM-trained males. Female PCMS-exposed offspring showed strongly reduced NR1 in MB and NR2B in the HIP, PFC, and MB, and increased mGluR2/3 in PFC compared to unstressed MWM-trained females. This is the first report suggesting that NMDA subunits in the MB are involved in spatial learning. Additionally, PCA further suggests that the NR1-NR2B form is the most important for spatial memory formation. These results reveal long-term sex-specific effects of PCMS on spatial learning and memory performance in adulthood and implicate GluR expression changes within HIP, PFC, and MB as possible molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in offspring exposed to prenatal stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of Hippocampal Protein Expression During Long-term Spatial Memory Formation*

PubMed Central

Borovok, Natalia; Nesher, Elimelech; Levin, Yishai; Reichenstein, Michal; Pinhasov, Albert

2016-01-01

Spatial memory depends on the hippocampus, which is particularly vulnerable to aging. This vulnerability has implications for the impairment of navigation capacities in older people, who may show a marked drop in performance of spatial tasks with advancing age. Contemporary understanding of long-term memory formation relies on molecular mechanisms underlying long-term synaptic plasticity. With memory acquisition, activity-dependent changes occurring in synapses initiate multiple signal transduction pathways enhancing protein turnover. This enhancement facilitates de novo synthesis of plasticity related proteins, crucial factors for establishing persistent long-term synaptic plasticity and forming memory engrams. Extensive studies have been performed to elucidate molecular mechanisms of memory traces formation; however, the identity of plasticity related proteins is still evasive. In this study, we investigated protein turnover in mouse hippocampus during long-term spatial memory formation using the reference memory version of radial arm maze (RAM) paradigm. We identified 1592 proteins, which exhibited a complex picture of expression changes during spatial memory formation. Variable linear decomposition reduced significantly data dimensionality and enriched three principal factors responsible for variance of memory-related protein levels at (1) the initial phase of memory acquisition (165 proteins), (2) during the steep learning improvement (148 proteins), and (3) the final phase of the learning curve (123 proteins). Gene ontology and signaling pathways analysis revealed a clear correlation between memory improvement and learning phase-curbed expression profiles of proteins belonging to specific functional categories. We found differential enrichment of (1) neurotrophic factors signaling pathways, proteins regulating synaptic transmission, and actin microfilament during the first day of the learning curve; (2) transcription and translation machinery, protein trafficking, enhancement of metabolic activity, and Wnt signaling pathway during the steep phase of memory formation; and (3) cytoskeleton organization proteins. Taken together, this study clearly demonstrates dynamic assembly and disassembly of protein-protein interaction networks depending on the stage of memory formation engrams. PMID:26598641

Cognitive maps and attention.

PubMed

Hardt, Oliver; Nadel, Lynn

2009-01-01

Cognitive map theory suggested that exploring an environment and attending to a stimulus should lead to its integration into an allocentric environmental representation. We here report that directed attention in the form of exploration serves to gather information needed to determine an optimal spatial strategy, given task demands and characteristics of the environment. Attended environmental features may integrate into spatial representations if they meet the requirements of the optimal spatial strategy: when learning involves a cognitive mapping strategy, cues with high codability (e.g., concrete objects) will be incorporated into a map, but cues with low codability (e.g., abstract paintings) will not. However, instructions encouraging map learning can lead to the incorporation of cues with low codability. On the other hand, if spatial learning is not map-based, abstract cues can and will be used to encode locations. Since exploration appears to determine what strategy to apply and whether or not to encode a cue, recognition memory for environmental features is independent of whether or not a cue is part of a spatial representation. In fact, when abstract cues were used in a way that was not map-based, or when they were not used for spatial navigation at all, they were nevertheless recognized as familiar. Thus, the relation between exploratory activity on the one hand and spatial strategy and memory on the other appears more complex than initially suggested by cognitive map theory.

Active sensing associated with spatial learning reveals memory-based attention in an electric fish

PubMed Central

Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2016-01-01

Active sensing behaviors reveal what an animal is attending to and how it changes with learning. Gymnotus sp., a gymnotiform weakly electric fish, generates an electric organ discharge (EOD) as discrete pulses to actively sense its surroundings. We monitored freely behaving gymnotid fish in a large dark “maze” and extracted their trajectories and EOD pulse pattern and rate while they learned to find food with electrically detectable landmarks as cues. After training, they more rapidly found food using shorter, more stereotyped trajectories and spent more time near the food location. We observed three forms of active sensing: sustained high EOD rates per unit distance (sampling density), transient large increases in EOD rate (E-scans) and stereotyped scanning movements (B-scans) were initially strong at landmarks and food, but, after learning, intensified only at the food location. During probe (no food) trials, after learning, the fish's search area and intense active sampling was still centered on the missing food location, but now also increased near landmarks. We hypothesize that active sensing is a behavioral manifestation of attention and essential for spatial learning; the fish use spatial memory of landmarks and path integration to reach the expected food location and confine their attention to this region. PMID:26961107

Active sensing associated with spatial learning reveals memory-based attention in an electric fish.

PubMed

Jun, James J; Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2016-05-01

Active sensing behaviors reveal what an animal is attending to and how it changes with learning. Gymnotus sp, a gymnotiform weakly electric fish, generates an electric organ discharge (EOD) as discrete pulses to actively sense its surroundings. We monitored freely behaving gymnotid fish in a large dark "maze" and extracted their trajectories and EOD pulse pattern and rate while they learned to find food with electrically detectable landmarks as cues. After training, they more rapidly found food using shorter, more stereotyped trajectories and spent more time near the food location. We observed three forms of active sensing: sustained high EOD rates per unit distance (sampling density), transient large increases in EOD rate (E-scans) and stereotyped scanning movements (B-scans) were initially strong at landmarks and food, but, after learning, intensified only at the food location. During probe (no food) trials, after learning, the fish's search area and intense active sampling was still centered on the missing food location, but now also increased near landmarks. We hypothesize that active sensing is a behavioral manifestation of attention and essential for spatial learning; the fish use spatial memory of landmarks and path integration to reach the expected food location and confine their attention to this region. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Combining Distance and Face-To Teaching and Learning in Spatial Computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulland, E.-K.; Schut, A. G. T.; Veenendaal, B.

2011-09-01

Retention and passing rates as well as student engagement in computer programming and problem solving units are a major concern in tertiary spatial science courses. A number of initiatives were implemented to improve this. A pilot study reviews the changes made to the teaching and learning environment, including the addition of new resources and modifications to assessments, and investigates their effectiveness. In particular, the study focuses on the differences between students studying in traditional, oncampus mode and distance, e-learning mode. Student results and retention rates from 2009-2011, data from in-lecture clicker response units and two anonymous surveys collected in 2011 were analysed. Early results indicate that grades improved for engaged students but pass rates or grades of the struggling cohort of students did not improve significantly.

Effects of Housing on Methamphetamine-Induced Neurotoxicity and Spatial Learning and Memory.

PubMed

Gutierrez, Arnold; Jablonski, Sarah A; Amos-Kroohs, Robyn M; Barnes, Anna C; Williams, Michael T; Vorhees, Charles V

2017-07-19

Severe stress potentiates methamphetamine (MA) neurotoxicity. However, whether moderate stress increases or decreases the neurotoxic effects of MA is unknown. We assessed the effects of MA (4 × 10 mg/kg at 2 h intervals) in combination with prior barren-cage housing in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats on monoamines and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) in one cohort and spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze in another cohort. MA reduced dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) in the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens, 5-HT in the hippocampus, and increased GFAP in neostriatum and nucleus accumbens compared with saline controls. In neostriatum, barren-cage housing protected against MA-induced increases in GFAP, but it did not prevent DA and 5-HT reductions, although it did increase hippocampal norepinephrine. MA impaired spatial learning during acquisition, reversal, and shift phases and impaired reference memory on reversal and shift probe trials. Barren-cage housing enhanced performance during acquisition but not during reversal or shift or on probe trials. The data indicate that prior barren-cage housing moderates MA-induced neostriatal astrogliosis and initial spatial learning, but has no protective effect when the platform is smaller and relocated and therefore requires cognitive flexibility in relearning.

Contextual cueing in 3D visual search depends on representations in planar-, not depth-defined space.

PubMed

Zang, Xuelian; Shi, Zhuanghua; Müller, Hermann J; Conci, Markus

2017-05-01

Learning of spatial inter-item associations can speed up visual search in everyday life, an effect referred to as contextual cueing (Chun & Jiang, 1998). Whereas previous studies investigated contextual cueing primarily using 2D layouts, the current study examined how 3D depth influences contextual learning in visual search. In two experiments, the search items were presented evenly distributed across front and back planes in an initial training session. In the subsequent test session, the search items were either swapped between the front and back planes (Experiment 1) or between the left and right halves (Experiment 2) of the displays. The results showed that repeated spatial contexts were learned efficiently under 3D viewing conditions, facilitating search in the training sessions, in both experiments. Importantly, contextual cueing remained robust and virtually unaffected following the swap of depth planes in Experiment 1, but it was substantially reduced (to nonsignificant levels) following the left-right side swap in Experiment 2. This result pattern indicates that spatial, but not depth, inter-item variations limit effective contextual guidance. Restated, contextual cueing (even under 3D viewing conditions) is primarily based on 2D inter-item associations, while depth-defined spatial regularities are probably not encoded during contextual learning. Hence, changing the depth relations does not impact the cueing effect.

Large-scale coupling dynamics of instructed reversal learning.

PubMed

Mohr, Holger; Wolfensteller, Uta; Ruge, Hannes

2018-02-15

The ability to rapidly learn from others by instruction is an important characteristic of human cognition. A recent study found that the rapid transfer from initial instructions to fluid behavior is supported by changes of functional connectivity between and within several large-scale brain networks, and particularly by the coupling of the dorsal attention network (DAN) with the cingulo-opercular network (CON). In the present study, we extended this approach to investigate how these brain networks interact when stimulus-response mappings are altered by novel instructions. We hypothesized that residual stimulus-response associations from initial practice might negatively impact the ability to implement novel instructions. Using functional imaging and large-scale connectivity analysis, we found that functional coupling between the CON and DAN was generally at a higher level during initial than reversal learning. Examining the learning-related connectivity dynamics between the CON and DAN in more detail by means of multivariate patterns analyses, we identified a specific subset of connections which showed a particularly high increase in connectivity during initial learning compared to reversal learning. This finding suggests that the CON-DAN connections can be separated into two functionally dissociable yet spatially intertwined subsystems supporting different aspects of short-term task automatization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatial learning and psychomotor performance of C57BL/6 mice: age sensitivity and reliability of individual differences.

PubMed

de Fiebre, Nancyellen C; Sumien, Nathalie; Forster, Michael J; de Fiebre, Christopher M

2006-09-01

Two tests often used in aging research, the elevated path test and the Morris water maze test, were examined for their application to the study of brain aging in a large sample of C57BL/6JNia mice. Specifically, these studies assessed: (1) sensitivity to age and the degree of interrelatedness among different behavioral measures derived from these tests, (2) the effect of age on variation in the measurements, and (3) the reliability of individual differences in performance on the tests. Both tests detected age-related deficits in group performance that occurred independently of each other. However, analysis of data obtained on the Morris water maze test revealed three relatively independent components of cognitive performance. Performance in initial acquisition of spatial learning in the Morris maze was not highly correlated with performance during reversal learning (when mice were required to learn a new spatial location), whereas performance in both of those phases was independent of spatial performance assessed during a single probe trial administered at the end of acquisition training. Moreover, impaired performance during initial acquisition could be detected at an earlier age than impairments in reversal learning. There were modest but significant age-related increases in the variance of both elevated path test scores and in several measures of learning in the Morris maze test. Analysis of test scores of mice across repeated testing sessions confirmed reliability of the measurements obtained for cognitive and psychomotor function. Power calculations confirmed that there are sufficiently large age-related differences in elevated path test performance, relative to within age variability, to render this test useful for studies into the ability of an intervention to prevent or reverse age-related deficits in psychomotor performance. Power calculations indicated a need for larger sample sizes for detection of intervention effects on cognitive components of the Morris water maze test, at least when implemented at the ages tested in this study. Variability among old mice in both tests, including each of the various independent measures in the Morris maze, may be useful for elucidating the biological bases of different aspects of dysfunctional brain aging.

Both memory and attention systems contribute to visual search for targets cued by implicitly learned context

PubMed Central

Giesbrecht, Barry; Sy, Jocelyn L.; Guerin, Scott A.

2012-01-01

Environmental context learned without awareness can facilitate visual processing of goal-relevant information. According to one view, the benefit of implicitly learned context relies on the neural systems involved in spatial attention and hippocampus-mediated memory. While this view has received empirical support, it contradicts traditional models of hippocampal function. The purpose of the present work was to clarify the influence of spatial context on visual search performance and on brain structures involved memory and attention. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that activity in the hippocampus as well as in visual and parietal cortex was modulated by learned visual context even though participants’ subjective reports and performance on a post-experiment recognition task indicated no explicit knowledge of the learned context. Moreover, the magnitude of the initial selective hippocampus response predicted the magnitude of the behavioral benefit due to context observed at the end of the experiment. The results suggest that implicit contextual learning is mediated by attention and memory and that these systems interact to support search of our environment. PMID:23099047

Dissociation of spatial navigation and visual guidance performance in Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) mutant mice.

PubMed

Goodlett, C R; Hamre, K M; West, J R

1992-04-10

Spatial learning in rodents requires normal functioning of hippocampal and cortical structures. Recent data suggest that the cerebellum may also be essential. Neurological mutant mice with dysgenesis of the cerebellum provide useful models to examine the effects of abnormal cerebellar function. Mice with one such mutation, Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd), in which Purkinje cells degenerate between the third and fourth postnatal weeks, were evaluated for performance of spatial navigation learning and visual guidance learning in the Morris maze swim-escape task. Unaffected littermates and C57BL/6J mice served as controls. Separate groups of pcd and control mice were tested at 30, 50 and 110 days of age. At all ages, pcd mice had severe deficits in distal-cue (spatial) navigation, failing to decrease path lengths over training and failing to express appropriate spatial biases on probe trials. On the proximal-cue (visual guidance) task, whenever performance differences between groups did occur, they were limited to the initial trials. The ability of the pcd mice to perform the proximal-cue but not the distal-cue task indicates that the massive spatial navigation deficit was not due simply to motor dysfunction. Histological evaluations confirmed that the pcd mutation resulted in Purkinje cell loss without significant depletion of cells in the hippocampal formation. These data provide further evidence that the cerebellum is vital for the expression of behavior directed by spatial cognitive processes.

Place learning prior to and after telencephalon ablation in bamboo and coral cat sharks (Chiloscyllium griseum and Atelomycterus marmoratus).

PubMed

Fuss, Theodora; Bleckmann, Horst; Schluessel, Vera

2014-01-01

This study assessed complex spatial learning and memory in two species of shark, the grey bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium griseum) and the coral cat shark (Atelomycterus marmoratus). It was hypothesized that sharks can learn and apply an allocentric orientation strategy. Eight out of ten sharks successfully completed the initial training phase (by locating a fixed goal position in a diamond maze from two possible start points) within 14.9 ± 7.6 sessions and proceeded to seven sets of transfer tests, in which sharks had to perform under altered environmental conditions. Transfer tests revealed that sharks had oriented and solved the tasks visually, using all of the provided environmental cues. Unintentional cueing did not occur. Results correspond to earlier studies on spatial memory and cognitive mapping in other vertebrates. Future experiments should investigate whether sharks possess a cognitive spatial mapping system as has already been found in several teleosts and stingrays. Following the completion of transfer tests, sharks were subjected to ablation of most of the pallium, which compromised their previously acquired place learning abilities. These results indicate that the telencephalon plays a crucial role in the processing of information on place learning and allocentric orientation strategies.

Sex-specific effects of Cacna1c haploinsufficiency on object recognition, spatial memory, and reversal learning capabilities in rats.

PubMed

Braun, Moria D; Kisko, Theresa M; Vecchia, Débora Dalla; Andreatini, Roberto; Schwarting, Rainer K W; Wöhr, Markus

2018-05-23

The CACNA1C gene is strongly implicated in the etiology of multiple major neuropsychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia, with cognitive deficits being a common feature. It is unclear, however, by which mechanisms CACNA1C variants advance the risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders. This study set out to investigate cognitive functioning in a newly developed genetic Cacna1c rat model. Specifically, spatial and reversal learning, as well as object recognition memory were assessed in heterozygous Cacna1c +/- rats and compared to wildtype Cacna1c +/+ littermate controls in both sexes. Our results show that both Cacna1c +/+ and Cacna1c +/- animals were able to learn the rewarded arm configuration of a radial maze over the course of seven days. Both groups also showed reversal learning patterns indicative of intact abilities. In females, genotype differences were evident in the initial spatial learning phase, with Cacna1c +/- females showing hypo-activity and fewer mixed errors. In males, a difference was found during probe trials for both learning phases, with Cacna1c +/- rats displaying better distinction between previously baited and non-baited arms; and regarding cognitive flexibility in favor of the Cacna1c +/+ animals. All experimental groups proved to be sensitive to reward magnitude and fully able to distinguish between novel and familiar objects in the novel object recognition task. Taken together, these results indicate that Cacna1c haploinsufficiency has a minor, but positive impact on (spatial) memory functions in rats. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Building Interactivity in Higher Education to Support Student Engagement in Spatial Problem Solving and Programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulland, E.-K.; Veenendaal, B.; Schut, A. G. T.

2012-07-01

Problem-solving knowledge and skills are an important attribute of spatial sciences graduates. The challenge of higher education is to build a teaching and learning environment that enables students to acquire these skills in relevant and authentic applications. This study investigates the effectiveness of traditional face-to-face teaching and online learning technologies in supporting the student learning of problem-solving and computer programming skills, techniques and solutions. The student cohort considered for this study involves students in the surveying as well as geographic information science (GISc) disciplines. Also, students studying across a range of learning modes including on-campus, distance and blended, are considered in this study. Student feedback and past studies reveal a lack of student interest and engagement in problem solving and computer programming. Many students do not see such skills as directly relevant and applicable to their perceptions of what future spatial careers hold. A range of teaching and learning methods for both face-to-face teaching and distance learning were introduced to address some of the perceived weaknesses of the learning environment. These included initiating greater student interaction in lectures, modifying assessments to provide greater feedback and student accountability, and the provision of more interactive and engaging online learning resources. The paper presents and evaluates the teaching methods used to support the student learning environment. Responses of students in relation to their learning experiences were collected via two anonymous, online surveys and these results were analysed with respect to student pass and retention rates. The study found a clear distinction between expectations and engagement of surveying students in comparison to GISc students. A further outcome revealed that students who were already engaged in their learning benefited the most from the interactive learning resources and opportunities provided.

Evaluation of an online three-dimensional interactive resource for undergraduate neuroanatomy education.

PubMed

Allen, Lauren K; Eagleson, Roy; de Ribaupierre, Sandrine

2016-10-01

Neuroanatomy is one of the most challenging subjects in anatomy, and novice students often experience difficulty grasping the complex three-dimensional (3D) spatial relationships. This study evaluated a 3D neuroanatomy e-learning module, as well as the relationship between spatial abilities and students' knowledge in neuroanatomy. The study's cross-over design divided the participants into two groups, each starting with tests for anatomy knowledge and spatial ability, followed by access to either the 3D online learning module or the gross anatomy laboratory. Participants completed a second knowledge test prior to accessing the other learning modality. Participants in both groups scored significantly higher on Quiz 1 than on the Pretest knowledge assessment (W = 47, P < 0.01; W = 30, P < 0.01). Students who initially accessed the 3D online resources scored significantly better on the Quiz 1 than students who accessed the gross anatomy resources (W = 397.5, P < 0.01). Scores significantly improved on Quiz 2 for participants who accessed the 3D learning module following exposure to the cadaveric resources (W = 94, P < 0.01). After exposure to both learning modalities, there were no significant differences between groups. Significant positive correlations were found between participants' spatial ability score and their performance on the Pretest, Quiz 1, and Quiz 2 assessments (r = 0.22, P = 0.04; r = 0.25, P = 0.02; r = 0.26, P = 0.02). These preliminary results found students appreciated working with the 3D e-learning module, and their learning outcomes significantly improved after accessing the resource. Anat Sci Educ 9: 431-439. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

PERINATAL DIMETHYLTIN EXPOSURE ALTERS SPATIAL LEARNING ABILITY IN ADULT RATS.

EPA Science Inventory

Dimethyltin (DMT) is widely used as a heat and light stabilizer in PVC and CPVC piping, and has been detected in domestic water supplies. Due to the lack of developmental neurotoxicity data on DMT, we initiated studies to evaluate long-term neurobehavioral changes in offspring fo...

Stepping into a Map: Initial Heading Direction Influences Spatial Memory Flexibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagnon, Stephanie A.; Brunyé, Tad T.; Gardony, Aaron; Noordzij, Matthijs L.; Mahoney, Caroline R.; Taylor, Holly A.

2014-01-01

Learning a novel environment involves integrating first-person perceptual and motoric experiences with developing knowledge about the overall structure of the surroundings. The present experiments provide insights into the parallel development of these egocentric and allocentric memories by intentionally conflicting body- and world-centered frames…

Postnatal high-protein diet improves learning and memory in premature rats via activation of mTOR signaling.

PubMed

Su, Zhi-Wen; Liao, Jia-Yi; Zhang, Hui; Zhang, Tao; Wu, Fan; Tian, Xiao-Hua; Zhang, Fei-Tong; Sun, Wei-Wen; Cui, Qi-Liang

2015-06-22

The present study investigated whether a high-protein diet affects spatial learning and memory in premature rats via modulation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. Pre- and full-term Sprague-Dawley pups were fed a normal (18% protein) or high-protein (30% protein) diet (HPD) for 6 or 8 weeks after weaning. Spatial learning and memory were tested in the Morris water maze at week 6 and 8. The activation of mTOR signaling pathway components was evaluated by western blotting. Spatial memory performance of premature rats consuming a normal and HPD was lower than that of full-term rats on the same diet at 6 weeks, and was associated with lower levels of ribosomal protein S6 kinase p70 subtype (p70S6K) and initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) phosphorylation in the hippocampus. Spatial memory was improved in 8-week-old premature rats on an HPD as compared to those on a normal diet. Premature rats on an HPD had p70S6K and 4EBP1 phosphorylation levels in the hippocampus that were comparable to those of full-term rats on an HPD. Long-term consumption of a protein-rich diet can restore the impairment in learning and memory in pre-term rats via upregulation of mTOR/p70S6K signaling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Whole Brain Radiation-Induced Impairments in Learning and Memory Are Time-Sensitive and Reversible by Systemic Hypoxia

PubMed Central

Warrington, Junie P.; Csiszar, Anna; Mitschelen, Matthew; Lee, Yong Woo; Sonntag, William E.

2012-01-01

Whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) is commonly used for treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors; however, cognitive impairment occurs in 40–50% of brain tumor survivors. The etiology of the cognitive impairment following WBRT remains elusive. We recently reported that radiation-induced cerebrovascular rarefaction within hippocampal subregions could be completely reversed by systemic hypoxia. However, the effects of this intervention on learning and memory have not been reported. In this study, we assessed the time-course for WBRT-induced impairments in contextual and spatial learning and the capacity of systemic hypoxia to reverse WBRT-induced deficits in spatial memory. A clinical fractionated series of 4.5Gy WBRT was administered to mice twice weekly for 4 weeks, and after various periods of recovery, behavioral analyses were performed. To study the effects of systemic hypoxia, mice were subjected to 11% (hypoxia) or 21% oxygen (normoxia) for 28 days, initiated 1 month after the completion of WBRT. Our results indicate that WBRT induces a transient deficit in contextual learning, disruption of working memory, and progressive impairment of spatial learning. Additionally, systemic hypoxia completely reversed WBRT-induced impairments in learning and these behavioral effects as well as increased vessel density persisted for at least 2 months following hypoxia treatment. Our results provide critical support for the hypothesis that cerebrovascular rarefaction is a key component of cognitive impairment post-WBRT and indicate that processes of learning and memory, once thought to be permanently impaired after WBRT, can be restored. PMID:22279591

E-learning based distance education programme on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Science - An initiative of IIRS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karnatak, H.; Raju, P. L. N.; Krishna Murthy, Y. V. N.; Srivastav, S. K.; Gupta, P. K.

2014-11-01

IIRS has initiated its interactive distance education based capacity building under IIRS outreach programme in year 2007 where more than 15000+ students were trained in the field of geospatial technology using Satellite based interactive terminals and internet based learning using A-View software. During last decade the utilization of Internet technology by different user groups in the society is emerged as a technological revaluation which has directly affect the life of human being. The Internet is used extensively in India for various purposes right from entrainment to critical decision making in government machinery. The role of internet technology is very important for capacity building in any discipline which can satisfy the needs of maximum users in minimum time. Further to enhance the outreach of geospatial science and technology, IIRS has initiated e-learning based certificate courses of different durations. The contents for e-learning based capacity building programme are developed for various target user groups including mid-career professionals, researchers, academia, fresh graduates, and user department professionals from different States and Central Government ministries. The official website of IIRS e-learning is hosted at http://elearning.iirs.gov.in. The contents of IIRS e-learning programme are flexible for anytime, anywhere learning keeping in mind the demands of geographically dispersed audience and their requirements. The program is comprehensive with variety of online delivery modes with interactive, easy to learn and having a proper blend of concepts and practical to elicit students' full potential. The course content of this programme includes Image Statistics, Basics of Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry and Cartography, Digital Image Processing, Geographical Information System, Global Positioning System, Customization of Geospatial tools and Applications of Geospatial Technologies. The syllabus of the courses is as per latest developments and trends in geo-spatial science and technologies with specific focus on Indian case studies for geo-spatial applications. The learning is made available through interactive 2D and 3D animations, audio, video for practical demonstrations, software operations with free data applications. The learning methods are implemented to make it more interactive and learner centric application with practical examples of real world problems.

Brain lateralisation and motor learning: selective effects of dominant and non-dominant hand practice on the early acquisition of throwing skills.

PubMed

Stöckel, Tino; Weigelt, Matthias

2012-01-01

Findings from neurosciences indicate that the two brain hemispheres are specialised for the processing of distinct movement features. How this knowledge can be useful in motor learning remains unclear. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of initial practice with the dominant vs non-dominant hand on the acquisition of novel throwing skills. Within a transfer design two groups practised a novel motor task with the same amount of practice on each hand, but in opposite hand-order. In Experiment 1, participants acquired the position throw in basketball, which places high demands on throwing accuracy. Participants practising this task with their non-dominant hand first, before changing to the dominant hand, showed better skill acquisition than participants practising in opposite order. In Experiment 2 participants learned the overarm throw in team handball, which requires great throwing strength. Participants initially practising with their dominant hand benefited more from practice than participants beginning with their non-dominant hand. These results indicate that spatial accuracy tasks are learned better after initial practice with the non-dominant hand, whereas initial practice with the dominant hand is more efficient for maximum force production tasks. The effects are discussed in terms of brain lateralisation and bilateral practice schedules.

Using higher-level inquiry to improve spatial ability in an introductory geology course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Lacey A.

Visuo-spatial skills, the ability to visually take in information and create a mental image are crucial for success in fields involving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as fine arts. Unfortunately, due to a lack of curriculum focused on developing spatial skills, students enrolled in introductory college-level science courses tend to have difficulty with spatially-related activities. One of the best ways to engage students in science activities is through a learning and teaching strategy called inquiry. There are lower levels of inquiry wherein learning and problem-solving are guided by instructions and higher levels of inquiry wherein students have a greater degree of autonomy in learning and creating their own problem-solving strategy. A study involving 112 participants was conducted during the fall semester in 2014 at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in an 1040 Introductory Geology Lab to determine if a new, high-level, inquiry-based lab would increase participants' spatial skills more than the traditional, low-level inquiry lab. The study also evaluated whether a higher level of inquiry differentially affected low versus high spatial ability participants. Participants were evaluated using a spatial ability assessment, and pre- and post-tests. The results of this study show that for 3-D to 2-D visualization, the higher-level inquiry lab increased participants' spatial ability more than the lower-level inquiry lab. For spatial rotational skills, all participants' spatial ability scores improved, regardless of the level of inquiry to which they were exposed. Low and high spatial ability participants were not differentially affected. This study demonstrates that a lab designed with a higher level of inquiry can increase students' spatial ability more than a lab with a low level of inquiry. A lab with a higher level of inquiry helped all participants, regardless of their initial spatial ability level. These findings show that curriculum that incorporates a high level of inquiry that integrates practice of spatial skills can increase students' spatial abilities in Geology-related coursework.

Influences on Visual Spatial Rotation: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Experiences, Age, and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Paula Christine

2013-01-01

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education curriculum is designed to strengthen students' science and math achievement through project based learning activities. As part of a STEM initiative, SeaPerch was developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that instructs…

Virtual navigation performance: the relationship to field of view and prior video gaming experience.

PubMed

Richardson, Anthony E; Collaer, Marcia L

2011-04-01

Two experiments examined whether learning a virtual environment was influenced by field of view and how it related to prior video gaming experience. In the first experiment, participants (42 men, 39 women; M age = 19.5 yr., SD = 1.8) performed worse on a spatial orientation task displayed with a narrow field of view in comparison to medium and wide field-of-view displays. Counter to initial hypotheses, wide field-of-view displays did not improve performance over medium displays, and this was replicated in a second experiment (30 men, 30 women; M age = 20.4 yr., SD = 1.9) presenting a more complex learning environment. Self-reported video gaming experience correlated with several spatial tasks: virtual environment pointing and tests of Judgment of Line Angle and Position, mental rotation, and Useful Field of View (with correlations between .31 and .45). When prior video gaming experience was included as a covariate, sex differences in spatial tasks disappeared.

Effects of Early Training and Nicotine Treatment on the Performance of Male NMRI Mice in the Water Maze

PubMed Central

Vicens, Paloma; Carrasco, M. Carmen; Redolat, Rosa

2003-01-01

This research aimed to evaluate the effect of nicotine treatment and prior training on a spatial learning task in differently aged NMRI male mice. In a longitudinal study, mice were randomly assigned to one of 14 experimental groups receiving different combinations of chronically injected nicotine (0.35 mg/kg) administered for 10 days (5 days before and during 5 days acquisition of task) or control treatments and training in the water maze at different ages. The mice displayed shorter escape latencies when evaluated at 6 and 10 months than when tested in this task at 2 months for the first time, demonstrating that early training preserves performance in the water maze up to 8 months after the initial experience. Nicotine treatment did not significantly change performance in the water maze at any age tested. Early practice in a spatial reference memory task appears to have lasting consequences and can potentially contribute to preventing some age-related spatial learning deficits. PMID:15152984

Sex-dependent effects of developmental exposure to different pesticides on spatial learning. The role of induced neuroinflammation in the hippocampus.

PubMed

Gómez-Giménez, Belén; Llansola, Marta; Hernández-Rabaza, Vicente; Cabrera-Pastor, Andrea; Malaguarnera, Michele; Agusti, Ana; Felipo, Vicente

2017-01-01

The use of pesticides has been associated with impaired neurodevelopment in children. The aims of this work were to assess: 1) the effects on spatial learning of developmental exposure to pesticides 2) if the effects are sex-dependent and 3) if hippocampal neuroinflammation is associated with the impairment of spatial learning. We analyzed the effects of developmental exposure to four pesticides: chlorpyrifos, carbaryl, endosulfan and cypermethrin. Exposure was from gestational day 7 to post-natal day 21 and spatial learning and memory was assessed when the rats were young adults. The effects of pesticides on spatial learning were pesticide and gender-dependent. Carbaryl did not affect spatial learning in males or females. Endosulfan and chlorpyrifos impaired learning in males but not in females. Cypermethrin improved spatial learning in the Morris water maze both in males and females while impaired learning in the radial maze only in males. Spatial learning ability was lower in control female rats than in males. All pesticides induced neuroinflammation, increasing IL-1b content in the hippocampus and there is a negative correlation between IL-1b levels in the hippocampus and spatial learning. Neuroinflammation would contribute to the effects of pesticides on spatial learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Construction of a 3-D anatomical model for teaching temporal lobectomy.

PubMed

de Ribaupierre, Sandrine; Wilson, Timothy D

2012-06-01

Although we live and work in 3 dimensional space, most of the anatomical teaching during medical school is done on 2-D (books, TV and computer screens, etc). 3-D spatial abilities are essential for a surgeon but teaching spatial skills in a non-threatening and safe educational environment is a much more difficult pedagogical task. Currently, initial anatomical knowledge formation or specific surgical anatomy techniques, are taught either in the OR itself, or in cadaveric labs; which means that the trainee has only limited exposure. 3-D computer models incorporated into virtual learning environments may provide an intermediate and key step in a blended learning approach for spatially challenging anatomical knowledge formation. Specific anatomical structures and their spatial orientation can be further clinically contextualized through demonstrations of surgical procedures in the 3-D digital environments. Recordings of digital models enable learner reviews, taking as much time as they want, stopping the demonstration, and/or exploring the model to understand the anatomical relation of each structure. We present here how a temporal lobectomy virtual model has been developed to aid residents and fellows conceptualization of the anatomical relationships between different cerebral structures during that procedure. We suggest in comparison to cadaveric dissection, such virtual models represent a cost effective pedagogical methodology providing excellent support for anatomical learning and surgical technique training. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hippocampal SWR Activity Predicts Correct Decisions during the Initial Learning of an Alternation Task

PubMed Central

Singer, Annabelle C.; Carr, Margaret F.; Karlsson, Mattias P.; Frank, Loren M.

2013-01-01

SUMMARY The hippocampus frequently replays memories of past experiences during sharp-wave ripple (SWR) events. These events can represent spatial trajectories extending from the animal’s current location to distant locations, suggesting a role in the evaluation of upcoming choices. While SWRs have been linked to learning and memory, the specific role of awake replay remains unclear. Here we show that there is greater coordinated neural activity during SWRs preceding correct, as compared to incorrect, trials in a spatial alternation task. As a result, the proportion of cell pairs coactive during SWRs was predictive of subsequent correct or incorrect responses on a trial-by-trial basis. This effect was seen specifically during early learning, when the hippocampus is essential for task performance. SWR activity preceding correct trials represented multiple trajectories that included both correct and incorrect options. These results suggest that reactivation during awake SWRs contributes to the evaluation of possible choices during memory-guided decision making. PMID:23522050

Sex effects on spatial learning but not on spatial memory retrieval in healthy young adults.

PubMed

Piber, Dominique; Nowacki, Jan; Mueller, Sven C; Wingenfeld, Katja; Otte, Christian

2018-01-15

Sex differences have been found in spatial learning and spatial memory, with several studies indicating that males outperform females. We tested in the virtual Morris Water Maze (vMWM) task, whether sex differences in spatial cognitive processes are attributable to differences in spatial learning or spatial memory retrieval in a large student sample. We tested 90 healthy students (45 women and 45 men) with a mean age of 23.5 years (SD=3.5). Spatial learning and spatial memory retrieval were measured by using the vMWM task, during which participants had to search a virtual pool for a hidden platform, facilitated by visual cues surrounding the pool. Several learning trials assessed spatial learning, while a separate probe trial assessed spatial memory retrieval. We found a significant sex effect during spatial learning, with males showing shorter latency and shorter path length, as compared to females (all p<0.001). Yet, there was no significant sex effect in spatial memory retrieval (p=0.615). Furthermore, post-hoc analyses revealed significant sex differences in spatial search strategies (p<0.05), but no difference in the number of platform crossings (p=0.375). Our results indicate that in healthy young adults, males show faster spatial learning in a virtual environment, as compared to females. Interestingly, we found no significant sex differences during spatial memory retrieval. Our study raises the question, whether men and women use different learning strategies, which nevertheless result in equal performances of spatial memory retrieval. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Designing and Implementing an Online GIS Tool for Schools: The Finnish Case of the PaikkaOppi Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riihelä, Juha; Mäki, Sanna

2015-01-01

This article describes initiatives implemented in Finland to create an online learning environment for studying geographic information systems (GIS). A development project produced an online GIS tool called PaikkaOppi, aimed at promoting GIS studies and spatial thinking skills in upper secondary schools. The project is reviewed through analysis of…

Evaluation of Alternative Conceptual Models Using Interdisciplinary Information: An Application in Shallow Groundwater Recharge and Discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Bajcsy, P.; Valocchi, A. J.; Kim, C.; Wang, J.

2007-12-01

Natural systems are complex, thus extensive data are needed for their characterization. However, data acquisition is expensive; consequently we develop models using sparse, uncertain information. When all uncertainties in the system are considered, the number of alternative conceptual models is large. Traditionally, the development of a conceptual model has relied on subjective professional judgment. Good judgment is based on experience in coordinating and understanding auxiliary information which is correlated to the model but difficult to be quantified into the mathematical model. For example, groundwater recharge and discharge (R&D) processes are known to relate to multiple information sources such as soil type, river and lake location, irrigation patterns and land use. Although hydrologists have been trying to understand and model the interaction between each of these information sources and R&D processes, it is extremely difficult to quantify their correlations using a universal approach due to the complexity of the processes, the spatiotemporal distribution and uncertainty. There is currently no single method capable of estimating R&D rates and patterns for all practical applications. Chamberlin (1890) recommended use of "multiple working hypotheses" (alternative conceptual models) for rapid advancement in understanding of applied and theoretical problems. Therefore, cross analyzing R&D rates and patterns from various estimation methods and related field information will likely be superior to using only a single estimation method. We have developed the Pattern Recognition Utility (PRU), to help GIS users recognize spatial patterns from noisy 2D image. This GIS plug-in utility has been applied to help hydrogeologists establish alternative R&D conceptual models in a more efficient way than conventional methods. The PRU uses numerical methods and image processing algorithms to estimate and visualize shallow R&D patterns and rates. It can provide a fast initial estimate prior to planning labor intensive and time consuming field R&D measurements. Furthermore, the Spatial Pattern 2 Learn (SP2L) was developed to cross analyze results from the PRU with ancillary field information, such as land coverage, soil type, topographic maps and previous estimates. The learning process of SP2L cross examines each initially recognized R&D pattern with the ancillary spatial dataset, and then calculates a quantifiable reliability index for each R&D map using a supervised machine learning technique called decision tree. This JAVA based software package is capable of generating alternative R&D maps if the user decides to apply certain conditions recognized by the learning process. The reliability indices from SP2L will improve the traditionally subjective approach to initiating conceptual models by providing objectively quantifiable conceptual bases for further probabilistic and uncertainty analyses. Both the PRU and SP2L have been designed to be user-friendly and universal utilities for pattern recognition and learning to improve model predictions from sparse measurements by computer-assisted integration of spatially dense geospatial image data and machine learning of model dependencies.

Transfer of short-term motor learning across the lower limbs as a function of task conception and practice order.

PubMed

Stöckel, Tino; Wang, Jinsung

2011-11-01

Interlimb transfer of motor learning, indicating an improvement in performance with one limb following training with the other, often occurs asymmetrically (i.e., from non-dominant to dominant limb or vice versa, but not both). In the present study, we examined whether interlimb transfer of the same motor task could occur asymmetrically and in opposite directions (i.e., from right to left leg vs. left to right leg) depending on individuals' conception of the task. Two experimental conditions were tested: In a dynamic control condition, the process of learning was facilitated by providing the subjects with a type of information that forced them to focus on dynamic features of a given task (force impulse); and in a spatial control condition, it was done with another type of information that forced them to focus on visuomotor features of the same task (distance). Both conditions employed the same leg extension task. In addition, a fully-crossed transfer paradigm was used in which one group of subjects initially practiced with the right leg and were tested with the left leg for a transfer test, while the other group used the two legs in the opposite order. The results showed that the direction of interlimb transfer varied depending on the condition, such that the right and the left leg benefited from initial training with the opposite leg only in the spatial and the dynamic condition, respectively. Our finding suggests that manipulating the conception of a leg extension task has a substantial influence on the pattern of interlimb transfer in such a way that the direction of transfer can even be opposite depending on whether the task is conceived as a dynamic or spatial control task. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experience-Dependency of Reliance on Local Visual and Idiothetic Cues for Spatial Representations Created in the Absence of Distal Information.

PubMed

Draht, Fabian; Zhang, Sijie; Rayan, Abdelrahman; Schönfeld, Fabian; Wiskott, Laurenz; Manahan-Vaughan, Denise

2017-01-01

Spatial encoding in the hippocampus is based on a range of different input sources. To generate spatial representations, reliable sensory cues from the external environment are integrated with idiothetic cues, derived from self-movement, that enable path integration and directional perception. In this study, we examined to what extent idiothetic cues significantly contribute to spatial representations and navigation: we recorded place cells while rodents navigated towards two visually identical chambers in 180° orientation via two different paths in darkness and in the absence of reliable auditory or olfactory cues. Our goal was to generate a conflict between local visual and direction-specific information, and then to assess which strategy was prioritized in different learning phases. We observed that, in the absence of distal cues, place fields are initially controlled by local visual cues that override idiothetic cues, but that with multiple exposures to the paradigm, spaced at intervals of days, idiothetic cues become increasingly implemented in generating an accurate spatial representation. Taken together, these data support that, in the absence of distal cues, local visual cues are prioritized in the generation of context-specific spatial representations through place cells, whereby idiothetic cues are deemed unreliable. With cumulative exposures to the environments, the animal learns to attend to subtle idiothetic cues to resolve the conflict between visual and direction-specific information.

Experience-Dependency of Reliance on Local Visual and Idiothetic Cues for Spatial Representations Created in the Absence of Distal Information

PubMed Central

Draht, Fabian; Zhang, Sijie; Rayan, Abdelrahman; Schönfeld, Fabian; Wiskott, Laurenz; Manahan-Vaughan, Denise

2017-01-01

Spatial encoding in the hippocampus is based on a range of different input sources. To generate spatial representations, reliable sensory cues from the external environment are integrated with idiothetic cues, derived from self-movement, that enable path integration and directional perception. In this study, we examined to what extent idiothetic cues significantly contribute to spatial representations and navigation: we recorded place cells while rodents navigated towards two visually identical chambers in 180° orientation via two different paths in darkness and in the absence of reliable auditory or olfactory cues. Our goal was to generate a conflict between local visual and direction-specific information, and then to assess which strategy was prioritized in different learning phases. We observed that, in the absence of distal cues, place fields are initially controlled by local visual cues that override idiothetic cues, but that with multiple exposures to the paradigm, spaced at intervals of days, idiothetic cues become increasingly implemented in generating an accurate spatial representation. Taken together, these data support that, in the absence of distal cues, local visual cues are prioritized in the generation of context-specific spatial representations through place cells, whereby idiothetic cues are deemed unreliable. With cumulative exposures to the environments, the animal learns to attend to subtle idiothetic cues to resolve the conflict between visual and direction-specific information. PMID:28634444

Dissociation of spatial memory systems in Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Bostelmann, Mathilde; Fragnière, Emilie; Costanzo, Floriana; Di Vara, Silvia; Menghini, Deny; Vicari, Stefano; Lavenex, Pierre; Lavenex, Pamela Banta

2017-11-01

Williams syndrome (WS), a genetic deletion syndrome, is characterized by severe visuospatial deficits affecting performance on both tabletop spatial tasks and on tasks which assess orientation and navigation. Nevertheless, previous studies of WS spatial capacities have ignored the fact that two different spatial memory systems are believed to contribute parallel spatial representations supporting navigation. The place learning system depends on the hippocampal formation and creates flexible relational representations of the environment, also known as cognitive maps. The spatial response learning system depends on the striatum and creates fixed stimulus-response representations, also known as habits. Indeed, no study assessing WS spatial competence has used tasks which selectively target these two spatial memory systems. Here, we report that individuals with WS exhibit a dissociation in their spatial abilities subserved by these two memory systems. As compared to typically developing (TD) children in the same mental age range, place learning performance was impaired in individuals with WS. In contrast, their spatial response learning performance was facilitated. Our findings in individuals with WS and TD children suggest that place learning and response learning interact competitively to control the behavioral strategies normally used to support human spatial navigation. Our findings further suggest that the neural pathways supporting place learning may be affected by the genetic deletion that characterizes WS, whereas those supporting response learning may be relatively preserved. The dissociation observed between these two spatial memory systems provides a coherent theoretical framework to characterize the spatial abilities of individuals with WS, and may lead to the development of new learning strategies based on their facilitated response learning abilities. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spatial short-term memory in children with nonverbal learning disabilities: impairment in encoding spatial configuration.

PubMed

Narimoto, Tadamasa; Matsuura, Naomi; Takezawa, Tomohiro; Mitsuhashi, Yoshinori; Hiratani, Michio

2013-01-01

The authors investigated whether impaired spatial short-term memory exhibited by children with nonverbal learning disabilities is due to a problem in the encoding process. Children with or without nonverbal learning disabilities performed a simple spatial test that required them to remember 3, 5, or 7 spatial items presented simultaneously in random positions (i.e., spatial configuration) and to decide if a target item was changed or all items including the target were in the same position. The results showed that, even when the spatial positions in the encoding and probe phases were similar, the mean proportion correct of children with nonverbal learning disabilities was 0.58 while that of children without nonverbal learning disabilities was 0.84. The authors argue with the results that children with nonverbal learning disabilities have difficulty encoding relational information between spatial items, and that this difficulty is responsible for their impaired spatial short-term memory.

Predicting student performance in sonographic scanning using spatial ability as an ability determinent of skill acquisition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clem, Douglas Wayne

Spatial ability refers to an individual's capacity to visualize and mentally manipulate three dimensional objects. Since sonographers manually manipulate 2D and 3D sonographic images to generate multi-viewed, logical, sequential renderings of an anatomical structure, it can be assumed that spatial ability is central to the perception and interpretation of these medical images. Using Ackerman's theory of ability determinants of skilled performance as a conceptual framework, this study explored the relationship of spatial ability and learning sonographic scanning. Beginning first year sonography students from four different educational institutions were administered a spatial abilities test prior to their initial scanning lab coursework. The students' spatial test scores were compared with their scanning competency performance scores. A significant relationship between the students' spatial ability scores and their scanning performance scores was found. This result suggests that the use of spatial ability tests for admission to sonography programs may improve candidate selection, as well as assist programs in adjusting instruction and curriculum for students who demonstrate low spatial ability.

Sex Differences in Intellectual Abilities: A Reassessment and A Look At Some New Explanations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacklin, Carol Nagy; Maccoby, Eleanor E.

The authors are emmersed in a comprehensive review of the literature on intellectual sex differences. This paper consists of the first progress report and the tentative hypotheses of the work completed so far. Discussion is initially concerned with verbal and spatial abilities. It is concluded that girls learn language earlier, and may continue to…

Cautious strategy update promotes cooperation in spatial prisoner’s dilemma game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yongkui; Zhang, Lin; Chen, Xiaojie; Ren, Lei; Wang, Long

2013-09-01

In the realistic world, individual cautiousness can be often involved or observed when a rational individual makes a decision. However, it remains unclear how such individual cautiousness influences the evolution of cooperative behavior. To this end, we consider a Fermi strategy updating rule, where each individual is assigned a cautiousness index that controls its learning activity, and then study the evolution of cooperation in the spatial prisoner’s dilemma game. Interestingly, it is found that cooperation can be significantly promoted when individuals’ cautiousness is considered. In particular, there exists an optimal range of the degree of cautiousness resulting in the highest cooperation level. The remarkable promotion of cooperation, as well as the emerging phase transition is explained by configurational analysis. The sensitivity of cooperation to initial states with different fractions of cooperators is also discussed. The result illustrates that high densities of cooperators can be established at small initial fractions of cooperators. The detailed mechanism for such phenomenon is explained by analyzing the typical initial configurations.

Long-term adaptation to change in implicit contextual learning.

PubMed

Zellin, Martina; von Mühlenen, Adrian; Müller, Hermann J; Conci, Markus

2014-08-01

The visual world consists of spatial regularities that are acquired through experience in order to guide attentional orienting. For instance, in visual search, detection of a target is faster when a layout of nontarget items is encountered repeatedly, suggesting that learned contextual associations can guide attention (contextual cuing). However, scene layouts sometimes change, requiring observers to adapt previous memory representations. Here, we investigated the long-term dynamics of contextual adaptation after a permanent change of the target location. We observed fast and reliable learning of initial context-target associations after just three repetitions. However, adaptation of acquired contextual representations to relocated targets was slow and effortful, requiring 3 days of training with overall 80 repetitions. A final test 1 week later revealed equivalent effects of contextual cuing for both target locations, and these were comparable to the effects observed on day 1. That is, observers learned both initial target locations and relocated targets, given extensive training combined with extended periods of consolidation. Thus, while implicit contextual learning efficiently extracts statistical regularities of our environment at first, it is rather insensitive to change in the longer term, especially when subtle changes in context-target associations need to be acquired.

Postconditioning with sevoflurane ameliorates spatial learning and memory deficit via attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress induced neuron apoptosis in a rat model of hemorrhage shock and resuscitation.

PubMed

Hu, Xianwen; Wang, Jingxian; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Qiquan; Duan, Xiaowen; Zhang, Ye

2018-06-02

Hemorrhage shock could initiate endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and then induce neuronal apoptosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether sevoflurane postconditioning could attenuate brain injury via suppressing apoptosis induced by ERS. Seventy male rats were randomized into five groups: sham, shock, low concentration (sevo1, 1.2%), middle concentration (sevo2, 2.4%) and high concentration (sevo3, 3.6%) of sevoflurane postconditioning. Hemorrhage shock was induced by removing 40% of the total blood volume during an interval of 30 min. 1h after the completion of bleeding, the animals were reinfused with shed blood during the ensuing 30 min. The spatial learning and memory ability of rats were measured by Morris water maze (MWM) test three days after the operation. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) positive cells in the hippocampus CA1 region were assessed after the MWM test. The expression of C/EBP-homologousprotein (CHOP) and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) in the hippocampus were measured at 24h after reperfusion. We found that sevoflurane postconditioning with the concentrations of 2.4% and 3.6% significantly ameliorated the spatial learning and memory ability, decreased the TUNEL-positive cells, and reduced the GRP78 and CHOP expression compared with the shock group. These results suggested that sevoflurane postconditioning with the concentrations of 2.4% and 3.6% could ameliorate spatial learning and memory deficit after hemorrhage shock and resuscitation injury via suppressing apoptosis induced by ERS. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Fast automated segmentation of multiple objects via spatially weighted shape learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Shekhar S.; Dowling, Jason A.; Greer, Peter B.; Martin, Jarad; Wratten, Chris; Pichler, Peter; Fripp, Jurgen; Crozier, Stuart

2016-11-01

Active shape models (ASMs) have proved successful in automatic segmentation by using shape and appearance priors in a number of areas such as prostate segmentation, where accurate contouring is important in treatment planning for prostate cancer. The ASM approach however, is heavily reliant on a good initialisation for achieving high segmentation quality. This initialisation often requires algorithms with high computational complexity, such as three dimensional (3D) image registration. In this work, we present a fast, self-initialised ASM approach that simultaneously fits multiple objects hierarchically controlled by spatially weighted shape learning. Prominent objects are targeted initially and spatial weights are progressively adjusted so that the next (more difficult, less visible) object is simultaneously initialised using a series of weighted shape models. The scheme was validated and compared to a multi-atlas approach on 3D magnetic resonance (MR) images of 38 cancer patients and had the same (mean, median, inter-rater) Dice’s similarity coefficients of (0.79, 0.81, 0.85), while having no registration error and a computational time of 12-15 min, nearly an order of magnitude faster than the multi-atlas approach.

Fast automated segmentation of multiple objects via spatially weighted shape learning.

PubMed

Chandra, Shekhar S; Dowling, Jason A; Greer, Peter B; Martin, Jarad; Wratten, Chris; Pichler, Peter; Fripp, Jurgen; Crozier, Stuart

2016-11-21

Active shape models (ASMs) have proved successful in automatic segmentation by using shape and appearance priors in a number of areas such as prostate segmentation, where accurate contouring is important in treatment planning for prostate cancer. The ASM approach however, is heavily reliant on a good initialisation for achieving high segmentation quality. This initialisation often requires algorithms with high computational complexity, such as three dimensional (3D) image registration. In this work, we present a fast, self-initialised ASM approach that simultaneously fits multiple objects hierarchically controlled by spatially weighted shape learning. Prominent objects are targeted initially and spatial weights are progressively adjusted so that the next (more difficult, less visible) object is simultaneously initialised using a series of weighted shape models. The scheme was validated and compared to a multi-atlas approach on 3D magnetic resonance (MR) images of 38 cancer patients and had the same (mean, median, inter-rater) Dice's similarity coefficients of (0.79, 0.81, 0.85), while having no registration error and a computational time of 12-15 min, nearly an order of magnitude faster than the multi-atlas approach.

Independent representation of parts and the relations between them: evidence from integrative agnosia.

PubMed

Behrmann, Marlene; Peterson, Mary A; Moscovitch, Morris; Suzuki, Satoru

2006-10-01

Whether objects are represented as a collection of parts whose relations are coded independently remains a topic of ongoing discussion among theorists in the domain of shape perception. S. M., an individual with integrative agnosia, and neurologically intact ("normal") individuals learned initially to identify 4 target objects constructed of 2 simple volumetric parts. At test, the targets were mixed with distractors, some of which could be discriminated from the targets on the basis of a mismatching part, whereas the rest could be discriminated only on the basis of the altered spatial arrangements of parts. S. M. learned to identify the target objects, although at a rate slower than that of the normal participants. At test, he correctly rejected distractors on the basis of mismatching parts but was profoundly impaired at rejecting distractors made of the same local components but with mismatching spatial arrangements. These results suggest that encoding the spatial arrangements of parts of an object requires a mechanism that is different from that required for encoding the shape of individual parts, with the former selectively compromised in integrative agnosia. Copyright 2006 APA.

Spatial cognitive deficits in an animal model of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome are related to changes in thalamic VDAC protein concentrations.

PubMed

Bueno, K O; de Souza Resende, L; Ribeiro, A F; Dos Santos, D M; Gonçalves, E C; Vigil, F A B; de Oliveira Silva, I F; Ferreira, L F; de Castro Pimenta, A M; Ribeiro, A M

2015-05-21

Proteomic profiles of the thalamus and the correlation between the rats' performance on a spatial learning task and differential protein expression were assessed in the thiamine deficiency (TD) rat model of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis detected 320 spots and a significant increase or decrease in seven proteins. Four proteins were correlated to rat behavioral performance in the Morris Water Maze. One of the four proteins was identified by mass spectrometry as Voltage-Dependent Anion Channels (VDACs). The association of VDAC is evident in trials in which the rats' performance was worst, in which the VDAC protein was reduced, as confirmed by Western blot. No difference was observed on the mRNA of Vdac genes, indicating that the decreased VDAC expression may be related to a post-transcriptional process. The results show that TD neurodegeneration involves changes in thalamic proteins and suggest that VDAC protein activity might play an important role in an initial stage of the spatial learning process. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The performance of cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms.

PubMed

Gingins, Simon; Marcadier, Fanny; Wismer, Sharon; Krattinger, Océane; Quattrini, Fausto; Bshary, Redouan; Binning, Sandra A

2018-01-01

Testing performance in controlled laboratory experiments is a powerful tool for understanding the extent and evolution of cognitive abilities in non-human animals. However, cognitive testing is prone to a number of potential biases, which, if unnoticed or unaccounted for, may affect the conclusions drawn. We examined whether slight modifications to the experimental procedure and apparatus used in a spatial task and reversal learning task affected performance outcomes in the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus (hereafter "cleaners"). Using two-alternative forced-choice tests, fish had to learn to associate a food reward with a side (left or right) in their holding aquarium. Individuals were tested in one of four experimental treatments that differed slightly in procedure and/or physical set-up. Cleaners from all four treatment groups were equally able to solve the initial spatial task. However, groups differed in their ability to solve the reversal learning task: no individuals solved the reversal task when tested in small tanks with a transparent partition separating the two options, whereas over 50% of individuals solved the task when performed in a larger tank, or with an opaque partition. These results clearly show that seemingly insignificant details to the experimental set-up matter when testing performance in a spatial task and might significantly influence the outcome of experiments. These results echo previous calls for researchers to exercise caution when designing methodologies for cognition tasks to avoid misinterpretations.

Dorsal Hippocampus Function in Learning and Expressing a Spatial Discrimination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Norman M.; Gaskin, Stephane

2006-01-01

Learning to discriminate between spatial locations defined by two adjacent arms of a radial maze in the conditioned cue preference paradigm requires two kinds of information: latent spatial learning when the rats explore the maze with no food available, and learning about food availability in two spatial locations when the rats are then confined…

Beyond the School's Boundaries: PoliCultura, a Large-Scale Digital Storytelling Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Di Blas, Nicoletta; Paolini, Paolo

2013-01-01

Technologies are changing the way we teach and learn in many respects. A relevant and not yet fully explored aspect is that they can support, even entice, students and teachers to go beyond the school boundaries, in spatial and temporal terms. Teachers and learners can keep in touch and work together, when they are not at school; they can access…

Formation of spatial and nonspatial memory in different condensed versions of short-term learning in Morris water maze.

PubMed

Zots, M A; Ivashkina, O I; Ivanova, A A; Anokhin, K V

2014-03-01

We studied the formation of spatial and nonspatial memory in mice during learning in three different condensed versions of Morris water maze task. Learning in combined version caused the formation of both spatial and nonspatial memory, whereas learning in condensed versions (spatial and nonspatial) led to memory formation specific for the version.

Search strategy selection in the Morris water maze indicates allocentric map formation during learning that underpins spatial memory formation.

PubMed

Rogers, Jake; Churilov, Leonid; Hannan, Anthony J; Renoir, Thibault

2017-03-01

Using a Matlab classification algorithm, we demonstrate that a highly salient distal cue array is required for significantly increased likelihoods of spatial search strategy selection during Morris water maze spatial learning. We hypothesized that increased spatial search strategy selection during spatial learning would be the key measure demonstrating the formation of an allocentric map to the escape location. Spatial memory, as indicated by quadrant preference for the area of the pool formally containing the hidden platform, was assessed as the main measure that this allocentric map had formed during spatial learning. Our C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice exhibit quadrant preference in the highly salient cue paradigm but not the low, corresponding with a 120% increase in the odds of a spatial search strategy selection during learning. In contrast, quadrant preference remains absent in serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT 1A R) knockout (KO) mice, who exhibit impaired search strategy selection during spatial learning. Additionally, we also aimed to assess the impact of the quality of the distal cue array on the spatial learning curves of both latency to platform and path length using mixed-effect regression models and found no significant associations or interactions. In contrast, we demonstrated that the spatial learning curve for search strategy selection was absent during training in the low saliency paradigm. Therefore, we propose that allocentric search strategy selection during spatial learning is the learning parameter in mice that robustly indicates the formation of a cognitive map for the escape goal location. These results also suggest that both latency to platform and path length spatial learning curves do not discriminate between allocentric and egocentric spatial learning and do not reliably predict spatial memory formation. We also show that spatial memory, as indicated by the absolute time in the quadrant formerly containing the hidden platform alone (without reference to the other areas of the pool), was not sensitive to cue saliency or impaired in 5-HT 1A R KO mice. Importantly, in the absence of a search strategy analysis, this suggests that to establish that the Morris water maze has worked (i.e. control mice have formed an allocentric map to the escape goal location), a measure of quadrant preference needs to be reported to establish spatial memory formation. This has implications for studies that claim hippocampal functioning is impaired using latency to platform or path length differences within the existing Morris water maze literature. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cabri 3D - assisted collaborative learning to enhance junior high school students’ spatial ability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muntazhimah; Miatun, A.

2018-01-01

The main purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the enhancement of spatial ability of junior high school students who learned through Cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning. The methodology of this study was the nonequivalent group that was conducted to students of the eighth grade in a junior high school as a population. Samples consisted one class of the experimental group who studied with Cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning and one class as a control group who got regular learning activity. The instrument used in this study was a spatial ability test. Analyzing normalized gain of students’ spatial ability based on mathemathical prior knowledge (MPK) and its interactions was tested by two-way ANOVA at a significance level of 5% then continued with using Post Hoc Scheffe test. The research results showed that there was significant difference in enhancement of the spatial ability between students who learnt with Cabri 3D assisted collaborative learning and students who got regular learning, there was significant difference in enhancement of the spatial ability between students who learnt with cabri 3D assisted collaborative learning and students who got regular learning in terms of MPK and there is no significant interaction between learning (Cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning and regular learning) with students’ MPK (high, medium, and low) toward the enhancement of students’ spatial abilities. From the above findings, it can be seen that cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning could enhance spatial ability of junior high school students.

Testing domain general learning in an Australian lizard.

PubMed

Qi, Yin; Noble, Daniel W A; Fu, Jinzhong; Whiting, Martin J

2018-06-02

A key question in cognition is whether animals that are proficient in a specific cognitive domain (domain specific hypothesis), such as spatial learning, are also proficient in other domains (domain general hypothesis) or whether there is a trade-off. Studies testing among these hypotheses are biased towards mammals and birds. To understand constraints on the evolution of cognition more generally, we need broader taxonomic and phylogenetic coverage. We used Australian eastern water skinks (Eulamprus quoyii) with known spatial learning ability in three additional tasks: an instrumental and two discrimination tasks. Under domain specific learning we predicted that lizards that were good at spatial learning would perform less well in the discrimination tasks. Conversely, we predicted that lizards that did not meet our criterion for spatial learning would likewise perform better in discrimination tasks. Lizards with domain general learning should perform approximately equally well (or poorly) in these tasks. Lizards classified as spatial learners performed no differently to non-spatial learners in both the instrumental and discrimination learning tasks. Nevertheless, lizards were proficient in all tasks. Our results reveal two patterns: domain general learning in spatial learners and domain specific learning in non-spatial learners. We suggest that delineating learning into domain general and domain specific may be overly simplistic and we need to instead focus on individual variation in learning ability, which ultimately, is likely to play a key role in fitness. These results, in combination with previously published work on this species, suggests that this species has behavioral flexibility because they are competent across multiple cognitive domains and are capable of reversal learning.

Human place and response learning: navigation strategy selection, pupil size and gaze behavior.

PubMed

de Condappa, Olivier; Wiener, Jan M

2016-01-01

In this study, we examined the cognitive processes and ocular behavior associated with on-going navigation strategy choice using a route learning paradigm that distinguishes between three different wayfinding strategies: an allocentric place strategy, and the egocentric associative cue and beacon response strategies. Participants approached intersections of a known route from a variety of directions, and were asked to indicate the direction in which the original route continued. Their responses in a subset of these test trials allowed the assessment of strategy choice over the course of six experimental blocks. The behavioral data revealed an initial maladaptive bias for a beacon response strategy, with shifts in favor of the optimal configuration place strategy occurring over the course of the experiment. Response time analysis suggests that the configuration strategy relied on spatial transformations applied to a viewpoint-dependent spatial representation, rather than direct access to an allocentric representation. Furthermore, pupillary measures reflected the employment of place and response strategies throughout the experiment, with increasing use of the more cognitively demanding configuration strategy associated with increases in pupil dilation. During test trials in which known intersections were approached from different directions, visual attention was directed to the landmark encoded during learning as well as the intended movement direction. Interestingly, the encoded landmark did not differ between the three navigation strategies, which is discussed in the context of initial strategy choice and the parallel acquisition of place and response knowledge.

Contextual remapping in visual search after predictable target-location changes.

PubMed

Conci, Markus; Sun, Luning; Müller, Hermann J

2011-07-01

Invariant spatial context can facilitate visual search. For instance, detection of a target is faster if it is presented within a repeatedly encountered, as compared to a novel, layout of nontargets, demonstrating a role of contextual learning for attentional guidance ('contextual cueing'). Here, we investigated how context-based learning adapts to target location (and identity) changes. Three experiments were performed in which, in an initial learning phase, observers learned to associate a given context with a given target location. A subsequent test phase then introduced identity and/or location changes to the target. The results showed that contextual cueing could not compensate for target changes that were not 'predictable' (i.e. learnable). However, for predictable changes, contextual cueing remained effective even immediately after the change. These findings demonstrate that contextual cueing is adaptive to predictable target location changes. Under these conditions, learned contextual associations can be effectively 'remapped' to accommodate new task requirements.

Critical Review of Spatial Planning of CAT Watuputih, Rembang Zone, Central Java, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadi, Sudharto P.

2018-02-01

The Act 26 of 2007 on spatial planning stipulates that spatial planning at national, provincial and local level must be based on environmental carrying capacity and environmental carrying capability. Provincial governments generally finished its spatial planning in 2010 and the city and regency's governments in 2011.This paper reviews the spatial planning of Central Java and Rembang Regency regarding the use of CAT (ground water basin) Watuputih, Rembang Zone. Both spatial planning determined that CAT Watuputih was allocated for conservation and for mining. The mixed use zoning stimulates conflict between private sector and government on one side and local people along with academician and NGOs on another side. The SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) studies initiated by central government found that CAT Watuputih has strong indication to be KBAK (natural landscape area of karst) need to be conserved while at the moment there have been 21 mining permit holders operating since 1998. The lesson learned from the review is that formulation of spatial planning must be conducted participatory by involving relevant stakeholder, objective and accountable.

Combining spatial and spectral information to improve crop/weed discrimination algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, L.; Jones, G.; Villette, S.; Paoli, J. N.; Gée, C.

2012-01-01

Reduction of herbicide spraying is an important key to environmentally and economically improve weed management. To achieve this, remote sensors such as imaging systems are commonly used to detect weed plants. We developed spatial algorithms that detect the crop rows to discriminate crop from weeds. These algorithms have been thoroughly tested and provide robust and accurate results without learning process but their detection is limited to inter-row areas. Crop/Weed discrimination using spectral information is able to detect intra-row weeds but generally needs a prior learning process. We propose a method based on spatial and spectral information to enhance the discrimination and overcome the limitations of both algorithms. The classification from the spatial algorithm is used to build the training set for the spectral discrimination method. With this approach we are able to improve the range of weed detection in the entire field (inter and intra-row). To test the efficiency of these algorithms, a relevant database of virtual images issued from SimAField model has been used and combined to LOPEX93 spectral database. The developed method based is evaluated and compared with the initial method in this paper and shows an important enhancement from 86% of weed detection to more than 95%.

In vivo quantification of plant starch reserves at micrometer resolution using X-ray microCT imaging and machine learning.

PubMed

Earles, J Mason; Knipfer, Thorsten; Tixier, Aude; Orozco, Jessica; Reyes, Clarissa; Zwieniecki, Maciej A; Brodersen, Craig R; McElrone, Andrew J

2018-03-08

Starch is the primary energy storage molecule used by most terrestrial plants to fuel respiration and growth during periods of limited to no photosynthesis, and its depletion can drive plant mortality. Destructive techniques at coarse spatial scales exist to quantify starch, but these techniques face methodological challenges that can lead to uncertainty about the lability of tissue-specific starch pools and their role in plant survival. Here, we demonstrate how X-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT) and a machine learning algorithm can be coupled to quantify plant starch content in vivo, repeatedly and nondestructively over time in grapevine stems (Vitis spp.). Starch content estimated for xylem axial and ray parenchyma cells from microCT images was correlated strongly with enzymatically measured bulk-tissue starch concentration on the same stems. After validating our machine learning algorithm, we then characterized the spatial distribution of starch concentration in living stems at micrometer resolution, and identified starch depletion in live plants under experimental conditions designed to halt photosynthesis and starch production, initiating the drawdown of stored starch pools. Using X-ray microCT technology for in vivo starch monitoring should enable novel research directed at resolving the spatial and temporal patterns of starch accumulation and depletion in woody plant species. No claim to original US Government works New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Mice deficient in collapsin response mediator protein-1 exhibit impaired long-term potentiation and impaired spatial learning and memory.

PubMed

Su, Kang-Yi; Chien, Wei-Lin; Fu, Wen-Mei; Yu, I-Shing; Huang, Hsiang-Po; Huang, Pei-Hsing; Lin, Shu-Rung; Shih, Jin-Yuan; Lin, Yi-Ling; Hsueh, Yi-Ping; Yang, Pan-Chyr; Lin, Shu-Wha

2007-03-07

Collapsing response mediator protein-1 (CRMP-1) was initially identified in brain and has been implicated in plexin-dependent neuronal function. The high amino acid sequence identity among the five CRMPs has hindered determination of the functions of each individual CRMP. We generated viable and fertile CRMP-1 knock-out (CRMP-1(-/-)) mice with no evidence of gross abnormality in the major organs. CRMP-1(-/-) mice exhibited intense microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) staining in the proximal portion of the dendrites, but reduced and disorganized MAP2 staining in the distal dendrites of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. Immunoreactivity to GAP-43 (growth-associated protein-43) and PSD95 (postsynaptic density-95) (a postsynaptic membrane adherent cytoskeletal protein) was also decreased in the CA1 region of the knock-out mice. These changes were consistent with the mutant mice showing a reduction in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region and impaired performance in hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and memory tests. CRMP-1(-/-) mice showed a normal synapsin I labeling pattern in CA1 and normal paired-pulse facilitation. These findings provide the first evidence suggesting that CRMP-1 may be involved in proper neurite outgrowth in the adult hippocampus and that loss of CRMP-1 may affect LTP maintenance and spatial learning and memory.

Active and Passive Spatial Learning in Human Navigation: Acquisition of Graph Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chrastil, Elizabeth R.; Warren, William H.

2015-01-01

It is known that active exploration of a new environment leads to better spatial learning than does passive visual exposure. We ask whether specific components of active learning differentially contribute to particular forms of spatial knowledge--the "exploration-specific learning hypothesis". Previously, we found that idiothetic…

Spatial Contiguity and Incidental Learning in Multimedia Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paek, Seungoh; Hoffman, Daniel L.; Saravanos, Antonios

2017-01-01

Drawing on dual-process theories of cognitive function, the degree to which spatial contiguity influences incidental learning outcomes was examined. It was hypothesized that spatial contiguity would mediate what was learned even in the absence of an explicit learning goal. To test this hypothesis, 149 adults completed a multimedia-related task…

The effect of Vitamin E on learning and memory deficits in intrahippocampal kainate-induced temporal lobe epilepsy in rats.

PubMed

Kiasalari, Zahra; Khalili, Mohsen; Shafiee, Samaneh; Roghani, Mehrdad

2016-01-01

Since temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is associated with learning and memory impairment, we investigated the beneficial effect of Vitamin E on the impaired learning and memory in the intrahippocampal kainate model of TLE in rats. Rats were divided into sham, Vitamin E-treated sham, kainate, and Vitamin E-treated kainate. Intrahippocampal kainate was used for induction of epilepsy. Vitamin E was injected intraperitoneal (i.p.) at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day started 1 week before surgery until 1 h presurgery. Initial and step-through latencies in the passive avoidance test and alternation behavior percentage in Y-maze were finally determined in addition to measurement of some oxidative stress markers. Kainate injection caused a higher severity and rate of seizures and deteriorated learning and memory performance in passive avoidance paradigm and spontaneous alternation as an index of spatial recognition memory in Y-maze task. Intrahippocampal kainate also led to the elevation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite and reduced activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Vitamin E pretreatment significantly attenuated severity and incidence rate of seizures, significantly improved retrieval and recall in passive avoidance, did not ameliorate spatial memory deficit in Y-maze, and lowered MDA and enhanced SOD activity. Vitamin E improves passive avoidance learning and memory and part of its beneficial effect is due to its potential to mitigate hippocampal oxidative stress.

Vision improvement in pilots with presbyopia following perceptual learning.

PubMed

Sterkin, Anna; Levy, Yuval; Pokroy, Russell; Lev, Maria; Levian, Liora; Doron, Ravid; Yehezkel, Oren; Fried, Moshe; Frenkel-Nir, Yael; Gordon, Barak; Polat, Uri

2017-11-24

Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilots continue flying combat missions after the symptoms of natural near-vision deterioration, termed presbyopia, begin to be noticeable. Because modern pilots rely on the displays of the aircraft control and performance instruments, near visual acuity (VA) is essential in the cockpit. We aimed to apply a method previously shown to improve visual performance of presbyopes, and test whether presbyopic IAF pilots can overcome the limitation imposed by presbyopia. Participants were selected by the IAF aeromedical unit as having at least initial presbyopia and trained using a structured personalized perceptual learning method (GlassesOff application), based on detecting briefly presented low-contrast Gabor stimuli, under the conditions of spatial and temporal constraints, from a distance of 40 cm. Our results show that despite their initial visual advantage over age-matched peers, training resulted in robust improvements in various basic visual functions, including static and temporal VA, stereoacuity, spatial crowding, contrast sensitivity and contrast discrimination. Moreover, improvements generalized to higher-level tasks, such as sentence reading and aerial photography interpretation (specifically designed to reflect IAF pilots' expertise in analyzing noisy low-contrast input). In concert with earlier suggestions, gains in visual processing speed are plausible to account, at least partially, for the observed training-induced improvements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning outdoors: male lizards show flexible spatial learning under semi-natural conditions

PubMed Central

Noble, Daniel W. A.; Carazo, Pau; Whiting, Martin J.

2012-01-01

Spatial cognition is predicted to be a fundamental component of fitness in many lizard species, and yet some studies suggest that it is relatively slow and inflexible. However, such claims are based on work conducted using experimental designs or in artificial contexts that may underestimate their cognitive abilities. We used a biologically realistic experimental procedure (using simulated predatory attacks) to study spatial learning and its flexibility in the lizard Eulamprus quoyii in semi-natural outdoor enclosures under similar conditions to those experienced by lizards in the wild. To evaluate the flexibility of spatial learning, we conducted a reversal spatial-learning task in which positive and negative reinforcements of learnt spatial stimuli were switched. Nineteen (32%) male lizards learnt both tasks within 10 days (spatial task mean: 8.16 ± 0.69 (s.e.) and reversal spatial task mean: 10.74 ± 0.98 (s.e.) trials). We demonstrate that E. quoyii are capable of flexible spatial learning and suggest that future studies focus on a range of lizard species which differ in phylogeny and/or ecology, using biologically relevant cognitive tasks, in an effort to bridge the cognitive divide between ecto- and endotherms. PMID:23075525

Perceptual Learning Improves Adult Amblyopic Vision Through Rule-Based Cognitive Compensation

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jun-Yun; Cong, Lin-Juan; Klein, Stanley A.; Levi, Dennis M.; Yu, Cong

2014-01-01

Purpose. We investigated whether perceptual learning in adults with amblyopia could be enabled to transfer completely to an orthogonal orientation, which would suggest that amblyopic perceptual learning results mainly from high-level cognitive compensation, rather than plasticity in the amblyopic early visual brain. Methods. Nineteen adults (mean age = 22.5 years) with anisometropic and/or strabismic amblyopia were trained following a training-plus-exposure (TPE) protocol. The amblyopic eyes practiced contrast, orientation, or Vernier discrimination at one orientation for six to eight sessions. Then the amblyopic or nonamblyopic eyes were exposed to an orthogonal orientation via practicing an irrelevant task. Training was first performed at a lower spatial frequency (SF), then at a higher SF near the cutoff frequency of the amblyopic eye. Results. Perceptual learning was initially orientation specific. However, after exposure to the orthogonal orientation, learning transferred to an orthogonal orientation completely. Reversing the exposure and training order failed to produce transfer. Initial lower SF training led to broad improvement of contrast sensitivity, and later higher SF training led to more specific improvement at high SFs. Training improved visual acuity by 1.5 to 1.6 lines (P < 0.001) in the amblyopic eyes with computerized tests and a clinical E acuity chart. It also improved stereoacuity by 53% (P < 0.001). Conclusions. The complete transfer of learning suggests that perceptual learning in amblyopia may reflect high-level learning of rules for performing a visual discrimination task. These rules are applicable to new orientations to enable learning transfer. Therefore, perceptual learning may improve amblyopic vision mainly through rule-based cognitive compensation. PMID:24550359

Perceptual learning improves adult amblyopic vision through rule-based cognitive compensation.

PubMed

Zhang, Jun-Yun; Cong, Lin-Juan; Klein, Stanley A; Levi, Dennis M; Yu, Cong

2014-04-01

We investigated whether perceptual learning in adults with amblyopia could be enabled to transfer completely to an orthogonal orientation, which would suggest that amblyopic perceptual learning results mainly from high-level cognitive compensation, rather than plasticity in the amblyopic early visual brain. Nineteen adults (mean age = 22.5 years) with anisometropic and/or strabismic amblyopia were trained following a training-plus-exposure (TPE) protocol. The amblyopic eyes practiced contrast, orientation, or Vernier discrimination at one orientation for six to eight sessions. Then the amblyopic or nonamblyopic eyes were exposed to an orthogonal orientation via practicing an irrelevant task. Training was first performed at a lower spatial frequency (SF), then at a higher SF near the cutoff frequency of the amblyopic eye. Perceptual learning was initially orientation specific. However, after exposure to the orthogonal orientation, learning transferred to an orthogonal orientation completely. Reversing the exposure and training order failed to produce transfer. Initial lower SF training led to broad improvement of contrast sensitivity, and later higher SF training led to more specific improvement at high SFs. Training improved visual acuity by 1.5 to 1.6 lines (P < 0.001) in the amblyopic eyes with computerized tests and a clinical E acuity chart. It also improved stereoacuity by 53% (P < 0.001). The complete transfer of learning suggests that perceptual learning in amblyopia may reflect high-level learning of rules for performing a visual discrimination task. These rules are applicable to new orientations to enable learning transfer. Therefore, perceptual learning may improve amblyopic vision mainly through rule-based cognitive compensation.

Is Order the Defining Feature of Magnitude Representation? An ERP Study on Learning Numerical Magnitude and Spatial Order of Artificial Symbols

PubMed Central

Zhao, Hui; Chen, Chuansheng; Zhang, Hongchuan; Zhou, Xinlin; Mei, Leilei; Chen, Chunhui; Chen, Lan; Cao, Zhongyu; Dong, Qi

2012-01-01

Using an artificial-number learning paradigm and the ERP technique, the present study investigated neural mechanisms involved in the learning of magnitude and spatial order. 54 college students were divided into 2 groups matched in age, gender, and school major. One group was asked to learn the associations between magnitude (dot patterns) and the meaningless Gibson symbols, and the other group learned the associations between spatial order (horizontal positions on the screen) and the same set of symbols. Results revealed differentiated neural mechanisms underlying the learning processes of symbolic magnitude and spatial order. Compared to magnitude learning, spatial-order learning showed a later and reversed distance effect. Furthermore, an analysis of the order-priming effect showed that order was not inherent to the learning of magnitude. Results of this study showed a dissociation between magnitude and order, which supports the numerosity code hypothesis of mental representations of magnitude. PMID:23185363

Circadian time-place (or time-route) learning in rats with hippocampal lesions.

PubMed

Cole, Emily; Mistlberger, Ralph E; Merza, Devon; Trigiani, Lianne J; Madularu, Dan; Simundic, Amanda; Mumby, Dave G

2016-12-01

Circadian time-place learning (TPL) is the ability to remember both the place and biological time of day that a significant event occurred (e.g., food availability). This ability requires that a circadian clock provide phase information (a time tag) to cognitive systems involved in linking representations of an event with spatial reference memory. To date, it is unclear which neuronal substrates are critical in this process, but one candidate structure is the hippocampus (HPC). The HPC is essential for normal performance on tasks that require allocentric spatial memory and exhibits circadian rhythms of gene expression that are sensitive to meal timing. Using a novel TPL training procedure and enriched, multidimensional environment, we trained rats to locate a food reward that varied between two locations relative to time of day. After rats acquired the task, they received either HPC or SHAM lesions and were re-tested. Rats with HPC lesions were initially impaired on the task relative to SHAM rats, but re-attained high scores with continued testing. Probe tests revealed that the rats were not using an alternation strategy or relying on light-dark transitions to locate the food reward. We hypothesize that transient disruption and recovery reflect a switch from HPC-dependent allocentric navigation (learning places) to dorsal striatum-dependent egocentric spatial navigation (learning routes to a location). Whatever the navigation strategy, these results demonstrate that the HPC is not required for rats to find food in different locations using circadian phase as a discriminative cue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning About Causes From People: Observational Causal Learning in 24-Month-Old Infants

PubMed Central

Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Waismeyer, Anna; Gopnik, Alison

2013-01-01

How do infants and young children learn about the causal structure of the world around them? In 4 experiments we investigate whether young children initially give special weight to the outcomes of goal-directed interventions they see others perform and use this to distinguish correlations from genuine causal relations—observational causal learning. In a new 2-choice procedure, 2- to 4-year-old children saw 2 identical objects (potential causes). Activation of 1 but not the other triggered a spatially remote effect. Children systematically intervened on the causal object and predictively looked to the effect. Results fell to chance when the cause and effect were temporally reversed, so that the events were merely associated but not causally related. The youngest children (24- to 36-month-olds) were more likely to make causal inferences when covariations were the outcome of human interventions than when they were not. Observational causal learning may be a fundamental learning mechanism that enables infants to abstract the causal structure of the world. PMID:22369335

Making Sense of Space: Distributed Spatial Sensemaking in a Middle School Summer Engineering Camp

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramey, Kay E.; Uttal, David H.

2017-01-01

Spatial thinking is important for success in engineering. However, little is known about "how" students learn and apply spatial skills, particularly in kindergarten to Grade 12 engineering learning. The present study investigated the role of spatial thinking in engineering learning at a middle school summer camp. Participants were 26…

Neural correlates of reward-based spatial learning in persons with cocaine dependence.

PubMed

Tau, Gregory Z; Marsh, Rachel; Wang, Zhishun; Torres-Sanchez, Tania; Graniello, Barbara; Hao, Xuejun; Xu, Dongrong; Packard, Mark G; Duan, Yunsuo; Kangarlu, Alayar; Martinez, Diana; Peterson, Bradley S

2014-02-01

Dysfunctional learning systems are thought to be central to the pathogenesis of and impair recovery from addictions. The functioning of the brain circuits for episodic memory or learning that support goal-directed behavior has not been studied previously in persons with cocaine dependence (CD). Thirteen abstinent CD and 13 healthy participants underwent MRI scanning while performing a task that requires the use of spatial cues to navigate a virtual-reality environment and find monetary rewards, allowing the functional assessment of the brain systems for spatial learning, a form of episodic memory. Whereas both groups performed similarly on the reward-based spatial learning task, we identified disturbances in brain regions involved in learning and reward in CD participants. In particular, CD was associated with impaired functioning of medial temporal lobe (MTL), a brain region that is crucial for spatial learning (and episodic memory) with concomitant recruitment of striatum (which normally participates in stimulus-response, or habit, learning), and prefrontal cortex. CD was also associated with enhanced sensitivity of the ventral striatum to unexpected rewards but not to expected rewards earned during spatial learning. We provide evidence that spatial learning in CD is characterized by disturbances in functioning of an MTL-based system for episodic memory and a striatum-based system for stimulus-response learning and reward. We have found additional abnormalities in distributed cortical regions. Consistent with findings from animal studies, we provide the first evidence in humans describing the disruptive effects of cocaine on the coordinated functioning of multiple neural systems for learning and memory.

How is spatial context learning integrated over signal versus noise? A primacy effect in contextual cueing.

PubMed

Jungé, Justin A; Scholl, Brian J; Chun, Marvin M

2007-01-01

Over repeated exposure to particular visual search displays, subjects are able to implicitly extract regularities that then make search more efficient-a phenomenon known as contextual cueing. Here we explore how the learning involved in contextual cueing is formed, maintained, and updated over experience. During an initial training phase, a group of signal first subjects searched through a series of predictive displays (where distractor locations were perfectly correlated with the target location), followed with no overt break by a series of unpredictive displays (where repeated contexts were uncorrelated with target locations). A second noise first group of subjects encountered the unpredictive displays followed by the predictive displays. Despite the fact that both groups had the same overall exposure to signal and noise, only the signal first group demonstrated subsequent contextual cueing. This primacy effect indicates that initial experience can result in hypotheses about regularities in displays-or the lack thereof-which then become resistant to updating. The absence of regularities in early stages of training even blocked observers from learning predictive regularities later on.

How is spatial context learning integrated over signal versus noise? A primacy effect in contextual cueing

PubMed Central

Jungé, Justin A.; Scholl, Brian J.; Chun, Marvin M.

2008-01-01

Over repeated exposure to particular visual search displays, subjects are able to implicitly extract regularities that then make search more efficient—a phenomenon known as contextual cueing. Here we explore how the learning involved in contextual cueing is formed, maintained, and updated over experience. During an initial training phase, a group of signal first subjects searched through a series of predictive displays (where distractor locations were perfectly correlated with the target location), followed with no overt break by a series of unpredictive displays (where repeated contexts were uncorrelated with target locations). A second noise first group of subjects encountered the unpredictive displays followed by the predictive displays. Despite the fact that both groups had the same overall exposure to signal and noise, only the signal first group demonstrated subsequent contextual cueing. This primacy effect indicates that initial experience can result in hypotheses about regularities in displays—or the lack thereof—which then become resistant to updating. The absence of regularities in early stages of training even blocked observers from learning predictive regularities later on. PMID:18725966

Spatial Object Recognition Enables Endogenous LTD that Curtails LTP in the Mouse Hippocampus

PubMed Central

Goh, Jinzhong Jeremy

2013-01-01

Although synaptic plasticity is believed to comprise the cellular substrate for learning and memory, limited direct evidence exists that hippocampus-dependent learning actually triggers synaptic plasticity. It is likely, however, that long-term potentiation (LTP) works in concert with its counterpart, long-term depression (LTD) in the creation of spatial memory. It has been reported in rats that weak synaptic plasticity is facilitated into persistent plasticity if afferent stimulation is coupled with a novel spatial learning event. It is not known if this phenomenon also occurs in other species. We recorded from the hippocampal CA1 of freely behaving mice and observed that novel spatial learning triggers endogenous LTD. Specifically, we observed that LTD is enabled when test-pulse afferent stimulation is given during the learning of object constellations or during a spatial object recognition task. Intriguingly, LTP is significantly impaired by the same tasks, suggesting that LTD is the main cellular substrate for this type of learning. These data indicate that learning-facilitated plasticity is not exclusive to rats and that spatial learning leads to endogenous LTD in the hippocampus, suggesting an important role for this type of synaptic plasticity in the creation of hippocampus-dependent memory. PMID:22510536

Cardiovascular Fitness and Cognitive Spatial Learning in Rodents and in Humans.

PubMed

Barak, Boaz; Feldman, Noa; Okun, Eitan

2015-09-01

The association between cardiovascular fitness and cognitive functions in both animals and humans is intensely studied. Research in rodents shows that a higher cardiovascular fitness has beneficial effects on hippocampus-dependent spatial abilities, and the underlying mechanisms were largely teased out. Research into the impact of cardiovascular fitness on spatial learning in humans, however, is more limited, and involves mostly behavioral and imaging studies. Herein, we point out the state of the art in the field of spatial learning and cardiovascular fitness. The differences between the methodologies utilized to study spatial learning in humans and rodents are emphasized along with the neuronal basis of these tasks. Critical gaps in the study of spatial learning in the context of cardiovascular fitness between the two species are discussed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.

The Michelin red guide of the brain: role of dopamine in goal-oriented navigation.

PubMed

Retailleau, Aude; Boraud, Thomas

2014-01-01

Spatial learning has been recognized over the years to be under the control of the hippocampus and related temporal lobe structures. Hippocampal damage often causes severe impairments in the ability to learn and remember a location in space defined by distal visual cues. Such cognitive disabilities are found in Parkinsonian patients. We recently investigated the role of dopamine in navigation in the 6-Hydroxy-dopamine (6-OHDA) rat, a model of Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly used to investigate the pathophysiology of dopamine depletion (Retailleau et al., 2013). We demonstrated that dopamine (DA) is essential to spatial learning as its depletion results in spatial impairments. Our results showed that the behavioral effect of DA depletion is correlated with modification of the neural encoding of spatial features and decision making processes in hippocampus. However, the origin of these alterations in the neural processing of the spatial information needs to be clarified. It could result from a local effect: dopamine depletion disturbs directly the processing of relevant spatial information at hippocampal level. Alternatively, it could result from a more distributed network effect: dopamine depletion elsewhere in the brain (entorhinal cortex, striatum, etc.) modifies the way hippocampus processes spatial information. Recent experimental evidence in rodents, demonstrated indeed, that other brain areas are involved in the acquisition of spatial information. Amongst these, the cortex-basal ganglia (BG) loop is known to be involved in reinforcement learning and has been identified as an important contributor to spatial learning. In particular, it has been shown that altered activity of the BG striatal complex can impair the ability to perform spatial learning tasks. The present review provides a glimpse of the findings obtained over the past decade that support a dialog between these two structures during spatial learning under DA control.

Premarin improves memory, prevents scopolamine-induced amnesia and increases number of basal forebrain choline acetyltransferase positive cells in middle-aged surgically menopausal rats.

PubMed

Acosta, Jazmin I; Mayer, Loretta; Talboom, Joshua S; Zay, Cynthia; Scheldrup, Melissa; Castillo, Jonathan; Demers, Laurence M; Enders, Craig K; Bimonte-Nelson, Heather A

2009-03-01

Conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) is the most commonly prescribed estrogen therapy, and is the estrogen used in the Women's Health Initiative study. While in-vitro studies suggest that CEE is neuroprotective, no study has evaluated CEE's effects on a cognitive battery and brain immunohistochemistry in an animal model. The current experiment tested whether CEE impacted: I) spatial learning, reference memory, working memory and long-term retention, as well as ability to handle mnemonic delay and interference challenges; and, II) the cholinergic system, via pharmacological challenge during memory testing and ChAT-immunoreactive cell counts in the basal forebrain. Middle-aged ovariectomized (Ovx) rats received chronic cyclic injections of either Oil (vehicle), CEE-Low (10 microg), CEE-Medium (20 microg) or CEE-High (30 microg) treatment. Relative to the Oil group, all three CEE groups showed less overnight forgetting on the spatial reference memory task, and the CEE-High group had enhanced platform localization during the probe trial. All CEE groups exhibited enhanced learning on the spatial working memory task, and CEE dose-dependently protected against scopolamine-induced amnesia with every rat receiving the highest CEE dose maintaining zero errors after scopolamine challenge. CEE also increased number of ChAT-immunoreactive neurons in the vertical diagonal band of the basal forebrain. Neither the ability to remember after a delay nor interference, nor long-term retention, was influenced by the CEE regimen used in this study. These findings are similar to those reported previously for 17 beta-estradiol, and suggest that CEE can provide cognitive benefits on spatial learning, reference and working memory, possibly through cholinergic mechanisms.

Maternal chewing during prenatal stress ameliorates stress-induced hypomyelination, synaptic alterations, and learning impairment in mouse offspring.

PubMed

Suzuki, Ayumi; Iinuma, Mitsuo; Hayashi, Sakurako; Sato, Yuichi; Azuma, Kagaku; Kubo, Kin-Ya

2016-11-15

Maternal chewing during prenatal stress attenuates both the development of stress-induced learning deficits and decreased cell proliferation in mouse hippocampal dentate gyrus. Hippocampal myelination affects spatial memory and the synaptic structure is a key mediator of neuronal communication. We investigated whether maternal chewing during prenatal stress ameliorates stress-induced alterations of hippocampal myelin and synapses, and impaired development of spatial memory in adult offspring. Pregnant mice were divided into control, stress, and stress/chewing groups. Stress was induced by placing mice in a ventilated restraint tube, and was initiated on day 12 of pregnancy and continued until delivery. Mice in the stress/chewing group were given a wooden stick to chew during restraint. In 1-month-old pups, spatial memory was assessed in the Morris water maze, and hippocampal oligodendrocytes and synapses in CA1 were assayed by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Prenatal stress led to impaired learning ability, and decreased immunoreactivity of myelin basic protein (MBP) and 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) in the hippocampal CA1 in adult offspring. Numerous myelin sheath abnormalities were observed. The G-ratio [axonal diameter to axonal fiber diameter (axon plus myelin sheath)] was increased and postsynaptic density length was decreased in the hippocampal CA1 region. Maternal chewing during stress attenuated the prenatal stress-induced impairment of spatial memory, and the decreased MBP and CNPase immunoreactivity, increased G-ratios, and decreased postsynaptic-density length in the hippocampal CA1 region. These findings suggest that chewing during prenatal stress in dams could be an effective coping strategy to prevent hippocampal behavioral and morphologic impairments in their offspring. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Effect of object consistency in a spatial contextual cueing paradigm].

PubMed

Takeda, Yuji

2008-04-01

Previous studies demonstrated that attention can be quickly guided to a target location in a visual search task when the spatial configurations of search items and/or the object identities were repeated in the previous trials. This phenomenon is termed contextual cueing. Recently, it was reported that spatial configuration learning and object identity learning occurred independently, when novel contours were used as search items. The present study examined whether this learning occurred independently even when the search items were meaningful. The results showed that the contextual cueing effect was observed even if the relationships between the spatial locations and object identities were jumbled (Experiment 1). However, it disappeared when the search items were changed into geometric patterns (Experiment 2). These results suggest that the spatial configuration can be learned independent of the object identities; however, the use of the learned configuration is restricted by the learning situations.

Stress profile influences learning approach in a marine fish

PubMed Central

Trompf, Larissa; Williamson, Jane E.; Brown, Culum

2017-01-01

The spatial learning skills of high and low stress juvenile mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus) were tested in a dichotomous choice apparatus. Groups of fish were formed based on background blood cortisol levels and required to learn the location of a food reward hidden in one of two compartments. Low stress fish characterised by low background levels of the stress hormone cortisol had higher activity levels and entered both rewarded and unrewarded rooms frequently. Within the first week of exposure, however, their preference for the rewarded room increased, indicative of learning. Fish that had high background levels of cortisol, in contrast, showed low levels of activity but when they chose between the two rooms they chose the rewarded room most often but showed less improvement over time. After 12 days in the apparatus, both low and high stress fish had similar ratios of rewarded vs unrewarded room entrances. Our results suggest that proactive coping styles may increase exposure to novel contexts and thus favour faster learning but at the cost of reduced initial accuracy. PMID:28607840

Predictions of the spontaneous symmetry-breaking theory for visual code completeness and spatial scaling in single-cell learning rules.

PubMed

Webber, C J

2001-05-01

This article shows analytically that single-cell learning rules that give rise to oriented and localized receptive fields, when their synaptic weights are randomly and independently initialized according to a plausible assumption of zero prior information, will generate visual codes that are invariant under two-dimensional translations, rotations, and scale magnifications, provided that the statistics of their training images are sufficiently invariant under these transformations. Such codes span different image locations, orientations, and size scales with equal economy. Thus, single-cell rules could account for the spatial scaling property of the cortical simple-cell code. This prediction is tested computationally by training with natural scenes; it is demonstrated that a single-cell learning rule can give rise to simple-cell receptive fields spanning the full range of orientations, image locations, and spatial frequencies (except at the extreme high and low frequencies at which the scale invariance of the statistics of digitally sampled images must ultimately break down, because of the image boundary and the finite pixel resolution). Thus, no constraint on completeness, or any other coupling between cells, is necessary to induce the visual code to span wide ranges of locations, orientations, and size scales. This prediction is made using the theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking, which we have previously shown can also explain the data-driven self-organization of a wide variety of transformation invariances in neurons' responses, such as the translation invariance of complex cell response.

Sharpening coarse-to-fine stereo vision by perceptual learning: asymmetric transfer across the spatial frequency spectrum

PubMed Central

Tran, Truyet T.; Craven, Ashley P.; Leung, Tsz-Wing; Chat, Sandy W.; Levi, Dennis M.

2016-01-01

Neurons in the early visual cortex are finely tuned to different low-level visual features, forming a multi-channel system analysing the visual image formed on the retina in a parallel manner. However, little is known about the potential ‘cross-talk’ among these channels. Here, we systematically investigated whether stereoacuity, over a large range of target spatial frequencies, can be enhanced by perceptual learning. Using narrow-band visual stimuli, we found that practice with coarse (low spatial frequency) targets substantially improves performance, and that the improvement spreads from coarse to fine (high spatial frequency) three-dimensional perception, generalizing broadly across untrained spatial frequencies and orientations. Notably, we observed an asymmetric transfer of learning across the spatial frequency spectrum. The bandwidth of transfer was broader when training was at a high spatial frequency than at a low spatial frequency. Stereoacuity training is most beneficial when trained with fine targets. This broad transfer of stereoacuity learning contrasts with the highly specific learning reported for other basic visual functions. We also revealed strategies to boost learning outcomes ‘beyond-the-plateau’. Our investigations contribute to understanding the functional properties of the network subserving stereovision. The ability to generalize may provide a key principle for restoring impaired binocular vision in clinical situations. PMID:26909178

Curcuma comosa improves learning and memory function on ovariectomized rats in a long-term Morris water maze test

PubMed Central

Su, Jian; Sripanidkulchai, Kittisak; Wyss, J. Michael; Sripanidkulchai, Bungorn

2010-01-01

Aim of the study Curcuma comosa extract and some purified compounds from this plant have been reported to have estrogenic-like effects, and estrogen improves learning in some animals and potentially in postmenopausal women; therefore, this study tested the hypothesis that Curcuma comosa and estrogen have similar beneficial effects on spatial learning and memory. Materials and methods Curcuma comosa hexane extract, containing 0.165 mg of (4E,6E)-1,7-diphenylhepta-4,6-dien-3-one per mg of the crude extract, was orally administered to ovariectomized Wistar rats at the doses of 250 or 500 mg/kg body weight. 17β-estradiol (10 μg/kg body weight, subcutaneously) was used as a positive control. Thirty days after the initiation of treatment, animals were tested in a Morris water maze for spatial learning and memory. They were re-tested every 30 days and a final probe trial was run on day 119. Results Compared to control rats, OVX rats displayed significant memory impairment for locating the platform in the water maze from day 67 after the surgery, onward. In contrast, OVX rats treated with either Curcuma comosa or estrogen were significantly protected from this decline in cognitive function. Further, the protection of cognitive effects by Curcuma comosa was larger at higher dose. Conclusions These results suggest that long-term treatment with Curcuma comosa has beneficial effects on learning and memory function in rats. PMID:20420894

Arginine vasopressin prevents against Abeta(25-35)-induced impairment of spatial learning and memory in rats.

PubMed

Pan, Yan-Fang; Chen, Xiao-Rong; Wu, Mei-Na; Ma, Cun-Gen; Qi, Jin-Shun

2010-04-01

Amyloid beta protein (Abeta) is thought to be responsible for loss of memory in Alzheimer's disease (AD). A significant decrease in [Arg(8)]-vasopressin (AVP) has been found in the AD brain and in plasma; however, it is unclear whether this decrease in AVP is involved in Abeta-induced impairment of spatial cognition and whether AVP can protect against Abeta-induced deficits in cognitive function. The present study examined the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of AVP on spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze test and investigated the potential protective function of AVP against Abeta-induced impairment in spatial cognition. The results were as follows: (1) i.c.v. injection of 25 nmol Abeta(25-35) resulted in a significant decline in spatial learning and memory; (2) 1 nmol and 10 nmol, but not 0.1 nmol, AVP injections markedly improved learning and memory; (3) pretreatment with 1 nmol or 10 nmol, but not 0.1 nmol, AVP effectively reversed the impairment in spatial learning and memory induced by Abeta(25-35); and (4) none of the drugs, including Abeta(25-35) and different concentrations of AVP, affected the vision or swimming speed of the rats. These results indicate that Abeta(25-35) could significantly impair spatial learning and memory in rats, and pretreatment with AVP centrally can enhance spatial learning and effectively prevent the behavioral impairment induced by neurotoxic Abeta(25-35). Thus, the present study provides further insight into the mechanisms by which Abeta impairs spatial learning and memory, suggesting that up-regulation of central AVP might be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of AD. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute social stress increases biochemical and self report markers of stress without altering spatial learning in humans.

PubMed

Klopp, Christine; Garcia, Carlos; Schulman, Allan H; Ward, Christopher P; Tartar, Jaime L

2012-01-01

Spatial learning is shown to be influenced by acute stress in both human and other animals. However, the intricacies of this relationship are unclear. Based on prior findings we hypothesized that compared to a control condition, a social stress condition would not affect spatial learning performance despite elevated biochemical markers of stress. The present study tested the effects of social stress in human males and females on a subsequent spatial learning task. Social stress induction consisted of evaluative stress (the Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) compared to a placebo social stress. Compared to the placebo condition, the TSST resulted in significantly elevated cortisol and alpha amylase levels at multiple time points following stress induction. In accord, cognitive appraisal measures also showed that participants in the TSST group experienced greater perceived stress compared to the placebo group. However, there were no group differences in performance on a spatial learning task. Our findings suggest that unlike physiological stress, social stress does not result in alterations in spatial learning in humans. It is possible that moderate social evaluative stress in humans works to prevent acute stress-mediated alterations in hippocampal learning processes..

Modulation of spatial attention by goals, statistical learning, and monetary reward.

PubMed

Jiang, Yuhong V; Sha, Li Z; Remington, Roger W

2015-10-01

This study documented the relative strength of task goals, visual statistical learning, and monetary reward in guiding spatial attention. Using a difficult T-among-L search task, we cued spatial attention to one visual quadrant by (i) instructing people to prioritize it (goal-driven attention), (ii) placing the target frequently there (location probability learning), or (iii) associating that quadrant with greater monetary gain (reward-based attention). Results showed that successful goal-driven attention exerted the strongest influence on search RT. Incidental location probability learning yielded a smaller though still robust effect. Incidental reward learning produced negligible guidance for spatial attention. The 95 % confidence intervals of the three effects were largely nonoverlapping. To understand these results, we simulated the role of location repetition priming in probability cuing and reward learning. Repetition priming underestimated the strength of location probability cuing, suggesting that probability cuing involved long-term statistical learning of how to shift attention. Repetition priming provided a reasonable account for the negligible effect of reward on spatial attention. We propose a multiple-systems view of spatial attention that includes task goals, search habit, and priming as primary drivers of top-down attention.

Modulation of spatial attention by goals, statistical learning, and monetary reward

PubMed Central

Sha, Li Z.; Remington, Roger W.

2015-01-01

This study documented the relative strength of task goals, visual statistical learning, and monetary reward in guiding spatial attention. Using a difficult T-among-L search task, we cued spatial attention to one visual quadrant by (i) instructing people to prioritize it (goal-driven attention), (ii) placing the target frequently there (location probability learning), or (iii) associating that quadrant with greater monetary gain (reward-based attention). Results showed that successful goal-driven attention exerted the strongest influence on search RT. Incidental location probability learning yielded a smaller though still robust effect. Incidental reward learning produced negligible guidance for spatial attention. The 95 % confidence intervals of the three effects were largely nonoverlapping. To understand these results, we simulated the role of location repetition priming in probability cuing and reward learning. Repetition priming underestimated the strength of location probability cuing, suggesting that probability cuing involved long-term statistical learning of how to shift attention. Repetition priming provided a reasonable account for the negligible effect of reward on spatial attention. We propose a multiple-systems view of spatial attention that includes task goals, search habit, and priming as primary drivers of top-down attention. PMID:26105657

The Neurogenesis Actuator and NR2B/NMDA Receptor Antagonist Ro25-6981 Consistently Improves Spatial Memory Retraining Via Brain Region-Specific Gene Expression.

PubMed

Gruden, Marina A; Ratmirov, Alexander M; Storozheva, Zinaida I; Solovieva, Olga A; Sherstnev, Vladimir V; Sewell, Robert D E

2018-05-22

NR2B-containing NMDA (NR2B/NMDA) receptors are important in controlling neurogenesis and are involved in generating spatial memory. Ro25-6981 is a selective antagonist at these receptors and actuates neurogenesis and spatial memory. Inter-structural neuroanatomical profiles of gene expression regulating adult neurogenesis and neuroapoptosis require examination in the context of memory retrieval and reversal learning. The aim was to investigate spatial memory retrieval and reversal learning in relation to gene expression-linked neurogenetic processes following blockade of NR2B/NMDA receptors by Ro25-6981. Rats were trained in Morris water maze (MWM) platform location for 5 days. Ro25-6981 was administered (protocol days 6-7) followed by retraining (days 15-18 or 29-32). Platform location was tested (on days 19 or 33) then post-mortem brain tissue sampling (on days 20 or 34). The expression of three genes known to regulate cell proliferation (S100a6), differentiation (Ascl1), and apoptosis (Casp-3) were concomitantly evaluated in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum in relation to the MWM performance protocol. Following initial training, Ro25-6981 enhanced visuospatial memory retrieval performance during further retraining (protocol days 29-32) but did not influence visuospatial reversal learning (day 33). Hippocampal Ascl1 and Casp-3 expressions were correspondingly increased and decreased while cerebellar S100a6 and Casp-3 activities were decreased and increased respectively 27 days after Ro25-6981 treatment. Chronological analysis indicated a possible involvement of new mature neurons in the reconfiguration of memory processes. This was attended by behavioral/gene correlations which revealed direct links between spatial memory retrieval enhancement and modified gene activity induced by NR2B/NMDA receptor blockade and upregulation.

Different Perspectives: Spatial Ability Influences Where Individuals Look on a Timed Spatial Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Victoria A.; Fraser, Graham M.; Kryklywy, James H.; Mitchell, Derek G. V.; Wilson, Timothy D.

2017-01-01

Learning in anatomy can be both spatially and visually complex. Pedagogical investigations have begun exploration as to how spatial ability may mitigate learning. Emerging hypotheses suggests individuals with higher spatial reasoning may attend to images differently than those who are lacking. To elucidate attentional patterns associated with…

How spatial abilities and dynamic visualizations interplay when learning functional anatomy with 3D anatomical models.

PubMed

Berney, Sandra; Bétrancourt, Mireille; Molinari, Gaëlle; Hoyek, Nady

2015-01-01

The emergence of dynamic visualizations of three-dimensional (3D) models in anatomy curricula may be an adequate solution for spatial difficulties encountered with traditional static learning, as they provide direct visualization of change throughout the viewpoints. However, little research has explored the interplay between learning material presentation formats, spatial abilities, and anatomical tasks. First, to understand the cognitive challenges a novice learner would be faced with when first exposed to 3D anatomical content, a six-step cognitive task analysis was developed. Following this, an experimental study was conducted to explore how presentation formats (dynamic vs. static visualizations) support learning of functional anatomy, and affect subsequent anatomical tasks derived from the cognitive task analysis. A second aim was to investigate the interplay between spatial abilities (spatial visualization and spatial relation) and presentation formats when the functional anatomy of a 3D scapula and the associated shoulder flexion movement are learned. Findings showed no main effect of the presentation formats on performances, but revealed the predictive influence of spatial visualization and spatial relation abilities on performance. However, an interesting interaction between presentation formats and spatial relation ability for a specific anatomical task was found. This result highlighted the influence of presentation formats when spatial abilities are involved as well as the differentiated influence of spatial abilities on anatomical tasks. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Active and Passive Spatial Learning in Human Navigation: Acquisition of Survey Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chrastil, Elizabeth R.; Warren, William H.

2013-01-01

It seems intuitively obvious that active exploration of a new environment would lead to better spatial learning than would passive visual exposure. It is unclear, however, which components of active learning contribute to spatial knowledge, and previous literature is decidedly mixed. This experiment tests the contributions of 4 components to…

Guidance of Spatial Attention by Incidental Learning and Endogenous Cuing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yuhong V.; Swallow, Khena M.; Rosenbaum, Gail M.

2013-01-01

Our visual system is highly sensitive to regularities in the environment. Locations that were important in one's previous experience are often prioritized during search, even though observers may not be aware of the learning. In this study we characterized the guidance of spatial attention by incidental learning of a target's spatial probability,…

A Cognitive Component Analysis Approach for Developing Game-Based Spatial Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Pi-Hsia; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Lee, Yueh-Hsun; Su, I-Hsiang

2012-01-01

Spatial ability has been recognized as one of the most important factors affecting the mathematical performance of students. Previous studies on spatial learning have mainly focused on developing strategies to shorten the problem-solving time of learners for very specific learning tasks. Such an approach usually has limited effects on improving…

Stress Hormone Enhancement of OP-Induced Neuroinflammation as an Animal Model of GWI: The Role of Toll-like Receptors and Plasticity

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

water maze hippocampus neurogenesis synaptic plasticity neurotrophins corticosterone priming inflammatory mediators gene expression...remaining studies conducted on the project at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Morris water maze was the initial behavioral test of spatial...experience with this paradigm. In this test a mouse must learn the location of an escape platform by swimming in a pool of water at room temperature

Goal Seeking Components for Adaptive Intelligence: An Initial Assessment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

of Rescorla and Wagner (1972). They state their theory in cognitive terms as follows: ...organisms only learn when events violate their expectations...implements Rescorla and Wagner’s cognitive theory referred to above: The expectations that are built up are the associative strengths, and these are...solution of this T-maze problem as an ilstance of tiie use of an internal model, in this case a spatial cognitive map, suggests two aspects of the idea

Prenatal Stress Impairs Spatial Learning and Memory Associated with Lower mRNA Level of the CAMKII and CREB in the Adult Female Rat Hippocampus.

PubMed

Sun, Hongli; Wu, Haibin; Liu, Jianping; Wen, Jun; Zhu, Zhongliang; Li, Hui

2017-05-01

Prenatal stress (PS) results in various behavioral and emotional alterations observed in later life. In particular, PS impairs spatial learning and memory processes but the underlying mechanism involved in this pathogenesis still remains unknown. Here, we reported that PS lowered the body weight in offspring rats, particularly in female rats, and impaired spatial learning and memory of female offspring rats in the Morris water maze. Correspondingly, the decreased CaMKII and CREB mRNA in the hippocampus were detected in prenatally stressed female offspring, which partially explained the effect of PS on the spatial learning and memory. Our findings suggested that CaMKII and CREB may be involved in spatial learning and memory processes in the prenatally stressed adult female offspring.

Non-traditional approaches to teaching GPS online

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matias, A.; Wolf, D. F., II

2009-12-01

Students are increasingly turning to the web for quality education that fits into their lives. Nonetheless, online learning brings challenges as well as a fresh opportunity for exploring pedagogical practices not present on traditional higher education programs, particularly in the sciences. A team of two dozen Empire State College-State University of New York instructional designers, faculty, and other staff are working on making science relevant to non-majors who may initially have anxiety about general education science courses. One of these courses, GPS and the New Geography, focuses on how Global Positioning System (GPS) technology provides a base for inquiry and scientific discovery from a range of environmental issues with local, regional, and global scope. GPS and the New Geography is an introductory level course developed under a grant supported by the Charitable Leadership Foundation. Taking advantage of the proliferation of tools currently available for online learning management systems, we explore current trends in Web 2.0 applications to aggregate and leverage data to create a nontraditional, interactive learning environment. Using our best practices to promote on-line discussion and interaction, these tools help engage students and foster deep learning. During the 15-week term students learn through case studies, problem-based exercises, and the use of scientific data; thus, expanding their spatial literacy and gain experience using real spatial technology tools to enhance their understanding of real-world issues. In particular, we present how the use of Mapblogs an in-house developed blogging platform that uses GIS interplaying with GPS units, interactive data presentations, intuitive visual working environments, harnessing RSS feeds, and other nontraditional Web 2.0 technology has successfully promoted active learning in the virtual learning environment.

Sex Differences in Using Spatial and Verbal Abilities Influence Route Learning Performance in a Virtual Environment: A Comparison of 6- to 12-Year Old Boys and Girls.

PubMed

Merrill, Edward C; Yang, Yingying; Roskos, Beverly; Steele, Sara

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reported sex differences in wayfinding performance among adults. Men are typically better at using Euclidean information and survey strategies while women are better at using landmark information and route strategies. However, relatively few studies have examined sex differences in wayfinding in children. This research investigated relationships between route learning performance and two general abilities: spatial ability and verbal memory in 153 boys and girls between 6- to 12-years-old. Children completed a battery of spatial ability tasks (a two-dimension mental rotation task, a paper folding task, a visuo-spatial working memory task, and a Piagetian water level task) and a verbal memory task. In the route learning task, they had to learn a route through a series of hallways presented via computer. Boys had better overall route learning performance than did girls. In fact, the difference between boys and girls was constant across the age range tested. Structural equation modeling of the children's performance revealed that spatial abilities and verbal memory were significant contributors to route learning performance. However, there were different patterns of correlates for boys and girls. For boys, spatial abilities contributed to route learning while verbal memory did not. In contrast, for girls both spatial abilities and verbal memory contributed to their route learning performance. This difference may reflect the precursor of a strategic difference between boys and girls in wayfinding that is commonly observed in adults.

Use of spatial information and search strategies in a water maze analog in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Foucaud, Julien; Burns, James G; Mery, Frederic

2010-12-03

Learning the spatial organization of the environment is crucial to fitness in most animal species. Understanding proximate and ultimate factors underpinning spatial memory is thus a major goal in the study of animal behavior. Despite considerable interest in various aspects of its behavior and biology, the model species Drosophila melanogaster lacks a standardized apparatus to investigate spatial learning and memory. We propose here a novel apparatus, the heat maze, conceptually based on the Morris water maze used in rodents. Using the heat maze, we demonstrate that D. melanogaster flies are able to use either proximal or distal visual cues to increase their performance in navigating to a safe zone. We also show that flies are actively using the orientation of distal visual cues when relevant in targeting the safe zone, i.e., Drosophila display spatial learning. Parameter-based classification of search strategies demonstrated the progressive use of spatially precise search strategies during learning. We discuss the opportunity to unravel the mechanistic and evolutionary bases of spatial learning in Drosophila using the heat maze.

Toward accelerating landslide mapping with interactive machine learning techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stumpf, André; Lachiche, Nicolas; Malet, Jean-Philippe; Kerle, Norman; Puissant, Anne

2013-04-01

Despite important advances in the development of more automated methods for landslide mapping from optical remote sensing images, the elaboration of inventory maps after major triggering events still remains a tedious task. Image classification with expert defined rules typically still requires significant manual labour for the elaboration and adaption of rule sets for each particular case. Machine learning algorithm, on the contrary, have the ability to learn and identify complex image patterns from labelled examples but may require relatively large amounts of training data. In order to reduce the amount of required training data active learning has evolved as key concept to guide the sampling for applications such as document classification, genetics and remote sensing. The general underlying idea of most active learning approaches is to initialize a machine learning model with a small training set, and to subsequently exploit the model state and/or the data structure to iteratively select the most valuable samples that should be labelled by the user and added in the training set. With relatively few queries and labelled samples, an active learning strategy should ideally yield at least the same accuracy than an equivalent classifier trained with many randomly selected samples. Our study was dedicated to the development of an active learning approach for landslide mapping from VHR remote sensing images with special consideration of the spatial distribution of the samples. The developed approach is a region-based query heuristic that enables to guide the user attention towards few compact spatial batches rather than distributed points resulting in time savings of 50% and more compared to standard active learning techniques. The approach was tested with multi-temporal and multi-sensor satellite images capturing recent large scale triggering events in Brazil and China and demonstrated balanced user's and producer's accuracies between 74% and 80%. The assessment also included an experimental evaluation of the uncertainties of manual mappings from multiple experts and demonstrated strong relationships between the uncertainty of the experts and the machine learning model.

New models to support the professional education of health visitors: A qualitative study of the role of space and place in creating 'community of learning hubs'.

PubMed

Donetto, Sara; Malone, Mary; Sayer, Lynn; Robert, Glenn

2017-07-01

In response to a policy-driven workforce expansion in England new models of preparing health visitors for practice have been implemented. 'Community of Learning hubs' (COLHs) are one such model, involving different possible approaches to student support in clinical practice placements (for example, 'long arm mentoring' or 'action learning set' sessions). Such models present opportunities for studying the possible effects of spatiality on the learning experiences of students and newly qualified health visitors, and on team relationships more broadly. To explore a 'community of learning hub' model in health visitor education and reflect on the role of space and place in the learning experience and professional identity development of student health visitors. Qualitative research conducted during first year of implementation. Three 'community of learning hub' projects based in two NHS community Trusts in London during the period 2013-2015. Managers and leads (n=7), practice teachers and mentors (n=6) and newly qualified and student health visitors (n=16). Semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews analysed thematically. Participants had differing views as to what constituted a 'hub' in their projects. Two themes emerged around the spaces that shape the learning experience of student and newly qualified health visitors. Firstly, a generalised need for a 'quiet place' which allows pause for reflection but also for sharing experiences and relieving common anxieties. Secondly, the role of physical arrangements in open-plan spaces to promote access to support from more experienced practitioners. Attention to spatiality can shed light on important aspects of teaching and learning practices, and on the professional identities these practices shape and support. New configurations of time and space as part of educational initiatives can surface new insights into existing practices and learning models. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Connecting mathematics learning through spatial reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulligan, Joanne; Woolcott, Geoffrey; Mitchelmore, Michael; Davis, Brent

2018-03-01

Spatial reasoning, an emerging transdisciplinary area of interest to mathematics education research, is proving integral to all human learning. It is particularly critical to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This project will create an innovative knowledge framework based on spatial reasoning that identifies new pathways for mathematics learning, pedagogy and curriculum. Novel analytical tools will map the unknown complex systems linking spatial and mathematical concepts. It will involve the design, implementation and evaluation of a Spatial Reasoning Mathematics Program (SRMP) in Grades 3 to 5. Benefits will be seen through development of critical spatial skills for students, increased teacher capability and informed policy and curriculum across STEM education.

Daytime Sleep Enhances Consolidation of the Spatial but Not Motoric Representation of Motor Sequence Memory

PubMed Central

Albouy, Geneviève; Fogel, Stuart; Pottiez, Hugo; Nguyen, Vo An; Ray, Laura; Lungu, Ovidiu; Carrier, Julie; Robertson, Edwin; Doyon, Julien

2013-01-01

Motor sequence learning is known to rely on more than a single process. As the skill develops with practice, two different representations of the sequence are formed: a goal representation built under spatial allocentric coordinates and a movement representation mediated through egocentric motor coordinates. This study aimed to explore the influence of daytime sleep (nap) on consolidation of these two representations. Through the manipulation of an explicit finger sequence learning task and a transfer protocol, we show that both allocentric (spatial) and egocentric (motor) representations of the sequence can be isolated after initial training. Our results also demonstrate that nap favors the emergence of offline gains in performance for the allocentric, but not the egocentric representation, even after accounting for fatigue effects. Furthermore, sleep-dependent gains in performance observed for the allocentric representation are correlated with spindle density during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep of the post-training nap. In contrast, performance on the egocentric representation is only maintained, but not improved, regardless of the sleep/wake condition. These results suggest that motor sequence memory acquisition and consolidation involve distinct mechanisms that rely on sleep (and specifically, spindle) or simple passage of time, depending respectively on whether the sequence is performed under allocentric or egocentric coordinates. PMID:23300993

Acquisition of an instrumental activity of daily living in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome: a comparison of trial and error and errorless learning.

PubMed

Oudman, Erik; Nijboer, Tanja C W; Postma, Albert; Wijnia, Jan W; Kerklaan, Sandra; Lindsen, Karen; Van der Stigchel, Stefan

2013-01-01

Patients with Korsakoff's syndrome show devastating amnesia and executive deficits. Consequently, the ability to perform instrumental activities such as making coffee is frequently diminished. It is currently unknown whether patients with Korsakoff's syndrome are able to (re)learn instrumental activities. A good candidate for an effective teaching technique in Korsakoff's syndrome is errorless learning as it is based on intact implicit memory functioning. Therefore, the aim of the current study was two-fold: to investigate whether patients with Korsakoff's syndrome are able to (re)learn instrumental activities, and to compare the effectiveness of errorless learning with trial and error learning in the acquisition and maintenance of an instrumental activity, namely using a washing machine to do the laundry. Whereas initial learning performance in the errorless learning condition was superior, both intervention techniques resulted in similar improvement over eight learning sessions. Moreover, performance in a different spatial layout showed a comparable improvement. Notably, in follow-up sessions starting after four weeks without practice, performance was still elevated in the errorless learning condition, but not in the trial and error condition. The current study demonstrates that (re)learning and maintenance of an instrumental activity is possible in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome.

Temporal and Region-Specific Requirements of αCaMKII in Spatial and Contextual Learning

PubMed Central

Achterberg, Katharina G.; Buitendijk, Gabriëlle H.S.; Kool, Martijn J.; Goorden, Susanna M.I.; Post, Laura; Slump, Denise E.; Silva, Alcino J.; van Woerden, Geeske M.

2014-01-01

The α isoform of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (αCaMKII) has been implicated extensively in molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying spatial and contextual learning in a wide variety of species. Germline deletion of Camk2a leads to severe deficits in spatial and contextual learning in mice. However, the temporal and region-specific requirements for αCaMKII have remained largely unexplored. Here, we generated conditional Camk2a mutants to examine the influence of spatially restricted and temporally controlled expression of αCaMKII. Forebrain-specific deletion of the Camk2a gene resulted in severe deficits in water maze and contextual fear learning, whereas mice with deletion restricted to the cerebellum learned normally. Furthermore, we found that temporally controlled deletion of the Camk2a gene in adult mice is as detrimental as germline deletion for learning and synaptic plasticity. Together, we confirm the requirement for αCaMKII in the forebrain, but not the cerebellum, in spatial and contextual learning. Moreover, we highlight the absolute requirement for intact αCaMKII expression at the time of learning. PMID:25143599

Development of Critical Spatial Thinking through GIS Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minsung; Bednarz, Robert

2013-01-01

This study developed an interview-based critical spatial thinking oral test and used the test to investigate the effects of Geographic Information System (GIS) learning on three components of critical spatial thinking: evaluating data reliability, exercising spatial reasoning, and assessing problem-solving validity. Thirty-two students at a large…

Think3d!: Improving Mathematics Learning through Embodied Spatial Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burte, Heather; Gardony, Aaron L.; Hutton, Allyson; Taylor, Holly A.

2017-01-01

Spatial thinking skills positively relate to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) outcomes, but spatial training is largely absent in elementary school. Elementary school is a time when children develop foundational cognitive skills that will support STEM learning throughout their education. Spatial thinking should be considered a…

Enhancing Spatial Resolution of Remotely Sensed Imagery Using Deep Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, J. M.; Bridges, S.; Collins, C.; Rushing, J.; Graves, S. J.

2017-12-01

Researchers at the Information Technology and Systems Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville are using Deep Learning with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to develop a method for enhancing the spatial resolutions of moderate resolution (10-60m) multispectral satellite imagery. This enhancement will effectively match the resolutions of imagery from multiple sensors to provide increased global temporal-spatial coverage for a variety of Earth science products. Our research is centered on using Deep Learning for automatically generating transformations for increasing the spatial resolution of remotely sensed images with different spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions. One of the most important steps in using images from multiple sensors is to transform the different image layers into the same spatial resolution, preferably the highest spatial resolution, without compromising the spectral information. Recent advances in Deep Learning have shown that CNNs can be used to effectively and efficiently upscale or enhance the spatial resolution of multispectral images with the use of an auxiliary data source such as a high spatial resolution panchromatic image. In contrast, we are using both the spatial and spectral details inherent in low spatial resolution multispectral images for image enhancement without the use of a panchromatic image. This presentation will discuss how this technology will benefit many Earth Science applications that use remotely sensed images with moderate spatial resolutions.

Developmental changes in spatial learning in the Morris water-maze in young meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus.

PubMed

Galea, L A; Ossenkopp, K P; Kavaliers, M

1994-01-31

Spatial learning in pre- and postweaning meadow voles, (Microtus pennsylvanicus) was examined in a Morris water-maze task. The learning performance of 10-day-old (preweaning) and 15-, 20- and 25-day-old (postweaning) male and female voles was assessed by measuring the latency to reach a hidden platform by each animal twice a day for 5 days. Voles of all age groups were able to learn the spatial task with Day 10 and Day 15 voles acquiring the task more slowly than did Day 20 and Day 25 voles. There were no significant sex differences in task acquisition in any of the four age groups. In addition, although swimming speed was related to age, with older animals swimming faster than younger ones, differences in swim speed did not account for the faster acquisition by the older animals. These results show that both preweaning and postweaning voles can successfully learn a spatial task. This is in contrast to preweaning laboratory rats which cannot successfully acquire a similar spatial task. These findings indicate that there are species differences in the ontogeny of spatial learning, which are likely related to the ecological and behavioural developmental characteristics of the species. Furthermore, in contrast to the sex difference in water-maze performance obtained in adult, breeding meadow voles who demonstrate a sex difference, there were no significant sex differences in the spatial performance of the juvenile voles. This suggests that sex differences in spatial learning in the meadow vole do not appear until voles reach reproductive adulthood.

Containment and Support: Core and Complexity in Spatial Language Learning.

PubMed

Landau, Barbara; Johannes, Kristen; Skordos, Dimitrios; Papafragou, Anna

2017-04-01

Containment and support have traditionally been assumed to represent universal conceptual foundations for spatial terms. This assumption can be challenged, however: English in and on are applied across a surprisingly broad range of exemplars, and comparable terms in other languages show significant variation in their application. We propose that the broad domains of both containment and support have internal structure that reflects different subtypes, that this structure is reflected in basic spatial term usage across languages, and that it constrains children's spatial term learning. Using a newly developed battery, we asked how adults and 4-year-old children speaking English or Greek distribute basic spatial terms across subtypes of containment and support. We found that containment showed similar distributions of basic terms across subtypes among all groups while support showed such similarity only among adults, with striking differences between children learning English versus Greek. We conclude that the two domains differ considerably in the learning problems they present, and that learning in and on is remarkably complex. Together, our results point to the need for a more nuanced view of spatial term learning. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Hippocampus-dependent place learning enables spatial flexibility in C57BL6/N mice

PubMed Central

Kleinknecht, Karl R.; Bedenk, Benedikt T.; Kaltwasser, Sebastian F.; Grünecker, Barbara; Yen, Yi-Chun; Czisch, Michael; Wotjak, Carsten T.

2012-01-01

Spatial navigation is a fundamental capability necessary in everyday life to locate food, social partners, and shelter. It results from two very different strategies: (1) place learning which enables for flexible way finding and (2) response learning that leads to a more rigid “route following.” Despite the importance of knockout techniques that are only available in mice, little is known about mice' flexibility in spatial navigation tasks. Here we demonstrate for C57BL6/N mice in a water-cross maze (WCM) that only place learning enables spatial flexibility and relearning of a platform position, whereas response learning does not. This capability depends on an intact hippocampal formation, since hippocampus lesions by ibotenic acid (IA) disrupted relearning. In vivo manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed a volume loss of ≥60% of the hippocampus as a critical threshold for relearning impairments. In particular the changes in the left ventral hippocampus were indicative of relearning deficits. In summary, our findings establish the importance of hippocampus-dependent place learning for spatial flexibility and provide a first systematic analysis on spatial flexibility in mice. PMID:23293591

Sex Differences in Using Spatial and Verbal Abilities Influence Route Learning Performance in a Virtual Environment: A Comparison of 6- to 12-Year Old Boys and Girls

PubMed Central

Merrill, Edward C.; Yang, Yingying; Roskos, Beverly; Steele, Sara

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reported sex differences in wayfinding performance among adults. Men are typically better at using Euclidean information and survey strategies while women are better at using landmark information and route strategies. However, relatively few studies have examined sex differences in wayfinding in children. This research investigated relationships between route learning performance and two general abilities: spatial ability and verbal memory in 153 boys and girls between 6- to 12-years-old. Children completed a battery of spatial ability tasks (a two-dimension mental rotation task, a paper folding task, a visuo-spatial working memory task, and a Piagetian water level task) and a verbal memory task. In the route learning task, they had to learn a route through a series of hallways presented via computer. Boys had better overall route learning performance than did girls. In fact, the difference between boys and girls was constant across the age range tested. Structural equation modeling of the children’s performance revealed that spatial abilities and verbal memory were significant contributors to route learning performance. However, there were different patterns of correlates for boys and girls. For boys, spatial abilities contributed to route learning while verbal memory did not. In contrast, for girls both spatial abilities and verbal memory contributed to their route learning performance. This difference may reflect the precursor of a strategic difference between boys and girls in wayfinding that is commonly observed in adults. PMID:26941701

Reduced spatial learning in mice infected with the nematode, Heligmosomoides polygyrus.

PubMed

Kavaliers, M; Colwell, D D

1995-06-01

Parasite modification of host behaviour influences a number of critical responses, but little is known about the effects on host spatial abilities. This study examined the effects of infection with the intestinal trichostrongylid nematode, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, on spatial water maze learning by male laboratory mice, Mus musculus. In this task individual mice had to learn the spatial location of a submerged hidden platform using extramaze visual cues. Determinations of spatial performance were made on day 19 post-infection with mice that had been administered either 50 or 200 infective larvae of H. polygyrus. The infected mice displayed over 1 day of testing (6 blocks of 4 trials) significantly poorer acquisition and retention of the water maze task than either sham-infected or control mice, with mice that had received 200 infective larvae displaying significantly poorer spatial performance than individuals receiving 50 larvae. The decrease in spatial learning occurred in the absence of either any symptoms of illness and malaise, or any evident motor, visual and motivational impairments. It is suggested that in this single host system the parasitic infection-induced decrease in spatial learning arises as a side-effect of the host's immunological and neuromodulatory responses and represents a fitness cost of response to infection.

Spatial frequency discrimination learning in normal and developmentally impaired human vision

PubMed Central

Astle, Andrew T.; Webb, Ben S.; McGraw, Paul V.

2010-01-01

Perceptual learning effects demonstrate that the adult visual system retains neural plasticity. If perceptual learning holds any value as a treatment tool for amblyopia, trained improvements in performance must generalise. Here we investigate whether spatial frequency discrimination learning generalises within task to other spatial frequencies, and across task to contrast sensitivity. Before and after training, we measured contrast sensitivity and spatial frequency discrimination (at a range of reference frequencies 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 c/deg). During training, normal and amblyopic observers were divided into three groups. Each group trained on a spatial frequency discrimination task at one reference frequency (2, 4, or 8 c/deg). Normal and amblyopic observers who trained at lower frequencies showed a greater rate of within task learning (at their reference frequency) compared to those trained at higher frequencies. Compared to normals, amblyopic observers showed greater within task learning, at the trained reference frequency. Normal and amblyopic observers showed asymmetrical transfer of learning from high to low spatial frequencies. Both normal and amblyopic subjects showed transfer to contrast sensitivity. The direction of transfer for contrast sensitivity measurements was from the trained spatial frequency to higher frequencies, with the bandwidth and magnitude of transfer greater in the amblyopic observers compared to normals. The findings provide further support for the therapeutic efficacy of this approach and establish general principles that may help develop more effective protocols for the treatment of developmental visual deficits. PMID:20832416

Plasticity of spatial hearing: behavioural effects of cortical inactivation

PubMed Central

Nodal, Fernando R; Bajo, Victoria M; King, Andrew J

2012-01-01

The contribution of auditory cortex to spatial information processing was explored behaviourally in adult ferrets by reversibly deactivating different cortical areas by subdural placement of a polymer that released the GABAA agonist muscimol over a period of weeks. The spatial extent and time course of cortical inactivation were determined electrophysiologically. Muscimol-Elvax was placed bilaterally over the anterior (AEG), middle (MEG) or posterior ectosylvian gyrus (PEG), so that different regions of the auditory cortex could be deactivated in different cases. Sound localization accuracy in the horizontal plane was assessed by measuring both the initial head orienting and approach-to-target responses made by the animals. Head orienting behaviour was unaffected by silencing any region of the auditory cortex, whereas the accuracy of approach-to-target responses to brief sounds (40 ms noise bursts) was reduced by muscimol-Elvax but not by drug-free implants. Modest but significant localization impairments were observed after deactivating the MEG, AEG or PEG, although the largest deficits were produced in animals in which the MEG, where the primary auditory fields are located, was silenced. We also examined experience-induced spatial plasticity by reversibly plugging one ear. In control animals, localization accuracy for both approach-to-target and head orienting responses was initially impaired by monaural occlusion, but recovered with training over the next few days. Deactivating any part of the auditory cortex resulted in less complete recovery than in controls, with the largest deficits observed after silencing the higher-level cortical areas in the AEG and PEG. Although suggesting that each region of auditory cortex contributes to spatial learning, differences in the localization deficits and degree of adaptation between groups imply a regional specialization in the processing of spatial information across the auditory cortex. PMID:22547635

A Deep Similarity Metric Learning Model for Matching Text Chunks to Spatial Entities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, K.; Wu, L.; Tao, L.; Li, W.; Xie, Z.

2017-12-01

The matching of spatial entities with related text is a long-standing research topic that has received considerable attention over the years. This task aims at enrich the contents of spatial entity, and attach the spatial location information to the text chunk. In the data fusion field, matching spatial entities with the corresponding describing text chunks has a big range of significance. However, the most traditional matching methods often rely fully on manually designed, task-specific linguistic features. This work proposes a Deep Similarity Metric Learning Model (DSMLM) based on Siamese Neural Network to learn similarity metric directly from the textural attributes of spatial entity and text chunk. The low-dimensional feature representation of the space entity and the text chunk can be learned separately. By employing the Cosine distance to measure the matching degree between the vectors, the model can make the matching pair vectors as close as possible. Mearnwhile, it makes the mismatching as far apart as possible through supervised learning. In addition, extensive experiments and analysis on geological survey data sets show that our DSMLM model can effectively capture the matching characteristics between the text chunk and the spatial entity, and achieve state-of-the-art performance.

Hyperspectral imagery super-resolution by compressive sensing inspired dictionary learning and spatial-spectral regularization.

PubMed

Huang, Wei; Xiao, Liang; Liu, Hongyi; Wei, Zhihui

2015-01-19

Due to the instrumental and imaging optics limitations, it is difficult to acquire high spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery (HSI). Super-resolution (SR) imagery aims at inferring high quality images of a given scene from degraded versions of the same scene. This paper proposes a novel hyperspectral imagery super-resolution (HSI-SR) method via dictionary learning and spatial-spectral regularization. The main contributions of this paper are twofold. First, inspired by the compressive sensing (CS) framework, for learning the high resolution dictionary, we encourage stronger sparsity on image patches and promote smaller coherence between the learned dictionary and sensing matrix. Thus, a sparsity and incoherence restricted dictionary learning method is proposed to achieve higher efficiency sparse representation. Second, a variational regularization model combing a spatial sparsity regularization term and a new local spectral similarity preserving term is proposed to integrate the spectral and spatial-contextual information of the HSI. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively recover spatial information and better preserve spectral information. The high spatial resolution HSI reconstructed by the proposed method outperforms reconstructed results by other well-known methods in terms of both objective measurements and visual evaluation.

Spatial Integration under Contextual Control in a Virtual Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molet, Mikael; Gambet, Boris; Bugallo, Mehdi; Miller, Ralph R.

2012-01-01

The role of context was examined in the selection and integration of independently learned spatial relationships. Using a dynamic 3D virtual environment, participants learned one spatial relationship between landmarks A and B which was established in one virtual context (e.g., A is left of B) and a different spatial relationship which was…

Effects of a cognitive training on spatial learning and associated functional brain activations

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Both cognitive and physical exercise have been discussed as promising interventions for healthy cognitive aging. The present study assessed the effects of cognitive training (spatial vs. perceptual training) and physical training (endurance training vs. non-endurance training) on spatial learning and associated brain activation in 33 adults (40–55 years). Spatial learning was assessed with a virtual maze task, and at the same time neural correlates were measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results Only the spatial training improved performance in the maze task. These behavioral gains were accompanied by a decrease in frontal and temporal lobe activity. At posttest, participants of the spatial training group showed lower activity than participants of the perceptual training group in a network of brain regions associated with spatial learning, including the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus. No significant differences were observed between the two physical intervention groups. Conclusions Functional changes in neural systems associated with spatial navigation can be induced by cognitive interventions and seem to be stronger than effects of physical exercise in middle-aged adults. PMID:23870447

Using Mobile Devices to Enhance the Interactive Learning for Spatial Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Kuo-En; Wu, Lin-Jung; Lai, Shing-Chuang; Sung, Yao-Ting

2016-01-01

The purpose of this research is to develop a hands-on spatial geometry learning system to facilitate the learning of geometry. The development of this system was based on Duval's four critical elements of geometric learning: perceptual apprehension, sequential apprehension, operative apprehension, and discursive apprehension. The system offers…

Dynamical Motor Control Learned with Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Conventional models of motor control exploit the spatial representation of the controlled system to generate control commands. Typically, the control command is gained with the feedback state of a specific instant in time, which behaves like an optimal regulator or spatial filter to the feedback state. Yet, recent neuroscience studies found that the motor network may constitute an autonomous dynamical system and the temporal patterns of the control command can be contained in the dynamics of the motor network, that is, the dynamical system hypothesis (DSH). Inspired by these findings, here we propose a computational model that incorporates this neural mechanism, in which the control command could be unfolded from a dynamical controller whose initial state is specified with the task parameters. The model is trained in a trial-and-error manner in the framework of deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG). The experimental results show that the dynamical controller successfully learns the control policy for arm reaching movements, while the analysis of the internal activities of the dynamical controller provides the computational evidence to the DSH of the neural coding in motor cortices. PMID:29666634

Dynamical Motor Control Learned with Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient.

PubMed

Shi, Haibo; Sun, Yaoru; Li, Jie

2018-01-01

Conventional models of motor control exploit the spatial representation of the controlled system to generate control commands. Typically, the control command is gained with the feedback state of a specific instant in time, which behaves like an optimal regulator or spatial filter to the feedback state. Yet, recent neuroscience studies found that the motor network may constitute an autonomous dynamical system and the temporal patterns of the control command can be contained in the dynamics of the motor network, that is, the dynamical system hypothesis (DSH). Inspired by these findings, here we propose a computational model that incorporates this neural mechanism, in which the control command could be unfolded from a dynamical controller whose initial state is specified with the task parameters. The model is trained in a trial-and-error manner in the framework of deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG). The experimental results show that the dynamical controller successfully learns the control policy for arm reaching movements, while the analysis of the internal activities of the dynamical controller provides the computational evidence to the DSH of the neural coding in motor cortices.

Cortical plasticity associated with Braille learning.

PubMed

Hamilton, R H; Pascual-Leone, A

1998-05-01

Blind subjects who learn to read Braille must acquire the ability to extract spatial information from subtle tactile stimuli. In order to accomplish this, neuroplastic changes appear to take place. During Braille learning, the sensorimotor cortical area devoted to the representation of the reading finger enlarges. This enlargement follows a two-step process that can be demonstrated with transcranial magnetic stimulation mapping and suggests initial unmasking of existing connections and eventual establishment of more stable structural changes. In addition, Braille learning appears to be associated with the recruitment of parts of the occipital, formerly `visual', cortex (V1 and V2) for tactile information processing. In blind, proficient Braille readers, the occipital cortex can be shown not only to be associated with tactile Braille reading but also to be critical for reading accuracy. Recent studies suggest the possibility of applying non-invasive neurophysiological techniques to guide and improve functional outcomes of these plastic changes. Such interventions might provide a means of accelerating functional adjustment to blindness.

Spatial affect learning restricted in major depression relative to anxiety disorders and healthy controls.

PubMed

Gollan, Jackie K; Norris, Catherine J; Hoxha, Denada; Irick, John Stockton; Hawkley, Louise C; Cacioppo, John T

2014-01-01

Detecting and learning the location of unpleasant or pleasant scenarios, or spatial affect learning, is an essential skill that safeguards well-being (Crawford & Cacioppo, 2002). Potentially altered by psychiatric illness, this skill has yet to be measured in adults with and without major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders (AD). This study enrolled 199 adults diagnosed with MDD and AD (n=53), MDD (n=47), AD (n=54), and no disorders (n=45). Measures included clinical interviews, self-reports, and a validated spatial affect task using affective pictures (IAPS; Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 2005). Participants with MDD showed impaired spatial affect learning of negative stimuli and irrelevant learning of pleasant pictures compared with non-depressed adults. Adults with MDD may use a "GOOD is UP" heuristic reflected by their impaired learning of the opposite correlation (i.e., "BAD is UP") and performance in the pleasant version of the task.

Poststroke Hemiparesis Impairs the Rate but not Magnitude of Adaptation of Spatial and Temporal Locomotor Features

PubMed Central

Savin, Douglas N.; Tseng, Shih-Chiao; Whitall, Jill; Morton, Susanne M.

2015-01-01

Background Persons with stroke and hemiparesis walk with a characteristic pattern of spatial and temporal asymmetry that is resistant to most traditional interventions. It was recently shown in nondisabled persons that the degree of walking symmetry can be readily altered via locomotor adaptation. However, it is unclear whether stroke-related brain damage affects the ability to adapt spatial or temporal gait symmetry. Objective Determine whether locomotor adaptation to a novel swing phase perturbation is impaired in persons with chronic stroke and hemiparesis. Methods Participants with ischemic stroke (14) and nondisabled controls (12) walked on a treadmill before, during, and after adaptation to a unilateral perturbing weight that resisted forward leg movement. Leg kinematics were measured bilaterally, including step length and single-limb support (SLS) time symmetry, limb angle center of oscillation, and interlimb phasing, and magnitude of “initial” and “late” locomotor adaptation rates were determined. Results All participants had similar magnitudes of adaptation and similar initial adaptation rates both spatially and temporally. All 14 participants with stroke and baseline asymmetry temporarily walked with improved SLS time symmetry after adaptation. However, late adaptation rates poststroke were decreased (took more strides to achieve adaptation) compared with controls. Conclusions Mild to moderate hemiparesis does not interfere with the initial acquisition of novel symmetrical gait patterns in both the spatial and temporal domains, though it does disrupt the rate at which “late” adaptive changes are produced. Impairment of the late, slow phase of learning may be an important rehabilitation consideration in this patient population. PMID:22367915

Spatial Thinking: Precept for Understanding Operational Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-10

A Computer Movie Simulating Urban Growth in the Detroit Region,” 236. 29 U.S. National Research Council, Learning to Think Spatially: GIS as a... children and spatial language, the article focuses on the use of geospatial information systems (GIS) as a support mechanism for learning to think...Thinking, Cognition, Learning , Geospatial, Operating Environment, Space Perception 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18

Spatial parameters at the basis of social transfer of learning.

PubMed

Lugli, Luisa; Iani, Cristina; Milanese, Nadia; Sebanz, Natalie; Rubichi, Sandro

2015-06-01

Recent research indicates that practicing on a joint spatial compatibility task with an incompatible stimulus-response mapping affects subsequent joint Simon task performance, eliminating the social Simon effect. It has been well established that in individual contexts, for transfer of learning to occur, participants need to practice an incompatible association between stimulus and response positions. The mechanisms underlying transfer of learning in joint task performance are, however, less well understood. The present study was aimed at assessing the relative contribution of 3 different spatial relations characterizing the joint practice context: stimulus-response, stimulus-participant, and participant-response relations. In 3 experiments, the authors manipulated the stimulus-response, stimulus-participant, and response-participant associations. We found that learning from the practice task did not transfer to the subsequent task when during practice stimulus-response associations were spatially incompatible and stimulus-participant associations were compatible (Experiment 1). However, a transfer of learning was evident when stimulus-participant associations were spatially incompatible. This occurred both when response-participant associations were incompatible (Experiment 2) and when they were compatible (Experiment 3). These results seem to support an agent corepresentation account of correspondence effects emerging in joint settings since they suggest that, in social contexts, critical to obtain transfer-of-learning effects is the spatial relation between stimulus and participant positions while the spatial relation between stimulus and response positions is irrelevant. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Six Myths About Spatial Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newcombe, Nora S.; Stieff, Mike

2012-04-01

Visualizations are an increasingly important part of scientific education and discovery. However, users often do not gain knowledge from them in a complete or efficient way. This article aims to direct research on visualizations in science education in productive directions by reviewing the evidence for widespread assumptions that learning styles, sex differences, developmental stages, and spatial language determine the impact of visualizations on science learning. First, we examine the assumption that people differ in their verbal versus visual learning style. Due to the lack of rigorous evaluation, there is no current support for this distinction. Future research should distinguish between two different kinds of visual learning style. Second, we consider the belief that there are large and intractable sex differences in spatial ability resultant from immutable biological reasons. Although there are some spatial sex differences (in some types of spatial tests although not all), there is actually only very mixed support for biological causation. Most important, there is conclusive evidence that spatial skills can be improved through training and education. Third, we explore educators' use of Piaget's ideas about spatial development to draw conclusions about 'developmental appropriateness'. However, recent research on spatial development has focused on identifying sequences that begin with early starting points of skill, and spatial education is possible in some form at all ages. Fourth, although spatial language does not determine spatial thought, it does frame attention in a way that can have impact on learning and understanding. We examine the empirical support for each assumption and its relevance to future research on visualizations in science education.

Understanding How to Build Long-Lived Learning Collaborators

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-16

discrimination in learning, and dynamic encoding strategies to improve visual encoding for learning via analogical generalization. We showed that spatial concepts...a 20,000 sketch corpus to examine the tradeoffs involved in visual representation and analogical generalization. 15. SUBJECT TERMS...strategies to improve visual encoding for learning via analogical generalization. We showed that spatial concepts can be learned via analogical

View-invariant object category learning, recognition, and search: how spatial and object attention are coordinated using surface-based attentional shrouds.

PubMed

Fazl, Arash; Grossberg, Stephen; Mingolla, Ennio

2009-02-01

How does the brain learn to recognize an object from multiple viewpoints while scanning a scene with eye movements? How does the brain avoid the problem of erroneously classifying parts of different objects together? How are attention and eye movements intelligently coordinated to facilitate object learning? A neural model provides a unified mechanistic explanation of how spatial and object attention work together to search a scene and learn what is in it. The ARTSCAN model predicts how an object's surface representation generates a form-fitting distribution of spatial attention, or "attentional shroud". All surface representations dynamically compete for spatial attention to form a shroud. The winning shroud persists during active scanning of the object. The shroud maintains sustained activity of an emerging view-invariant category representation while multiple view-specific category representations are learned and are linked through associative learning to the view-invariant object category. The shroud also helps to restrict scanning eye movements to salient features on the attended object. Object attention plays a role in controlling and stabilizing the learning of view-specific object categories. Spatial attention hereby coordinates the deployment of object attention during object category learning. Shroud collapse releases a reset signal that inhibits the active view-invariant category in the What cortical processing stream. Then a new shroud, corresponding to a different object, forms in the Where cortical processing stream, and search using attention shifts and eye movements continues to learn new objects throughout a scene. The model mechanistically clarifies basic properties of attention shifts (engage, move, disengage) and inhibition of return. It simulates human reaction time data about object-based spatial attention shifts, and learns with 98.1% accuracy and a compression of 430 on a letter database whose letters vary in size, position, and orientation. The model provides a powerful framework for unifying many data about spatial and object attention, and their interactions during perception, cognition, and action.

Mechanisms of value-learning in the guidance of spatial attention.

PubMed

Anderson, Brian A; Kim, Haena

2018-05-11

The role of associative reward learning in the guidance of feature-based attention is well established. The extent to which reward learning can modulate spatial attention has been much more controversial. At least one demonstration of a persistent spatial attention bias following space-based associative reward learning has been reported. At the same time, multiple other experiments have been published failing to demonstrate enduring attentional biases towards locations at which a target, if found, yields high reward. This is in spite of evidence that participants use reward structures to inform their decisions where to search, leading some to suggest that, unlike feature-based attention, spatial attention may be impervious to the influence of learning from reward structures. Here, we demonstrate a robust bias towards regions of a scene that participants were previously rewarded for selecting. This spatial bias relies on representations that are anchored to the configuration of objects within a scene. The observed bias appears to be driven specifically by reinforcement learning, and can be observed with equal strength following non-reward corrective feedback. The time course of the bias is consistent with a transient shift of attention, rather than a strategic search pattern, and is evident in eye movement patterns during free viewing. Taken together, our findings reconcile previously conflicting reports and offer an integrative account of how learning from feedback shapes the spatial attention system. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Faces forming traces: neurophysiological correlates of learning naturally distinctive and caricatured faces.

PubMed

Schulz, Claudia; Kaufmann, Jürgen M; Kurt, Alexander; Schweinberger, Stefan R

2012-10-15

Distinctive faces are easier to learn and recognise than typical faces. We investigated effects of natural vs. artificial distinctiveness on performance and neural correlates of face learning. Spatial caricatures of initially non-distinctive faces were created such that their rated distinctiveness matched a set of naturally distinctive faces. During learning, we presented naturally distinctive, caricatured, and non-distinctive faces for later recognition among novel faces, using different images of the same identities at learning and test. For learned faces, an advantage in performance was observed for naturally distinctive and caricatured over non-distinctive faces, with larger benefits for naturally distinctive faces. Distinctive and caricatured faces elicited more negative occipitotemporal ERPs (P200, N250) and larger centroparietal positivity (LPC) during learning. At test, earliest distinctiveness effects were again seen in the P200. In line with recent research, N250 and LPC were larger for learned than for novel faces overall. Importantly, whereas left hemispheric N250 was increased for learned naturally distinctive faces, right hemispheric N250 responded particularly to caricatured novel faces. We conclude that natural distinctiveness induces benefits to face recognition beyond those induced by exaggeration of a face's idiosyncratic shape, and that the left hemisphere in particular may mediate recognition across different images. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teachers' Spatial Anxiety Relates to 1st-and 2nd-Graders' Spatial Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunderson, Elizabeth A.; Ramirez, Gerardo; Beilock, Sian L.; Levine, Susan C.

2013-01-01

Teachers' anxiety about an academic domain, such as math, can impact students' learning in that domain. We asked whether this relation held in the domain of spatial skill, given the importance of spatial skill for success in math and science and its malleability at a young age. We measured 1st-and 2nd-grade teachers' spatial anxiety…

Active Learning Environments with Robotic Tangibles: Children's Physical and Virtual Spatial Programming Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burleson, Winslow S.; Harlow, Danielle B.; Nilsen, Katherine J.; Perlin, Ken; Freed, Natalie; Jensen, Camilla Nørgaard; Lahey, Byron; Lu, Patrick; Muldner, Kasia

2018-01-01

As computational thinking becomes increasingly important for children to learn, we must develop interfaces that leverage the ways that young children learn to provide opportunities for them to develop these skills. Active Learning Environments with Robotic Tangibles (ALERT) and Robopad, an analogous on-screen virtual spatial programming…

The Role of Cognitive Abilities in Laparoscopic Simulator Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groenier, M.; Schraagen, J. M. C.; Miedema, H. A. T.; Broeders, I. A. J. M.

2014-01-01

Learning minimally invasive surgery (MIS) differs substantially from learning open surgery and trainees differ in their ability to learn MIS. Previous studies mainly focused on the role of visuo-spatial ability (VSA) on the learning curve for MIS. In the current study, the relationship between spatial memory, perceptual speed, and general…

Functional Equivalence of Spatial Images from Touch and Vision: Evidence from Spatial Updating in Blind and Sighted Individuals

PubMed Central

Giudice, Nicholas A.; Betty, Maryann R.; Loomis, Jack M.

2012-01-01

This research examines whether visual and haptic map learning yield functionally equivalent spatial images in working memory, as evidenced by similar encoding bias and updating performance. In three experiments, participants learned four-point routes either by seeing or feeling the maps. At test, blindfolded participants made spatial judgments about the maps from imagined perspectives that were either aligned or misaligned with the maps as represented in working memory. Results from Experiments 1 and 2 revealed a highly similar pattern of latencies and errors between visual and haptic conditions. These findings extend the well known alignment biases for visual map learning to haptic map learning, provide further evidence of haptic updating, and most importantly, show that learning from the two modalities yields very similar performance across all conditions. Experiment 3 found the same encoding biases and updating performance with blind individuals, demonstrating that functional equivalence cannot be due to visual recoding and is consistent with an amodal hypothesis of spatial images. PMID:21299331

Contextual cueing: implicit learning and memory of visual context guides spatial attention.

PubMed

Chun, M M; Jiang, Y

1998-06-01

Global context plays an important, but poorly understood, role in visual tasks. This study demonstrates that a robust memory for visual context exists to guide spatial attention. Global context was operationalized as the spatial layout of objects in visual search displays. Half of the configurations were repeated across blocks throughout the entire session, and targets appeared within consistent locations in these arrays. Targets appearing in learned configurations were detected more quickly. This newly discovered form of search facilitation is termed contextual cueing. Contextual cueing is driven by incidentally learned associations between spatial configurations (context) and target locations. This benefit was obtained despite chance performance for recognizing the configurations, suggesting that the memory for context was implicit. The results show how implicit learning and memory of visual context can guide spatial attention towards task-relevant aspects of a scene.

Hyperammonemia induces glial activation, neuroinflammation and alters neurotransmitter receptors in hippocampus, impairing spatial learning: reversal by sulforaphane.

PubMed

Hernández-Rabaza, Vicente; Cabrera-Pastor, Andrea; Taoro-González, Lucas; Malaguarnera, Michele; Agustí, Ana; Llansola, Marta; Felipo, Vicente

2016-02-16

Patients with liver cirrhosis and minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) show mild cognitive impairment and spatial learning dysfunction. Hyperammonemia acts synergistically with inflammation to induce cognitive impairment in MHE. Hyperammonemia-induced neuroinflammation in hippocampus could contribute to spatial learning impairment in MHE. Two main aims of this work were: (1) to assess whether chronic hyperammonemia increases inflammatory factors in the hippocampus and if this is associated with microglia and/or astrocytes activation and (2) to assess whether hyperammonemia-induced neuroinflammation in the hippocampus is associated with altered membrane expression of glutamate and GABA receptors and spatial learning impairment. There are no specific treatments for cognitive alterations in patients with MHE. A third aim was to assess whether treatment with sulforaphane enhances endogenous the anti-inflammatory system, reduces neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of hyperammonemic rats, and restores spatial learning and if normalization of receptor membrane expression is associated with learning improvement. We analyzed the following in control and hyperammonemic rats, treated or not with sulforaphane: (1) microglia and astrocytes activation by immunohistochemistry, (2) markers of pro-inflammatory (M1) (IL-1β, IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (M2) microglia (Arg1, YM-1) by Western blot, (3) membrane expression of GABA, AMPA, and NMDA receptors using the BS3 cross-linker, and (4) spatial learning using the radial maze. The results reported show that hyperammonemia induces astrocytes and microglia activation in the hippocampus, increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6. This is associated with altered membrane expression of AMPA, NMDA, and GABA receptors which would be responsible for altered neurotransmission and impairment of spatial learning in the radial maze. Treatment with sulforaphane promotes microglia differentiation from pro-inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype and reduces activation of astrocytes in hyperammonemic rats. This reduces neuroinflammation, normalizes membrane expression of glutamate and GABA receptors, and restores spatial learning in hyperammonemic rats. Hyperammonemia-induced neuroinflammation impairs glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission by altering membrane expression of glutamate and GABA receptors, resulting in impaired spatial learning. Sulforaphane reverses all these effects. Treatment with sulforaphane could be useful to improve cognitive function in cirrhotic patients with minimal or clinical hepatic encephalopathy.

The ampakine, Org 26576, bolsters early spatial reference learning and retrieval in the Morris water maze: a subchronic, dose-ranging study in rats.

PubMed

Hamlyn, Eugene; Brand, Linda; Shahid, Mohammed; Harvey, Brian H

2009-10-01

Ampakines have shown beneficial effects on cognition in selected animal models of learning. However, their ability to modify long-term spatial memory tasks has not been studied yet. This would lend credence to their possible value in treating disorders of cognition. We evaluated the actions of subchronic Org 26576 administration on spatial reference memory performance in the 5-day Morris water maze task in male Sprague-Dawley rats, at doses of 1, 3 and 10 mg/kg twice daily through intraperitoneal injection over 12 days. Org 26576 exerted a dose and time-dependent effect on spatial learning, with dosages of 3 and 10 mg/kg significantly enhancing acquisition on day 1. Globally, escape latency decreased significantly as the training days progressed in the saline and Org 26576-treated groups, indicating that significant and equal learning had taken place over the learning period. However, at the end of the learning period, all doses of Org 26576 significantly improved spatial memory storage/retrieval without confounding effects in the cued version of the task. Org 26576 offers early phase spatial memory benefits in rats, but particularly enhances search accuracy during reference memory retrieval. These results support its possible utility in treating disorders characterized by deficits in cognitive performance.

Design and Development Computer-Based E-Learning Teaching Material for Improving Mathematical Understanding Ability and Spatial Sense of Junior High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurjanah; Dahlan, J. A.; Wibisono, Y.

2017-02-01

This paper aims to make a design and development computer-based e-learning teaching material for improving mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students. Furthermore, the particular aims are (1) getting teaching material design, evaluation model, and intrument to measure mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (2) conducting trials computer-based e-learning teaching material model, asessment, and instrument to develop mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (3) completing teaching material models of computer-based e-learning, assessment, and develop mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (4) resulting research product is teaching materials of computer-based e-learning. Furthermore, the product is an interactive learning disc. The research method is used of this study is developmental research which is conducted by thought experiment and instruction experiment. The result showed that teaching materials could be used very well. This is based on the validation of computer-based e-learning teaching materials, which is validated by 5 multimedia experts. The judgement result of face and content validity of 5 validator shows that the same judgement result to the face and content validity of each item test of mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense. The reliability test of mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense are 0,929 and 0,939. This reliability test is very high. While the validity of both tests have a high and very high criteria.

Effect of lead exposure on spatial learning and running speed in the short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica (Didelphidae).

PubMed

Punzo, F; Farmer, C

2004-01-01

Studies were conducted to assess the spatial learning ability in adult males of the short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica using a T-maze, complex maze and elevated radial 8-arm maze. This is the first study of maze learning in opossums. In the T-maze, the performance of these animals improved over an 8-day training period. Eighty percent of the subjects initially trained to turn to the right for food reinforcement reached criterion (80% correct responses) by day 3 and all reached criterion by day 4. Reversal training (subjects then trained to turn to the left) was more difficult and required 8 days for all subjects to reach criterion. In the complex maze, 89% of the animals achieved the criterion level of performance (3 consecutive trials with 5 or fewer errors) on the eighth day of training and all reached criterion by day 10. The relative importance of intramaze vs. extramaze cues in directing choice behavior was investigated in the radial arm maze. A discrimination procedure was used which selectively rewarded subjects for following only one set of cues. Animals in the intramaze group obtained a food pellet from a cup at the end of each arm. In the extramaze group, the food cups were placed on a small platform just beyond the end of each arm. All subjects were initially trained to visit each arm with the maze in a fixed position (controls) and did so within 15 test sessions. Following these initial trials, the maze was rotated to a different position after each choice. For subjects in the intramaze group, the food moved in conjunction with the rotation of the arms thereby increasing the relevance of intramaze cues. In the extramaze group, extramaze cues became more important because the food remained on the platforms in the same position in the room. Animals in the extramaze group performed significantly better than chance whereas the intramaze subjects did not. This indicates that intramaze cues are not as important as extramaze cues for accurate choice behavior in this marsupial. In addition, animals injected with tetraethyllead showed a significant impairment in running speed and T-maze learning ability as compared to saline-injected controls.

Caloric restriction and spatial learning in old mice.

PubMed

Bellush, L L; Wright, A M; Walker, J P; Kopchick, J; Colvin, R A

1996-08-01

Spatial learning in old mice (19 or 24 months old), some of which had been calorically restricted beginning at 14 weeks of age, was compared to that of young mice, in two separate experiments using a Morris water maze. In the first experiment, only old mice reaching criterion performance on a cued learning task were tested in a subsequent spatial task. Thus, all old mice tested for spatial learning had achieved escape latencies equivalent to those of young controls. Despite equivalent swimming speeds, only about half the old mice in each diet group achieved criterion performance in the spatial task. In the second experiment, old and young mice all received the same number of training trials in a cued task and then in a spatial task. Immediately following spatial training, they were given a 60-s probe trial, with no platform in the pool. Both groups of old mice spent significantly less time in the quadrant where the platform had been and made significantly fewer direct crosses over the previous platform location than did the young control group. As in Experiment 1, calorie restriction failed to provide protection against aging-related deficits. However, in both experiments, some individual old mice evidenced performance in spatial learning indistinguishable from that of young controls. Separate comparisons of "age-impaired" and "age-unimpaired" old mice with young controls may facilitate the identification of neurobiological mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline.

Altering spatial priority maps via reward-based learning.

PubMed

Chelazzi, Leonardo; Eštočinová, Jana; Calletti, Riccardo; Lo Gerfo, Emanuele; Sani, Ilaria; Della Libera, Chiara; Santandrea, Elisa

2014-06-18

Spatial priority maps are real-time representations of the behavioral salience of locations in the visual field, resulting from the combined influence of stimulus driven activity and top-down signals related to the current goals of the individual. They arbitrate which of a number of (potential) targets in the visual scene will win the competition for attentional resources. As a result, deployment of visual attention to a specific spatial location is determined by the current peak of activation (corresponding to the highest behavioral salience) across the map. Here we report a behavioral study performed on healthy human volunteers, where we demonstrate that spatial priority maps can be shaped via reward-based learning, reflecting long-lasting alterations (biases) in the behavioral salience of specific spatial locations. These biases exert an especially strong influence on performance under conditions where multiple potential targets compete for selection, conferring competitive advantage to targets presented in spatial locations associated with greater reward during learning relative to targets presented in locations associated with lesser reward. Such acquired biases of spatial attention are persistent, are nonstrategic in nature, and generalize across stimuli and task contexts. These results suggest that reward-based attentional learning can induce plastic changes in spatial priority maps, endowing these representations with the "intelligent" capacity to learn from experience. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/348594-11$15.00/0.

Connecting Mathematics Learning through Spatial Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulligan, Joanne; Woolcott, Geoffrey; Mitchelmore, Michael; Davis, Brent

2018-01-01

Spatial reasoning, an emerging transdisciplinary area of interest to mathematics education research, is proving integral to all human learning. It is particularly critical to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This project will create an innovative knowledge framework based on spatial reasoning that identifies new…

Emerging trends in geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI): potential applications for environmental epidemiology.

PubMed

VoPham, Trang; Hart, Jaime E; Laden, Francine; Chiang, Yao-Yi

2018-04-17

Geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI) is an emerging scientific discipline that combines innovations in spatial science, artificial intelligence methods in machine learning (e.g., deep learning), data mining, and high-performance computing to extract knowledge from spatial big data. In environmental epidemiology, exposure modeling is a commonly used approach to conduct exposure assessment to determine the distribution of exposures in study populations. geoAI technologies provide important advantages for exposure modeling in environmental epidemiology, including the ability to incorporate large amounts of big spatial and temporal data in a variety of formats; computational efficiency; flexibility in algorithms and workflows to accommodate relevant characteristics of spatial (environmental) processes including spatial nonstationarity; and scalability to model other environmental exposures across different geographic areas. The objectives of this commentary are to provide an overview of key concepts surrounding the evolving and interdisciplinary field of geoAI including spatial data science, machine learning, deep learning, and data mining; recent geoAI applications in research; and potential future directions for geoAI in environmental epidemiology.

Functional Equivalence of Spatial Images from Touch and Vision: Evidence from Spatial Updating in Blind and Sighted Individuals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giudice, Nicholas A.; Betty, Maryann R.; Loomis, Jack M.

2011-01-01

This research examined whether visual and haptic map learning yield functionally equivalent spatial images in working memory, as evidenced by similar encoding bias and updating performance. In 3 experiments, participants learned 4-point routes either by seeing or feeling the maps. At test, blindfolded participants made spatial judgments about the…

4SPPIces: A Case Study of Factors in a Scripted Collaborative-Learning Blended Course across Spatial Locations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Sanagustin, Mar; Santos, Patricia; Hernandez-Leo, Davinia; Blat, Josep

2012-01-01

Computer-Supported Collaborative Blended Learning (CSCBL) scripts are complex learning situations in which formal and informal activities conducted at different spatial locations are coordinated and integrated into one unique learning setting through the use of technology. We define a conceptual model identifying four factors to be considered when…

Spatial Visualization Learning in Engineering: Traditional Methods vs. a Web-Based Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedrosa, Carlos Melgosa; Barbero, Basilio Ramos; Miguel, Arturo Román

2014-01-01

This study compares an interactive learning manager for graphic engineering to develop spatial vision (ILMAGE_SV) to traditional methods. ILMAGE_SV is an asynchronous web-based learning tool that allows the manipulation of objects with a 3D viewer, self-evaluation, and continuous assessment. In addition, student learning may be monitored, which…

Individual variations in dose response for spatial memory learning among outbred wistar rats exposed from 5 to 20 cGy of (56) Fe particles.

PubMed

Wyrobek, Andrew J; Britten, Richard A

2016-06-01

Exposures of brain tissue to ionizing radiation can lead to persistent deficits in cognitive functions and behaviors. However, little is known about the quantitative relationships between exposure dose and neurological risks, especially for lower doses and among genetically diverse individuals. We investigated the dose relationship for spatial memory learning among genetically outbred male Wistar rats exposed to graded doses of (56) Fe particles (sham, 5, 10, 15, and 20 cGy; 1 GeV/n). Spatial memory learning was assessed on a Barnes maze using REL3 ratios measured at three months after exposure. Irradiated animals showed dose-dependent declines in spatial memory learning that were fit by a linear regression (P for slope <0.0002). The irradiated animals showed significantly impaired learning at 10 cGy exposures, no detectable learning between 10 and 15 cGy, and worsened performances between 15 and 20 cGy. The proportions of poor learners and the magnitude of their impairment were fit by linear regressions with doubling doses of ∼10 cGy. In contrast, there were no detectable deficits in learning among the good learners in this dose range. Our findings suggest that genetically diverse individuals can vary substantially in their spatial memory learning, and that exposures at low doses appear to preferentially impact poor learners. This hypothesis invites future investigations of the genetic and physiological mechanisms of inter-individual variations in brain function related to spatial memory learning after low-dose HZE radiation exposures and to determine whether it also applies to physical trauma to brain tissue and exposures to chemical neurotoxicants. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 57:331-340, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Learning to use working memory: a reinforcement learning gating model of rule acquisition in rats

PubMed Central

Lloyd, Kevin; Becker, Nadine; Jones, Matthew W.; Bogacz, Rafal

2012-01-01

Learning to form appropriate, task-relevant working memory representations is a complex process central to cognition. Gating models frame working memory as a collection of past observations and use reinforcement learning (RL) to solve the problem of when to update these observations. Investigation of how gating models relate to brain and behavior remains, however, at an early stage. The current study sought to explore the ability of simple RL gating models to replicate rule learning behavior in rats. Rats were trained in a maze-based spatial learning task that required animals to make trial-by-trial choices contingent upon their previous experience. Using an abstract version of this task, we tested the ability of two gating algorithms, one based on the Actor-Critic and the other on the State-Action-Reward-State-Action (SARSA) algorithm, to generate behavior consistent with the rats'. Both models produced rule-acquisition behavior consistent with the experimental data, though only the SARSA gating model mirrored faster learning following rule reversal. We also found that both gating models learned multiple strategies in solving the initial task, a property which highlights the multi-agent nature of such models and which is of importance in considering the neural basis of individual differences in behavior. PMID:23115551

The perirhinal cortex of the rat is necessary for spatial memory retention long after but not soon after learning.

PubMed

Ramos, Juan M J; Vaquero, Joaquín M M

2005-09-15

Many observations in humans and experimental animals support the view that the hippocampus is critical immediately after learning in order for long-term memory formation to take place. However, exactly when the medial temporal cortices adjacent to the hippocampus are necessary for this process to occur normally is not yet well known. Using a spatial task, we studied whether the perirhinal cortex of rats is necessary to establish representations in long-term memory. Results showed that, in a spatial task sensitive to hippocampal lesions, control and perirhinal lesioned rats can both learn at the same rate (Experiment 1). Interestingly, a differential involvement of the perirhinal cortex in memory retention was observed as time passes after learning. Thus, 24 days following the end of learning, lesioned and control rats remembered the task perfectly as measured by a retraining test. In contrast, 74 days after the learning the perirhinal animals showed a profound impairment in the retention of the spatial information (Experiment 2). Taken together, these results suggest that the perirhinal region is critical for the formation of long-term spatial memory. However, its contribution to memory formation and retention is time-dependent, it being necessary only long after learning takes place and not during the phase immediately following acquisition.

Sex and boldness explain individual differences in spatial learning in a lizard.

PubMed

Carazo, Pau; Noble, Daniel W A; Chandrasoma, Dani; Whiting, Martin J

2014-05-07

Understanding individual differences in cognitive performance is a major challenge to animal behaviour and cognition studies. We used the Eastern water skink (Eulamprus quoyii) to examine associations between exploration, boldness and individual variability in spatial learning, a dimension of lizard cognition with important bearing on fitness. We show that males perform better than females in a biologically relevant spatial learning task. This is the first evidence for sex differences in learning in a reptile, and we argue that it is probably owing to sex-specific selective pressures that may be widespread in lizards. Across the sexes, we found a clear association between boldness after a simulated predatory attack and the probability of learning the spatial task. In contrast to previous studies, we found a nonlinear association between boldness and learning: both 'bold' and 'shy' behavioural types were more successful learners than intermediate males. Our results do not fit with recent predictions suggesting that individual differences in learning may be linked with behavioural types via high-low-risk/reward trade-offs. We suggest the possibility that differences in spatial cognitive performance may arise in lizards as a consequence of the distinct environmental variability and complexity experienced by individuals as a result of their sex and social tactics.

Learning of Temporal and Spatial Movement Aspects: A Comparison of Four Types of Haptic Control and Concurrent Visual Feedback.

PubMed

Rauter, Georg; Sigrist, Roland; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

2015-01-01

In literature, the effectiveness of haptics for motor learning is controversially discussed. Haptics is believed to be effective for motor learning in general; however, different types of haptic control enhance different movement aspects. Thus, in dependence on the movement aspects of interest, one type of haptic control may be effective whereas another one is not. Therefore, in the current work, it was investigated if and how different types of haptic controllers affect learning of spatial and temporal movement aspects. In particular, haptic controllers that enforce active participation of the participants were expected to improve spatial aspects. Only haptic controllers that provide feedback about the task's velocity profile were expected to improve temporal aspects. In a study on learning a complex trunk-arm rowing task, the effect of training with four different types of haptic control was investigated: position control, path control, adaptive path control, and reactive path control. A fifth group (control) trained with visual concurrent augmented feedback. As hypothesized, the position controller was most effective for learning of temporal movement aspects, while the path controller was most effective in teaching spatial movement aspects of the rowing task. Visual feedback was also effective for learning temporal and spatial movement aspects.

How to enhance route learning and visuo-spatial working memory in aging: a training for residential care home residents.

PubMed

Mitolo, Micaela; Borella, Erika; Meneghetti, Chiara; Carbone, Elena; Pazzaglia, Francesca

2017-05-01

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a route-learning training in a group of older adults living in a residential care home. We verified the presence of training-specific effects in tasks similar to those trained - route-learning tasks - as well as transfer effects on related cognitive processes - visuo-spatial short-term memory (VSSTM; Corsi Blocks Test (CBT), forward version), visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM; CBT, backward version; Pathway Span Tasks; Jigsaw Puzzle Test) - and in self-report measures. The maintenance of training benefits was examined after 3 months. Thirty 70-90-year-old residential care home residents were randomly assigned to the route-learning training group or to an active control group (involved in non-visuo-spatial activities). The trained group performed better than the control group in the route-learning tasks, retaining this benefit 3 months later. Immediate transfer effects were also seen in visuo-spatial span tasks (i.e., CBT forward and backward version and Pathway Span Task); these benefits had been substantially maintained at the 3-month follow-up. These findings suggest that a training on route learning is a promising approach to sustain older adults' environmental learning and some related abilities (e.g., VSSTM and VSWM), even in residential care home residents.

[Learning to solve a spatial task in a water maze in aggressive and submissive mice].

PubMed

Dubrovina, N I; Tomilenko, R A

2007-01-01

Learning and retention of the spatial memory were studied in mice with alternative under conditions of various experimental protocols. Visible and hidden platform acquisition in a simple model of the water maze was similarly fast both in aggressive and submissive mice, but extinction differed. Retention of the platform location preference persisted in aggressive mice in four testing trials. In submissive mice, extiction of the spatial memory was accompanied with a prolongation of search with parallel production of episodes of "passive drift". Differences in spatial learning between aggressive and submissive mice were revealed in a water maze complicated with partitions. In this case, aggressors were able to learn the position of a hidden platform (in contrast to submissive mice with the dominant response of "passive drift"). During testing the response, aggressive mice longer retained the spatial preference without extinction.

The Impact of Participation in Music on Learning Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Sylwia; Hallam, Susan

2017-01-01

Music psychologists have established that some forms of musical activity improve intellectual performance, spatial-temporal reasoning and other skills advantageous for learning. In this research, the potential of active music-making for improving pupils' achievement in spatial- temporal reasoning was investigated. As spatial-temporal skills are…

The Effects of Theta Precession on Spatial Learning and Simplicial Complex Dynamics in a Topological Model of the Hippocampal Spatial Map

PubMed Central

Arai, Mamiko; Brandt, Vicky; Dabaghian, Yuri

2014-01-01

Learning arises through the activity of large ensembles of cells, yet most of the data neuroscientists accumulate is at the level of individual neurons; we need models that can bridge this gap. We have taken spatial learning as our starting point, computationally modeling the activity of place cells using methods derived from algebraic topology, especially persistent homology. We previously showed that ensembles of hundreds of place cells could accurately encode topological information about different environments (“learn” the space) within certain values of place cell firing rate, place field size, and cell population; we called this parameter space the learning region. Here we advance the model both technically and conceptually. To make the model more physiological, we explored the effects of theta precession on spatial learning in our virtual ensembles. Theta precession, which is believed to influence learning and memory, did in fact enhance learning in our model, increasing both speed and the size of the learning region. Interestingly, theta precession also increased the number of spurious loops during simplicial complex formation. We next explored how downstream readout neurons might define co-firing by grouping together cells within different windows of time and thereby capturing different degrees of temporal overlap between spike trains. Our model's optimum coactivity window correlates well with experimental data, ranging from ∼150–200 msec. We further studied the relationship between learning time, window width, and theta precession. Our results validate our topological model for spatial learning and open new avenues for connecting data at the level of individual neurons to behavioral outcomes at the neuronal ensemble level. Finally, we analyzed the dynamics of simplicial complex formation and loop transience to propose that the simplicial complex provides a useful working description of the spatial learning process. PMID:24945927

Cross-Sensory Transfer of Reference Frames in Spatial Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Jonathan W.; Avraamides, Marios N.

2011-01-01

Two experiments investigated whether visual cues influence spatial reference frame selection for locations learned through touch. Participants experienced visual cues emphasizing specific environmental axes and later learned objects through touch. Visual cues were manipulated and haptic learning conditions were held constant. Imagined perspective…

LDRD final report :

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brost, Randolph C.; McLendon, William Clarence,

2013-01-01

Modeling geospatial information with semantic graphs enables search for sites of interest based on relationships between features, without requiring strong a priori models of feature shape or other intrinsic properties. Geospatial semantic graphs can be constructed from raw sensor data with suitable preprocessing to obtain a discretized representation. This report describes initial work toward extending geospatial semantic graphs to include temporal information, and initial results applying semantic graph techniques to SAR image data. We describe an efficient graph structure that includes geospatial and temporal information, which is designed to support simultaneous spatial and temporal search queries. We also report amore » preliminary implementation of feature recognition, semantic graph modeling, and graph search based on input SAR data. The report concludes with lessons learned and suggestions for future improvements.« less

Memory retrieval in response to partial cues requires NMDA receptor-dependent neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Jo, Yong Sang; Choi, June-Seek

2014-03-01

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been suggested to play a crucial role in retrieving detailed contextual information about a previous learning episode in response to a single retrieval cue. However, few studies investigated the neurochemical mechanisms that mediate the prefrontal retrieval process. In the current study, we examined whether N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in the mPFC were necessary for retrieval of a well-learned spatial location on the basis of partial or degraded spatial cues. Rats were initially trained to find a hidden platform in the Morris water maze using four extramaze cues in the surrounding environment. Their retrieval performance was subsequently tested under different cue conditions. Infusions of DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV), a NMDAR antagonist, significantly disrupted memory retrieval when three of the original cues were removed. By contrast, APV injections into the mPFC did not affect animals' retrieval performance when the original cues were presented or when three novels landmarks were added alongside the original cues. These results indicate that prefrontal NMDARs are required for memory retrieval when allocentric spatial information is degraded. NMDAR-dependent neurotransmission in the mPFC may facilitate an active retrieval process to reactivate complete contextual representations associated with partial retrieval cues. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Faster forgetting contributes to impaired spatial memory in the PDAPP mouse: Deficit in memory retrieval associated with increased sensitivity to interference?

PubMed Central

Daumas, Stephanie; Sandin, Johan; Chen, Karen S.; Kobayashi, Dione; Tulloch, Jane; Martin, Stephen J.; Games, Dora; Morris, Richard G.M.

2008-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the possibility of faster forgetting by PDAPP mice (a well-established model of Alzheimer’s disease as reported by Games and colleagues in an earlier paper). Experiment 1, using mice aged 13–16 mo, confirmed the presence of a deficit in a spatial reference memory task in the water maze by hemizygous PDAPP mice relative to littermate controls. However, after overtraining to a criterion of equivalent navigational performance, a series of memory retention tests revealed faster forgetting in the PDAPP group. Very limited retraining was sufficient to reinstate good memory in both groups, indicating that their faster forgetting may be due to retrieval failure rather than trace decay. In Experiment 2, 6-mo-old PDAPP and controls were required to learn each of a series of spatial locations to criterion with their memory assessed 10 min after learning each location. No memory deficit was apparent in the PDAPP mice initially, but a deficit built up through the series of locations suggestive of increased sensitivity to interference. Faster forgetting and increased interference may each reflect a difficulty in accessing memory traces. This interpretation of one aspect of the cognitive deficit in human mutant APP mice has parallels to deficits observed in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, further supporting the validity of transgenic models of the disease. PMID:18772249

Contextual Cueing: Implicit Learning and Memory of Visual Context Guides Spatial Attention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chun, Marvin M.; Jiang, Yuhong

1998-01-01

Six experiments involving a total of 112 college students demonstrate that a robust memory for visual context exists to guide spatial attention. Results show how implicit learning and memory of visual context can guide spatial attention toward task-relevant aspects of a scene. (SLD)

MICROINJECTION OF DYNORPHIN INTO THE HIPPOCAMPUS IMPAIRS SPATIAL LEARNING IN RATS

EPA Science Inventory

The effect of hippocampal dynorphin administration on learning and memory was examined in spatial and nonspatial tasks. ilateral infusion of dynorphin A(1-8)(DYN; 10 or 20 ug in one ul) into the dorsal hippocampus resulted in dose-related impairment of spatial working memory in a...

The Predictive Power of Fifth Graders' Learning Styles on Their Mathematical Reasoning and Spatial Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danisman, Sahin; Erginer, Ergin

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine fifth graders' mathematical reasoning and spatial ability, to identify a correlation with their learning styles, and to determine the predictive power of their learning styles on their mathematical learning profiles. This causal study was conducted with 97 fifth graders (60 females, 61.9% and 37 males,…

Mobile Devices and Spatial Enactments of Learning: iPads in Lower Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Bente

2016-01-01

Based on ethnographic studies of students' learning, this paper investigates how new spatial enactments of learning that include mobile technologies engage students in specific ways that enable them to learn. Data used in the paper have been collected in three lower secondary schools (7-9th form, ages 13-15) where students and teachers have been…

Spatial Learning and Computer Simulations in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindgren, Robb; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2009-01-01

Interactive simulations are entering mainstream science education. Their effects on cognition and learning are often framed by the legacy of information processing, which emphasized amodal problem solving and conceptual organization. In contrast, this paper reviews simulations from the vantage of research on perception and spatial learning,…

Learning Anatomy Enhances Spatial Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vorstenbosch, Marc A. T. M.; Klaassen, Tim P. F. M.; Donders, A. R. T.; Kooloos, Jan G. M.; Bolhuis, Sanneke M.; Laan, Roland F. J. M.

2013-01-01

Spatial ability is an important factor in learning anatomy. Students with high scores on a mental rotation test (MRT) systematically score higher on anatomy examinations. This study aims to investigate if learning anatomy also oppositely improves the MRT-score. Five hundred first year students of medicine ("n" = 242, intervention) and…

[Influence of stimulation and blockade of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on learning of female rats in basic phases of ovary cycle].

PubMed

Fedotova, Iu O

2014-03-01

The present work was devoted to the comparative analysis of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle in the adult female rats. RJR-2403 (1.0 mg/kg, i. p.), α4β2 nAChRs agonist and mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg, i. p.), α4β2 nAChRs antagonist were injected chronically during 14 days. The processes of learning/memory were assessed in different models of learning: passive avoidance performance and Morris water maze. Chronic RJR-2403 administration to females improved the passive avoidance performance in proestrous and estrous as compared to the control animals. Also, RJR-2403 restored spatial learning of rats during proestrous phases in Morris water maze, and stimulated the dynamics of spatial learning during estrous phases. On the contrary, the chronic mecamylamine administration impaired non-spatial, and especially, spatial learning in females during key phases of ovary cycle. The results of the study suggest positive effect of α4β2 nAChRs stimulation in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle in the adult female rats.

Interprofessional learning at work: what spatial theory can tell us about workplace learning in an acute care ward.

PubMed

Gregory, Linda Rosemary; Hopwood, Nick; Boud, David

2014-05-01

It is widely recognized that every workplace potentially provides a rich source of learning. Studies focusing on health care contexts have shown that social interaction within and between professions is crucial in enabling professionals to learn through work, address problems and cope with challenges of clinical practice. While hospital environments are beginning to be understood in spatial terms, the links between space and interprofessional learning at work have not been explored. This paper draws on Lefebvre's tri-partite theoretical framework of perceived, conceived and lived space to enrich understandings of interprofessional learning on an acute care ward in an Australian teaching hospital. Qualitative analysis was undertaken using data from observations of Registered Nurses at work and semi-structured interviews linked to observed events. The paper focuses on a ward round, the medical workroom and the Registrar's room, comparing and contrasting the intended (conceived), practiced (perceived) and pedagogically experienced (lived) spatial dimensions. The paper concludes that spatial theory has much to offer understandings of interprofessional learning in work, and the features of work environments and daily practices that produce spaces that enable or constrain learning.

Easy rider: monkeys learn to drive a wheelchair to navigate through a complex maze.

PubMed

Etienne, Stephanie; Guthrie, Martin; Goillandeau, Michel; Nguyen, Tho Hai; Orignac, Hugues; Gross, Christian; Boraud, Thomas

2014-01-01

The neurological bases of spatial navigation are mainly investigated in rodents and seldom in primates. The few studies led on spatial navigation in both human and non-human primates are performed in virtual, not in real environments. This is mostly because of methodological difficulties inherent in conducting research on freely-moving monkeys in real world environments. There is some incertitude, however, regarding the extrapolation of rodent spatial navigation strategies to primates. Here we present an entirely new platform for investigating real spatial navigation in rhesus monkeys. We showed that monkeys can learn a pathway by using different strategies. In these experiments three monkeys learned to drive the wheelchair and to follow a specified route through a real maze. After learning the route, probe tests revealed that animals successively use three distinct navigation strategies based on i) the place of the reward, ii) the direction taken to obtain reward or iii) a cue indicating reward location. The strategy used depended of the options proposed and the duration of learning. This study reveals that monkeys, like rodents and humans, switch between different spatial navigation strategies with extended practice, implying well-conserved brain learning systems across different species. This new task with freely driving monkeys provides a good support for the electrophysiological and pharmacological investigation of spatial navigation in the real world by making possible electrophysiological and pharmacological investigations.

Adaptive social learning strategies in temporally and spatially varying environments : how temporal vs. spatial variation, number of cultural traits, and costs of learning influence the evolution of conformist-biased transmission, payoff-biased transmission, and individual learning.

PubMed

Nakahashi, Wataru; Wakano, Joe Yuichiro; Henrich, Joseph

2012-12-01

Long before the origins of agriculture human ancestors had expanded across the globe into an immense variety of environments, from Australian deserts to Siberian tundra. Survival in these environments did not principally depend on genetic adaptations, but instead on evolved learning strategies that permitted the assembly of locally adaptive behavioral repertoires. To develop hypotheses about these learning strategies, we have modeled the evolution of learning strategies to assess what conditions and constraints favor which kinds of strategies. To build on prior work, we focus on clarifying how spatial variability, temporal variability, and the number of cultural traits influence the evolution of four types of strategies: (1) individual learning, (2) unbiased social learning, (3) payoff-biased social learning, and (4) conformist transmission. Using a combination of analytic and simulation methods, we show that spatial-but not temporal-variation strongly favors the emergence of conformist transmission. This effect intensifies when migration rates are relatively high and individual learning is costly. We also show that increasing the number of cultural traits above two favors the evolution of conformist transmission, which suggests that the assumption of only two traits in many models has been conservative. We close by discussing how (1) spatial variability represents only one way of introducing the low-level, nonadaptive phenotypic trait variation that so favors conformist transmission, the other obvious way being learning errors, and (2) our findings apply to the evolution of conformist transmission in social interactions. Throughout we emphasize how our models generate empirical predictions suitable for laboratory testing.

Lessons learned from the U.S. Geological Survey abandoned mine lands initiative: 1997-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kimball, Briant A.; Church, Stan E.; Besser, John M.

2006-01-01

Growth of the United States has been facilitated, in part, by hard-rock mining in the Rocky Mountains. Abandoned and inactive mines cause many significant environmental concerns in hundreds of watersheds. Those who have responsibility to address these environmental concerns must have a basic level of scientific information about mining and mine wastes in a watershed prior to initiating remediation activities. To demonstrate what information is needed and how to obtain that information, the U.S. Geological Survey implemented the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Initiative from 1997 to 2002 with demonstration studies in the Boulder River watershed in Montana and the Animas River watershed in Colorado. The AML Initiative included collection and analysis of geologic, hydrologic, geochemical, geophysical, and biological data. The synergy of this interdisciplinary analysis produced a perspective of the environmental concerns that could not have come from a single discipline. Two examples of these perspectives include (1) the combination of hydrological tracer techniques, structural geology, and geophysics help to understand the spatial distribution of loading to the streams in a way that cannot be evaluated by monitoring at a catchment outlet, and (2) the combination of toxicology and hydrology combine to illustrate that seasonal variability of toxicity conditions occurs. Lessons have been learned by listening to and collaborating with land-management agencies to understand their needs and by applying interdisciplinary methods to answer their questions.

Lesions of the fornix and anterior thalamic nuclei dissociate different aspects of hippocampal-dependent spatial learning: implications for the neural basis of scene learning.

PubMed

Aggleton, John P; Poirier, Guillaume L; Aggleton, Hugh S; Vann, Seralynne D; Pearce, John M

2009-06-01

The present study used 2 different discrimination tasks designed to isolate distinct components of visuospatial learning: structural learning and geometric learning. Structural learning refers to the ability to learn the precise combination of stimulus identity with stimulus location. Rats with anterior thalamic lesions and fornix lesions were unimpaired on a configural learning task in which the rats learned 3 concurrent mirror-image discriminations (structural learning). Indeed, both lesions led to facilitated learning. In contrast, anterior thalamic lesions impaired the geometric discrimination (e.g., swim to the corner with the short wall to the right of the long wall). Finally, both the fornix and anterior thalamic lesions severely impaired T-maze alternation, a task that taxes an array of spatial strategies including allocentric learning. This pattern of dissociations and double dissociations highlights how distinct classes of spatial learning rely on different systems, even though they may converge on the hippocampus. Consequently, the findings suggest that structural learning is heavily dependent on cortico-hippocampal interactions. In contrast, subcortical inputs (such as those from the anterior thalamus) contribute to geometric learning. Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Chronic cyanidin-3-glucoside administration improves short-term spatial recognition memory but not passive avoidance learning and memory in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

PubMed

Nasri, Sima; Roghani, Mehrdad; Baluchnejadmojarad, Tourandokht; Balvardi, Mahboubeh; Rabani, Tahereh

2012-08-01

This research study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of chronic cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) on alleviation of learning and memory deficits in diabetic rats as a result of the observed antidiabetic and antioxidant activity of C3G. Male Wistar rats were divided into control, diabetic, C3G-treated-control and -diabetic groups. The C3G was administered i.p. at a dose of 10 mg/kg on alternate days for eight weeks. For evaluation of learning and memory, initial latency (IL) and step-through latency (STL) were determined at the end of study using passive avoidance test. Meanwhile, spatial recognition memory was assessed as alternation in the Y-maze task. Oxidative stress markers in brain tissue were also measured. It was found that the alternation score of the diabetic rats was lower than that of control (p < 0.01) and C3G-treated diabetic rats showed a higher alternation score as compared to diabetic group (p < 0.05). Diabetic rats also developed a significant impairment in retention and recall in passive avoidance test (p < 0.01) and C3G treatment of diabetic rats did not produce any significant improvement. Meanwhile, increased level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in diabetic rats was significantly reduced following C3G treatment (p < 0.05). Taken together, chronic C3G could improve short-term spatial recognition memory disturbance in the Y-maze test but not retention and recall capability in passive avoidance test in STZ-diabetic rats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The experiment of cooperative learning model type team assisted individualization (TAI) on three-dimensional space subject viewed from spatial intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manapa, I. Y. H.; Budiyono; Subanti, S.

2018-03-01

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of TAI or direct learning (DL) on student’s mathematics achievement viewed from spatial intelligence. This research was quasi experiment. The population was 10th grade senior high school students in Alor Regency on academic year of 2015/2016 chosen by stratified cluster random sampling. The data were collected through achievement and spatial intelligence test. The data were analyzed by two ways, ANOVA with unequal cell and scheffe test. This research showed that student’s mathematics achievement used in TAI had better results than DL models one. In spatial intelligence category, student’s mathematics achievement with high spatial intelligence has better result than the other spatial intelligence category and students with high spatial intelligence have better results than those with middle spatial intelligence category. At TAI, student’s mathematics achievement with high spatial intelligence has better result than those with the other spatial intelligence category and students with middle spatial intelligence have better results than students with low spatial intelligence. In DL model, student’s mathematics achievement with high and middle spatial intelligence has better result than those with low spatial intelligence, but students with high spatial intelligence and middle spatial intelligence have no significant difference. In each category of spatial intelligence and learning model, mathematics achievement has no significant difference.

Supporting Student Differences in Listening Comprehension and Vocabulary Learning with Multimedia Annotations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Linda C.

2009-01-01

This article describes how effectively multimedia learning environments can assist second language (L2) students of different spatial and verbal abilities with listening comprehension and vocabulary learning. In particular, it explores how written and pictorial annotations interacted with high/low spatial and verbal ability learners and thus…

An Active Learning Framework for Hyperspectral Image Classification Using Hierarchical Segmentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Zhou; Pasolli, Edoardo; Crawford, Melba M.; Tilton, James C.

2015-01-01

Augmenting spectral data with spatial information for image classification has recently gained significant attention, as classification accuracy can often be improved by extracting spatial information from neighboring pixels. In this paper, we propose a new framework in which active learning (AL) and hierarchical segmentation (HSeg) are combined for spectral-spatial classification of hyperspectral images. The spatial information is extracted from a best segmentation obtained by pruning the HSeg tree using a new supervised strategy. The best segmentation is updated at each iteration of the AL process, thus taking advantage of informative labeled samples provided by the user. The proposed strategy incorporates spatial information in two ways: 1) concatenating the extracted spatial features and the original spectral features into a stacked vector and 2) extending the training set using a self-learning-based semi-supervised learning (SSL) approach. Finally, the two strategies are combined within an AL framework. The proposed framework is validated with two benchmark hyperspectral datasets. Higher classification accuracies are obtained by the proposed framework with respect to five other state-of-the-art spectral-spatial classification approaches. Moreover, the effectiveness of the proposed pruning strategy is also demonstrated relative to the approaches based on a fixed segmentation.

"Wherever You Go, You Will Be a Polis": Spatial Practices and Political Education in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slakmon, Benzi; Schwarz, Baruch B.

2017-01-01

The aim of this article is to increase understanding of the development of spatial practices in virtual learning environments. The spatial change and development in 38 small-group e-discussions taken from a data set of a yearlong 8th-grade humanities course are described and analyzed. We show that the focus on spatial changes in computer-supported…

Spatial learning in the genetically heterogeneous NIH-HS rat stock and RLA-I/RHA-I rats: revisiting the relationship with unconditioned and conditioned anxiety.

PubMed

Martínez-Membrives, Esther; López-Aumatell, Regina; Blázquez, Gloria; Cañete, Toni; Tobeña, Adolf; Fernández-Teruel, Alberto

2015-05-15

To characterize learning/memory profiles for the first time in the genetically heterogeneous NIH-HS rat stock, and to examine whether these are associated with anxiety, we evaluated NIH-HS rats for spatial learning/memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) and in the following anxiety/fear tests: the elevated zero-maze (ZM; unconditioned anxiety), a context-conditioned fear test and the acquisition of two-way active avoidance (conditioned anxiety). NIH-HS rats were compared with the Roman High- (RHA-I) and Low-Avoidance (RLA-I) rat strains, given the well-known differences between the Roman strains/lines in anxiety-related behavior and in spatial learning/memory. The results show that: (i) As expected, RLA-I rats were more anxious in the ZM test, displayed more frequent context-conditioned freezing episodes and fewer avoidances than RHA-I rats. (ii) Scores of NIH-HS rats in these tests/tasks mostly fell in between those of the Roman rat strains, and were usually closer to the values of the RLA-I strain. (iii) Pigmented NIH-HS (only a small part of NIH-HS rats were albino) rats were the best spatial learners and displayed better spatial memory than the other three (RHA-I, RLA-I and NIH-HS albino) groups. (iv) Albino NIH-HS and RLA-I rats also showed better learning/memory than the RHA-I strain. (v) Within the NIH-HS stock, the most anxious rats in the ZM test presented the best learning and/or memory efficiency (regardless of pigmentation). In summary, NIH-HS rats display a high performance in spatial learning/memory tasks and a passive coping strategy when facing conditioned conflict situations. In addition, unconditioned anxiety in NIH-HS rats predicts better spatial learning/memory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biphasic effect of citral, a flavoring and scenting agent, on spatial learning and memory in rats.

PubMed

Yang, Zheqiong; Xi, Jinlei; Li, Jihong; Qu, Wen

2009-10-01

Although some central effects of citral have been reported, cognitive effects on spatial memory have not been investigated. The evidence showed that citral can regulate the synthesis of retinoic acid (RA), which exerts a vital function in the development and maintenance of spatial memory. In this study, we applied Morris water maze to test the effect of citral on animals' spatial learning and memory. To elucidate the mechanism of this effect, we also measured the retinoic acid concentration in rats' hippocampus by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Our data implied biphasic effects of citral. The low dose (0.1 mg/kg) of citral improved the spatial learning capability, and enhanced the spatial reference memory of rats, whereas the high dose (1.0 mg/kg) was like to produce the opposite effects. Meanwhile, the low dose of citral increased the hippocampal retinoic acid concentration, while the high dose decreased it. Due to the quick elimination and non-bioaccumulation in the body, effects of citral on spatial memory in this study seemed to be indirect actions. The change in hippocampal retinoic acid concentration induced by different doses of citral might be responsible for the biphasic effect of citral on spatial learning and memory.

Reference Frames during the Acquisition and Development of Spatial Memories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Jonathan W.; McNamara, Timothy P.

2010-01-01

Four experiments investigated the role of reference frames during the acquisition and development of spatial knowledge, when learning occurs incrementally across views. In two experiments, participants learned overlapping spatial layouts. Layout 1 was first studied in isolation, and Layout 2 was later studied in the presence of Layout 1. The…

Learning to Think Spatially: What Do Students "See" in Numeracy Test Items?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diezmann, Carmel M.; Lowrie, Tom

2012-01-01

Learning to think spatially in mathematics involves developing proficiency with graphics. This paper reports on 2 investigations of spatial thinking and graphics. The first investigation explored the importance of graphics as 1 of 3 communication systems (i.e. text, symbols, graphics) used to provide information in numeracy test items. The results…

Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta) Maintain Learning Set Despite Second-Order Stimulus-Response Spatial Discontiguity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beran, Michael J.; Washburn, David A.; Rumbaugh, Duane M.

2007-01-01

In many discrimination-learning tests, spatial separation between stimuli and response loci disrupts performance in rhesus macaques. However, monkeys are unaffected by such stimulus-response spatial discontiguity when responses occur through joystick-based computerized movement of a cursor. To examine this discrepancy, five monkeys were tested on…

Effective Teaching Strategies for Gifted/Learning-Disabled Students with Spatial Strengths

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, Rebecca L.

2006-01-01

This study sought to determine effective teaching strategies for use with high-ability students who have spatial strengths and sequential weaknesses. Gifted students with spatial strengths and weak verbal skills often struggle in the traditional classroom. Their learning style enables them to grasp complex systems and excel at higher levels of…

Visual-Spatial Art and Design Literacy as a Prelude to Aesthetic Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerner, Fern

2018-01-01

In bridging ideas from the forum of visual-spatial learning with those of art and design learning, inspiration is taken from Piaget who explained that the evolution of spatial cognition occurs through perception, as well as through thought and imagination. Insights are embraced from interdisciplinary educational theorists, intertwining and…

Why do lesions in the rodent anterior thalamic nuclei cause such severe spatial deficits?

PubMed Central

Aggleton, John P.; Nelson, Andrew J.D.

2015-01-01

Lesions of the rodent anterior thalamic nuclei cause severe deficits to multiple spatial learning tasks. Possible explanations for these effects are examined, with particular reference to T-maze alternation. Anterior thalamic lesions not only impair allocentric place learning but also disrupt other spatial processes, including direction learning, path integration, and relative length discriminations, as well as aspects of nonspatial learning, e.g., temporal discriminations. Working memory tasks, such as T-maze alternation, appear particularly sensitive as they combine an array of these spatial and nonspatial demands. This sensitivity partly reflects the different functions supported by individual anterior thalamic nuclei, though it is argued that anterior thalamic lesion effects also arise from covert pathology in sites distal to the thalamus, most critically in the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampus. This two-level account, involving both local and distal lesion effects, explains the range and severity of the spatial deficits following anterior thalamic lesions. These findings highlight how the anterior thalamic nuclei form a key component in a series of interdependent systems that support multiple spatial functions. PMID:25195980

Selective cognitive impairments associated with NMDA receptor blockade in humans.

PubMed

Rowland, Laura M; Astur, Robert S; Jung, Rex E; Bustillo, Juan R; Lauriello, John; Yeo, Ronald A

2005-03-01

Hypofunction of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. NMDAR antagonists like ketamine induce schizophrenia-like features in humans. In rodent studies, NMDAR antagonism impairs learning by disrupting long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. This study investigated the effects of ketamine on spatial learning (acquisition) vs retrieval in a virtual Morris water task in humans. Verbal fluency, working memory, and learning and memory of verbal information were also assessed. Healthy human subjects participated in this double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. On two separate occasions, ketamine/placebo was administered and cognitive tasks were assessed in association with behavioral ratings. Ketamine impaired learning of spatial and verbal information but retrieval of information learned prior to drug administration was preserved. Schizophrenia-like symptoms were significantly related to spatial and verbal learning performance. Ketamine did not significantly impair attention, verbal fluency, or verbal working memory task performance. Spatial working memory was slightly impaired. In conclusion, these results provide evidence for ketamine's differential impairment of verbal and spatial learning vs retrieval. By using the Morris water task, which is hippocampal-dependent, this study helps bridge the gap between nonhuman animal and human NMDAR antagonism research. Impaired cognition is a core feature of schizophrenia. A better understanding of NMDA antagonism, its physiological and cognitive consequences, may provide improved models of psychosis and cognitive therapeutics.

Becoming a high-fidelity - super - imitator: what are the contributions of social and individual learning?

PubMed

Subiaul, Francys; Patterson, Eric M; Schilder, Brian; Renner, Elizabeth; Barr, Rachel

2015-11-01

In contrast to other primates, human children's imitation performance goes from low to high fidelity soon after infancy. Are such changes associated with the development of other forms of learning? We addressed this question by testing 215 children (26-59 months) on two social conditions (imitation, emulation) - involving a demonstration - and two asocial conditions (trial-and-error, recall) - involving individual learning - using two touchscreen tasks. The tasks required responding to either three different pictures in a specific picture order (Cognitive: Airplane→Ball→Cow) or three identical pictures in a specific spatial order (Motor-Spatial: Up→Down→Right). There were age-related improvements across all conditions and imitation, emulation and recall performance were significantly better than trial-and-error learning. Generalized linear models demonstrated that motor-spatial imitation fidelity was associated with age and motor-spatial emulation performance, but cognitive imitation fidelity was only associated with age. While this study provides evidence for multiple imitation mechanisms, the development of one of those mechanisms - motor-spatial imitation - may be bootstrapped by the development of another social learning skill - motor-spatial emulation. Together, these findings provide important clues about the development of imitation, which is arguably a distinctive feature of the human species. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Smad4 SUMOylation is essential for memory formation through upregulation of the skeletal myopathy gene TPM2.

PubMed

Hsu, Wei L; Ma, Yun L; Liu, Yen C; Lee, Eminy H Y

2017-11-28

Smad4 is a critical effector of TGF-β signaling that regulates a variety of cellular functions. However, its role in the brain has rarely been studied. Here, we examined the molecular mechanisms underlying the post-translational regulation of Smad4 function by SUMOylation, and its role in spatial memory formation. In the hippocampus, Smad4 is SUMOylated by the E3 ligase PIAS1 at Lys-113 and Lys-159. Both spatial training and NMDA injection enhanced Smad4 SUMOylation. Inhibition of Smad4 SUMOylation impaired spatial learning and memory in rats by downregulating TPM2, a gene associated with skeletal myopathies. Similarly, knockdown of TPM2 expression impaired spatial learning and memory, while TPM2 mRNA and protein expression increased after spatial training. Among the TPM2 mutations associated with skeletal myopathies, the TPM2E122K mutation was found to reduce TPM2 expression and impair spatial learning and memory in rats. We have identified a novel role of Smad4 SUMOylation and TPM2 in learning and memory formation. These results suggest that patients with skeletal myopathies who carry the TPM2E122K mutation may also have deficits in learning and memory functions.

Inverse analysis of turbidites by machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naruse, H.; Nakao, K.

2017-12-01

This study aims to propose a method to estimate paleo-hydraulic conditions of turbidity currents from ancient turbidites by using machine-learning technique. In this method, numerical simulation was repeated under various initial conditions, which produces a data set of characteristic features of turbidites. Then, this data set of turbidites is used for supervised training of a deep-learning neural network (NN). Quantities of characteristic features of turbidites in the training data set are given to input nodes of NN, and output nodes are expected to provide the estimates of initial condition of the turbidity current. The optimization of weight coefficients of NN is then conducted to reduce root-mean-square of the difference between the true conditions and the output values of NN. The empirical relationship with numerical results and the initial conditions is explored in this method, and the discovered relationship is used for inversion of turbidity currents. This machine learning can potentially produce NN that estimates paleo-hydraulic conditions from data of ancient turbidites. We produced a preliminary implementation of this methodology. A forward model based on 1D shallow-water equations with a correction of density-stratification effect was employed. This model calculates a behavior of a surge-like turbidity current transporting mixed-size sediment, and outputs spatial distribution of volume per unit area of each grain-size class on the uniform slope. Grain-size distribution was discretized 3 classes. Numerical simulation was repeated 1000 times, and thus 1000 beds of turbidites were used as the training data for NN that has 21000 input nodes and 5 output nodes with two hidden-layers. After the machine learning finished, independent simulations were conducted 200 times in order to evaluate the performance of NN. As a result of this test, the initial conditions of validation data were successfully reconstructed by NN. The estimated values show very small deviation from the true parameters. Comparing to previous inverse modeling of turbidity currents, our methodology is superior especially in the efficiency of computation. Also, our methodology has advantage in extensibility and applicability to various sediment transport processes such as pyroclastic flows or debris flows.

The surprisingly high human efficiency at learning to recognize faces

PubMed Central

Peterson, Matthew F.; Abbey, Craig K.; Eckstein, Miguel P.

2009-01-01

We investigated the ability of humans to optimize face recognition performance through rapid learning of individual relevant features. We created artificial faces with discriminating visual information heavily concentrated in single features (nose, eyes, chin or mouth). In each of 2500 learning blocks a feature was randomly selected and retained over the course of four trials, during which observers identified randomly sampled, noisy face images. Observers learned the discriminating feature through indirect feedback, leading to large performance gains. Performance was compared to a learning Bayesian ideal observer, resulting in unexpectedly high learning compared to previous studies with simpler stimuli. We explore various explanations and conclude that the higher learning measured with faces cannot be driven by adaptive eye movement strategies but can be mostly accounted for by suboptimalities in human face discrimination when observers are uncertain about the discriminating feature. We show that an initial bias of humans to use specific features to perform the task even though they are informed that each of four features is equally likely to be the discriminatory feature would lead to seemingly supra-optimal learning. We also examine the possibility of inefficient human integration of visual information across the spatially distributed facial features. Together, the results suggest that humans can show large performance improvement effects in discriminating faces as they learn to identify the feature containing the discriminatory information. PMID:19000918

Spatial learning while navigating with severely degraded viewing: The role of attention and mobility monitoring

PubMed Central

Rand, Kristina M.; Creem-Regehr, Sarah H.; Thompson, William B.

2015-01-01

The ability to navigate without getting lost is an important aspect of quality of life. In five studies, we evaluated how spatial learning is affected by the increased demands of keeping oneself safe while walking with degraded vision (mobility monitoring). We proposed that safe low-vision mobility requires attentional resources, providing competition for those needed to learn a new environment. In Experiments 1 and 2 participants navigated along paths in a real-world indoor environment with simulated degraded vision or normal vision. Memory for object locations seen along the paths was better with normal compared to degraded vision. With degraded vision, memory was better when participants were guided by an experimenter (low monitoring demands) versus unguided (high monitoring demands). In Experiments 3 and 4, participants walked while performing an auditory task. Auditory task performance was superior with normal compared to degraded vision. With degraded vision, auditory task performance was better when guided compared to unguided. In Experiment 5, participants performed both the spatial learning and auditory tasks under degraded vision. Results showed that attention mediates the relationship between mobility-monitoring demands and spatial learning. These studies suggest that more attention is required and spatial learning is impaired when navigating with degraded viewing. PMID:25706766

Structural and functional neuroplasticity in human learning of spatial routes.

PubMed

Keller, Timothy A; Just, Marcel Adam

2016-01-15

Recent findings with both animals and humans suggest that decreases in microscopic movements of water in the hippocampus reflect short-term neuroplasticity resulting from learning. Here we examine whether such neuroplastic structural changes concurrently alter the functional connectivity between hippocampus and other regions involved in learning. We collected both diffusion-weighted images and fMRI data before and after humans performed a 45min spatial route-learning task. Relative to a control group with equal practice time, there was decreased diffusivity in the posterior-dorsal dentate gyrus of the left hippocampus in the route-learning group accompanied by increased synchronization of fMRI-measured BOLD signal between this region and cortical areas, and by changes in behavioral performance. These concurrent changes characterize the multidimensionality of neuroplasticity as it enables human spatial learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Spatial Abilities and Dynamic Visualizations Interplay When Learning Functional Anatomy with 3D Anatomical Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Sandra; Bétrancourt, Mireille; Molinari, Gaëlle; Hoyek, Nady

2015-01-01

The emergence of dynamic visualizations of three-dimensional (3D) models in anatomy curricula may be an adequate solution for spatial difficulties encountered with traditional static learning, as they provide direct visualization of change throughout the viewpoints. However, little research has explored the interplay between learning material…

Attending Globally or Locally: Incidental Learning of Optimal Visual Attention Allocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Melissa R.; Goldstein, Rebecca R.; van Lamsweerde, Amanda E.; Ericson, Justin M.

2018-01-01

Attention allocation determines the information that is encoded into memory. Can participants learn to optimally allocate attention based on what types of information are most likely to change? The current study examined whether participants could incidentally learn that changes to either high spatial frequency (HSF) or low spatial frequency (LSF)…

Sharp wave ripples during learning stabilize hippocampal spatial map

PubMed Central

Roux, Lisa; Hu, Bo; Eichler, Ronny; Stark, Eran; Buzsáki, György

2017-01-01

Cognitive representation of the environment requires a stable hippocampal map but the mechanisms maintaining map representation are unknown. Because sharp wave-ripples (SPW-R) orchestrate both retrospective and prospective spatial information, we hypothesized that disrupting neuronal activity during SPW-Rs affects spatial representation. Mice learned daily a new set of three goal locations on a multi-well maze. We used closed-loop SPW-R detection at goal locations to trigger optogenetic silencing of a subset of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Control place cells (non-silenced or silenced outside SPW-Rs) largely maintained the location of their place fields after learning and showed increased spatial information content. In contrast, the place fields of SPW-R-silenced place cells remapped, and their spatial information remained unaltered. SPW-R silencing did not impact the firing rates or the proportions of place cells. These results suggest that interference with SPW-R-associated activity during learning prevents the stabilization and refinement of the hippocampal map. PMID:28394323

Cognitive styles and mental rotation ability in map learning.

PubMed

Pazzaglia, Francesca; Moè, Angelica

2013-11-01

In inspecting, learning and reproducing a map, a wide range of abilities is potentially involved. This study examined the role of mental rotation (MR) and verbal ability, together with that of cognitive styles in map learning. As regards cognitive styles, the traditional distinction between verbalizers and visualizers has been taken into account, together with a more recent distinction between two styles of visualization: spatial and object. One hundred and seven participants filled in two questionnaires on cognitive styles: the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire (Richardson in J Ment Imag 1:109-125, 1977) and the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (Blajenkova et al. in Appl Cogn Psych 20:239-263, 2006), performed MR and verbal tests, learned two maps, and were then tested for their recall. It was found that MR ability and cognitive styles played a role in predicting map learning, with some distinctions within cognitive styles: verbal style favoured learning of one of the two maps (the one rich in verbal labels), which in turn was disadvantaged by the adoption of spatial style. Conversely, spatial style predicted learning of the other map, rich in visual features. The discussion focuses on implications for cognitive psychology and everyday cognition.

The role of visualization in learning from computer-based images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piburn, Michael D.; Reynolds, Stephen J.; McAuliffe, Carla; Leedy, Debra E.; Birk, James P.; Johnson, Julia K.

2005-05-01

Among the sciences, the practice of geology is especially visual. To assess the role of spatial ability in learning geology, we designed an experiment using: (1) web-based versions of spatial visualization tests, (2) a geospatial test, and (3) multimedia instructional modules built around QuickTime Virtual Reality movies. Students in control and experimental sections were administered measures of spatial orientation and visualization, as well as a content-based geospatial examination. All subjects improved significantly in their scores on spatial visualization and the geospatial examination. There was no change in their scores on spatial orientation. A three-way analysis of variance, with the geospatial examination as the dependent variable, revealed significant main effects favoring the experimental group and a significant interaction between treatment and gender. These results demonstrate that spatial ability can be improved through instruction, that learning of geological content will improve as a result, and that differences in performance between the genders can be eliminated.

Learning Low-Rank Decomposition for Pan-Sharpening With Spatial-Spectral Offsets.

PubMed

Yang, Shuyuan; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Min

2017-08-25

Finding accurate injection components is the key issue in pan-sharpening methods. In this paper, a low-rank pan-sharpening (LRP) model is developed from a new perspective of offset learning. Two offsets are defined to represent the spatial and spectral differences between low-resolution multispectral and high-resolution multispectral (HRMS) images, respectively. In order to reduce spatial and spectral distortions, spatial equalization and spectral proportion constraints are designed and cast on the offsets, to develop a spatial and spectral constrained stable low-rank decomposition algorithm via augmented Lagrange multiplier. By fine modeling and heuristic learning, our method can simultaneously reduce spatial and spectral distortions in the fused HRMS images. Moreover, our method can efficiently deal with noises and outliers in source images, for exploring low-rank and sparse characteristics of data. Extensive experiments are taken on several image data sets, and the results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed LRP.

Effects of testosterone on spatial learning and memory in adult male rats

PubMed Central

Spritzer, Mark D.; Daviau, Emily D.; Coneeny, Meagan K.; Engelman, Shannon M.; Prince, W. Tyler; Rodriguez-Wisdom, Karlye N.

2011-01-01

A male advantage over females for spatial tasks has been well documented in both humans and rodents, but it remains unclear how the activational effects of testosterone influence spatial ability in males. In a series of experiments, we tested how injections of testosterone influenced the spatial working and reference memory of castrated male rats. In the eight-arm radial maze, testosterone injections (0.500 mg/rat) reduced the number of working memory errors during the early blocks of testing but had no effect on the number of reference memory errors relative to the castrated control group. In a reference memory version of the Morris water maze, injections of a wide range of testosterone doses (0.0625-1.000 mg/rat) reduced path lengths to the hidden platform, indicative of improved spatial learning. This improved learning was independent of testosterone dose, with all treatment groups showing better performance than the castrated control males. Furthermore, this effect was only observed when rats were given testosterone injections starting seven days prior to water maze testing and not when injections were given only on the testing days. We also observed that certain doses of testosterone (0.250 and 1.000 mg/rat) increased perseverative behavior in a reversal-learning task. Finally, testosterone did not have a clear effect on spatial working memory in the Morris water maze, although intermediate doses seemed to optimize performance. Overall, the results indicate that testosterone can have positive activational effects on spatial learning and memory, but the duration of testosterone replacement and the nature of the spatial task modify these effects. PMID:21295035

Reference frames in allocentric representations are invariant across static and active encoding

PubMed Central

Chan, Edgar; Baumann, Oliver; Bellgrove, Mark A.; Mattingley, Jason B.

2013-01-01

An influential model of spatial memory—the so-called reference systems account—proposes that relationships between objects are biased by salient axes (“frames of reference”) provided by environmental cues, such as the geometry of a room. In this study, we sought to examine the extent to which a salient environmental feature influences the formation of spatial memories when learning occurs via a single, static viewpoint and via active navigation, where information has to be integrated across multiple viewpoints. In our study, participants learned the spatial layout of an object array that was arranged with respect to a prominent environmental feature within a virtual arena. Location memory was tested using judgments of relative direction. Experiment 1A employed a design similar to previous studies whereby learning of object-location information occurred from a single, static viewpoint. Consistent with previous studies, spatial judgments were significantly more accurate when made from an orientation that was aligned, as opposed to misaligned, with the salient environmental feature. In Experiment 1B, a fresh group of participants learned the same object-location information through active exploration, which required integration of spatial information over time from a ground-level perspective. As in Experiment 1A, object-location information was organized around the salient environmental cue. Taken together, the findings suggest that the learning condition (static vs. active) does not affect the reference system employed to encode object-location information. Spatial reference systems appear to be a ubiquitous property of spatial representations, and might serve to reduce the cognitive demands of spatial processing. PMID:24009595

Distinct discrimination learning strategies and their relation with spatial memory and attentional control in 4- to 14-year-olds.

PubMed

Schmittmann, Verena D; van der Maas, Han L J; Raijmakers, Maartje E J

2012-04-01

Behavioral, psychophysiological, and neuropsychological studies have revealed large developmental differences in various learning paradigms where learning from positive and negative feedback is essential. The differences are possibly due to the use of distinct strategies that may be related to spatial working memory and attentional control. In this study, strategies in performing a discrimination learning task were distinguished in a cross-sectional sample of 302 children from 4 to 14 years of age. The trial-by-trial accuracy data were analyzed with mathematical learning models. The best-fitting model revealed three learning strategies: hypothesis testing, slow abrupt learning, and nonlearning. The proportion of hypothesis-testing children increased with age. Nonlearners were present only in the youngest age group. Feature preferences for the irrelevant dimension had a detrimental effect on performance in the youngest age group. The executive functions spatial working memory and attentional control significantly predicted posterior learning strategy probabilities after controlling for age. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coordinated learning of grid cell and place cell spatial and temporal properties: multiple scales, attention and oscillations.

PubMed

Grossberg, Stephen; Pilly, Praveen K

2014-02-05

A neural model proposes how entorhinal grid cells and hippocampal place cells may develop as spatial categories in a hierarchy of self-organizing maps (SOMs). The model responds to realistic rat navigational trajectories by learning both grid cells with hexagonal grid firing fields of multiple spatial scales, and place cells with one or more firing fields, that match neurophysiological data about their development in juvenile rats. Both grid and place cells can develop by detecting, learning and remembering the most frequent and energetic co-occurrences of their inputs. The model's parsimonious properties include: similar ring attractor mechanisms process linear and angular path integration inputs that drive map learning; the same SOM mechanisms can learn grid cell and place cell receptive fields; and the learning of the dorsoventral organization of multiple spatial scale modules through medial entorhinal cortex to hippocampus (HC) may use mechanisms homologous to those for temporal learning through lateral entorhinal cortex to HC ('neural relativity'). The model clarifies how top-down HC-to-entorhinal attentional mechanisms may stabilize map learning, simulates how hippocampal inactivation may disrupt grid cells, and explains data about theta, beta and gamma oscillations. The article also compares the three main types of grid cell models in the light of recent data.

Neurobiological and Endocrine Correlates of Individual Differences in Spatial Learning Ability

PubMed Central

Sandi, Carmen; Cordero, M. Isabel; Merino, José J.; Kruyt, Nyika D.; Regan, Ciaran M.; Murphy, Keith J.

2004-01-01

The polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) has been implicated in activity-dependent synaptic remodeling and memory formation. Here, we questioned whether training-induced modulation of PSA-NCAM expression might be related to individual differences in spatial learning abilities. At 12 h posttraining, immunohistochemical analyses revealed a learning-induced up-regulation of PSA-NCAM in the hippocampal dentate gyrus that was related to the spatial learning abilities displayed by rats during training. Specifically, a positive correlation was found between latency to find the platform and subsequent activated PSA levels, indicating that greater induction of polysialylation was observed in rats with the slower acquisition curve. At posttraining times when no learning-associated activation of PSA was observed, no such correlation was found. Further experiments revealed that performance in the massed water maze training is related to a pattern of spatial learning and memory abilities, and to learning-related glucocorticoid responsiveness. Taken together, our findings suggest that the learning-related neural circuits of fast learners are better suited to solving the water maze task than those of slow learners, the latter relying more on structural reorganization to form memory, rather than the relatively economic mechanism of altering synaptic efficacy that is likely used by the former. PMID:15169853

Neurobiological and endocrine correlates of individual differences in spatial learning ability.

PubMed

Sandi, Carmen; Cordero, M Isabel; Merino, José J; Kruyt, Nyika D; Regan, Ciaran M; Murphy, Keith J

2004-01-01

The polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) has been implicated in activity-dependent synaptic remodeling and memory formation. Here, we questioned whether training-induced modulation of PSA-NCAM expression might be related to individual differences in spatial learning abilities. At 12 h posttraining, immunohistochemical analyses revealed a learning-induced up-regulation of PSA-NCAM in the hippocampal dentate gyrus that was related to the spatial learning abilities displayed by rats during training. Specifically, a positive correlation was found between latency to find the platform and subsequent activated PSA levels, indicating that greater induction of polysialylation was observed in rats with the slower acquisition curve. At posttraining times when no learning-associated activation of PSA was observed, no such correlation was found. Further experiments revealed that performance in the massed water maze training is related to a pattern of spatial learning and memory abilities, and to learning-related glucocorticoid responsiveness. Taken together, our findings suggest that the learning-related neural circuits of fast learners are better suited to solving the water maze task than those of slow learners, the latter relying more on structural reorganization to form memory, rather than the relatively economic mechanism of altering synaptic efficacy that is likely used by the former.

From brain synapses to systems for learning and memory: Object recognition, spatial navigation, timed conditioning, and movement control.

PubMed

Grossberg, Stephen

2015-09-24

This article provides an overview of neural models of synaptic learning and memory whose expression in adaptive behavior depends critically on the circuits and systems in which the synapses are embedded. It reviews Adaptive Resonance Theory, or ART, models that use excitatory matching and match-based learning to achieve fast category learning and whose learned memories are dynamically stabilized by top-down expectations, attentional focusing, and memory search. ART clarifies mechanistic relationships between consciousness, learning, expectation, attention, resonance, and synchrony. ART models are embedded in ARTSCAN architectures that unify processes of invariant object category learning, recognition, spatial and object attention, predictive remapping, and eye movement search, and that clarify how conscious object vision and recognition may fail during perceptual crowding and parietal neglect. The generality of learned categories depends upon a vigilance process that is regulated by acetylcholine via the nucleus basalis. Vigilance can get stuck at too high or too low values, thereby causing learning problems in autism and medial temporal amnesia. Similar synaptic learning laws support qualitatively different behaviors: Invariant object category learning in the inferotemporal cortex; learning of grid cells and place cells in the entorhinal and hippocampal cortices during spatial navigation; and learning of time cells in the entorhinal-hippocampal system during adaptively timed conditioning, including trace conditioning. Spatial and temporal processes through the medial and lateral entorhinal-hippocampal system seem to be carried out with homologous circuit designs. Variations of a shared laminar neocortical circuit design have modeled 3D vision, speech perception, and cognitive working memory and learning. A complementary kind of inhibitory matching and mismatch learning controls movement. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Brain and Memory. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, learning and memory: chronic intraventricular infusion of the NMDA receptor antagonist d-AP5 interacts directly with the neural mechanisms of spatial learning.

PubMed

Morris, R G M; Steele, R J; Bell, J E; Martin, S J

2013-03-01

Three experiments were conducted to contrast the hypothesis that hippocampal N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors participate directly in the mechanisms of hippocampus-dependent learning with an alternative view that apparent impairments of learning induced by NMDA receptor antagonists arise because of drug-induced neuropathological and/or sensorimotor disturbances. In experiment 1, rats given a chronic i.c.v. infusion of d-AP5 (30 mm) at 0.5 μL/h were selectively impaired, relative to aCSF-infused animals, in place but not cued navigation learning when they were trained during the 14-day drug infusion period, but were unimpaired on both tasks if trained 11 days after the minipumps were exhausted. d-AP5 caused sensorimotor disturbances in the spatial task, but these gradually worsened as the animals failed to learn. Histological assessment of potential neuropathological changes revealed no abnormalities in d-AP5-treated rats whether killed during or after chronic drug infusion. In experiment 2, a deficit in spatial learning was also apparent in d-AP5-treated rats trained on a spatial reference memory task involving two identical but visible platforms, a task chosen and shown to minimise sensorimotor disturbances. HPLC was used to identify the presence of d-AP5 in selected brain areas. In Experiment 3, rats treated with d-AP5 showed a delay-dependent deficit in spatial memory in the delayed matching-to-place protocol for the water maze. These data are discussed with respect to the learning mechanism and sensorimotor accounts of the impact of NMDA receptor antagonists on brain function. We argue that NMDA receptor mechanisms participate directly in spatial learning. © 2013 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Age Differences in Recall and Information Processing in Verbal and Spatial Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mungas, Dan; And Others

1991-01-01

Three age groups of 24 people each completed verbal word list tasks and spatial learning tasks 5 times each. Significant age differences were found for total recall and type of task. Younger subjects showed increased levels of clustering--organizing information according to semantic or spatial clusters. Age was not related to temporal order of…

Spatial abstraction for autonomous robot navigation.

PubMed

Epstein, Susan L; Aroor, Anoop; Evanusa, Matthew; Sklar, Elizabeth I; Parsons, Simon

2015-09-01

Optimal navigation for a simulated robot relies on a detailed map and explicit path planning, an approach problematic for real-world robots that are subject to noise and error. This paper reports on autonomous robots that rely on local spatial perception, learning, and commonsense rationales instead. Despite realistic actuator error, learned spatial abstractions form a model that supports effective travel.

Rectangular Array Model Supporting Students' Spatial Structuring in Learning Multiplication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanty, Nenden Octavarulia; Wijaya, Surya

2012-01-01

We examine how rectangular array model can support students' spatial structuring in learning multiplication. To begin, we define what we mean by spatial structuring as the mental operation of constructing an organization or form for an object or set of objects. For that reason, the eggs problem was chosen as the starting point in which the…

Spatial Thinking Concepts in Early Grade-Level Geography Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthamatten, Peter

2010-01-01

Research in the cognition and learning sciences has demonstrated that the human brain contains basic structures whose functions are to perform a variety of specific spatial reasoning tasks and that children are capable of learning basic spatial concepts at an early age. There has been a call from within geography to recognize research on spatial…

Stills, Not Full Motion, for Interactive Spatial Training: American, Turkish and Taiwanese Female Pre-Service Teachers Learn Spatial Visualization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Glenn Gordon; Gerretson, Helen; Olkun, Sinan; Yuan, Yuan; Dogbey, James; Erdem, Aliye

2009-01-01

This study investigated how female elementary education pre-service teachers in the United States, Turkey and Taiwan learned spatial skills from structured activities involving discrete, as opposed to continuous, transformations in interactive computer programs, and how these activities transferred to non-related standardized tests of spatial…

Using the van Hiele K-12 Geometry Learning Theory to Modify Engineering Mechanics Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Janet M.; Zachary, Loren W.

2004-01-01

Engineering students use spatial thinking when examining diagrams or models to study structure design. It is expected that most engineering students have solidified spatial thinking skills during K-12 schooling. However, according to what we know about geometry learning and teaching, spatial thinking probably needs to be explicitly taught within…

Near or far: The effect of spatial distance and vocabulary knowledge on word learning.

PubMed

Axelsson, Emma L; Perry, Lynn K; Scott, Emilly J; Horst, Jessica S

2016-01-01

The current study investigated the role of spatial distance in word learning. Two-year-old children saw three novel objects named while the objects were either in close proximity to each other or spatially separated. Children were then tested on their retention for the name-object associations. Keeping the objects spatially separated from each other during naming was associated with increased retention for children with larger vocabularies. Children with a lower vocabulary size demonstrated better retention if they saw objects in close proximity to each other during naming. This demonstrates that keeping a clear view of objects during naming improves word learning for children who have already learned many words, but keeping objects within close proximal range is better for children at earlier stages of vocabulary acquisition. The effect of distance is therefore not equal across varying vocabulary sizes. The influences of visual crowding, cognitive load, and vocabulary size on word learning are discussed. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of peptides from Phascolosoma esculenta on spatial learning and memory via anti-oxidative character in mice.

PubMed

Liu, Lianliang; Cao, Jinxuan; Chen, Jiong; Zhang, Xin; Wu, Zufang; Xiang, Huan

2016-09-19

This study was aimed to evaluate effects of peptides from Phascolosoma esculenta and its ferrous-chelating peptides on spatial learning and memory in mice by Morris water maze test. 100mg/kg peptide on spatial learning and memory function about quadrant time and passing times through the platform better than 50 and 150mg/kg group during exploration period (P<0.05), without body weight between the weight and visual ability. 100mg/kg ferrous-chelating peptide group performed better ability of spatial learning and memory than 100mg/kg peptide group (P<0.05). qRT-PCR results showed that 50 and 100mg/kg administration peptide and 100mg/kg ferrous-chelating peptide can significantly improve mRNA expression of NR2A, NR2B and BDNF with oxidative stress status (GSH-Px, SOD, TAC and MDA), which explained mechanism for improving learning and memory ability in mice via anti-oxidative character. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of dorsal hippocampus catecholamine depletion on paired-associates learning and place learning in rats.

PubMed

Roschlau, Corinna; Hauber, Wolfgang

2017-04-14

Growing evidence suggests that the catecholamine (CA) neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline support hippocampus-mediated learning and memory. However, little is known to date about which forms of hippocampus-mediated spatial learning are modulated by CA signaling in the hippocampus. Therefore, in the current study we examined the effects of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced CA depletion in the dorsal hippocampus on two prominent forms of hippocampus-based spatial learning, that is learning of object-location associations (paired-associates learning) as well as learning and choosing actions based on a representation of the context (place learning). Results show that rats with CA depletion of the dorsal hippocampus were able to learn object-location associations in an automated touch screen paired-associates learning (PAL) task. One possibility to explain this negative result is that object-location learning as tested in the touchscreen PAL task seems to require relatively little hippocampal processing. Results further show that in rats with CA depletion of the dorsal hippocampus the use of a response strategy was facilitated in a T-maze spatial learning task. We suspect that impaired hippocampus CA signaling may attenuate hippocampus-based place learning and favor dorsolateral striatum-based response learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mice lacking hippocampal left-right asymmetry show non-spatial learning deficits.

PubMed

Shimbo, Akihiro; Kosaki, Yutaka; Ito, Isao; Watanabe, Shigeru

2018-01-15

Left-right asymmetry is known to exist at several anatomical levels in the brain and recent studies have provided further evidence to show that it also exists at a molecular level in the hippocampal CA3-CA1 circuit. The distribution of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor NR2B subunits in the apical and basal synapses of CA1 pyramidal neurons is asymmetrical if the input arrives from the left or right CA3 pyramidal neurons. In the present study, we examined the role of hippocampal asymmetry in cognitive function using β2-microglobulin knock-out (β2m KO) mice, which lack hippocampal asymmetry. We tested β2m KO mice in a series of spatial and non-spatial learning tasks and compared the performances of β2m KO and C57BL6/J wild-type (WT) mice. The β2m KO mice appeared normal in both spatial reference memory and spatial working memory tasks but they took more time than WT mice in learning the two non-spatial learning tasks (i.e., a differential reinforcement of lower rates of behavior (DRL) task and a straight runway task). The β2m KO mice also showed less precision in their response timing in the DRL task and showed weaker spontaneous recovery during extinction in the straight runway task. These results indicate that hippocampal asymmetry is important for certain characteristics of non-spatial learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environment learning using descriptions or navigation: The involvement of working memory in young and older adults.

PubMed

Meneghetti, Chiara; Borella, Erika; Carbone, Elena; Martinelli, Massimiliano; De Beni, Rossana

2016-05-01

This study examined age-related differences between young and older adults in the involvement of verbal and visuo-spatial components of working memory (WM) when paths are learned from verbal and visuo-spatial inputs. A sample of 60 young adults (20-30 years old) and 58 older adults (60-75 years old) learned two paths from the person's point of view, one displayed in the form of a video showing the path, the other presenting the path in a verbal description. During the learning phase, participants concurrently performed a verbal task (articulatory suppression, AS group), or a visuo-spatial task (spatial tapping, ST group), or no secondary task (control, C group). After learning each path, participants completed tasks that involved the following: (1) recalling the sequential order and the location of landmarks; and (2) judging spatial sentences as true or false (verification test). The results showed that young adults outperformed older adults in all recall tasks. In both age groups performance in all types of task was worse in the AS and ST groups than in the C group, irrespective of the type of input. Overall, these findings suggest that verbal and visuo-spatial components of WM underpin the processing of environmental information in both young and older adults. The results are discussed in terms of age-related differences and according to the spatial cognition framework. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Learning strategy preference of 5XFAD transgenic mice depends on the sequence of place/spatial and cued training in the water maze task.

PubMed

Cho, Woo-Hyun; Park, Jung-Cheol; Chung, ChiHye; Jeon, Won Kyung; Han, Jung-Soo

2014-10-15

Learning strategy preference was assessed in 5XFAD mice, which carry 5 familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) mutations. Mice were sequentially trained in cued and place/spatial versions of the water maze task. After training, a strategy preference test was conducted in which mice were required to choose between the spatial location where the platform had previously been during the place/spatial training, and a visible platform in a new location. 5XFAD and non-transgenic control mice showed equivalent escape performance in both training tasks. However, in the strategy preference test, 5XFAD mice preferred a cued strategy relative to control mice. When the training sequence was presented in the reverse order (i.e., place/spatial training before cued training), 5XFAD mice showed impairments in place/spatial training, but no differences in cued training or in the strategy preference test comparing to control. Analysis of regional Aβ42 deposition in brains of 5XFAD mice showed that the hippocampus, which is involved in the place/spatial learning strategy, had the highest levels of Aβ42 and the dorsal striatum, which is involved in cued learning strategy, showed a small increase in Aβ42 levels. The effect of training protocol order on performance, and regional differences in Aβ42 deposition observed in 5XFAD mice, suggest differential functional recruitment of brain structures related to learning in healthy and AD individuals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Can 28-Month-Old Children Learn Spatial Prepositions Robustly from Pictures? Yes, When Narrative Input Is Provided

PubMed Central

Rohlfing, Katharina J.; Nachtigäller, Kerstin

2016-01-01

The learning of spatial prepositions is assumed to be based on experience in space. In a slow mapping study, we investigated whether 31 German 28-month-old children could robustly learn the German spatial prepositions hinter [behind] and neben [next to] from pictures, and whether a narrative input can compensate for a lack of immediate experience in space. One group of children received pictures with a narrative input as a training to understand spatial prepositions. In two further groups, we controlled (a) for the narrative input by providing unconnected speech during the training and (b) for the learning material by training the children on toys rather than pictures. We assessed children’s understanding of spatial prepositions at three different time points: pretest, immediate test, and delayed posttest. Results showed improved word retention in children from the narrative but not the control group receiving unconnected speech. Neither of the trained groups succeeded in generalization to novel referents. Finally, all groups were instructed to deal with untrained material in the test to investigate the robustness of learning across tasks. None of the groups succeeded in this task transfer. PMID:27471479

Infants learn better from left to right: a directional bias in infants' sequence learning.

PubMed

Bulf, Hermann; de Hevia, Maria Dolores; Gariboldi, Valeria; Macchi Cassia, Viola

2017-05-26

A wealth of studies show that human adults map ordered information onto a directional spatial continuum. We asked whether mapping ordinal information into a directional space constitutes an early predisposition, already functional prior to the acquisition of symbolic knowledge and language. While it is known that preverbal infants represent numerical order along a left-to-right spatial continuum, no studies have investigated yet whether infants, like adults, organize any kind of ordinal information onto a directional space. We investigated whether 7-month-olds' ability to learn high-order rule-like patterns from visual sequences of geometric shapes was affected by the spatial orientation of the sequences (left-to-right vs. right-to-left). Results showed that infants readily learn rule-like patterns when visual sequences were presented from left to right, but not when presented from right to left. This result provides evidence that spatial orientation critically determines preverbal infants' ability to perceive and learn ordered information in visual sequences, opening to the idea that a left-to-right spatially organized mental representation of ordered dimensions might be rooted in biologically-determined constraints on human brain development.

Endogenous hippocampal LTD that is enabled by spatial object recognition requires activation of NMDA receptors and the metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGlu5.

PubMed

Goh, Jinzhong Jeremy; Manahan-Vaughan, Denise

2013-02-01

Learning-facilitated synaptic plasticity describes the ability of hippocampal synapses to respond with persistent plasticity to afferent stimulation when coupled with a spatial learning event, whereby the afferent stimulation normally produces short-term plasticity or no change in synaptic strength if given in the absence of novel learning. Recently, it was reported that in the mouse hippocampus intrinsic long-term depression (LTD > 24 h) occurs when test-pulse afferent stimulation is coupled with a novel spatial learning. It is not known to what extent this phenomenon shares molecular properties with synaptic plasticity that is typically induced by means of patterned electrical afferent stimulation. In previous work, we showed that a novel spatial object recognition task facilitates LTD at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse of freely behaving adult mice, whereas reexposure to the familiar spatial configuration ∼24 h later elicited no such facilitation. Here we report that treatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist, (±)-3-(2-Carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propanephosphonic acid (CPP), or antagonism of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor, mGlu5, using 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl) pyridine (MPEP), completely prevented LTD under the novel learning conditions. Behavioral assessment during re-exposure after application of the antagonists revealed that the animals did not remember the object during novel exposure and treated them as if they were novel. Under these circumstances, where the acquisition of novel spatial information was involved, LTD was facilitated. Our data support that the endogenous LTD that is enabled through novel spatial learning in adult mice is critically dependent on the activation of both the NMDA receptors and mGlu5. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hippocampal 5-HT1A Receptor and Spatial Learning and Memory

PubMed Central

Glikmann-Johnston, Yifat; Saling, Michael M.; Reutens, David C.; Stout, Julie C.

2015-01-01

Spatial cognition is fundamental for survival in the topographically complex environments inhabited by humans and other animals. The hippocampus, which has a central role in spatial cognition, is characterized by high concentration of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) receptor binding sites, particularly of the 1A receptor (5-HT1A) subtype. This review highlights converging evidence for the role of hippocampal 5-HT1A receptors in spatial learning and memory. We consider studies showing that activation or blockade of the 5-HT1A receptors using agonists or antagonists, respectively, lead to changes in spatial learning and memory. For example, pharmacological manipulation to induce 5-HT release, or to block 5-HT uptake, have indicated that increased extracellular 5-HT concentrations maintain or improve memory performance. In contrast, reduced levels of 5-HT have been shown to impair spatial memory. Furthermore, the lack of 5-HT1A receptor subtype in single gene knockout mice is specifically associated with spatial memory impairments. These findings, along with evidence from recent cognitive imaging studies using positron emission tomography (PET) with 5-HT1A receptor ligands, and studies of individual genetic variance in 5-HT1A receptor availability, strongly suggests that 5-HT, mediated by the 5-HT1A receptor subtype, plays a key role in spatial learning and memory. PMID:26696889

The Association Between Effective Dose of Magnesium and Mild Compulsive Exercise on Spatial Learning, Memory, and Motor Activity of Adult Male Rats.

PubMed

Hajizade Ghonsulakandi, Shahnaz; Sheikh, Mahmuod; Dehghan Shasaltaneh, Marzieh; Chopani, Samira; Naghdi, Nasser

2017-08-01

One of the most important survival mechanisms is learning and memory processes. To emphasize the role of physical exercises and magnesium (Mg) in improvement of cognitive performance, we planned to investigate the effect of Mg and mild compulsive exercise on spatial learning and memory of adult male rats. Accordingly, we divided male Wistar rats into four groups: (I) control, (II) Mg treatment, (III) exercise, and (IV) Mg-exercise in the different dosages of Mg (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mmol/kbw) were injected in the form of gavage during 1 week. Also, 1-week mild running on treadmill was used for exercise treatment. The Morris water maze (MWM) test and open field tool were used to evaluate spatial learning, memory, and motor activity, respectively. Our results clearly showed that 1 mmol/kbw Mg was applied as an effective dosage. Strikingly, 1-week mild exercise on treadmill had no significant effect on spatial motor activity, learning, and memory. Feeding 1 mmol/kbw Mg for a week showed a significant difference in learning and exploration stages. Compared to control animals, these results reveal exercise and Mg simultaneously had effect on learning and reminding. As a consequence, although mild exercise had no effect on motor activity and memory, Mg intake improved spatial learning, memory, and locomotor activity. The Mg feeding could be a promising supplemental treatment in the neurodegenerative disease. It is worthwhile to mention consumption of Mg leads to enhancement of memory, so animals find the hidden platform with the highest velocity.

Finding faults: analogical comparison supports spatial concept learning in geoscience.

PubMed

Jee, Benjamin D; Uttal, David H; Gentner, Dedre; Manduca, Cathy; Shipley, Thomas F; Sageman, Bradley

2013-05-01

A central issue in education is how to support the spatial thinking involved in learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We investigated whether and how the cognitive process of analogical comparison supports learning of a basic spatial concept in geoscience, fault. Because of the high variability in the appearance of faults, it may be difficult for students to learn the category-relevant spatial structure. There is abundant evidence that comparing analogous examples can help students gain insight into important category-defining features (Gentner in Cogn Sci 34(5):752-775, 2010). Further, comparing high-similarity pairs can be especially effective at revealing key differences (Sagi et al. 2012). Across three experiments, we tested whether comparison of visually similar contrasting examples would help students learn the fault concept. Our main findings were that participants performed better at identifying faults when they (1) compared contrasting (fault/no fault) cases versus viewing each case separately (Experiment 1), (2) compared similar as opposed to dissimilar contrasting cases early in learning (Experiment 2), and (3) viewed a contrasting pair of schematic block diagrams as opposed to a single block diagram of a fault as part of an instructional text (Experiment 3). These results suggest that comparison of visually similar contrasting cases helped distinguish category-relevant from category-irrelevant features for participants. When such comparisons occurred early in learning, participants were more likely to form an accurate conceptual representation. Thus, analogical comparison of images may provide one powerful way to enhance spatial learning in geoscience and other STEM disciplines.

Multi-actor involvement for integrating ecosystem services in strategic environmental assessment of spatial plans

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rozas-Vásquez, Daniel, E-mail: danielrozas@gmail.com; Laboratorio de Planificación Territorial, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Rudecindo ortega, 02950 Temuco; Fürst, Christine

Integrating an ecosystem services (ES) approach into Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of spatial plans potentially enhances the consideration of the value of nature in decision making and policy processes. However, there is increasing concern about the institutional context and a lack of a common understanding of SEA and ecosystem services for adopting them as an integrated framework. This paper addresses this concern by analysing the current understanding and network relations in a multi-actor arrangement as a first step towards a successful integration of ES in SEA and spatial planning. Our analysis focuses on a case study in Chile, where wemore » administered a questionnaire survey to some of the main actors involved in the spatial planning process. The questionnaire focused on issues such as network relations among actors and on conceptual understanding, perceptions and challenges for integrating ES in SEA and spatial planning, knowledge on methodological approaches, and the connections and gaps in the science-policy interface. Our findings suggest that a common understanding of SEA and especially of ES in a context of multiple actors is still at an initial stage in Chile. Additionally, the lack of institutional guidelines and methodological support is considered the main challenge for integration. We conclude that preconditions exist in Chile for integrating ES in SEA for spatial planning, but they strongly depend on appropriate governance schemes that promote a close science-policy interaction, as well as collaborative work and learning. - Highlights: • Linking ecosystem services in SEA is an effective framework for sustainability. • Multi-actor understanding and networks in ecosystem services and SEA were analyzed. • Understanding of SEA and especially of ES is still in an initial stage in Chile. • A lack of institutional guidelines is one of the key challenges for this link.« less

Hippocampal Modulation of Associative Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

Improvement of Visual Communication and Its Impact on Spatial Learning. Third Annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and...baseline for these observations. PUBLICATIONS: Goldbogen, G., Lerman, Z., Morton, D. and Wallisky, M. An Investigation of the Improvement of Visual ... Communication and Its Impact on Spatial Learning. Third Annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics (Submitted

Comparison of Visual-Spatial Performance Strategy Training in Children with Turner Syndrome and Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Janet K.; And Others

1992-01-01

Thirteen females with Turner syndrome, 13 females with nonverbal learning disabilities, and 14 males with nonverbal learning disabilities, ages 7-14, were taught via a cognitive behavioral modification approach to verbally mediate a spatial matching task. All three groups showed significant task improvement after the training, with no significant…

Prenatal stress changes learning strategies in adulthood.

PubMed

Schwabe, Lars; Bohbot, Veronique D; Wolf, Oliver T

2012-11-01

It is well known that stressful experiences may shape hippocampus-dependent learning and memory processes. However, although most studies focused on the impact of stress at the time of learning or memory testing, very little is known about how stress during critical periods of brain development affects learning and memory later in life. In this study, we asked whether prenatal stress exposure may influence the engagement of hippocampus-dependent spatial learning strategies and caudate nucleus-dependent response learning strategies in later life. To this end, we tested healthy participants whose mothers had experienced major negative life events during their pregnancy in a virtual navigation task that can be solved by spatial and response strategies. We found that young adults with prenatal stress used rigid response learning strategies more often than flexible spatial learning strategies compared with participants whose mothers did not experience major negative life events during pregnancy. Individual differences in acute or chronic stress do not account for these findings. Our data suggest that the engagement of hippocampal and nonhippocampal learning strategies may be influenced by stress very early in life. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multivariate temporal dictionary learning for EEG.

PubMed

Barthélemy, Q; Gouy-Pailler, C; Isaac, Y; Souloumiac, A; Larue, A; Mars, J I

2013-04-30

This article addresses the issue of representing electroencephalographic (EEG) signals in an efficient way. While classical approaches use a fixed Gabor dictionary to analyze EEG signals, this article proposes a data-driven method to obtain an adapted dictionary. To reach an efficient dictionary learning, appropriate spatial and temporal modeling is required. Inter-channels links are taken into account in the spatial multivariate model, and shift-invariance is used for the temporal model. Multivariate learned kernels are informative (a few atoms code plentiful energy) and interpretable (the atoms can have a physiological meaning). Using real EEG data, the proposed method is shown to outperform the classical multichannel matching pursuit used with a Gabor dictionary, as measured by the representative power of the learned dictionary and its spatial flexibility. Moreover, dictionary learning can capture interpretable patterns: this ability is illustrated on real data, learning a P300 evoked potential. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Stimulation of D1-receptors improves passive avoidance learning of female rats during ovary cycle].

PubMed

Fedotova, Iu O; Sapronov, N S

2012-01-01

The involvement of D1-receptors in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle was assessed in the adult female rats. SKF-38393 (0,1 mg/kg, i.p.), D1-receptor agonist and SCH-23390 (0,1 mg/kg, i.p.), D1-receptor antagonist were injected chronically to adult female rats. Learning of these animals was assessed in different models: passive avoidance performance and Morris water maze. Chronic SKF-3839 administration to females resulted in the appearance of the passive avoidance performance in proestrous and estrous, as distinct from the control animals, but failed to change the dynamics of spatial learning in Morris water maze. Chronic SCH-23390 administration similarly impaired non-spatial and spatial learning in females during all phases of ovary cycle. The results of the study suggest modulating role of D1-receptors in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle in the adult female rats.

[Stimulation of D2-receptors improves passive avoidance learning in female rats].

PubMed

Fedotova, Iu O

2012-01-01

The involvement of D2-receptors in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle was assessed in the adult female rats. Quinperole (0,1 mg/kg, i.p.), D2-receptor agonist and sulpiride (10,0 mg/kg, i.p.), D2-receptor antagonist were injected chronically to adult female rats. Learning of these animals was assessed in different models: passive avoidance performance and Morris water maze. Chronic quinperole administration to females resulted in the appearance of the passive avoidance performance in proestrous and estrous, as distinct from the control animals. Also, quinperole improved spatial learning in proestrous and stimulated it in estrous in Morris water maze. Chronic sulpiride administration similarly impaired non-spatial and spatial learning in females during all phases of ovary cycle. The results of the study suggest modulating role of D2-receptors in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle in the adult female rats.

Generalized lessons about sequence learning from the study of the serial reaction time task

PubMed Central

Schwarb, Hillary; Schumacher, Eric H.

2012-01-01

Over the last 20 years researchers have used the serial reaction time (SRT) task to investigate the nature of spatial sequence learning. They have used the task to identify the locus of spatial sequence learning, identify situations that enhance and those that impair learning, and identify the important cognitive processes that facilitate this type of learning. Although controversies remain, the SRT task has been integral in enhancing our understanding of implicit sequence learning. It is important, however, to ask what, if anything, the discoveries made using the SRT task tell us about implicit learning more generally. This review analyzes the state of the current spatial SRT sequence learning literature highlighting the stimulus-response rule hypothesis of sequence learning which we believe provides a unifying account of discrepant SRT data. It also challenges researchers to use the vast body of knowledge acquired with the SRT task to understand other implicit learning literatures too often ignored in the context of this particular task. This broad perspective will make it possible to identify congruences among data acquired using various different tasks that will allow us to generalize about the nature of implicit learning. PMID:22723815

Memory Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis is Due to a Core Deficit in Initial Learning

PubMed Central

DeLuca, John; Leavitt, Victoria M.; Chiaravalloti, Nancy; Wylie, Glenn

2013-01-01

Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer memory impairment, but research on the nature of MS-related memory problems is mixed. Some have argued for a core deficit in retrieval, while others have identified deficient initial learning as the core deficit. We used a selective reminding paradigm to determine whether deficient initial learning or delayed retrieval represents the primary memory deficit in 44 persons with MS. Brain atrophy was measured from high-resolution MRIs. Regression analyses examined the impact of brain atrophy on (a) initial learning and delayed retrieval separately, and then (b) delayed retrieval controlling for initial learning. Brain atrophy was negatively associated with both initial learning and delayed retrieval (ps < .01), but brain atrophy was unrelated to retrieval when controlling for initial learning (p > .05). In addition, brain atrophy was associated with inefficient learning across initial acquisition trials, and brain atrophy was unrelated to delayed recall among MS subjects who successfully acquired the word list (although such learning frequently required many exposures). Taken together, memory deficits in MS are a result of deficits in initial learning; moreover, initial learning mediates the relationship between brain atrophy and subsequent retrieval, thereby supporting the core learning-deficit hypothesis of memory impairment in MS. PMID:23832311

Connecting Spatial Literacy and Climate Literacy Using a Place-Based GIS Approach in a Collaborative Online Educational Setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Low, R.; Boger, R. A.; Mandryk, C. A.

2014-12-01

On-line learning is already revolutionizing higher education, and emerging cloud-based Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities are poised to revolutionize the acquisition and sharing of spatial knowledge in a variety of fields. In this project, we deployed ESRI's ArcGIS Online in an on-line course environment to provide a place-based quantitative exploration of the impacts of environmental changes specifically related to climate change. As spatial thinking is not necessarily transferrable from one domain to another, we hypothesized that combining spatial literacy and climate change domain knowledge would transform student conceptions and mental models of climate change in measurable ways. To this end, we adapted and employed existing instruments for pre- post testing of general pattern recognition, interpretation, and spatial transformational skills, as well as climate system content knowledge and attitudes. A collaborative on-line course platform offered to students from University of Nebraska, Lincoln and from City College of New York (CUNY) colleges, Brooklyn and Lehman, brought to the discussion distinct urban and rural perspectives, which were the basis of place-based climate, water and food explorations in the course. The course has been offered 3 times in a shared LMS over the past 3 years. Participants in the most recent iteration of the course demonstrated statistically significant improvements in spatial skills, but they did not show the expected statistically significant improvement overall in climate knowledge that we see in other online courses where climate change literacy is the sole focus of the course. Ongoing research by our team shows strong correlation between active peer engagement in online discussions and student learning outcomes. Student-initiated discussions in the GIS-based climate change courses revealed a shift away from discussing the climate change science and a focus on technology and analyzing the spatial products created using GIS. As we improve the effectiveness of this course, we will be developing interventions in the discussion board activities that we hypothesize will increase the effectiveness of climate knowledge construction in future iterations.

Age-related changes in rostral basal forebrain cholinergic and GABAergic projection neurons: Relationship with spatial impairment

PubMed Central

Bañuelos, C.; LaSarge, C. L.; McQuail, J. A.; Hartman, J. J.; Gilbert, R. J.; Ormerod, B. K.; Bizon, J. L.

2013-01-01

Both cholinergic and GABAergic projections from the rostral basal forebrain have been implicated in hippocampal function and mnemonic abilities. While dysfunction of cholinergic neurons has been heavily implicated in age-related memory decline, significantly less is known regarding how age-related changes in co-distributed GABAergic projection neurons contribute to a decline in hippocampal-dependent spatial learning. In the current study, confocal stereology was used to quantify cholinergic (choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunopositive) neurons, GABAergic projection (glutamic decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) immunopositive) neurons, and total (NeuN immunopositive) neurons in the rostral basal forebrain of young and aged rats that were first characterized on a spatial learning task. ChAT immunopositive neurons were significantly but modestly reduced in aged rats. Although ChAT immunopositive neuron number was strongly correlated with spatial learning abilities among young rats, the reduction of ChAT immunopositive neurons was not associated with impaired spatial learning in aged rats. In contrast, the number of GAD67 immunopositive neurons was robustly and selectively elevated in aged rats that exhibited impaired spatial learning. Interestingly, the total number of rostral basal forebrain neurons was comparable in young and aged rats, regardless of their cognitive status. These data demonstrate differential effects of age on phenotypically distinct rostral basal forebrain projection neurons, and implicate dysregulated cholinergic and GABAergic septohippocampal circuitry in age-related mnemonic decline. PMID:22817834

Effects of Gender Differences and Spatial Abilities within a Digital Pentominoes Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Jie Chi; Chen, Sherry Y.

2010-01-01

Spatial ability is a critical skill in geometric learning. Several studies investigate how to use digital games to improve spatial abilities. However, not every learner favors this kind of support. To this end, there is a need to examine how human factors affect learners' reactions to the use of a digital game to support geometric learning. In…

Probing the Relationship between Process of Spatial Problems Solving and Science Learning: An Eye Tracking Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yi-Chun; Yang, Fang-Ying

2014-01-01

There were two purposes in the study. One was to explore the cognitive activities during spatial problem solving and the other to probe the relationship between spatial ability and science concept learning. Twenty university students participated in the study. The Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test (PVRT) was used to assess the spatial…

Spaces in between Us: A Qualitative Study into the Impact of Spatial Practice when Learning in "Second Life"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savin-Baden, Maggi

2013-01-01

This paper will present a study that explored the perceived impact of spatial practice in "Second Life" (SL) on teaching and learning from the point of view of participants in higher education (lecturers, developers and researchers). Narrative inquiry was used to access stories and experiences of space and spatial practice from staff…

Spatial Abilities in an Elective Course of Applied Anatomy after a Problem-Based Learning Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langlois, Jean; Wells, George A.; Lecourtois, Marc; Bergeron, Germain; Yetisir, Elizabeth; Martin, Marcel

2009-01-01

A concern on the level of anatomy knowledge reached after a problem-based learning curriculum has been documented in the literature. Spatial anatomy, arguably the highest level in anatomy knowledge, has been related to spatial abilities. Our first objective was to test the hypothesis that residents are interested in a course of applied anatomy…

Interactions of spatial strategies producing generalization gradient and blocking: A computational approach

PubMed Central

Dollé, Laurent; Chavarriaga, Ricardo

2018-01-01

We present a computational model of spatial navigation comprising different learning mechanisms in mammals, i.e., associative, cognitive mapping and parallel systems. This model is able to reproduce a large number of experimental results in different variants of the Morris water maze task, including standard associative phenomena (spatial generalization gradient and blocking), as well as navigation based on cognitive mapping. Furthermore, we show that competitive and cooperative patterns between different navigation strategies in the model allow to explain previous apparently contradictory results supporting either associative or cognitive mechanisms for spatial learning. The key computational mechanism to reconcile experimental results showing different influences of distal and proximal cues on the behavior, different learning times, and different abilities of individuals to alternatively perform spatial and response strategies, relies in the dynamic coordination of navigation strategies, whose performance is evaluated online with a common currency through a modular approach. We provide a set of concrete experimental predictions to further test the computational model. Overall, this computational work sheds new light on inter-individual differences in navigation learning, and provides a formal and mechanistic approach to test various theories of spatial cognition in mammals. PMID:29630600

Human motion tracking by temporal-spatial local gaussian process experts.

PubMed

Zhao, Xu; Fu, Yun; Liu, Yuncai

2011-04-01

Human pose estimation via motion tracking systems can be considered as a regression problem within a discriminative framework. It is always a challenging task to model the mapping from observation space to state space because of the high-dimensional characteristic in the multimodal conditional distribution. In order to build the mapping, existing techniques usually involve a large set of training samples in the learning process which are limited in their capability to deal with multimodality. We propose, in this work, a novel online sparse Gaussian Process (GP) regression model to recover 3-D human motion in monocular videos. Particularly, we investigate the fact that for a given test input, its output is mainly determined by the training samples potentially residing in its local neighborhood and defined in the unified input-output space. This leads to a local mixture GP experts system composed of different local GP experts, each of which dominates a mapping behavior with the specific covariance function adapting to a local region. To handle the multimodality, we combine both temporal and spatial information therefore to obtain two categories of local experts. The temporal and spatial experts are integrated into a seamless hybrid system, which is automatically self-initialized and robust for visual tracking of nonlinear human motion. Learning and inference are extremely efficient as all the local experts are defined online within very small neighborhoods. Extensive experiments on two real-world databases, HumanEva and PEAR, demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed model, which significantly improve the performance of existing models.

Implicit learning of non-spatial sequences in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

MARVEL, CHERIE L.; SCHWARTZ, BARBARA L.; HOWARD, DARLENE V.; HOWARD, JAMES H.

2006-01-01

Recent studies have reported abnormal implicit learning of sequential patterns in patients with schizophrenia. Because these studies were based on visuospatial cues, the question remained whether patients were impaired simply due to the demands of spatial processing. This study examined implicit sequence learning in 24 patients with schizophrenia and 24 healthy controls using a non-spatial variation of the serial reaction time test (SRT) in which pattern stimuli alternated with random stimuli on every other trial. Both groups showed learning by responding faster and more accurately to pattern trials than to random trials. Patients, however, showed a smaller magnitude of sequence learning. Both groups were unable to demonstrate explicit knowledge of the nature of the pattern, confirming that learning occurred without awareness. Clinical variables were not correlated with the patients' learning deficits. Patients with schizophrenia have a decreased ability to develop sensitivity to regularly occurring sequences of events within their environment. This type of deficit may affect an array of cognitive and motor functions that rely on the perception of event regularity. PMID:16248901

Chronic administration of R-flurbiprofen attenuates learning impairments in transgenic amyloid precursor protein mice

PubMed Central

Kukar, Thomas; Prescott, Sonya; Eriksen, Jason L; Holloway, Vallie; Murphy, M Paul; Koo, Edward H; Golde, Todd E; Nicolle, Michelle M

2007-01-01

Background Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We and others have shown that certain NSAIDs reduce secretion of Aβ42 in cell culture and animal models, and that the effect of NSAIDs on Aβ42 is independent of the inhibition of cyclooxygenase by these compounds. Since Aβ42 is hypothesized to be the initiating pathologic molecule in AD, the ability of these compounds to lower Aβ42 selectively may be associated with their protective effect. We have previously identified R-flurbiprofen (tarenflurbil) as a selective Aβ42 lowering agent with greatly reduced cyclooxygenase activity that shows promise for testing this hypothesis. In this study we report the effect of chronic R-flurbiprofen treatment on cognition and Aβ loads in Tg2576 APP mice. Results A four-month preventative treatment regimen with R-flurbiprofen (10 mg/kg/day) was administered to young Tg2576 mice prior to robust plaque or Aβ pathology. This treatment regimen improved spatial learning as assessed by the Morris water maze, indicated by an increased spatial bias during the third probe trial and an increased utilization of a place strategy to solve the water maze. These results are consistent with an improvement in hippocampal- and medial temporal lobe-dependent memory function. A modest, though not statistically significant, reduction in formic acid-soluble levels of Aβ was also observed. To determine if R-flurbiprofen could reverse cognitive deficits in Tg2576 mice where plaque pathology was already robust, a two-week therapeutic treatment was given to older Tg2576 mice with the same dose of R-flurbiprofen. This approach resulted in a significant decrease in Aβ plaque burden but no significant improvement in spatial learning. Conclusion We have found that chronic administration of R-flurbiprofen is able to attenuate spatial learning deficits if given prior to plaque deposition in Tg2576 mice. Given its ability to selectively target Aβ42 production and improve cognitive impairments in transgenic APP mice, as well as promising data from a phase 2 human clinical trial, future studies are needed to investigate the utility of R-flurbiprofen as an AD therapeutic and its possible mechanisms of action. PMID:17650315

Functional organization of the medial temporal lobe memory system following neonatal hippocampal lesion in rhesus monkeys.

PubMed

Chareyron, Loïc J; Banta Lavenex, Pamela; Amaral, David G; Lavenex, Pierre

2017-12-01

Hippocampal damage in adult humans impairs episodic and semantic memory, whereas hippocampal damage early in life impairs episodic memory but leaves semantic learning relatively preserved. We have previously shown a similar behavioral dissociation in nonhuman primates. Hippocampal lesion in adult monkeys prevents allocentric spatial relational learning, whereas spatial learning persists following neonatal lesion. Here, we quantified the number of cells expressing the immediate-early gene c-fos, a marker of neuronal activity, to characterize the functional organization of the medial temporal lobe memory system following neonatal hippocampal lesion. Ninety minutes before brain collection, three control and four adult monkeys with bilateral neonatal hippocampal lesions explored a novel environment to activate brain structures involved in spatial learning. Three other adult monkeys with neonatal hippocampal lesions remained in their housing quarters. In unlesioned monkeys, we found high levels of c-fos expression in the intermediate and caudal regions of the entorhinal cortex, and in the perirhinal, parahippocampal, and retrosplenial cortices. In lesioned monkeys, spatial exploration induced an increase in c-fos expression in the intermediate field of the entorhinal cortex, the perirhinal, parahippocampal, and retrosplenial cortices, but not in the caudal entorhinal cortex. These findings suggest that different regions of the medial temporal lobe memory system may require different types of interaction with the hippocampus in support of memory. The caudal perirhinal cortex, the parahippocampal cortex, and the retrosplenial cortex may contribute to spatial learning in the absence of functional hippocampal circuits, whereas the caudal entorhinal cortex may require hippocampal output to support spatial learning.

Route-Learning Strategies in Typical and Atypical Development; Eye Tracking Reveals Atypical Landmark Selection in Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farran, E. K.; Formby, S.; Daniyal, F.; Holmes, T.; Van Herwegen, J.

2016-01-01

Background: Successful navigation is crucial to everyday life. Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have impaired spatial abilities. This includes a deficit in spatial navigation abilities such as learning the route from A to B. To-date, to determine whether participants attend to landmarks when learning a route, landmark recall tasks have been…

The Effect of Old Age on Supra-Span Learning of Visuo-Spatial Sequences under Incidental and Intentional Encoding Instructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagnon, Sylvain; Bedard, Marie-Josee; Turcotte, Josee

2005-01-01

Recent findings [Turcotte, Gagnon, & Poirier, 2005. The effect of old age on the learning of supra-span sequences. "Psychology and Aging," 20, 251-260.] indicate that incidental learning of visuo-spatial supra-span sequences through immediate serial recall declines with old age (Hebb's paradigm). In this study, we examined whether…

The Synergetic Effect of Learning Styles on the Interaction between Virtual Environments and the Enhancement of Spatial Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauptman, Hanoch; Cohen, Arie

2011-01-01

Students have difficulty learning 3D geometry; spatial thinking is an important aspect of the learning processes in this academic area. In light of the unique features of virtual environments and the influence of metacognitive processes (e.g., self-regulating questions) on the teaching of mathematics, we assumed that a combination of…

Implicit transfer of spatial structure in visuomotor sequence learning.

PubMed

Tanaka, Kanji; Watanabe, Katsumi

2014-11-01

Implicit learning and transfer in sequence learning are essential in daily life. Here, we investigated the implicit transfer of visuomotor sequences following a spatial transformation. In the two experiments, participants used trial and error to learn a sequence consisting of several button presses, known as the m×n task (Hikosaka et al., 1995). After this learning session, participants learned another sequence in which the button configuration was spatially transformed in one of the following ways: mirrored, rotated, and random arrangement. Our results showed that even when participants were unaware of the transformation rules, accuracy of transfer session in the mirrored and rotated groups was higher than that in the random group (i.e., implicit transfer occurred). Both those who noticed the transformation rules and those who did not (i.e., explicit and implicit transfer instances, respectively) showed faster performance in the mirrored sequences than in the rotated sequences. Taken together, the present results suggest that people can use their implicit visuomotor knowledge to spatially transform sequences and that implicit transfers are modulated by a transformation cost, similar to that in explicit transfer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rats with ventral hippocampal damage are impaired at various forms of learning including conditioned inhibition, spatial navigation, and discriminative fear conditioning to similar contexts.

PubMed

McDonald, Robert J; Balog, R J; Lee, Justin Q; Stuart, Emily E; Carrels, Brianna B; Hong, Nancy S

2018-10-01

The ventral hippocampus (vHPC) has been implicated in learning and memory functions that seem to differ from its dorsal counterpart. The goal of this series of experiments was to provide further insight into the functional contributions of the vHPC. Our previous work implicated the vHPC in spatial learning, inhibitory learning, and fear conditioning to context. However, the specific role of vHPC on these different forms of learning are not clear. Accordingly, we assessed the effects of neurotoxic lesions of the ventral hippocampus on retention of a conditioned inhibitory association, early versus late spatial navigation in the water task, and discriminative fear conditioning to context under high ambiguity conditions. The results showed that the vHPC was necessary for the expression of conditioned inhibition, early spatial learning, and discriminative fear conditioning to context when the paired and unpaired contexts have high cue overlap. We argue that this pattern of effects, combined with previous work, suggests a key role for vHPC in the utilization of broad contextual representations for inhibition and discriminative memory in high ambiguity conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changing viewer perspectives reveals constraints to implicit visual statistical learning.

PubMed

Jiang, Yuhong V; Swallow, Khena M

2014-10-07

Statistical learning-learning environmental regularities to guide behavior-likely plays an important role in natural human behavior. One potential use is in search for valuable items. Because visual statistical learning can be acquired quickly and without intention or awareness, it could optimize search and thereby conserve energy. For this to be true, however, visual statistical learning needs to be viewpoint invariant, facilitating search even when people walk around. To test whether implicit visual statistical learning of spatial information is viewpoint independent, we asked participants to perform a visual search task from variable locations around a monitor placed flat on a stand. Unbeknownst to participants, the target was more often in some locations than others. In contrast to previous research on stationary observers, visual statistical learning failed to produce a search advantage for targets in high-probable regions that were stable within the environment but variable relative to the viewer. This failure was observed even when conditions for spatial updating were optimized. However, learning was successful when the rich locations were referenced relative to the viewer. We conclude that changing viewer perspective disrupts implicit learning of the target's location probability. This form of learning shows limited integration with spatial updating or spatiotopic representations. © 2014 ARVO.

Optimization of Apparatus Design and Behavioral Measures for the Assessment of Visuo-Spatial Learning and Memory of Mice on the Barnes Maze

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Leary, Timothy P.; Brown, Richard E.

2013-01-01

We have previously shown that apparatus design can affect visual-spatial cue use and memory performance of mice on the Barnes maze. The present experiment extends these findings by determining the optimal behavioral measures and test procedure for analyzing visuo-spatial learning and memory in three different Barnes maze designs. Male and female…

Place and Response Learning in the Open-field Tower Maze.

PubMed

Lipatova, Olga; Campolattaro, Matthew M; Toufexis, Donna J; Mabry, Erin A

2015-10-28

This protocol describes how the Open-field Tower Maze (OFTM) paradigm is used to study spatial learning in rodents. This maze is especially useful for examining how rats learn to use a place- or response-learning to successfully navigate in an open-field arena. Additionally, this protocol describes how the OFTM differs from other behavioral maze paradigms that are commonly used to study spatial learning in rodents. The OFTM described in this article was adapted from the one previously described by Cole, Clipperton, and Walt (2007). Specifically, the OFTM was created to test spatial learning in rodents without the experimenter having to consider how "stress" might play a role as a confounding variable. Experiments have shown that stress-alone can significantly affect cognitive function(1). The representative results section contains data from an experiment that used the OFTM to examine the effects of estradiol treatment on place- and response-learning in adult female Sprague Dawley rats(2). Future studies will be designed to examine the role of the hippocampus and striatum in place- and response-learning in the OFTM.

KBGIS-II: A knowledge-based geographic information system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Terence; Peuquet, Donna; Menon, Sudhakar; Agarwal, Pankaj

1986-01-01

The architecture and working of a recently implemented Knowledge-Based Geographic Information System (KBGIS-II), designed to satisfy several general criteria for the GIS, is described. The system has four major functions including query-answering, learning and editing. The main query finds constrained locations for spatial objects that are describable in a predicate-calculus based spatial object language. The main search procedures include a family of constraint-satisfaction procedures that use a spatial object knowledge base to search efficiently for complex spatial objects in large, multilayered spatial data bases. These data bases are represented in quadtree form. The search strategy is designed to reduce the computational cost of search in the average case. The learning capabilities of the system include the addition of new locations of complex spatial objects to the knowledge base as queries are answered, and the ability to learn inductively definitions of new spatial objects from examples. The new definitions are added to the knowledge base by the system. The system is performing all its designated tasks successfully. Future reports will relate performance characteristics of the system.

[Co-administration of RJR-2403 with low dose of 17beta-estradiol on spatial learning in ovariectomized rats].

PubMed

Fedotova, Yu O

2013-01-01

The aim of this work was to study the influence of stimulation or blockade Nalpha7-cholinoreceptors on dynamics of spatial learning in water Morris maze and on behavior in the "open field" test in adult ovariectomized (OVX) females given with a low dose of 17beta-estradiol. Agonist of Nalpha7-cholinoreceptors - RJR-2403 (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) or antagonist of Nalpha7-cholinoreceptors - mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) treated chronically (14 days) alone and in a combination with low dose of 17beta-estradiol (0.5 micro/rat, s.c.) to OVX rats. Co-administration of RJR-2403 with low dose of 17beta-estradiol completely restored impaired spatial learning in water Morris maze in OVX females. Moreover, OVX rats treated with RJR-2403 and low dose of 17beta-estradiol demonstrated increased exploratory and grooming behavior in the "open field" test. Both mecamylamine alone and in combination with low dose of 17beta-estradiol failed to influence on spatial learning and failed to modify behavior in the "open field" test in OVX rats. The results of the present study suggest a positive effect of RJR-2403 in combination with low dose of 17beta-estradiol on spatial learning at estrogen deficiency.

The Development of GIS Educational Resources Sharing among Central Taiwan Universities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, T.-Y.; Yeh, M.-L.; Lai, Y.-C.

2011-09-01

Using GIS in the classroom enhance students' computer skills and explore the range of knowledge. The paper highlights GIS integration on e-learning platform and introduces a variety of abundant educational resources. This research project will demonstrate tools for e-learning environment and delivers some case studies for learning interaction from Central Taiwan Universities. Feng Chia University (FCU) obtained a remarkable academic project subsidized by Ministry of Education and developed e-learning platform for excellence in teaching/learning programs among Central Taiwan's universities. The aim of the project is to integrate the educational resources of 13 universities in central Taiwan. FCU is serving as the hub of Center University. To overcome the problem of distance, e-platforms have been established to create experiences with collaboration enhanced learning. The e-platforms provide coordination of web service access among the educational community and deliver GIS educational resources. Most of GIS related courses cover the development of GIS, principles of cartography, spatial data analysis and overlaying, terrain analysis, buffer analysis, 3D GIS application, Remote Sensing, GPS technology, and WebGIS, MobileGIS, ArcGIS manipulation. In each GIS case study, students have been taught to know geographic meaning, collect spatial data and then use ArcGIS software to analyze spatial data. On one of e-Learning platforms provide lesson plans and presentation slides. Students can learn Arc GIS online. As they analyze spatial data, they can connect to GIS hub to get data they need including satellite images, aerial photos, and vector data. Moreover, e-learning platforms provide solutions and resources. Different levels of image scales have been integrated into the systems. Multi-scale spatial development and analyses in Central Taiwan integrate academic research resources among CTTLRC partners. Thus, establish decision-making support mechanism in teaching and learning. Accelerate communication, cooperation and sharing among academic units

Automatic recognition of holistic functional brain networks using iteratively optimized convolutional neural networks (IO-CNN) with weak label initialization.

PubMed

Zhao, Yu; Ge, Fangfei; Liu, Tianming

2018-07-01

fMRI data decomposition techniques have advanced significantly from shallow models such as Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and Sparse Coding and Dictionary Learning (SCDL) to deep learning models such Deep Belief Networks (DBN) and Convolutional Autoencoder (DCAE). However, interpretations of those decomposed networks are still open questions due to the lack of functional brain atlases, no correspondence across decomposed or reconstructed networks across different subjects, and significant individual variabilities. Recent studies showed that deep learning, especially deep convolutional neural networks (CNN), has extraordinary ability of accommodating spatial object patterns, e.g., our recent works using 3D CNN for fMRI-derived network classifications achieved high accuracy with a remarkable tolerance for mistakenly labelled training brain networks. However, the training data preparation is one of the biggest obstacles in these supervised deep learning models for functional brain network map recognitions, since manual labelling requires tedious and time-consuming labours which will sometimes even introduce label mistakes. Especially for mapping functional networks in large scale datasets such as hundreds of thousands of brain networks used in this paper, the manual labelling method will become almost infeasible. In response, in this work, we tackled both the network recognition and training data labelling tasks by proposing a new iteratively optimized deep learning CNN (IO-CNN) framework with an automatic weak label initialization, which enables the functional brain networks recognition task to a fully automatic large-scale classification procedure. Our extensive experiments based on ABIDE-II 1099 brains' fMRI data showed the great promise of our IO-CNN framework. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A preliminary study of sex differences in brain activation during a spatial navigation task in healthy adults.

PubMed

Sneider, Jennifer Tropp; Sava, Simona; Rogowska, Jadwiga; Yurgelun-Todd, Deborah A

2011-10-01

The hippocampus plays a significant role in spatial memory processing, with sex differences being prominent on various spatial tasks. This study examined sex differences in healthy adults, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in areas implicated in spatial processing during navigation of a virtual analogue of the Morris water-maze. There were three conditions: learning, hidden, and visible control. There were no significant differences in performance measures. However, sex differences were found in regional brain activation during learning in the right hippocampus, right parahippocampal gyrus, and the cingulate cortex. During the hidden condition, the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and cingulate cortex were activated in both men and women. Additional brain areas involved in spatial processing may be recruited in women when learning information about the environment, by utilizing external cues (landmarks) more than do men, contributing to the observed sex differences in brain activation.

Spatial memory and navigation by honeybees on the scale of the foraging range

PubMed

Dyer

1996-01-01

Honeybees and other nesting animals face the problem of finding their way between their nest and distant feeding sites. Many studies have shown that insects can learn foraging routes in reference to both landmarks and celestial cues, but it is a major puzzle how spatial information obtained from these environmental features is encoded in memory. This paper reviews recent progress by my colleagues and me towards understanding three specific aspects of this problem in honeybees: (1) how bees learn the spatial relationships among widely separated locations in a familiar terrain; (2) how bees learn the pattern of movement of the sun over the day; and (3) whether, and if so how, bees learn the relationships between celestial cues and landmarks.

Central and peripheral vision loss differentially affects contextual cueing in visual search.

PubMed

Geringswald, Franziska; Pollmann, Stefan

2015-09-01

Visual search for targets in repeated displays is more efficient than search for the same targets in random distractor layouts. Previous work has shown that this contextual cueing is severely impaired under central vision loss. Here, we investigated whether central vision loss, simulated with gaze-contingent displays, prevents the incidental learning of contextual cues or the expression of learning, that is, the guidance of search by learned target-distractor configurations. Visual search with a central scotoma reduced contextual cueing both with respect to search times and gaze parameters. However, when the scotoma was subsequently removed, contextual cueing was observed in a comparable magnitude as for controls who had searched without scotoma simulation throughout the experiment. This indicated that search with a central scotoma did not prevent incidental context learning, but interfered with search guidance by learned contexts. We discuss the role of visuospatial working memory load as source of this interference. In contrast to central vision loss, peripheral vision loss was expected to prevent spatial configuration learning itself, because the restricted search window did not allow the integration of invariant local configurations with the global display layout. This expectation was confirmed in that visual search with a simulated peripheral scotoma eliminated contextual cueing not only in the initial learning phase with scotoma, but also in the subsequent test phase without scotoma. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Acute stress differentially affects spatial configuration learning in high and low cortisol-responding healthy adults

PubMed Central

Meyer, Thomas; Smeets, Tom; Giesbrecht, Timo; Quaedflieg, Conny W. E. M.; Merckelbach, Harald

2013-01-01

Background Stress and stress hormones modulate memory formation in various ways that are relevant to our understanding of stress-related psychopathology, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Particular relevance is attributed to efficient memory formation sustained by the hippocampus and parahippocampus. This process is thought to reduce the occurrence of intrusions and flashbacks following trauma, but may be negatively affected by acute stress. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that the efficiency of visuo-spatial processing and learning based on the hippocampal area is related to PTSD symptoms. Objective The current study investigated the effect of acute stress on spatial configuration learning using a spatial contextual cueing task (SCCT) known to heavily rely on structures in the parahippocampus. Method Acute stress was induced by subjecting participants (N = 34) to the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Following a counterbalanced within-subject approach, the effects of stress and the ensuing hormonal (i.e., cortisol) activity on subsequent SCCT performance were compared to SCCT performance following a no-stress control condition. Results Acute stress did not impact SCCT learning overall, but opposing effects emerged for high versus low cortisol responders to the MAST. Learning scores following stress were reduced in low cortisol responders, while high cortisol-responding participants showed improved learning. Conclusions The effects of stress on spatial configuration learning were moderated by the magnitude of endogenous cortisol secretion. These findings suggest a possible mechanism by which cortisol responses serve an adaptive function during stress and trauma, and this may prove to be a promising route for future research in this area. PMID:23671762

Exploring the Structure of Spatial Representations

PubMed Central

Madl, Tamas; Franklin, Stan; Chen, Ke; Trappl, Robert; Montaldi, Daniela

2016-01-01

It has been suggested that the map-like representations that support human spatial memory are fragmented into sub-maps with local reference frames, rather than being unitary and global. However, the principles underlying the structure of these ‘cognitive maps’ are not well understood. We propose that the structure of the representations of navigation space arises from clustering within individual psychological spaces, i.e. from a process that groups together objects that are close in these spaces. Building on the ideas of representational geometry and similarity-based representations in cognitive science, we formulate methods for learning dissimilarity functions (metrics) characterizing participants’ psychological spaces. We show that these learned metrics, together with a probabilistic model of clustering based on the Bayesian cognition paradigm, allow prediction of participants’ cognitive map structures in advance. Apart from insights into spatial representation learning in human cognition, these methods could facilitate novel computational tools capable of using human-like spatial concepts. We also compare several features influencing spatial memory structure, including spatial distance, visual similarity and functional similarity, and report strong correlations between these dimensions and the grouping probability in participants’ spatial representations, providing further support for clustering in spatial memory. PMID:27347681

Oculomotor and Manual Indexes of Incidental and Intentional Spatial Sequence Learning during Middle Childhood and Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karatekin, Canan; Marcus, David J.; White, Tonya

2007-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine incidental and intentional spatial sequence learning during middle childhood and adolescence. We tested four age groups (8-10 years, 11-13 years, 14-17 years, and young adults [18+ years]) on a serial reaction time task and used manual and oculomotor measures to examine incidental sequence learning.…

Evolution of social versus individual learning in a subdivided population revisited: comparative analysis of three coexistence mechanisms using the inclusive-fitness method.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Yutaka; Ohtsuki, Hisashi

2014-03-01

Learning abilities are categorized into social (learning from others) and individual learning (learning on one's own). Despite the typically higher cost of individual learning, there are mechanisms that allow stable coexistence of both learning modes in a single population. In this paper, we investigate by means of mathematical modeling how the effect of spatial structure on evolutionary outcomes of pure social and individual learning strategies depends on the mechanisms for coexistence. We model a spatially structured population based on the infinite-island framework and consider three scenarios that differ in coexistence mechanisms. Using the inclusive-fitness method, we derive the equilibrium frequency of social learners and the genetic load of social learning (defined as average fecundity reduction caused by the presence of social learning) in terms of some summary statistics, such as relatedness, for each of the three scenarios and compare the results. This comparative analysis not only reconciles previous models that made contradictory predictions as to the effect of spatial structure on the equilibrium frequency of social learners but also derives a simple mathematical rule that determines the sign of the genetic load (i.e. whether or not social learning contributes to the mean fecundity of the population). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatial features of synaptic adaptation affecting learning performance.

PubMed

Berger, Damian L; de Arcangelis, Lucilla; Herrmann, Hans J

2017-09-08

Recent studies have proposed that the diffusion of messenger molecules, such as monoamines, can mediate the plastic adaptation of synapses in supervised learning of neural networks. Based on these findings we developed a model for neural learning, where the signal for plastic adaptation is assumed to propagate through the extracellular space. We investigate the conditions allowing learning of Boolean rules in a neural network. Even fully excitatory networks show very good learning performances. Moreover, the investigation of the plastic adaptation features optimizing the performance suggests that learning is very sensitive to the extent of the plastic adaptation and the spatial range of synaptic connections.

Designing a Web-Based Learning Portal for Geographic Visualization and Analysis in Public Health

PubMed Central

Robinson, Anthony C.; Roth, Robert E.; MacEachren, Alan M.

2011-01-01

Interactive mapping and spatial analysis tools are underutilized by health researchers and decision-makers due to scarce training materials, few examples demonstrating the successful use of geographic visualization, and poor mechanisms for sharing results generated by geovisualization. We report here on the development of the Geovisual EXplication (G-EX) Portal, a web-based application designed to connect researchers in geovisualization and related mapping sciences to users who are working in public health and epidemiology. This paper focuses on the design and development of the G-EX Portal Learn module, a set of tools intended to disseminate learning artifacts. Initial design and development of the G-EX Portal has been guided by our past research on use and usability of geovisualization in public health. As part of the iterative design and development process, we conducted a needs assessment survey with targeted end-users that we report on here. The survey focused on users’ current learning habits, their preferred kind of learning artifacts, and issues they may have with contributing learning artifacts to web portals. Survey results showed that users desire a diverse set of learning artifacts in terms of both formats and topics covered. Results also revealed a willingness of users to contribute both learning artifacts and personal information that would help other users to evaluate the credibility of the learning artifact source. We include a detailed description of the G-EX Portal Learn module and focus on modifications to the design of the Learn module as a result from feedback we received from our survey. PMID:21937462

Development and Evaluation of a Web Map Mind Tool Environment with the Theory of Spatial Thinking and Project-Based Learning Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hou, Huei-Tse; Yu, Tsai-Fang; Wu, Yi-Xuan; Sung, Yao-Ting; Chang, Kuo-En

2016-01-01

The theory of spatial thinking is relevant to the learning and teaching of many academic domains. One promising method to facilitate learners' higher-order thinking is to utilize a web map mind tool to assist learners in applying spatial thinking to cooperative problem solving. In this study, an environment is designed based on the theory of…

Effects of the GluN2B-NMDA receptor antagonist Ro 25-6981 on two types of behavioral flexibility in rats.

PubMed

Clark, Emma; Antoniak, Kristen; Feniquito, Alyssandra; Dringenberg, Hans C

2017-02-15

Recent evidence has implicated N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in several aspects of learning and behavioral flexibility in rodents. Here, we examined the effects of treatment with Ro 25-6981, a selective antagonist of NMDARs containing GluN2B subunits, on two types of behavioral flexibility in rats, spatial reversal learning and set-shifting (spatial vs. motor strategy). To examine spatial reversal learning, rats were trained to swim to a hidden platform in a water maze over four days. On the following day, the platform was moved to a new location in the maze. Administration of Ro 25-6981 (10mg/kg) selectively impaired the early phase of reversal learning, but all rats learned to navigate to the new platform location over 12 trials. To examine set-shifting, independent groups of rats were trained to either swim to a fixed location (spatial strategy) or use a motor response (e.g., "turn left"; motor strategy) to find a hidden escape platform in a cross-shaped water maze apparatus; after task acquisition, rats were trained on the second, novel strategy (set-shift) following treatment with either Ro 25-6981 (10mg/kg) or saline. Administration of Ro 25-6981 had no effect on the ability of rats to perform the set-shift and use the new strategy to locate the escape platform. These results suggest that, in rats, spatial reversal learning, but not set-shifting, is sensitive to Ro-25-6981 treatment. Thus, NMDARs-GluN2B signaling may play a selective role in some forms of behavioral plasticity, particularly for situations involving the updating of information in the spatial domain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

LTP saturation and spatial learning disruption: effects of task variables and saturation levels.

PubMed

Barnes, C A; Jung, M W; McNaughton, B L; Korol, D L; Andreasson, K; Worley, P F

1994-10-01

The prediction that "saturation" of LTP/LTE at hippocampal synapses should impair spatial learning was reinvestigated in the light of a more specific consideration of the theory of Hebbian associative networks, which predicts a nonlinear relationship between LTP "saturation" and memory impairment. This nonlinearity may explain the variable results of studies that have addressed the effects of LTP "saturation" on behavior. The extent of LTP "saturation" in fascia dentata produced by the standard chronic LTP stimulation protocol was assessed both electrophysiologically and through the use of an anatomical marker (activation of the immediate-early gene zif268). Both methods point to the conclusion that the standard protocols used to induce LTP do not "saturate" the process at any dorsoventral level, and leave the ventral half of the hippocampus virtually unaffected. LTP-inducing, bilateral perforant path stimulation led to a significant deficit in the reversal of a well-learned spatial response on the Barnes circular platform task as reported previously, yet in the same animals produced no deficit in learning the Morris water task (for which previous results have been conflicting). The behavioral deficit was not a consequence of any after-discharge in the hippocampal EEG. In contrast, administration of maximal electroconvulsive shock led to robust zif268 activation throughout the hippocampus, enhancement of synaptic responses, occlusion of LTP produced by discrete high-frequency stimulation, and spatial learning deficits in the water task. These data provide further support for the involvement of LTP-like synaptic enhancement in spatial learning.

Geoscience Education Research: A Brief History, Context and Opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mogk, D. W.; Manduca, C. A.; Kastens, K. A.

2011-12-01

DBER combines knowledge of teaching and learning with deep knowledge of discipline-specific science content. It describes the discipline-specific difficulties learners face and the specialized intellectual and instructional resources that can facilitate student understanding (NRC, 2011). In the geosciences, content knowledge derives from all the "spheres, the complex interactions of components of the Earth system, applications of first principles from allied sciences, an understanding of "deep time", and approaches that emphasize the interpretive and historical nature of geoscience. Insights gained from the theory and practice of the cognitive and learning sciences that demonstrate how people learn, as well as research on learning from other STEM disciplines, have helped inform the development of geoscience curricular initiatives. The Earth Science Curriculum Project (1963) was strongly influenced by Piaget and emphasized hands-on, experiential learning. Recognizing that education research was thriving in related STEM disciplines a NSF report (NSF 97-171) recommended "... that GEO and EHR both support research in geoscience education, helping geoscientists to work with colleagues in fields such as educational and cognitive psychology, in order to facilitate development of a new generation of geoscience educators." An NSF sponsored workshop, Bringing Research on Learning to the Geosciences (2002) brought together geoscience educators and cognitive scientists to explore areas of mutual interest, and identified a research agenda that included study of spatial learning, temporal learning, learning about complex systems, use of visualizations in geoscience learning, characterization of expert learning, and learning environments. Subsequent events have focused on building new communities of scholars, such as the On the Cutting Edge faculty professional development workshops, extensive collections of online resources, and networks of scholars that have addressed teaching with visualizations, the affective domain, observing and assessing student learning, metacognition, and understanding complex systems. Geoscience education research is a growing and thriving field of scholarship that includes new PhD programs in geocognition (e.g. Michigan State Univ., Purdue Univ., Arizona State Univ., North Carolina State Univ.), and numerous collaborative research consortia (e.g. Synthesis of Research on Learning in the Geosciences; Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center, Geoscience Affective Research Network). The results of geoscience education research are presently being incorporated into the geoscience curriculum through teaching activities and textbooks. These many contributions reveal the need for sustained research on related topics: assessments of student learning, learning environments (lab and field), "what works" for different learning audiences, learning in upper division disciplinary courses, the nature of geoscience expertise. The National Research Council is currently reviewing the Status, Contributions, and Future Direction of Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER), see: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/DBER_Homepage.html

[Effect of agonist and antagonist of 5-HT(1A) receptors on learning in female rats during ovarian cycle].

PubMed

Fedotova, Iu O; Ordian, N E

2010-01-01

The involvement of 5-HT(1A) receptors in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle was assessed in the adult female rats. 8-OH-DPAT (0.05 mg/kg, s.c.), 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist and NAN-190 (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist were injected chronically to adult female rats. Learning of these animals was assessed in different models: passive avoidance performance and Morris water maze. Chronic NAN-190 administration to females resulted in the appearance of the passive avoidance performance in proestrous and estrous, as distinct from the control animals, but failed to change the dynamics of spatial learning in Morris water maze. Chronic 8-OH-DPAT administration similarly impaired non-spatial and spatial learning in females during all phases of ovary cycle. The results of the study suggest modulating role of 5-HT(1A) receptors in learning/memory processes during ovary cycle in the adult female rats.

Early Life Manipulations Alter Learning and Memory in Rats

PubMed Central

Kosten, Therese A; Kim, Jeansok J; Lee, Hongjoo J.

2012-01-01

Much research shows early life manipulations have enduring behavioral, neural, and hormonal effects. However, findings of learning and memory performance vary widely across studies. We reviewed studies in which pre-weaning rat pups were exposed to stressors and tested on learning and memory tasks in adulthood. Tasks were classified as aversive conditioning, inhibitory learning, or spatial/relational memory. Variables of duration, type, and timing of neonatal manipulation and sex and strain of animals were examined to determine if any predict enhanced or impaired performance. Brief separations enhanced and prolonged separations impaired performance on spatial/relational tasks. Performance was impaired in aversive conditioning and enhanced in inhibitory learning tasks regardless of manipulation duration. Opposing effects on performance for spatial/relational memory also depended upon timing of manipulation. Enhanced performance was likely if the manipulation occurred during postnatal week 3 but performance was impaired if it was confined to the first two postnatal weeks. Thus, the relationship between early life experiences and adulthood learning and memory performance is multifaceted and decidedly task-dependent. PMID:22819985

Biased Feedback in Spatial Recall Yields a Violation of Delta Rule Learning

PubMed Central

Lipinski, John; Spencer, John P.; Samuelson, Larissa K.

2010-01-01

This study investigates whether inductive processes influencing spatial memory performance generalize to supervised learning scenarios with differential feedback. After providing a location memory response in a spatial recall task, participants received visual feedback showing the target location. In critical blocks, feedback was systematically biased either 4° towards the vertical axis (Towards condition) or 4° further away from the vertical axis (Away condition). Results showed that the weaker teaching signal (i.e., a smaller difference between the remembered location and the feedback location) in the Away condition produced a stronger experience-dependent change over blocks than in the Towards condition. This violates delta rule learning. Subsequent simulations of the Dynamic Field Theory of spatial cognition provide a theoretically unified account of these results. PMID:20702881

Biased feedback in spatial recall yields a violation of delta rule learning.

PubMed

Lipinski, John; Spencer, John P; Samuelson, Larissa K

2010-08-01

This study investigates whether inductive processes influencing spatial memory performance generalize to supervised learning scenarios with differential feedback. After providing a location memory response in a spatial recall task, participants received visual feedback showing the target location. In critical blocks, feedback was systematically biased either 4 degrees toward the vertical axis (toward condition) or 4 degrees farther away from the vertical axis (away condition). Results showed that the weaker teaching signal (i.e., a smaller difference between the remembered location and the feedback location) produced a stronger experience-dependent change over blocks in the away condition than in the toward condition. This violates delta rule learning. Subsequent simulations of the dynamic field theory of spatial cognition provide a theoretically unified account of these results.

Photography activities for developing students’ spatial orientation and spatial visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendroanto, Aan; van Galen, Frans; van Eerde, D.; Prahmana, R. C. I.; Setyawan, F.; Istiandaru, A.

2017-12-01

Spatial orientation and spatial visualization are the foundation of students’ spatial ability. They assist students’ performance in learning mathematics, especially geometry. Considering its importance, the present study aims to design activities to help young learners developing their spatial orientation and spatial visualization ability. Photography activity was chosen as the context of the activity to guide and support the students. This is a design research study consisting of three phases: 1) preparation and designing 2) teaching experiment, and 3) retrospective analysis. The data is collected by tests and interview and qualitatively analyzed. We developed two photography activities to be tested. In the teaching experiments, 30 students of SD Laboratorium UNESA, Surabaya were involved. The results showed that the activities supported the development of students’ spatial orientation and spatial visualization indicated by students’ learning progresses, answers, and strategies when they solved the problems in the activities.

Spatial Learning and Wayfinding in an Immersive Environment: The Digital Fulldome.

PubMed

Hedge, Craig; Weaver, Ruth; Schnall, Simone

2017-05-01

Previous work has examined whether immersive technologies can benefit learning in virtual environments, but the potential benefits of technology in this context are confounded by individual differences such as spatial ability. We assessed spatial knowledge acquisition in male and female participants using a technology not previously examined empirically: the digital fulldome. Our primary aim was to examine whether performance on a test of survey knowledge was better in a fulldome (N = 28, 12 males) relative to a large, flat screen display (N = 27, 13 males). Regression analysis showed that, compared to a flat screen display, males showed higher levels of performance on a test of survey knowledge after learning in the fulldome, but no benefit occurred for females. Furthermore, performance correlated with spatial visualization ability in male participants, but not in female participants. Thus, the digital fulldome is a potentially useful learning aid, capable of accommodating multiple users, but individual differences and use of strategy need to be considered.

Recognition and attention guidance during contextual cueing in real-world scenes: evidence from eye movements.

PubMed

Brockmole, James R; Henderson, John M

2006-07-01

When confronted with a previously encountered scene, what information is used to guide search to a known target? We contrasted the role of a scene's basic-level category membership with its specific arrangement of visual properties. Observers were repeatedly shown photographs of scenes that contained consistently but arbitrarily located targets, allowing target positions to be associated with scene content. Learned scenes were then unexpectedly mirror reversed, spatially translating visual features as well as the target across the display while preserving the scene's identity and concept. Mirror reversals produced a cost as the eyes initially moved toward the position in the display in which the target had previously appeared. The cost was not complete, however; when initial search failed, the eyes were quickly directed to the target's new position. These results suggest that in real-world scenes, shifts of attention are initially based on scene identity, and subsequent shifts are guided by more detailed information regarding scene and object layout.

Effects of endurance, resistance, and concurrent exercise on learning and memory after morphine withdrawal in rats.

PubMed

Zarrinkalam, Ebrahim; Heidarianpour, Ali; Salehi, Iraj; Ranjbar, Kamal; Komaki, Alireza

2016-07-15

Continuous morphine consumption contributes to the development of cognitive disorders. This work investigates the impacts of different types of exercise on learning and memory in morphine-dependent rats. Forty morphine-dependent rats were randomly divided into five groups: sedentary-dependent (Sed-D), endurance exercise-dependent (En-D), strength exercise-dependent (St-D), and combined (concurrent) exercise-dependent (Co-D). Healthy rats were used as controls (Con). After 10weeks of regular exercise (endurance, strength, and concurrent; each five days per week), spatial and aversive learning and memory were assessed using the Morris water maze and shuttle box tests. The results showed that morphine addiction contributes to deficits in spatial learning and memory. Furthermore, each form of exercise training restored spatial learning and memory performance in morphine-dependent rats to levels similar to those of healthy controls. Aversive learning and memory during the acquisition phase were not affected by morphine addiction or exercise, but were significantly decreased by morphine dependence. Only concurrent training returned the time spent in the dark compartment in the shuttle box test to control levels. These findings show that different types of exercise exert similar effects on spatial learning and memory, but show distinct effects on aversive learning and memory. Further, morphine dependence-induced deficits in cognitive function were blocked by exercise. Therefore, different exercise regimens may represent practical treatment methods for cognitive and behavioral impairments associated with morphine-related disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Deep Learning Representations of Spatial Storm Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagne, D. J., II; Haupt, S. E.; Nychka, D. W.

2017-12-01

The spatial structure of a severe thunderstorm and its surrounding environment provide useful information about the potential for severe weather hazards, including tornadoes, hail, and high winds. Statistics computed over the area of a storm or from the pre-storm environment can provide descriptive information but fail to capture structural information. Because the storm environment is a complex, high-dimensional space, identifying methods to encode important spatial storm information in a low-dimensional form should aid analysis and prediction of storms by statistical and machine learning models. Principal component analysis (PCA), a more traditional approach, transforms high-dimensional data into a set of linearly uncorrelated, orthogonal components ordered by the amount of variance explained by each component. The burgeoning field of deep learning offers two potential approaches to this problem. Convolutional Neural Networks are a supervised learning method for transforming spatial data into a hierarchical set of feature maps that correspond with relevant combinations of spatial structures in the data. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are an unsupervised deep learning model that uses two neural networks trained against each other to produce encoded representations of spatial data. These different spatial encoding methods were evaluated on the prediction of severe hail for a large set of storm patches extracted from the NCAR convection-allowing ensemble. Each storm patch contains information about storm structure and the near-storm environment. Logistic regression and random forest models were trained using the PCA and GAN encodings of the storm data and were compared against the predictions from a convolutional neural network. All methods showed skill over climatology at predicting the probability of severe hail. However, the verification scores among the methods were very similar and the predictions were highly correlated. Further evaluations are being performed to determine how the choice of input variables affects the results.

CA1 cell activity sequences emerge after reorganization of network correlation structure during associative learning

PubMed Central

Modi, Mehrab N; Dhawale, Ashesh K; Bhalla, Upinder S

2014-01-01

Animals can learn causal relationships between pairs of stimuli separated in time and this ability depends on the hippocampus. Such learning is believed to emerge from alterations in network connectivity, but large-scale connectivity is difficult to measure directly, especially during learning. Here, we show that area CA1 cells converge to time-locked firing sequences that bridge the two stimuli paired during training, and this phenomenon is coupled to a reorganization of network correlations. Using two-photon calcium imaging of mouse hippocampal neurons we find that co-time-tuned neurons exhibit enhanced spontaneous activity correlations that increase just prior to learning. While time-tuned cells are not spatially organized, spontaneously correlated cells do fall into distinct spatial clusters that change as a result of learning. We propose that the spatial re-organization of correlation clusters reflects global network connectivity changes that are responsible for the emergence of the sequentially-timed activity of cell-groups underlying the learned behavior. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01982.001 PMID:24668171

Prenatal complex rhythmic music sound stimulation facilitates postnatal spatial learning but transiently impairs memory in the domestic chick.

PubMed

Kauser, H; Roy, S; Pal, A; Sreenivas, V; Mathur, R; Wadhwa, S; Jain, S

2011-01-01

Early experience has a profound influence on brain development, and the modulation of prenatal perceptual learning by external environmental stimuli has been shown in birds, rodents and mammals. In the present study, the effect of prenatal complex rhythmic music sound stimulation on postnatal spatial learning, memory and isolation stress was observed. Auditory stimulation with either music or species-specific sounds or no stimulation (control) was provided to separate sets of fertilized eggs from day 10 of incubation. Following hatching, the chicks at age 24, 72 and 120 h were tested on a T-maze for spatial learning and the memory of the learnt task was assessed 24 h after training. In the posthatch chicks at all ages, the plasma corticosterone levels were estimated following 10 min of isolation. The chicks of all ages in the three groups took less (p < 0.001) time to navigate the maze over the three trials thereby showing an improvement with training. In both sound-stimulated groups, the total time taken to reach the target decreased significantly (p < 0.01) in comparison to the unstimulated control group, indicating the facilitation of spatial learning. However, this decline was more at 24 h than at later posthatch ages. When tested for memory after 24 h of training, only the music-stimulated chicks at posthatch age 24 h took a significantly longer (p < 0.001) time to traverse the maze, suggesting a temporary impairment in their retention of the learnt task. In both sound-stimulated groups at 24 h, the plasma corticosterone levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.001) and increased thereafter at 72 h (p < 0.001) and 120 h which may contribute to the differential response in spatial learning. Thus, prenatal auditory stimulation with either species-specific or complex rhythmic music sounds facilitates spatial learning, though the music stimulation transiently impairs postnatal memory. 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Gender Dimorphism in Aspartame-Induced Impairment of Spatial Cognition and Insulin Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Collison, Kate S.; Makhoul, Nadine J.; Zaidi, Marya Z.; Saleh, Soad M.; Andres, Bernard; Inglis, Angela; Al-Rabiah, Rana; Al-Mohanna, Futwan A.

2012-01-01

Previous studies have linked aspartame consumption to impaired retention of learned behavior in rodents. Prenatal exposure to aspartame has also been shown to impair odor-associative learning in guinea pigs; and recently, aspartame-fed hyperlipidemic zebrafish exhibited weight gain, hyperglycemia and acute swimming defects. We therefore investigated the effects of chronic lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero, on changes in blood glucose parameters, spatial learning and memory in C57BL/6J mice. Morris Water Maze (MWM) testing was used to assess learning and memory, and a random-fed insulin tolerance test was performed to assess glucose homeostasis. Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the associations between body characteristics and MWM performance outcome variables. At 17 weeks of age, male aspartame-fed mice exhibited weight gain, elevated fasting glucose levels and decreased insulin sensitivity compared to controls (P<0.05). Females were less affected, but had significantly raised fasting glucose levels. During spatial learning trials in the MWM (acquisition training), the escape latencies of male aspartame-fed mice were consistently higher than controls, indicative of learning impairment. Thigmotactic behavior and time spent floating directionless was increased in aspartame mice, who also spent less time searching in the target quadrant of the maze (P<0.05). Spatial learning of female aspartame-fed mice was not significantly different from controls. Reference memory during a probe test was affected in both genders, with the aspartame-fed mice spending significantly less time searching for the former location of the platform. Interestingly, the extent of visceral fat deposition correlated positively with non-spatial search strategies such as floating and thigmotaxis, and negatively with time spent in the target quadrant and swimming across the location of the escape platform. These data suggest that lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero, may affect spatial cognition and glucose homeostasis in C57BL/6J mice, particularly in males. PMID:22509243

Gender dimorphism in aspartame-induced impairment of spatial cognition and insulin sensitivity.

PubMed

Collison, Kate S; Makhoul, Nadine J; Zaidi, Marya Z; Saleh, Soad M; Andres, Bernard; Inglis, Angela; Al-Rabiah, Rana; Al-Mohanna, Futwan A

2012-01-01

Previous studies have linked aspartame consumption to impaired retention of learned behavior in rodents. Prenatal exposure to aspartame has also been shown to impair odor-associative learning in guinea pigs; and recently, aspartame-fed hyperlipidemic zebrafish exhibited weight gain, hyperglycemia and acute swimming defects. We therefore investigated the effects of chronic lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero, on changes in blood glucose parameters, spatial learning and memory in C57BL/6J mice. Morris Water Maze (MWM) testing was used to assess learning and memory, and a random-fed insulin tolerance test was performed to assess glucose homeostasis. Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the associations between body characteristics and MWM performance outcome variables. At 17 weeks of age, male aspartame-fed mice exhibited weight gain, elevated fasting glucose levels and decreased insulin sensitivity compared to controls (P<0.05). Females were less affected, but had significantly raised fasting glucose levels. During spatial learning trials in the MWM (acquisition training), the escape latencies of male aspartame-fed mice were consistently higher than controls, indicative of learning impairment. Thigmotactic behavior and time spent floating directionless was increased in aspartame mice, who also spent less time searching in the target quadrant of the maze (P<0.05). Spatial learning of female aspartame-fed mice was not significantly different from controls. Reference memory during a probe test was affected in both genders, with the aspartame-fed mice spending significantly less time searching for the former location of the platform. Interestingly, the extent of visceral fat deposition correlated positively with non-spatial search strategies such as floating and thigmotaxis, and negatively with time spent in the target quadrant and swimming across the location of the escape platform. These data suggest that lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero, may affect spatial cognition and glucose homeostasis in C57BL/6J mice, particularly in males.

Landcover Classification Using Deep Fully Convolutional Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Li, X.; Zhou, S.; Tang, J.

2017-12-01

Land cover classification has always been an essential application in remote sensing. Certain image features are needed for land cover classification whether it is based on pixel or object-based methods. Different from other machine learning methods, deep learning model not only extracts useful information from multiple bands/attributes, but also learns spatial characteristics. In recent years, deep learning methods have been developed rapidly and widely applied in image recognition, semantic understanding, and other application domains. However, there are limited studies applying deep learning methods in land cover classification. In this research, we used fully convolutional networks (FCN) as the deep learning model to classify land covers. The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) within the state of Kansas was used as training dataset and Landsat images were classified using the trained FCN model. We also applied an image segmentation method to improve the original results from the FCN model. In addition, the pros and cons between deep learning and several machine learning methods were compared and explored. Our research indicates: (1) FCN is an effective classification model with an overall accuracy of 75%; (2) image segmentation improves the classification results with better match of spatial patterns; (3) FCN has an excellent ability of learning which can attains higher accuracy and better spatial patterns compared with several machine learning methods.

Contributions of Medial Temporal Lobe and Striatal Memory Systems to Learning and Retrieving Overlapping Spatial Memories

PubMed Central

Brown, Thackery I.; Stern, Chantal E.

2014-01-01

Many life experiences share information with other memories. In order to make decisions based on overlapping memories, we need to distinguish between experiences to determine the appropriate behavior for the current situation. Previous work suggests that the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and medial caudate interact to support the retrieval of overlapping navigational memories in different contexts. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans to test the prediction that the MTL and medial caudate play complementary roles in learning novel mazes that cross paths with, and must be distinguished from, previously learned routes. During fMRI scanning, participants navigated virtual routes that were well learned from prior training while also learning new mazes. Critically, some routes learned during scanning shared hallways with those learned during pre-scan training. Overlap between mazes required participants to use contextual cues to select between alternative behaviors. Results demonstrated parahippocampal cortex activity specific for novel spatial cues that distinguish between overlapping routes. The hippocampus and medial caudate were active for learning overlapping spatial memories, and increased their activity for previously learned routes when they became context dependent. Our findings provide novel evidence that the MTL and medial caudate play complementary roles in the learning, updating, and execution of context-dependent navigational behaviors. PMID:23448868

How does horizontal and vertical navigation influence spatial memory of multifloored environments?

PubMed

Thibault, Guillaume; Pasqualotto, Achille; Vidal, Manuel; Droulez, Jacques; Berthoz, Alain

2013-01-01

Although a number of studies have been devoted to 2-D navigation, relatively little is known about how the brain encodes and recalls navigation in complex multifloored environments. Previous studies have proposed that humans preferentially memorize buildings by a set of horizontal 2-D representations. Yet this might stem from the fact that environments were also explored by floors. Here, we have investigated the effect of spatial learning on memory of a virtual multifloored building. Two groups of 28 participants watched a computer movie that showed either a route along floors one at a time or travel between floors by simulated lifts, consisting in both cases of a 2-D trajectory in the vertical plane. To test recognition, the participants viewed a camera movement that either replicated a segment of the learning route (familiar segment) or did not (novel segment-i.e., shortcuts). Overall, floor recognition was not reliably superior to column recognition, but learning along a floor route produced a better spatial memory performance than did learning along a column route. Moreover, the participants processed familiar segments more accurately than novel ones, not only after floor learning, but crucially, also after column learning, suggesting a key role of the observation mode on the exploitation of spatial memory.

Effect of teaching mathematics using GeoGebra on students' with dissimilar spatial visualisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakar, Kamariah Abu; Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd; Tarmizi, Rohani Ahmad; Luan, Wong Su

2015-10-01

This study examined the effects of GeoGebra on mathematics performance of students with different spatial visualization. A qusai-experimental, pretest-posttest control group design was conducted. A total of 71 students from two intact groups were involved in the study. They were in two groups and each group was randonly assigned to the experimental group (36 students) and control group (35 students). A spatial visual test to identify students with high or low visualization, and a mathematics performance pre-test were administered at the initial stage of this study. A post-test was administered after 12 weeks of treatment using GeoGebra. Analyses of Covarion (ANCOVA) was used to adjust for the pre-test score. Findings showed that the group with access to GeoGebra achieved significantly better test scores in the posttest as compared to the group which followed the traditional teaching method. A two-way ANCOVA used to analyse the effect of students' spatial visualization on post-test performance showed that there was no effect. The results from this study suggested that using GeoGebra had helped the students to score better in the posttest. However, there is no significance difference on mathematics performances on students with difference types of spatial visualisastion. This study indicates that GeoGebra is useful in enhancing the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Sensory Substitution: The Spatial Updating of Auditory Scenes "Mimics" the Spatial Updating of Visual Scenes.

PubMed

Pasqualotto, Achille; Esenkaya, Tayfun

2016-01-01

Visual-to-auditory sensory substitution is used to convey visual information through audition, and it was initially created to compensate for blindness; it consists of software converting the visual images captured by a video-camera into the equivalent auditory images, or "soundscapes". Here, it was used by blindfolded sighted participants to learn the spatial position of simple shapes depicted in images arranged on the floor. Very few studies have used sensory substitution to investigate spatial representation, while it has been widely used to investigate object recognition. Additionally, with sensory substitution we could study the performance of participants actively exploring the environment through audition, rather than passively localizing sound sources. Blindfolded participants egocentrically learnt the position of six images by using sensory substitution and then a judgment of relative direction task (JRD) was used to determine how this scene was represented. This task consists of imagining being in a given location, oriented in a given direction, and pointing towards the required image. Before performing the JRD task, participants explored a map that provided allocentric information about the scene. Although spatial exploration was egocentric, surprisingly we found that performance in the JRD task was better for allocentric perspectives. This suggests that the egocentric representation of the scene was updated. This result is in line with previous studies using visual and somatosensory scenes, thus supporting the notion that different sensory modalities produce equivalent spatial representation(s). Moreover, our results have practical implications to improve training methods with sensory substitution devices (SSD).

Brief exposure to methamphetamine (METH) and phencyclidine (PCP) during late development leads to long-term learning deficits in rats.

PubMed

White, Ilsun M; Minamoto, Takehiro; Odell, Joseph R; Mayhorn, Joseph; White, Wesley

2009-04-17

Exposure to methamphetamine (METH) and phencyclidine (PCP) during early development is thought to produce later behavioral deficits. We postulated that exposure to METH and PCP during later development would produce similar behavioral deficits, particularly learning deficits in adulthood. Wistar rats were treated with METH (9 mg/kg), PCP (9 mg/kg), or saline during later development, postnatal days (PD) 50-51, and subsequent behavioral changes were examined including: locomotor activity during the acute drug state (PD 50-51) and the post-drug phase (PD 50-80); social interaction on PD 54-80; and spatial discrimination and reversal in adulthood (after PD 90). METH and PCP differentially affected locomotion during the acute state, but not during the post-drug phase. METH decreased social interaction throughout tests two weeks after drug treatment, whereas PCP decreased social interaction only during the first 8 min of tests. Neither METH nor PCP impaired initial acquisition of spatial discrimination. However, reversal was significantly impaired by PCP, whereas METH produced a mild deficit, compared to controls. Our data provide evidence that exposure to PCP and METH during later development lead to enduring cognitive deficits in adulthood. Selective impairment of reversal may reflect neurological damage in the prefrontal cortex due to early exposure to drugs.

Elevated cortisol levels in Cushing's disease are associated with cognitive decrements.

PubMed

Starkman, M N; Giordani, B; Berent, S; Schork, M A; Schteingart, D E

2001-01-01

The objective of this study was to use Cushing's disease as a unique human model to elucidate the cognitive deficits resulting from exposure to chronic stress-level elevations of endogenous cortisol. Forty-eight patients with a first episode of acute, untreated Cushing's disease and 38 healthy control subjects were studied. Scores for four of five verbal IQ subtests were significantly lower in patients with Cushing's disease; their scores were significantly lower for only one nonverbal performance IQ subtest (block design). Verbal, but not visual, learning and delayed recall at 30 minutes were significantly decreased among patients with Cushing's disease. Although verbal delayed recall was significantly lower in these patients, the retention index (percentage), which compares the amount of initially learned material to that recalled after the delay, was not significantly decreased. There was no significant association between depression scores and cognitive performance. A higher degree of cortisol elevation was associated with poorer performance on several subtests of learning, delayed recall, and visual-spatial ability. Chronically elevated levels of glucocorticoids have deleterious effects on particular domains of cognition. Verbal learning and other verbal functions seem more vulnerable than nonverbal functions. The results suggest that both the neocortex and hippocampus are affected.

Disrupting neural activity related to awake-state sharp wave-ripple complexes prevents hippocampal learning.

PubMed

Nokia, Miriam S; Mikkonen, Jarno E; Penttonen, Markku; Wikgren, Jan

2012-01-01

Oscillations in hippocampal local-field potentials (LFPs) reflect the crucial involvement of the hippocampus in memory trace formation: theta (4-8 Hz) oscillations and ripples (~200 Hz) occurring during sharp waves are thought to mediate encoding and consolidation, respectively. During sharp wave-ripple complexes (SPW-Rs), hippocampal cell firing closely follows the pattern that took place during the initial experience, most likely reflecting replay of that event. Disrupting hippocampal ripples using electrical stimulation either during training in awake animals or during sleep after training retards spatial learning. Here, adult rabbits were trained in trace eyeblink conditioning, a hippocampus-dependent associative learning task. A bright light was presented to the animals during the inter-trial interval (ITI), when awake, either during SPW-Rs or irrespective of their neural state. Learning was particularly poor when the light was presented following SPW-Rs. While the light did not disrupt the ripple itself, it elicited a theta-band oscillation, a state that does not usually coincide with SPW-Rs. Thus, it seems that consolidation depends on neuronal activity within and beyond the hippocampus taking place immediately after, but by no means limited to, hippocampal SPW-Rs.

Dreaming of a Learning Task is Associated with Enhanced Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation

PubMed Central

Wamsley, Erin J.; Tucker, Matthew; Payne, Jessica D.; Benavides, Joseph; Stickgold, Robert

2010-01-01

Summary It is now well established that post-learning sleep is beneficial for human memory performance [1–5]. Meanwhile, human and animal studies demonstrate that learning-related neural activity is re-expressed during post-training non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) [6–9]. NREM sleep processes appear to be particularly beneficial for hippocampus-dependent forms of memory [1–3, 10]. These observations suggest that learning triggers the reactivation and reorganization of memory traces during sleep, a systems-level process that in turn enhances behavioral performance. Here, we hypothesized that dreaming about a learning experience during NREM sleep would be associated with improved performance on a hippocampus-dependent spatial memory task. Subjects (n=99) were trained on a virtual navigation task, and then retested on the same task 5 hours after initial training. Improved performance at retest was strongly associated with task-related dream imagery during an intervening afternoon nap. Task-related thoughts during wakefulness, in contrast, did not predict improved performance. These observations suggest that sleep-dependent memory consolidation in humans is facilitated by the offline reactivation of recently formed memories, and furthermore, that dream experiences reflect this memory processing. That similar effects were not seen during wakefulness suggests that these mnemonic processes are specific to the sleep state. PMID:20417102

The Future of Web Maps in Next Generation Textbooks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiBiase, D.; Prasad, S.

2014-12-01

The reformation of the "Object Formerly Known as Textbook" (coined by the Chronicle of Higher Education) toward a digital future is underway. Emerging nextgen texts look less like electronic books ("ebooks") and more like online courseware. In addition to text and illustrations, nextgen textbooks for STEM subjects are likely to combine quizzes, grade management tools, support for social learning, and interactive media including web maps. Web maps are interactive, multi-scale, online maps that enable teachers and learners to explore, interrogate, and mash up the wide variety of map layers available in the cloud. This presentation will show how web maps coupled with interactive quizzes enable students' purposeful explorations and interpretations of spatial patterns related to humankind's interactions with the earth. Attendees will also learn about Esri's offer to donate ArcGIS Online web mapping subscriptions to every U.S. school as part of the President Obama's ConnectED initiative.

Summative Evaluation of the Learning Initiatives Program (LIP). Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2005

2005-01-01

The Learning Initiatives Program (LIP), formerly the Learning Initiatives Fund (LIF), is a contribution program which was established in 1994 to encourage and support initiatives that contribute to the development of a results-oriented, accessible, relevant and accountable learning system in Canada. Through this program, Human Resources and Skills…

Unbiased classification of spatial strategies in the Barnes maze.

PubMed

Illouz, Tomer; Madar, Ravit; Clague, Charlotte; Griffioen, Kathleen J; Louzoun, Yoram; Okun, Eitan

2016-11-01

Spatial learning is one of the most widely studied cognitive domains in neuroscience. The Morris water maze and the Barnes maze are the most commonly used techniques to assess spatial learning and memory in rodents. Despite the fact that these tasks are well-validated paradigms for testing spatial learning abilities, manual categorization of performance into behavioral strategies is subject to individual interpretation, and thus to bias. We have previously described an unbiased machine-learning algorithm to classify spatial strategies in the Morris water maze. Here, we offer a support vector machine-based, automated, Barnes-maze unbiased strategy (BUNS) classification algorithm, as well as a cognitive score scale that can be used for memory acquisition, reversal training and probe trials. The BUNS algorithm can greatly benefit Barnes maze users as it provides a standardized method of strategy classification and cognitive scoring scale, which cannot be derived from typical Barnes maze data analysis. Freely available on the web at http://okunlab.wix.com/okunlab as a MATLAB application. eitan.okun@biu.ac.ilSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid improves spatial learning and hippocampal Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptors (PPARα and PPARγ) gene expression in rats

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background This study examined the effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as different n-6: n-3 ratios on spatial learning and gene expression of peroxisome- proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in the hippocampus of rats. Thirty male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly allotted into 3 groups of ten animals each and received experimental diets with different n-6: n-3 PUFA ratios of either 65:1, 22:1 or 4.5:1. After 10 weeks, the spatial memory of the animals was assessed using the Morris Water Maze test. The expression of PPARα and PPARγ genes were determined using real-time PCR. Results Decreasing dietary n-6: n-3 PUFA ratios improved the cognitive performance of animals in the Morris water maze test along with the upregulation of PPARα and PPARγ gene expression. The animals with the lowest dietary n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio presented the highest spatial learning improvement and PPAR gene expression. Conclusion It can be concluded that modulation of n-6: n-3 PUFA ratios in the diet may lead to increased hippocampal PPAR gene expression and consequently improved spatial learning and memory in rats. PMID:22989138

Grid cell hexagonal patterns formed by fast self-organized learning within entorhinal cortex.

PubMed

Mhatre, Himanshu; Gorchetchnikov, Anatoli; Grossberg, Stephen

2012-02-01

Grid cells in the dorsal segment of the medial entorhinal cortex (dMEC) show remarkable hexagonal activity patterns, at multiple spatial scales, during spatial navigation. It has previously been shown how a self-organizing map can convert firing patterns across entorhinal grid cells into hippocampal place cells that are capable of representing much larger spatial scales. Can grid cell firing fields also arise during navigation through learning within a self-organizing map? This article describes a simple and general mathematical property of the trigonometry of spatial navigation which favors hexagonal patterns. The article also develops a neural model that can learn to exploit this trigonometric relationship. This GRIDSmap self-organizing map model converts path integration signals into hexagonal grid cell patterns of multiple scales. GRIDSmap creates only grid cell firing patterns with the observed hexagonal structure, predicts how these hexagonal patterns can be learned from experience, and can process biologically plausible neural input and output signals during navigation. These results support an emerging unified computational framework based on a hierarchy of self-organizing maps for explaining how entorhinal-hippocampal interactions support spatial navigation. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Translating Dyslexia across Species

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabel, Lisa A.; Manglani, Monica; Escalona, Nicholas; Cysner, Jessica; Hamilton, Rachel; Pfaffmann, Jeffrey; Johnson, Evelyn

2016-01-01

Direct relationships between induced mutation in the "DCDC2" candidate dyslexia susceptibility gene in mice and changes in behavioral measures of visual spatial learning have been reported. We were interested in determining whether performance on a visual-spatial learning and memory task could be translated across species (study 1) and…

The spatial learning and memory performance in methamphetamine–sensitized and withdrawn rats

PubMed Central

Bigdeli, Imanollah; Asia, Masomeh Nikfarjam- Haft; Miladi-Gorji, Hossein; Fadaei, Atefeh

2015-01-01

Objective(s): There is controversial evidence about the effect of methamphetamine (METH) on spatial memory. We tested the time- dependent effects of METH on spatial short-term (working) and long-term (reference) memory in METH –sensitized and withdrawn rats in the Morris water maze. Materials and Methods: Rats were sensitized to METH (2 mg/kg, daily/5 days, SC). Rats were trained in water maze (4 trials/day/for 5 days). Probe test was performed 24 hr after training. Two days after probe test, working memory training (2 trials/day/for 5 days) was conducted. Acquisition–retention interval was 75 min. The treatment was continued per day 30 and 120 min before the test. Two groups of METH –sensitized rats were trained in reference memory after a longer period of withdrawal (30 days). Results: Sensitized rats exhibited significantly longer escape latencies on the training, spent significantly less time in the target zone (all, P<0.05), and their working memory impaired 30 min after injection. While, METH has no effect on the spatial learning process 120 min after injection, and rats spent significantly less time in the target zone (P<0.05), as well it has no effect on working memory. Also, impairment of reference memory persisted after prolonged abstinence. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that METH impaired spatial learning and memory 30 min after injection, but spared spatial learning, either acquisition or retention of spatial working, but partially impaired retention of spatial reference memory following 120 min after injection in sensitized rats, which persisted even after prolonged abstinence. PMID:25945235

Protocol for Short- and Longer-term Spatial Learning and Memory in Mice

PubMed Central

Willis, Emily F.; Bartlett, Perry F.; Vukovic, Jana

2017-01-01

Studies on the role of the hippocampus in higher cognitive functions such as spatial learning and memory in rodents are reliant upon robust and objective behavioral tests. This protocol describes one such test—the active place avoidance (APA) task. This behavioral task involves the mouse continuously integrating visual cues to orientate itself within a rotating arena in order to actively avoid a shock zone, the location of which remains constant relative to the room. This protocol details the step-by-step procedures for a novel paradigm of the hippocampal-dependent APA task, measuring acquisition of spatial learning during a single 20-min trial (i.e., short-term memory), with spatial memory encoding and retrieval (i.e., long-term memory) assessed by trials conducted over consecutive days. Using the APA task, cognitive flexibility can be assessed using the reversal learning paradigm, as this increases the cognitive load required for efficient performance in the task. In addition to a detailed experimental protocol, this paper also describes the range of its possible applications, the expected key results, as well as the analytical methods to assess the data, and the pitfalls/troubleshooting measures. The protocol described herein is highly robust and produces replicable results, thus presenting an important paradigm that enables the assessment of subtle short-term changes in spatial learning and memory, such as those observed for many experimental interventions. PMID:29089878

Cognitive Control Structures in the Imitation Learning of Spatial Sequences and Rhythms-An fMRI Study.

PubMed

Sakreida, Katrin; Higuchi, Satomi; Di Dio, Cinzia; Ziessler, Michael; Turgeon, Martine; Roberts, Neil; Vogt, Stefan

2018-03-01

Imitation learning involves the acquisition of novel motor patterns based on action observation (AO). We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the imitation learning of spatial sequences and rhythms during AO, motor imagery (MI), and imitative execution in nonmusicians and musicians. While both tasks engaged the fronto-parietal mirror circuit, the spatial sequence task recruited posterior parietal and dorsal premotor regions more strongly. The rhythm task involved an additional network for auditory working memory. This partial dissociation supports the concept of task-specific mirror mechanisms. Two regions of cognitive control were identified: 1) dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was found to be more strongly activated during MI of novel spatial sequences, which allowed us to extend the 2-level model of imitation learning by Buccino et al. (2004) to spatial sequences. 2) During imitative execution of both tasks, the posterior medial frontal cortex was robustly activated, along with the DLPFC, which suggests that both regions are involved in the cognitive control of imitation learning. The musicians' selective behavioral advantage for rhythm imitation was reflected cortically in enhanced sensory-motor processing during AO and by the absence of practice-related activation differences in DLPFC during rhythm execution. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Genistein improves spatial learning and memory in male rats with elevated glucose level during memory consolidation.

PubMed

Kohara, Yumi; Kawaguchi, Shinichiro; Kuwahara, Rika; Uchida, Yutaro; Oku, Yushi; Yamashita, Kimihiro

2015-03-01

Cognitive dysfunction due to higher blood glucose level has been reported previously. Genistein (GEN) is a phytoestrogen that we hypothesized might lead to improved memory, despite elevated blood glucose levels at the time of memory consolidation. To investigate this hypothesis, we compared the effects of orally administered GEN on the central nervous system in normal versus glucose-loaded adult male rats. A battery of behavioral assessments was carried out. In the MAZE test, which measured spatial learning and memory, the time of normal rats was shortened by GEN treatment compared to the vehicle group, but only in the early stages of testing. In the glucose-loaded group, GEN treatment improved performance as mazes were advanced. In the open-field test, GEN treatment delayed habituation to the new environment in normal rats, and increased the exploratory behaviors of glucose-loaded rats. There were no significant differences observed for emotionality or fear-motivated learning and memory. Together, these results indicate that GEN treatment improved spatial learning and memory only in the early stages of testing in the normal state, but improved spatial learning and memory when glucose levels increased during memory consolidation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Guidance of spatial attention by incidental learning and endogenous cuing

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yuhong V.; Swallow, Khena M.; Rosenbaum, Gail M.

2012-01-01

Our visual system is highly sensitive to regularities in the environment. Locations that were important in one’s previous experience are often prioritized during search, even though observers may not be aware of the learning. In this study we characterized the guidance of spatial attention by incidental learning of a target’s spatial probability, and examined the interaction between endogenous cuing and probability cuing. Participants searched for a target (T) among distractors (L’s). The target was more often located in one region of the screen than in others. We found that search RT was faster when the target appeared in the high-frequency region rather than the low-frequency regions. This difference increased when there were more items on the display, suggesting that probability cuing guides spatial attention. Additional data indicated that on their own, probability cuing and endogenous cuing (e.g., a central arrow that predicted a target’s location) were similarly effective at guiding attention. However, when both cues were presented at once, probability cuing was largely eliminated. Thus, although both incidental learning and endogenous cuing can effectively guide attention, endogenous cuing takes precedence over incidental learning. PMID:22506784

Contributions of dorsal striatal subregions to spatial alternation behavior.

PubMed

Moussa, Roula; Poucet, Bruno; Amalric, Marianne; Sargolini, Francesca

2011-07-01

Considerable evidence has shown a clear dissociation between the dorsomedial (DMS) and the dorsolateral (DLS) striatum in instrumental conditioning. In particular, DMS activity is necessary to form action-outcome associations, whereas the DLS is required for developing habitual behavior. However, few studies have investigated whether a similar dissociation exists in more complex goal-directed learning processes. The present study examined the role of the two structures in such complex learning by analyzing the effects of excitotoxic DMS and DLS lesions during the acquisition and extinction of spatial alternation behavior, in a continuous alternation T-maze task. We demonstrate that DMS and DLS lesions have opposite effects, the former impairing and the latter improving animal performance during learning and extinction. DMS lesions may impair the acquisition of spatial alternation behavior by disrupting the signal necessary to link a goal with a specific spatial sequence. In contrast, DLS lesions may accelerate goal-driven strategies by minimizing the influence of external stimuli on the response, thus increasing the impact of action-reward contingencies. Taken together, these results suggest that DMS- and DLS-mediated learning strategies develop in parallel and compete for the control of the behavioral response early in learning.

Learning about cognition risk with the radial-arm maze in the developmental neurotoxicology battery.

PubMed

Levin, Edward D

2015-01-01

Cognitive dysfunction has been found in epidemiological studies to be among the most sensitive impairments associated with developmental exposure to a variety of environmental contaminants from heavy metals to polyhalogenated hydrocarbons and pesticides. These chemicals have been also shown to impair cognitive function after developmental exposure in experimental animal models. The radial-arm maze (RAM) has proven to be a sensitive and reliable way to assess both learning and memory in a variety of species, most often in rats and mice. The RAM is a very adaptable test method that takes advantage of rodents' instinct to explore new places in the environment to forage. That is, rodents do not need to be trained to run through the maze; they will normally do this from the initial session of testing. Training with differential reinforcement for arm choices provides a more rigorous test of learning and memory. The RAM is quite adaptable for assessing various aspects of cognition. Although the RAM has been mostly used to assess spatial learning and memory, it can be configured to assess non-spatial memory as well. Both working and reference memory can be easily distinguished. The RAM can be run with both appetitive (food reinforced) and aversive (water escape) motivators. The RAM has been found to be sensitive to a wide variety of developmental toxicants including heavy metals such as mercury and pesticides such as chlorpyrifos. There is an extremely rich literature especially with rats showing the effects of many types of brain lesions and drug effects so that the participation of a wide variety of neural systems in RAM performance is known. These systems, notably the hippocampus and frontal cortex, and acetylcholine and glutamate neurotransmitter systems, are the same neural systems that have been shown in humans to be critical for learning and memory. This considerably aids the interpretation of neurobehavioral toxicity studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evidence for multisensory spatial-to-motor transformations in aiming movements of children.

PubMed

King, Bradley R; Kagerer, Florian A; Contreras-Vidal, Jose L; Clark, Jane E

2009-01-01

The extant developmental literature investigating age-related differences in the execution of aiming movements has predominantly focused on visuomotor coordination, despite the fact that additional sensory modalities, such as audition and somatosensation, may contribute to motor planning, execution, and learning. The current study investigated the execution of aiming movements toward both visual and acoustic stimuli. In addition, we examined the interaction between visuomotor and auditory-motor coordination as 5- to 10-yr-old participants executed aiming movements to visual and acoustic stimuli before and after exposure to a visuomotor rotation. Children in all age groups demonstrated significant improvement in performance under the visuomotor perturbation, as indicated by decreased initial directional and root mean squared errors. Moreover, children in all age groups demonstrated significant visual aftereffects during the postexposure phase, suggesting a successful update of their spatial-to-motor transformations. Interestingly, these updated spatial-to-motor transformations also influenced auditory-motor performance, as indicated by distorted movement trajectories during the auditory postexposure phase. The distorted trajectories were present during auditory postexposure even though the auditory-motor relationship was not manipulated. Results suggest that by the age of 5 yr, children have developed a multisensory spatial-to-motor transformation for the execution of aiming movements toward both visual and acoustic targets.

Parallel emergence of stable and dynamic memory engrams in the hippocampus.

PubMed

Hainmueller, Thomas; Bartos, Marlene

2018-06-06

During our daily life, we depend on memories of past experiences to plan future behaviour. These memories are represented by the activity of specific neuronal groups or 'engrams' 1,2 . Neuronal engrams are assembled during learning by synaptic modification, and engram reactivation represents the memorized experience 1 . Engrams of conscious memories are initially stored in the hippocampus for several days and then transferred to cortical areas 2 . In the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, granule cells transform rich inputs from the entorhinal cortex into a sparse output, which is forwarded to the highly interconnected pyramidal cell network in hippocampal area CA3 3 . This process is thought to support pattern separation 4 (but see refs. 5,6 ). CA3 pyramidal neurons project to CA1, the hippocampal output region. Consistent with the idea of transient memory storage in the hippocampus, engrams in CA1 and CA2 do not stabilize over time 7-10 . Nevertheless, reactivation of engrams in the dentate gyrus can induce recall of artificial memories even after weeks 2 . Reconciliation of this apparent paradox will require recordings from dentate gyrus granule cells throughout learning, which has so far not been performed for more than a single day 6,11,12 . Here, we use chronic two-photon calcium imaging in head-fixed mice performing a multiple-day spatial memory task in a virtual environment to record neuronal activity in all major hippocampal subfields. Whereas pyramidal neurons in CA1-CA3 show precise and highly context-specific, but continuously changing, representations of the learned spatial sceneries in our behavioural paradigm, granule cells in the dentate gyrus have a spatial code that is stable over many days, with low place- or context-specificity. Our results suggest that synaptic weights along the hippocampal trisynaptic loop are constantly reassigned to support the formation of dynamic representations in downstream hippocampal areas based on a stable code provided by the dentate gyrus.

Characterizing social behavior, activity, and associations between cognition and behavior upon social grouping of weaned dairy calves.

PubMed

Horvath, K C; Miller-Cushon, E K

2018-05-09

Weaned dairy calves are commonly exposed to changing physical and social environments, and ability to adapt to novel management is likely to have performance and welfare implications. We characterized how behavioral responses of weaned heifer calves develop over time after introduction to a social group. Previously individually reared Holstein heifer calves (n = 15; 60 ± 5 d of age; mean ± standard deviation) were introduced in weekly cohorts (5 ± 3 new calves/wk) to an existing group on pasture (8 ± 2 calves/group). We measured activity and behavior on the day of initial introduction and after 1 wk, when calves were exposed to regrouping (addition of younger calves and removal of older calves from the pen). Upon introduction, calves had 2 to 3 times more visits to each region of the pasture; they also spent more time at the back of the pasture, closest to where they were introduced and furthest from the feeding area (25.13 vs. 9.63% of observation period, standard error = 5.04), compared with behavior after 1 wk. Calves also spent less time feeding (5.0 vs. 9.6% of observation period, standard error = 0.82) and self-grooming (0.52 vs. 1.31% of observation period; standard error = 0.20) and more time within 1 to 3 body lengths of another calf (16.3 vs. 11.9% of observation period, standard error = 2.3) when initially grouped. We also explored whether behavioral responses to initial postweaning grouping might be associated with individual differences in behavioral flexibility. To evaluate this, we assessed cognition of individually housed calves (n = 18) at 5 wk of age using a spatial discrimination task conducted in a T-maze to measure initial learning (ability to learn the location of a milk reward) and reversal learning (ability to relearn location of the milk reward when it was switched to opposite arm of the maze). Calves were categorized by reversal learning success (passed, n = 6, or failed, n = 8). Calves that passed the reversal learning stage of the cognitive task spent less time at the back of the pen (9.3 vs. 27.4% of observation period, standard error = 5.5) and tended to have lower latency to feed (121.8 vs. 306.2 min; standard error = 96.4) on the day of introduction compared with calves that failed reversal learning. Overall, we found that initial introduction to social grouping had a marked influence on behavior of weaned calves that decreased over time. Further, these results suggest that individual variability in cognitive ability may be predictive of behavioral responses and ability to adapt to a novel environment. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neurobiological and Endocrine Correlates of Individual Differences in Spatial Learning Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandi, Carmen; Cordero, M. Isabel; Merino, Jose J.; Kruyt, Nyika D.; Regan, Ciaran M.; Murphy, Keith J.

2004-01-01

The polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) has been implicated in activity-dependent synaptic remodeling and memory formation. Here, we questioned whether training-induced modulation of PSA-NCAM expression might be related to individual differences in spatial learning abilities. At 12 h posttraining, immunohistochemical analyses…

Learning in Authentic Contexts: Projects Integrating Spatial Technologies and Fieldwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Kuo-Hung

2011-01-01

In recent years, professional practice has been an issue of concern in higher education. The purpose of this study is to design students' projects to facilitate collaborative learning in authentic contexts. Ten students majoring in Management Information Systems conducted fieldwork with spatial technologies to collect data and provided information…

Cartographical Imaginations: Spatiality, Adult Education and Lifelong Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Richard; Cervero, Ron; Clarke, Julia; Morgan-Klein, Brenda; Usher, Robin; Wilson, Arthur

Recent empirical and theoretical literature in cultural geography, feminist and postcolonial philosophy, cultural studies, and political economy, was explored in an examination of the significance of spatiality to the changes taking place in the policy, practice, and study of adult education and lifelong learning. The following were among the key…

The opponent channel population code of sound location is an efficient representation of natural binaural sounds.

PubMed

Młynarski, Wiktor

2015-05-01

In mammalian auditory cortex, sound source position is represented by a population of broadly tuned neurons whose firing is modulated by sounds located at all positions surrounding the animal. Peaks of their tuning curves are concentrated at lateral position, while their slopes are steepest at the interaural midline, allowing for the maximum localization accuracy in that area. These experimental observations contradict initial assumptions that the auditory space is represented as a topographic cortical map. It has been suggested that a "panoramic" code has evolved to match specific demands of the sound localization task. This work provides evidence suggesting that properties of spatial auditory neurons identified experimentally follow from a general design principle- learning a sparse, efficient representation of natural stimuli. Natural binaural sounds were recorded and served as input to a hierarchical sparse-coding model. In the first layer, left and right ear sounds were separately encoded by a population of complex-valued basis functions which separated phase and amplitude. Both parameters are known to carry information relevant for spatial hearing. Monaural input converged in the second layer, which learned a joint representation of amplitude and interaural phase difference. Spatial selectivity of each second-layer unit was measured by exposing the model to natural sound sources recorded at different positions. Obtained tuning curves match well tuning characteristics of neurons in the mammalian auditory cortex. This study connects neuronal coding of the auditory space with natural stimulus statistics and generates new experimental predictions. Moreover, results presented here suggest that cortical regions with seemingly different functions may implement the same computational strategy-efficient coding.

Physics instruction induces changes in neural knowledge representation during successive stages of learning.

PubMed

Mason, Robert A; Just, Marcel Adam

2015-05-01

Incremental instruction on the workings of a set of mechanical systems induced a progression of changes in the neural representations of the systems. The neural representations of four mechanical systems were assessed before, during, and after three phases of incremental instruction (which first provided information about the system components, then provided partial causal information, and finally provided full functional information). In 14 participants, the neural representations of four systems (a bathroom scale, a fire extinguisher, an automobile braking system, and a trumpet) were assessed using three recently developed techniques: (1) machine learning and classification of multi-voxel patterns; (2) localization of consistently responding voxels; and (3) representational similarity analysis (RSA). The neural representations of the systems progressed through four stages, or states, involving spatially and temporally distinct multi-voxel patterns: (1) initially, the representation was primarily visual (occipital cortex); (2) it subsequently included a large parietal component; (3) it eventually became cortically diverse (frontal, parietal, temporal, and medial frontal regions); and (4) at the end, it demonstrated a strong frontal cortex weighting (frontal and motor regions). At each stage of knowledge, it was possible for a classifier to identify which one of four mechanical systems a participant was thinking about, based on their brain activation patterns. The progression of representational states was suggestive of progressive stages of learning: (1) encoding information from the display; (2) mental animation, possibly involving imagining the components moving; (3) generating causal hypotheses associated with mental animation; and finally (4) determining how a person (probably oneself) would interact with the system. This interpretation yields an initial, cortically-grounded, theory of learning of physical systems that potentially can be related to cognitive learning theories by suggesting links between cortical representations, stages of learning, and the understanding of simple systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cryptic sexual dimorphism in spatial memory and hippocampal oxytocin receptors in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

PubMed

Rice, Marissa A; Hobbs, Lauren E; Wallace, Kelly J; Ophir, Alexander G

2017-09-01

Sex differences are well documented and are conventionally associated with intense sex-specific selection. For example, spatial memory is frequently better in males, presumably due to males' tendency to navigate large spaces to find mates. Alternatively, monogamy (in which sex-specific selection is relatively relaxed) should diminish or eliminate differences in spatial ability and the mechanisms associated with this behavior. Nevertheless, phenotypic differences between monogamous males and females persist, sometimes cryptically. We hypothesize that sex-specific cognitive demands are present in monogamous species that will influence neural and behavioral phenotypes. The effects of these demands should be observable in spatial learning performance and neural structures associated with spatial learning and memory. We analyzed spatial memory performance, hippocampal volume and cell density, and hippocampal oxytocin receptor (OTR) expression in the socially monogamous prairie vole. Compared to females, males performed better in a spatial memory and spatial learning test. Although we found no sex difference in hippocampal volume or cell density, male OTR density was significantly lower than females, suggesting that performance may be regulated by sub-cellular mechanisms within the hippocampus that are less obvious than classic neuroanatomical features. Our results suggest an expanded role for oxytocin beyond facilitating social interactions, which may function in part to integrate social and spatial information. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Engineering genders: A spatial analysis of engineering, gender, and learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weidler-Lewis, Joanna R.

This three article dissertation is an investigation into the ontology of learning insofar as learning is a process of becoming. In each article I explore the general questions of who is learning, in what ways, and with what consequences. The context for this research is undergraduate engineering education with particular attention to the construction of gender in this context. The first article is an examination of the organization of freshman engineering design. The second article draws on Lefebvre's spatial triad as both a theory and method for studying learning. The third article is an interview study of LGBTQA students creating their futures as engineers.

Retrieving Enduring Spatial Representations after Disorientation

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaoou; Mou, Weimin; McNamara, Timothy P.

2012-01-01

Four experiments tested whether there are enduring spatial representations of objects’ locations in memory. Previous studies have shown that under certain conditions the internal consistency of pointing to objects using memory is disrupted by disorientation. This disorientation effect has been attributed to an absence of or to imprecise enduring spatial representations of objects’ locations. Experiment 1 replicated the standard disorientation effect. Participants learned locations of objects in an irregular layout and then pointed to objects after physically turning to face an object and after disorientation. The expected disorientation was observed. In Experiment 2, after disorientation, participants were asked to imagine they were facing the original learning direction and then physically turned to adopt the test orientation. In Experiment 3, after disorientation, participants turned to adopt the test orientation and then were informed of the original viewing direction by the experimenter. A disorientation effect was not observed in Experiment 2 or 3. In Experiment 4, after disorientation, participants turned to face the test orientation but were not told the original learning orientation. As in Experiment 1, a disorientation effect was observed. These results suggest that there are enduring spatial representations of objects’ locations specified in terms of a spatial reference direction parallel to the learning view, and that the disorientation effect is caused by uncertainty in recovering the spatial reference direction relative to the testing orientation following disorientation. PMID:22682765

Gene Network Construction from Microarray Data Identifies a Key Network Module and Several Candidate Hub Genes in Age-Associated Spatial Learning Impairment

PubMed Central

Uddin, Raihan; Singh, Shiva M.

2017-01-01

As humans age many suffer from a decrease in normal brain functions including spatial learning impairments. This study aimed to better understand the molecular mechanisms in age-associated spatial learning impairment (ASLI). We used a mathematical modeling approach implemented in Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to create and compare gene network models of young (learning unimpaired) and aged (predominantly learning impaired) brains from a set of exploratory datasets in rats in the context of ASLI. The major goal was to overcome some of the limitations previously observed in the traditional meta- and pathway analysis using these data, and identify novel ASLI related genes and their networks based on co-expression relationship of genes. This analysis identified a set of network modules in the young, each of which is highly enriched with genes functioning in broad but distinct GO functional categories or biological pathways. Interestingly, the analysis pointed to a single module that was highly enriched with genes functioning in “learning and memory” related functions and pathways. Subsequent differential network analysis of this “learning and memory” module in the aged (predominantly learning impaired) rats compared to the young learning unimpaired rats allowed us to identify a set of novel ASLI candidate hub genes. Some of these genes show significant repeatability in networks generated from independent young and aged validation datasets. These hub genes are highly co-expressed with other genes in the network, which not only show differential expression but also differential co-expression and differential connectivity across age and learning impairment. The known function of these hub genes indicate that they play key roles in critical pathways, including kinase and phosphatase signaling, in functions related to various ion channels, and in maintaining neuronal integrity relating to synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Taken together, they provide a new insight and generate new hypotheses into the molecular mechanisms responsible for age associated learning impairment, including spatial learning. PMID:29066959

Gene Network Construction from Microarray Data Identifies a Key Network Module and Several Candidate Hub Genes in Age-Associated Spatial Learning Impairment.

PubMed

Uddin, Raihan; Singh, Shiva M

2017-01-01

As humans age many suffer from a decrease in normal brain functions including spatial learning impairments. This study aimed to better understand the molecular mechanisms in age-associated spatial learning impairment (ASLI). We used a mathematical modeling approach implemented in Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to create and compare gene network models of young (learning unimpaired) and aged (predominantly learning impaired) brains from a set of exploratory datasets in rats in the context of ASLI. The major goal was to overcome some of the limitations previously observed in the traditional meta- and pathway analysis using these data, and identify novel ASLI related genes and their networks based on co-expression relationship of genes. This analysis identified a set of network modules in the young, each of which is highly enriched with genes functioning in broad but distinct GO functional categories or biological pathways. Interestingly, the analysis pointed to a single module that was highly enriched with genes functioning in "learning and memory" related functions and pathways. Subsequent differential network analysis of this "learning and memory" module in the aged (predominantly learning impaired) rats compared to the young learning unimpaired rats allowed us to identify a set of novel ASLI candidate hub genes. Some of these genes show significant repeatability in networks generated from independent young and aged validation datasets. These hub genes are highly co-expressed with other genes in the network, which not only show differential expression but also differential co-expression and differential connectivity across age and learning impairment. The known function of these hub genes indicate that they play key roles in critical pathways, including kinase and phosphatase signaling, in functions related to various ion channels, and in maintaining neuronal integrity relating to synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Taken together, they provide a new insight and generate new hypotheses into the molecular mechanisms responsible for age associated learning impairment, including spatial learning.

Eye movement difficulties in autism spectrum disorder: implications for implicit contextual learning.

PubMed

Kourkoulou, Anastasia; Kuhn, Gustav; Findlay, John M; Leekam, Susan R

2013-06-01

It is widely accepted that we use contextual information to guide our gaze when searching for an object. People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also utilise contextual information in this way; yet, their visual search in tasks of this kind is much slower compared with people without ASD. The aim of the current study was to explore the reason for this by measuring eye movements. Eye movement analyses revealed that the slowing of visual search was not caused by making a greater number of fixations. Instead, participants in the ASD group were slower to launch their first saccade, and the duration of their fixations was longer. These results indicate that slowed search in ASD in contextual learning tasks is not due to differences in the spatial allocation of attention but due to temporal delays in the initial-reflexive orienting of attention and subsequent-focused attention. These results have broader implications for understanding the unusual attention profile of individuals with ASD and how their attention may be shaped by learning. © 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The education of perception.

PubMed

Goldstone, Robert L; Landy, David H; Son, Ji Y

2010-04-01

Although the field of perceptual learning has mostly been concerned with low- to middle-level changes to perceptual systems due to experience, we consider high-level perceptual changes that accompany learning in science and mathematics. In science, we explore the transfer of a scientific principle (competitive specialization) across superficially dissimilar pedagogical simulations. We argue that transfer occurs when students develop perceptual interpretations of an initial simulation and simply continue to use the same interpretational bias when interacting with a second simulation. In arithmetic and algebraic reasoning, we find that proficiency in mathematics involves executing spatially explicit transformations to notational elements. People learn to attend mathematical operations in the order in which they should be executed, and the extent to which students employ their perceptual attention in this manner is positively correlated with their mathematical experience. For both science and mathematics, relatively sophisticated performance is achieved not by ignoring perceptual features in favor of deep conceptual features, but rather by adapting perceptual processing so as to conform with and support formally sanctioned responses. These "rigged-up perceptual systems" offer a promising approach to educational reform. Copyright © 2009 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Self-motivated visual scanning predicts flexible navigation in a virtual environment.

PubMed

Ploran, Elisabeth J; Bevitt, Jacob; Oshiro, Jaris; Parasuraman, Raja; Thompson, James C

2014-01-01

The ability to navigate flexibly (e.g., reorienting oneself based on distal landmarks to reach a learned target from a new position) may rely on visual scanning during both initial experiences with the environment and subsequent test trials. Reliance on visual scanning during navigation harkens back to the concept of vicarious trial and error, a description of the side-to-side head movements made by rats as they explore previously traversed sections of a maze in an attempt to find a reward. In the current study, we examined if visual scanning predicted the extent to which participants would navigate to a learned location in a virtual environment defined by its position relative to distal landmarks. Our results demonstrated a significant positive relationship between the amount of visual scanning and participant accuracy in identifying the trained target location from a new starting position as long as the landmarks within the environment remain consistent with the period of original learning. Our findings indicate that active visual scanning of the environment is a deliberative attentional strategy that supports the formation of spatial representations for flexible navigation.

Fostering Spatial vs. Metric Understanding in Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinach, Barbara M.

2012-01-01

Learning to reason spatially is increasingly recognized as an essential component of geometry education. Generally taken to be the "ability to represent, generate, transform, communicate, document, and reflect on visual information," "spatial reasoning" uses the spatial relationships between objects to form ideas. Spatial thinking takes a variety…

Wild genius - domestic fool? Spatial learning abilities of wild and domestic guinea pigs.

PubMed

Lewejohann, Lars; Pickel, Thorsten; Sachser, Norbert; Kaiser, Sylvia

2010-03-25

Domestic animals and their wild relatives differ in a wide variety of aspects. The process of domestication of the domestic guinea pig (Cavia aperea f. porcellus), starting at least 4500 years ago, led to changes in the anatomy, physiology, and behaviour compared with their wild relative, the wild cavy, Cavia aperea. Although domestic guinea pigs are widely used as a laboratory animal, learning and memory capabilities are often disregarded as being very scarce. Even less is known about learning and memory of wild cavies. In this regard, one striking domestic trait is a reduction in relative brain size, which in the domesticated form of the guinea pig amounts to 13%. However, the common belief, that such a reduction of brain size in the course of domestication of different species is accomplished by less learning capabilities is not at all very well established in the literature. Indeed, domestic animals might also even outperform their wild conspecifics taking advantage of their adaptation to a man-made environment.In our study we compared the spatial learning abilities of wild and domestic guinea pigs. We expected that the two forms are different regarding their learning performance possibly related to the process of domestication. Therefore wild cavies as well as domestic guinea pigs of both sexes, aged 35 to 45 days, were tested in the Morris water maze to investigate their ability of spatial learning. Both, wild cavies and domestic guinea pigs were able to learn the task, proving the water maze to be a suitable test also for wild cavies. Regarding the speed of learning, male as well as female domestic guinea pigs outperformed their wild conspecifics significantly. Interestingly, only domestic guinea pigs showed a significant spatial association of the platform position, while other effective search strategies were used by wild cavies. The results demonstrate that domestic guinea pigs do not at all perform worse than their wild relatives in tests of spatial learning abilities. Yet, the contrary seems to be true. Hence, artificial selection and breeding did not lead to a cognitive decline but rather to an adaptation to man-made environment that allows solving the task more efficiently.

Wild genius - domestic fool? Spatial learning abilities of wild and domestic guinea pigs

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Domestic animals and their wild relatives differ in a wide variety of aspects. The process of domestication of the domestic guinea pig (Cavia aperea f. porcellus), starting at least 4500 years ago, led to changes in the anatomy, physiology, and behaviour compared with their wild relative, the wild cavy, Cavia aperea. Although domestic guinea pigs are widely used as a laboratory animal, learning and memory capabilities are often disregarded as being very scarce. Even less is known about learning and memory of wild cavies. In this regard, one striking domestic trait is a reduction in relative brain size, which in the domesticated form of the guinea pig amounts to 13%. However, the common belief, that such a reduction of brain size in the course of domestication of different species is accomplished by less learning capabilities is not at all very well established in the literature. Indeed, domestic animals might also even outperform their wild conspecifics taking advantage of their adaptation to a man-made environment. In our study we compared the spatial learning abilities of wild and domestic guinea pigs. We expected that the two forms are different regarding their learning performance possibly related to the process of domestication. Therefore wild cavies as well as domestic guinea pigs of both sexes, aged 35 to 45 days, were tested in the Morris water maze to investigate their ability of spatial learning. Results Both, wild cavies and domestic guinea pigs were able to learn the task, proving the water maze to be a suitable test also for wild cavies. Regarding the speed of learning, male as well as female domestic guinea pigs outperformed their wild conspecifics significantly. Interestingly, only domestic guinea pigs showed a significant spatial association of the platform position, while other effective search strategies were used by wild cavies. Conclusion The results demonstrate that domestic guinea pigs do not at all perform worse than their wild relatives in tests of spatial learning abilities. Yet, the contrary seems to be true. Hence, artificial selection and breeding did not lead to a cognitive decline but rather to an adaptation to man-made environment that allows solving the task more efficiently. PMID:20334697

Differentiation of Forebrain and Hippocampal Dopamine 1-Class Receptors, D1R and D5R, in Spatial Learning and Memory

PubMed Central

Sariñana, Joshua; Tonegawa, Susumu

2017-01-01

Activation of prefrontal cortical (PFC), striatal, and hippocampal dopamine 1-class receptors (D1R and D5R) is necessary for normal spatial information processing. Yet the precise role of the D1R versus the D5R in the aforementioned structures, and their specific contribution to the water-maze spatial learning task remains unknown. D1R- and D5R- specific in situ hybridization probes showed that forebrain restricted D1R and D5R KO mice (F-D1R/D5R KO) displayed D1R mRNA deletion in the medial (m)PFC, dorsal and ventral striatum, and the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. D5R mRNA deletion was limited to the mPFC, the CA1 and DG hippocampal subregions. F-D1R/D5R KO mice were given water-maze training and displayed subtle spatial latency differences between genotypes and spatial memory deficits during both regular and reversal training. To differentiate forebrain D1R from D5R activation, forebrain restricted D1R KO (F-D1R KO) and D5R KO (F-D5R KO) mice were trained on the water-maze task. F-D1R KO animals exhibited escape latency deficits throughout regular and reversal training as well as spatial memory deficits during reversal training. F-D1R KO mice also showed perseverative behavior during the reversal spatial memory probe test. In contrast, F-D5R KO animals did not present observable deficits on the water-maze task. Because F-D1R KO mice showed water-maze deficits we tested the necessity of hippocampal D1R activation for spatial learning and memory. We trained DG restricted D1R KO (DG-D1R KO) mice on the water-maze task. DG-D1R KO mice did not present detectable spatial memory deficit, but did show subtle deficits during specific days of training. Our data provides evidence that forebrain D5R activation plays a unique role in spatial learning and memory in conjunction with D1R activation. Moreover, these data suggest that mPFC and striatal, but not DG D1R activation are essential for spatial learning and memory. PMID:26174222

Disease spread across multiple scales in a spatial hierarchy: effect of host spatial structure and of inoculum quantity and distribution.

PubMed

Gosme, Marie; Lucas, Philippe

2009-07-01

Spatial patterns of both the host and the disease influence disease spread and crop losses. Therefore, the manipulation of these patterns might help improve control strategies. Considering disease spread across multiple scales in a spatial hierarchy allows one to capture important features of epidemics developing in space without using explicitly spatialized variables. Thus, if the system under study is composed of roots, plants, and planting hills, the effect of host spatial pattern can be studied by varying the number of plants per planting hill. A simulation model based on hierarchy theory was used to simulate the effects of large versus small planting hills, low versus high level of initial infections, and aggregated versus uniform distribution of initial infections. The results showed that aggregating the initially infected plants always resulted in slower epidemics than spreading out the initial infections uniformly. Simulation results also showed that, in most cases, disease epidemics were slower in the case of large host aggregates (100 plants/hill) than with smaller aggregates (25 plants/hill), except when the initially infected plants were both numerous and spread out uniformly. The optimal strategy for disease control depends on several factors, including initial conditions. More importantly, the model offers a framework to account for the interplay between the spatial characteristics of the system, rates of infection, and aggregation of the disease.

Spatial Cognition and Range Use in Free-Range Laying Hens

PubMed Central

Campbell, Dana L. M.; Loh, Ziyang A.; Dyall, Tim R.; Lee, Caroline

2018-01-01

Simple Summary Individual free-range laying hens vary in their use of the outdoor range. The outdoor environment is typically more complex and variable than indoor housing and thus range use may be related to differences in spatial abilities. Individual adult hens that never went outside were slower to learn a T-maze task—which requires birds to repeatedly find a food reward in one arm of the maze, compared to outdoor-preferring hens. Pullets that were faster to learn the maze also showed more visits to the range in their first month of range access but only in one of two tested groups. Early enrichment improved learning of the maze but only when the birds were tested before onset of lay. Fear may play a role in inhibiting bird’s spatial learning and their range use. More studies of different enriched rearing treatments and their impacts on fear and learning would be needed to confirm these findings. Overall, these results contribute to our understanding of why some birds choose to never access the outdoor range area. Abstract Radio-frequency identification tracking shows individual free-range laying hens vary in range use, with some never going outdoors. The range is typically more environmentally complex, requiring navigation to return to the indoor resources. Outdoor-preferring hens may have improved spatial abilities compared to indoor-preferring hens. Experiment 1 tested 32 adult ISA Brown hens in a T-maze learning task that showed exclusively-indoor birds were slowest to reach the learning success criterion (p < 0.05). Experiment 2 tested 117 pullets from enriched or non-enriched early rearing treatments (1 pen replicate per treatment) in the same maze at 15–16 or 17–18 weeks. Enriched birds reached learning success criterion faster at 15–16 weeks (p < 0.05) but not at 17–18 weeks (p > 0.05), the age that coincided with the onset of lay. Enriched birds that were faster to learn the maze task showed more range visits in the first 4 weeks of range access. Enriched and non-enriched birds showed no differences in telencephalon or hippocampal volume (p > 0.05). Fear may reduce spatial abilities but further testing with more pen replicates per early rearing treatments would improve our understanding of the relationship between spatial cognitive abilities and range use. PMID:29419742

Reward-based spatial learning in unmedicated adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Marsh, Rachel; Tau, Gregory Z; Wang, Zhishun; Huo, Yuankai; Liu, Ge; Hao, Xuejun; Packard, Mark G; Peterson, Bradley S; Simpson, H Blair

2015-04-01

The authors assessed the functioning of mesolimbic and striatal areas involved in reward-based spatial learning in unmedicated adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Functional MRI blood-oxygen-level-dependent response was compared in 33 unmedicated adults with OCD and 33 healthy, age-matched comparison subjects during a reward-based learning task that required learning to use extramaze cues to navigate a virtual eight-arm radial maze to find hidden rewards. The groups were compared in their patterns of brain activation associated with reward-based spatial learning versus a control condition in which rewards were unexpected because they were allotted pseudorandomly to experimentally prevent learning. Both groups learned to navigate the maze to find hidden rewards, but group differences in neural activity during navigation and reward processing were detected in mesolimbic and striatal areas. During navigation, the OCD group, unlike the healthy comparison group, exhibited activation in the left posterior hippocampus. Unlike healthy subjects, participants in the OCD group did not show activation in the left ventral putamen and amygdala when anticipating rewards or in the left hippocampus, amygdala, and ventral putamen when receiving unexpected rewards (control condition). Signal in these regions decreased relative to baseline during unexpected reward receipt among those in the OCD group, and the degree of activation was inversely associated with doubt/checking symptoms. Participants in the OCD group displayed abnormal recruitment of mesolimbic and ventral striatal circuitry during reward-based spatial learning. Whereas healthy comparison subjects exhibited activation in this circuitry in response to the violation of reward expectations, unmedicated OCD participants did not and instead over-relied on the posterior hippocampus during learning. Thus, dopaminergic innervation of reward circuitry may be altered, and future study of anterior/posterior hippocampal dysfunction in OCD is warranted.

The left hemisphere learns what is right: Hemispatial reward learning depends on reinforcement learning processes in the contralateral hemisphere.

PubMed

Aberg, Kristoffer Carl; Doell, Kimberly Crystal; Schwartz, Sophie

2016-08-01

Orienting biases refer to consistent, trait-like direction of attention or locomotion toward one side of space. Recent studies suggest that such hemispatial biases may determine how well people memorize information presented in the left or right hemifield. Moreover, lesion studies indicate that learning rewarded stimuli in one hemispace depends on the integrity of the contralateral striatum. However, the exact neural and computational mechanisms underlying the influence of individual orienting biases on reward learning remain unclear. Because reward-based behavioural adaptation depends on the dopaminergic system and prediction error (PE) encoding in the ventral striatum, we hypothesized that hemispheric asymmetries in dopamine (DA) function may determine individual spatial biases in reward learning. To test this prediction, we acquired fMRI in 33 healthy human participants while they performed a lateralized reward task. Learning differences between hemispaces were assessed by presenting stimuli, assigned to different reward probabilities, to the left or right of central fixation, i.e. presented in the left or right visual hemifield. Hemispheric differences in DA function were estimated through differential fMRI responses to positive vs. negative feedback in the left vs. right ventral striatum, and a computational approach was used to identify the neural correlates of PEs. Our results show that spatial biases favoring reward learning in the right (vs. left) hemifield were associated with increased reward responses in the left hemisphere and relatively better neural encoding of PEs for stimuli presented in the right (vs. left) hemifield. These findings demonstrate that trait-like spatial biases implicate hemisphere-specific learning mechanisms, with individual differences between hemispheres contributing to reinforcing spatial biases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reward-Based Spatial Learning in Teens With Bulimia Nervosa

PubMed Central

Cyr, Marilyn; Wang, Zhishun; Tau, Gregory Z.; Zhao, Guihu; Friedl, Eve; Stefan, Mihaela; Terranova, Kate; Marsh, Rachel

2016-01-01

Objective To assess the functioning of mesolimbic and fronto-striatal areas involved in reward-based spatial learning in teenaged girls with bulimia nervosa (BN) that might be involved in the development and maintenance of maladaptive behaviors characteristic of the disorder. Method We compared functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level dependent response in 27 adolescent girls with BN to that of 27 healthy, age-matched control participants during a reward-based learning task that required learning to use extra-maze cues to navigate a virtual 8-arm radial maze to find hidden rewards. We compared groups in their patterns of brain activation associated with reward-based spatial learning versus a control condition in which rewards were unexpected because they were allotted pseudo-randomly to experimentally prevent learning. Results Both groups learned to navigate the maze to find hidden rewards, but group differences in brain activity associated with maze navigation and reward processing were detected in fronto-striatal regions and right anterior hippocampus. Unlike healthy adolescents, those with BN did not engage right inferior frontal gyrus during maze navigation, activated right anterior hippocampus during the receipt of unexpected rewards (control condition), and deactivated left superior frontal gyrus and right anterior hippocampus during expected reward receipt (learning condition). These patterns of hippocampal activation in the control condition were significantly associated with the frequency of binge-eating episodes. Conclusion Adolescents with BN displayed abnormal functioning of anterior hippocampus and fronto-striatal regions during reward-based spatial learning. These findings suggest that an imbalance in control and reward circuits may arise early in the course of BN. Clinical trial registration information An fMRI Study of Self-regulation in Adolescents With Bulimia Nervosa; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00345943; NCT00345943. PMID:27806864

Teachers' Personal Learning Networks (PLNs): Exploring the Nature of Self-Initiated Professional Learning Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tour, Ekaterina

2017-01-01

In the field of Literacy Studies, online spaces have been recognised as providing many opportunities for spontaneous and self-initiated learning. While some progress has been made in understanding these important learning experiences, little attention has been paid to teachers' self-initiated professional learning. Contributing to the debates…

Individual differences in spatial configuration learning predict the occurrence of intrusive memories.

PubMed

Meyer, Thomas; Smeets, Tom; Giesbrecht, Timo; Quaedflieg, Conny W E M; Girardelli, Marta M; Mackay, Georgina R N; Merckelbach, Harald

2013-03-01

The dual-representation model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Brewin, Gregory, Lipton, & Burgess, Psychological Review, 117, 210-232 2010) argues that intrusions occur when people fail to construct context-based representations during adverse experiences. The present study tested a specific prediction flowing from this model. In particular, we investigated whether the efficiency of temporal-lobe-based spatial configuration learning would account for individual differences in intrusive experiences and physiological reactivity in the laboratory. Participants (N = 82) completed the contextual cuing paradigm, which assesses spatial configuration learning that is believed to depend on associative encoding in the parahippocampus. They were then shown a trauma film. Afterward, startle responses were quantified during presentation of trauma reminder pictures versus unrelated neutral and emotional pictures. PTSD symptoms were recorded in the week following participation. Better configuration learning performance was associated with fewer perceptual intrusions, r = -.33, p < .01, but was unrelated to physiological responses to trauma reminder images (ps > .46) and had no direct effect on intrusion-related distress and overall PTSD symptoms, rs > -.12, ps > .29. However, configuration learning performance tended to be associated with reduced physiological responses to unrelated negative images, r = -.20, p = .07. Thus, while spatial configuration learning appears to be unrelated to affective responding to trauma reminders, our overall findings support the idea that the context-based memory system helps to reduce intrusions.

Spatial context learning survives interference from working memory load

PubMed Central

Vickery, Timothy J.; Sussman, Rachel S.; Jiang, Yuhong V.

2010-01-01

The human visual system is constantly confronted with an overwhelming amount of information, only a subset of which can be processed in complete detail. Attention and implicit learning are two important mechanisms that optimize vision. This study addresses the relationship between these two mechanisms. Specifically we ask: Is implicit learning of spatial context affected by the amount of working memory load devoted to an irrelevant task? We tested observers in visual search tasks where search displays occasionally repeated. Observers became faster searching repeated displays than unrepeated ones, showing contextual cueing. We found that the size of contextual cueing was unaffected by whether observers learned repeated displays under unitary attention or when their attention was divided using working memory manipulations. These results held when working memory was loaded by colors, dot patterns, individual dot locations, or multiple potential targets. We conclude that spatial context learning is robust to interference from manipulations that limit the availability of attention and working memory. PMID:20853996

Visual Place Learning in Drosophila melanogaster

PubMed Central

Ofstad, Tyler A.; Zuker, Charles S.; Reiser, Michael B.

2011-01-01

The ability of insects to learn and navigate to specific locations in the environment has fascinated naturalists for decades. While the impressive navigation abilities of ants, bees, wasps, and other insects clearly demonstrate that insects are capable of visual place learning1–4, little is known about the underlying neural circuits that mediate these behaviors. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model organism for dissecting the neural circuitry underlying complex behaviors, from sensory perception to learning and memory. Flies can identify and remember visual features such as size, color, and contour orientation5, 6. However, the extent to which they use vision to recall specific locations remains unclear. Here we describe a visual place-learning platform and demonstrate that Drosophila are capable of forming and retaining visual place memories to guide selective navigation. By targeted genetic silencing of small subsets of cells in the Drosophila brain we show that neurons in the ellipsoid body, but not in the mushroom bodies, are necessary for visual place learning. Together, these studies reveal distinct neuroanatomical substrates for spatial versus non-spatial learning, and substantiate Drosophila as a powerful model for the study of spatial memories. PMID:21654803

Algorithm Visualization System for Teaching Spatial Data Algorithms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikander, Jussi; Helminen, Juha; Korhonen, Ari

2010-01-01

TRAKLA2 is a web-based learning environment for data structures and algorithms. The system delivers automatically assessed algorithm simulation exercises that are solved using a graphical user interface. In this work, we introduce a novel learning environment for spatial data algorithms, SDA-TRAKLA2, which has been implemented on top of the…

Who Benefits from Learning with 3D Models?: The Case of Spatial Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huk, T.

2006-01-01

Empirical studies that focus on the impact of three-dimensional (3D) visualizations on learning are to date rare and inconsistent. According to the ability-as-enhancer hypothesis, high spatial ability learners should benefit particularly as they have enough cognitive capacity left for mental model construction. In contrast, the…

Showercap Mindmap: A Spatial Activity for Learning Physiology Terminology and Location

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanags, Thea; Budimlic, Mira; Herbert, Elissa; Montgomery, Melena M.; Vickers, Tracy

2012-01-01

Students struggle with the volume and complexity of physiology terminology. We compared first-year undergraduate psychology students' learning of physiological terms using two teaching methods: one verbal (control group; n = 16) and one spatial and multisensory (experimental group; n = 19). The experimental group used clear plastic shower caps to…

Comparison of Static and Dynamic Assessment Procedures and Their Relation to Independent Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Jeanne D.; And Others

1997-01-01

Relationships between pretraining skills, learning, and posttest performance were studied in spatial and verbal tasks for 84 preschool children. The measurement model that fit the data best maintained separate verbal and spatial domains. The best structural model included paths from pretest and learning assessments to posttest performance within…

Fluoxetine Restores Spatial Learning but Not Accelerated Forgetting in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkas, Lisa; Redhead, Edward; Taylor, Matthew; Shtaya, Anan; Hamilton, Derek A.; Gray, William P.

2012-01-01

Learning and memory dysfunction is the most common neuropsychological effect of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, and because the underlying neurobiology is poorly understood, there are no pharmacological strategies to help restore memory function in these patients. We have demonstrated impairments in the acquisition of an allocentric spatial task,…

Predicting Efficiency of Travel in Young, Visually Impaired Children from Their Other Spatial Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Anita; And Others

1985-01-01

To test ways of predicting how efficiently visually impaired children learn travel skills, a criteria checklist of spatial skills was developed for close-body space, local space, and geographical/travel space. Comparison was made between predictors of efficient learning including subjective ratings of teachers, personal qualities and factors of…

Spatial Visualization as Mediating between Mathematics Learning Strategy and Mathematics Achievement among 8th Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rabab'h, Belal; Veloo, Arsaythamby

2015-01-01

Jordanian 8th grade students revealed low achievement in mathematics through four periods (1999, 2003, 2007 & 2011) of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). This study aimed to determine whether spatial visualization mediates the affect of Mathematics Learning Strategies (MLS) factors namely mathematics attitude,…

Effects of a GIS Course on Self-Assessment of Spatial Habits of Mind (SHOM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minsung; Bednarz, Robert

2013-01-01

This study identified five subdimensions of spatial habits of mind--pattern recognition, spatial description, visualization, spatial concept use, and spatial tool use--and created an inventory to measure them. In addition, the effects of GIS learning on spatial habits of mind were investigated. Pre- and post-tests were conducted at the beginning…

Spatial water maze learning using celestial cues by the meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus.

PubMed

Kavaliers, M; Galea, L A

1994-03-31

The Morris water maze is widely used to evaluate to evaluate the spatial learning ability of rodents under laboratory settings. The present study demonstrates that reproductive male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, are able to acquire and retain a spatial water maze task using celestial cues. Voles were able to acquire a modified outdoor Morris water maze task over 4 trials per day, whereby they had to learn and remember the location of a submerged hidden platform, using the position of the sun and associated celestial cues. Their proficiency on this task was related to the availability of the celestial cues, with voles displaying significantly poorer spatial navigation on overcast than clear days and when the testing time (and position of the sun and associated celestial cues) was shifted from morning to afternoon. These findings with meadow voles support the ecological relevance of the water maze task.

The Effect of Stereoscopic ("3D") vs. 2D Presentation on Learning through Video and Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Aaron; Kasal, E.

2014-01-01

Two Eyes, 3D is a NSF-funded research project into the effects of stereoscopy on learning of highly spatial concepts. We report final results on one study of the project which tested the effect of stereoscopic presentation on learning outcomes of two short films about Type 1a supernovae and the morphology of the Milky Way. 986 adults watched either film, randomly distributed between stereoscopic and 2D presentation. They took a pre-test and post-test that included multiple choice and drawing tasks related to the spatial nature of the topics in the film. Orientation of the answering device was also tracked and a spatial cognition pre-test was given to control for prior spatial ability. Data collection took place at the Adler Planetarium's Space Visualization Lab and the project is run through the AAVSO.

On the role of working memory in spatial contextual cueing.

PubMed

Travis, Susan L; Mattingley, Jason B; Dux, Paul E

2013-01-01

The human visual system receives more information than can be consciously processed. To overcome this capacity limit, we employ attentional mechanisms to prioritize task-relevant (target) information over less relevant (distractor) information. Regularities in the environment can facilitate the allocation of attention, as demonstrated by the spatial contextual cueing paradigm. When observers are exposed repeatedly to a scene and invariant distractor information, learning from earlier exposures enhances the search for the target. Here, we investigated whether spatial contextual cueing draws on spatial working memory resources and, if so, at what level of processing working memory load has its effect. Participants performed 2 tasks concurrently: a visual search task, in which the spatial configuration of some search arrays occasionally repeated, and a spatial working memory task. Increases in working memory load significantly impaired contextual learning. These findings indicate that spatial contextual cueing utilizes working memory resources.

Coordinated prefrontal-hippocampal activity and navigation strategy-related prefrontal firing during spatial memory formation.

PubMed

Negrón-Oyarzo, Ignacio; Espinosa, Nelson; Aguilar, Marcelo; Fuenzalida, Marco; Aboitiz, Francisco; Fuentealba, Pablo

2018-06-18

Learning the location of relevant places in the environment is crucial for survival. Such capacity is supported by a distributed network comprising the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, yet it is not fully understood how these structures cooperate during spatial reference memory formation. Hence, we examined neural activity in the prefrontal-hippocampal circuit in mice during acquisition of spatial reference memory. We found that interregional oscillatory coupling increased with learning, specifically in the slow-gamma frequency (20 to 40 Hz) band during spatial navigation. In addition, mice used both spatial and nonspatial strategies to navigate and solve the task, yet prefrontal neuronal spiking and oscillatory phase coupling were selectively enhanced in the spatial navigation strategy. Lastly, a representation of the behavioral goal emerged in prefrontal spiking patterns exclusively in the spatial navigation strategy. These results suggest that reference memory formation is supported by enhanced cortical connectivity and evolving prefrontal spiking representations of behavioral goals.

Mitochondrial impairments contribute to spatial learning and memory dysfunction induced by chronic tramadol administration in rat: Protective effect of physical exercise.

PubMed

Mehdizadeh, Hajar; Pourahmad, Jalal; Taghizadeh, Ghorban; Vousooghi, Nasim; Yoonessi, Ali; Naserzadeh, Parvaneh; Behzadfar, Ladan; Rouini, Mohammad Reza; Sharifzadeh, Mohammad

2017-10-03

Despite the worldwide use of tramadol, few studies have been conducted about its effects on memory and mitochondrial function, and controversial results have been reported. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in physical exercise as a protective approach to neuronal and cognitive impairments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of physical exercise on spatial learning and memory and brain mitochondrial function in tramadol-treated rats. After completion of 2-week (short-term) and 4-week (long-term) treadmill exercise regimens, male Wistar rats received tramadol (20, 40, 80mg/kg/day) intraperitoneally for 30days. Then spatial learning and memory was assessed by Morris water maze test (MWM). Moreover, brain mitochondrial function was evaluated by determination of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), mitochondrial swelling and cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Chronic administration of tramadol impaired spatial learning and memory as well as brain mitochondrial function as indicated by increased ROS level, MMP collapse, increased mitochondrial swelling and cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Conversely, treadmill exercise significantly attenuated the impairments of spatial learning and memory and brain mitochondrial dysfunction induced by tramadol. The results revealed that chronic tramadol treatment caused memory impairments through induction of brain mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, pre-exposure to physical exercise markedly mitigated these impairments through its positive effects on brain mitochondrial function. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Route selection by rats and humans in a navigational traveling salesman problem.

PubMed

Blaser, Rachel E; Ginchansky, Rachel R

2012-03-01

Spatial cognition is typically examined in non-human animals from the perspective of learning and memory. For this reason, spatial tasks are often constrained by the time necessary for training or the capacity of the animal's short-term memory. A spatial task with limited learning and memory demands could allow for more efficient study of some aspects of spatial cognition. The traveling salesman problem (TSP), used to study human visuospatial problem solving, is a simple task with modifiable learning and memory requirements. In the current study, humans and rats were characterized in a navigational version of the TSP. Subjects visited each of 10 baited targets in any sequence from a set starting location. Unlike similar experiments, the roles of learning and memory were purposely minimized; all targets were perceptually available, no distracters were used, and each configuration was tested only once. The task yielded a variety of behavioral measures, including target revisits and omissions, route length, and frequency of transitions between each pair of targets. Both humans and rats consistently chose routes that were more efficient than chance, but less efficient than optimal, and generally less efficient than routes produced by the nearest-neighbor strategy. We conclude that the TSP is a useful and flexible task for the study of spatial cognition in human and non-human animals.

Active machine learning for rapid landslide inventory mapping with VHR satellite images (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stumpf, A.; Lachiche, N.; Malet, J.; Kerle, N.; Puissant, A.

2013-12-01

VHR satellite images have become a primary source for landslide inventory mapping after major triggering events such as earthquakes and heavy rainfalls. Visual image interpretation is still the prevailing standard method for operational purposes but is time-consuming and not well suited to fully exploit the increasingly better supply of remote sensing data. Recent studies have addressed the development of more automated image analysis workflows for landslide inventory mapping. In particular object-oriented approaches that account for spatial and textural image information have been demonstrated to be more adequate than pixel-based classification but manually elaborated rule-based classifiers are difficult to adapt under changing scene characteristics. Machine learning algorithm allow learning classification rules for complex image patterns from labelled examples and can be adapted straightforwardly with available training data. In order to reduce the amount of costly training data active learning (AL) has evolved as a key concept to guide the sampling for many applications. The underlying idea of AL is to initialize a machine learning model with a small training set, and to subsequently exploit the model state and data structure to iteratively select the most valuable samples that should be labelled by the user. With relatively few queries and labelled samples, an AL strategy yields higher accuracies than an equivalent classifier trained with many randomly selected samples. This study addressed the development of an AL method for landslide mapping from VHR remote sensing images with special consideration of the spatial distribution of the samples. Our approach [1] is based on the Random Forest algorithm and considers the classifier uncertainty as well as the variance of potential sampling regions to guide the user towards the most valuable sampling areas. The algorithm explicitly searches for compact regions and thereby avoids a spatially disperse sampling pattern inherent to most other AL methods. The accuracy, the sampling time and the computational runtime of the algorithm were evaluated on multiple satellite images capturing recent large scale landslide events. Sampling between 1-4% of the study areas the accuracies between 74% and 80% were achieved, whereas standard sampling schemes yielded only accuracies between 28% and 50% with equal sampling costs. Compared to commonly used point-wise AL algorithm the proposed approach significantly reduces the number of iterations and hence the computational runtime. Since the user can focus on relatively few compact areas (rather than on hundreds of distributed points) the overall labeling time is reduced by more than 50% compared to point-wise queries. An experimental evaluation of multiple expert mappings demonstrated strong relationships between the uncertainties of the experts and the machine learning model. It revealed that the achieved accuracies are within the range of the inter-expert disagreement and that it will be indispensable to consider ground truth uncertainties to truly achieve further enhancements in the future. The proposed method is generally applicable to a wide range of optical satellite images and landslide types. [1] A. Stumpf, N. Lachiche, J.-P. Malet, N. Kerle, and A. Puissant, Active learning in the spatial domain for remote sensing image classification, IEEE Transactions on Geosciece and Remote Sensing. 2013, DOI 10.1109/TGRS.2013.2262052.

KBGIS-2: A knowledge-based geographic information system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, T.; Peuquet, D.; Menon, S.; Agarwal, P.

1986-01-01

The architecture and working of a recently implemented knowledge-based geographic information system (KBGIS-2) that was designed to satisfy several general criteria for the geographic information system are described. The system has four major functions that include query-answering, learning, and editing. The main query finds constrained locations for spatial objects that are describable in a predicate-calculus based spatial objects language. The main search procedures include a family of constraint-satisfaction procedures that use a spatial object knowledge base to search efficiently for complex spatial objects in large, multilayered spatial data bases. These data bases are represented in quadtree form. The search strategy is designed to reduce the computational cost of search in the average case. The learning capabilities of the system include the addition of new locations of complex spatial objects to the knowledge base as queries are answered, and the ability to learn inductively definitions of new spatial objects from examples. The new definitions are added to the knowledge base by the system. The system is currently performing all its designated tasks successfully, although currently implemented on inadequate hardware. Future reports will detail the performance characteristics of the system, and various new extensions are planned in order to enhance the power of KBGIS-2.

Reducing Peripheral Inflammation with Infliximab Reduces Neuroinflammation and Improves Cognition in Rats with Hepatic Encephalopathy

PubMed Central

Dadsetan, Sherry; Balzano, Tiziano; Forteza, Jerónimo; Cabrera-Pastor, Andrea; Taoro-Gonzalez, Lucas; Hernandez-Rabaza, Vicente; Gil-Perotín, Sara; Cubas-Núñez, Laura; García-Verdugo, José-Manuel; Agusti, Ana; Llansola, Marta; Felipo, Vicente

2016-01-01

Inflammation contributes to cognitive impairment in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, the process by which peripheral inflammation results in cognitive impairment remains unclear. In animal models, neuroinflammation and altered neurotransmission mediate cognitive impairment. Taking into account these data, we hypothesized that in rats with HE: (1) peripheral inflammation is a main contributor to neuroinflammation; (2) neuroinflammation in hippocampus impairs spatial learning by altering AMPA and/or NMDA receptors membrane expression; (3) reducing peripheral inflammation with infliximab (anti-TNF-a) would improve spatial learning; (4) this would be associated with reduced neuroinflammation and normalization of the membrane expression of glutamate receptors. The aims of this work were to assess these hypotheses. We analyzed in rats with portacaval shunt (PCS) and control rats, treated or not with infliximab: (a) peripheral inflammation by measuring prostaglandin E2, IL10, IL-17, and IL-6; (b) neuroinflammation in hippocampus by analyzing microglial activation and the content of TNF-a and IL-1b; (c) AMPA and NMDA receptors membrane expression in hippocampus; and (d) spatial learning in the Radial and Morris water mazes. We assessed the effects of treatment with infliximab on peripheral inflammation, on neuroinflammation and AMPA and NMDA receptors membrane expression in hippocampus and on spatial learning and memory. PCS rats show increased serum prostaglandin E2, IL-17, and IL-6 and reduced IL-10 levels, indicating increased peripheral inflammation. PCS rats also show microglial activation and increased nuclear NF-kB and expression of TNF-a and IL-1b in hippocampus. This was associated with altered AMPA and NMDA receptors membrane expression in hippocampus and impaired spatial learning and memory in the radial and Morris water maze. Treatment with infliximab reduces peripheral inflammation in PCS rats, normalizing prostaglandin E2, IL-17, IL-6, and IL-10 levels in serum. Infliximab also prevents neuroinflammation, reduces microglial activation, translocates NF-kB into nucleoli and normalizes TNF-a and IL-1b content in hippocampus. This was associated with normalization of AMPA receptors membrane expression in hippocampus and of spatial learning and memory. The results suggest that peripheral inflammation contributes to spatial learning impairment in PCS rats. Treatment with anti-TNF-a could be a new therapeutic approach to improve cognitive function in patients with HE. PMID:27853420

Multisubject Learning for Common Spatial Patterns in Motor-Imagery BCI

PubMed Central

Devlaminck, Dieter; Wyns, Bart; Grosse-Wentrup, Moritz; Otte, Georges; Santens, Patrick

2011-01-01

Motor-imagery-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) commonly use the common spatial pattern filter (CSP) as preprocessing step before feature extraction and classification. The CSP method is a supervised algorithm and therefore needs subject-specific training data for calibration, which is very time consuming to collect. In order to reduce the amount of calibration data that is needed for a new subject, one can apply multitask (from now on called multisubject) machine learning techniques to the preprocessing phase. Here, the goal of multisubject learning is to learn a spatial filter for a new subject based on its own data and that of other subjects. This paper outlines the details of the multitask CSP algorithm and shows results on two data sets. In certain subjects a clear improvement can be seen, especially when the number of training trials is relatively low. PMID:22007194

Nutritional deficits during early development affect hippocampal structure and spatial memory later in life.

PubMed

Pravosudov, Vladimir V; Lavenex, Pierre; Omanska, Alicja

2005-10-01

Development rates vary among individuals, often as a result of direct competition for food. Survival of young might depend on their learning abilities, but it remains unclear whether learning abilities are affected by nutrition during development. The authors demonstrated that compared with controls, 1-year-old Western scrub jays (Aphelocoma californica) that experienced nutritional deficits during early posthatching development had smaller hippocampi with fewer neurons and performed worse in a cache recovery task and in a spatial version of an associative learning task. In contrast, performance of nutritionally deprived birds was similar to that of controls in 2 color versions of an associative learning task. These findings suggest that nutritional deficits during early development have long-term consequences for hippocampal structure and spatial memory, which, in turn, are likely to have a strong impact on animals' future fitness.

Synaptophysin and the dopaminergic system in hippocampus are involved in the protective effect of rutin against trimethyltin-induced learning and memory impairment.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Zhao, Qi; Chen, Chun-Hai; Qin, Qi-Zhong; Zhou, Zhou; Yu, Zheng-Ping

2014-09-01

This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of rutin against trimethyltin-induced spatial learning and memory impairment in mice. This study focused on the role of synaptophysin, growth-associated protein 43 and the action of the dopaminergic system in mechanisms associated with rutin protection and trimethyltin-induced spatial learning and memory impairment. Cognitive learning and memory was measured by Morris Water Maze. The expression of synaptophysin and growth-associated protein 43 in hippocampus was analyzed by western blot. The concentrations of dopamine, homovanillic acid, and dihyroxyphenylacetic acid in hippocampus were detected using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Trimethyltin-induced spatial learning impairment showed a dose-dependent mode. Synaptophysin but not growth-associated protein 43 was decreased in the hippocampus after trimethyltin administration. The concentration of dopamine decreased, while homovanillic acid increased in the hippocampus after trimethyltin administration. Mice pretreated with 20 mg/kg of rutin for 7 consecutive days exhibited improved water maze performance. Moreover, rutin pretreatment reversed the decrease of synaptophysin expression and dopamine alteration. These results suggest that rutin may protect against spatial memory impairment induced by trimethyltin. Synaptophysin and the dopaminergic system may be involved in trimethyltin-induced neuronal damage in hippocampus.

Space, relations, and the learning of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Wolff-Michael; Hsu, Pei-Ling

2014-03-01

In the literature on the situated and distributed nature of cognition, the coordination of spatial organization and the structure of human practices and relations is accepted as a fact. To date, science educators have yet to build on such research. Drawing on an ethnographic study of high school students during an internship in a scientific research laboratory, which we understand as a "perspicuous setting" and a "smart setting," in which otherwise invisible dimensions of human practices become evident, we analyze the relationship between spatial configurations of the setting and the nature and temporal organization of knowing and learning in science. Our analyses show that spatial aspects of the laboratory projectively organize how participants act and can serve as resources to help the novices to participate in difficult and unfamiliar tasks. First, existing spatial relations projectively organize the language involving interns and lab members. In particular, spatial relations projectively organize where and when pedagogical language should happen; and there are specific discursive mechanisms that produce cohesion in language across different places in the laboratory. Second, the spatial arrangements projectively organize the temporal dimensions of action. These findings allow science educators to think explicitly about organizing "smart contexts" that help learners participate in and learn complex scientific laboratory practices.

Training, transfer, and retention of three-dimensional spatial memory in virtual environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richards, Jason T.; Oman, Charles M.; Shebilske, Wayne L.; Beall, Andrew C.; Liu, Andrew; Natapoff, Alan

2002-01-01

Human orientation requires one to remember and visualize spatial arrangements of landmarks from different perspectives. Astronauts have reported difficulties remembering relationships between environmental landmarks when imagined in arbitrary 3D orientations. The present study investigated the effects of strategy training on humans' 1) ability to infer their orientation from landmarks presented ahead and below, 2) performance when subsequently learning a different array, and 3) retention of configurational knowledge over time. On the first experiment day, 24 subjects were tested in a virtual cubic chamber in which a picture of an animal was drawn on each wall. Through trial-by-trial exposures, they had to memorize the spatial relationships among the six pictures around them and learn to predict the direction to a specific picture when facing any view direction, and in any roll orientation. Half of the subjects ("strategy group") were taught methods for remembering picture groupings, while the remainder received no such training ("control group"). After learning one picture array, the procedure was repeated in a second. Accuracy (% correct) and response time learning curves were measured. Performance for the second array and configurational memory of both arrays were also retested 1, 7, and 30 days later. Results showed that subjects "learned how to learn" this generic 3D spatial memory task regardless of their relative orientation to the environment, that ability and configurational knowledge was retained for at least a month, that figure rotation ability and field independence correlate with performance, and that teaching subjects specific strategies in advance significantly improves performance. Training astronauts to perform a similar generic 3D spatial memory task, and suggesting strategies in advance, may help them orient in three dimensions.

A Framework for Mobile Learning for Enhancing Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barreh, Kadar Abdillahi; Abas, Zoraini Wati

2015-01-01

As mobile learning becomes increasingly pervasive, many higher education institutions have initiated a number of mobile learning initiatives to support their traditional learning modes. This study proposes a framework for mobile learning for enhancing learning in higher education. This framework for mobile learning is based on research conducted…

[Combined effects of benzene and chromium on navigation learning and long-term spatial memory in rats].

PubMed

Tikhonov, V V; Ermolina, E V; Miroshnichenko, I V

2009-01-01

The impact of long-term intake of drinking water containing the high level of chromium and benzene or their mixture on navigation learning and long-term spatial memory was studied in a Morris water maze. The chronic neurotoxic effect of benzene was characterized by worse long-term memory, which upon its exposure in combination with chromium remained unchanged and failed to block the realization of a positive effect of chromium on the mechanism of navigation learning.

Virtual Reality: An Instructional Medium for Visual-Spatial Tasks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regian, J. Wesley; And Others

1992-01-01

Describes an empirical exploration of the instructional potential of virtual reality as an interface for simulation-based training. Shows that subjects learned spatial-procedural and spatial-navigational skills in virtual reality. (SR)

Sexual Orientation-Related Differences in Virtual Spatial Navigation and Spatial Search Strategies.

PubMed

Rahman, Qazi; Sharp, Jonathan; McVeigh, Meadhbh; Ho, Man-Ling

2017-07-01

Spatial abilities are generally hypothesized to differ between men and women, and people with different sexual orientations. According to the cross-sex shift hypothesis, gay men are hypothesized to perform in the direction of heterosexual women and lesbian women in the direction of heterosexual men on cognitive tests. This study investigated sexual orientation differences in spatial navigation and strategy during a virtual Morris water maze task (VMWM). Forty-four heterosexual men, 43 heterosexual women, 39 gay men, and 34 lesbian/bisexual women (aged 18-54 years) navigated a desktop VMWM and completed measures of intelligence, handedness, and childhood gender nonconformity (CGN). We quantified spatial learning (hidden platform trials), probe trial performance, and cued navigation (visible platform trials). Spatial strategies during hidden and probe trials were classified into visual scanning, landmark use, thigmotaxis/circling, and enfilading. In general, heterosexual men scored better than women and gay men on some spatial learning and probe trial measures and used more visual scan strategies. However, some differences disappeared after controlling for age and estimated IQ (e.g., in visual scanning heterosexual men differed from women but not gay men). Heterosexual women did not differ from lesbian/bisexual women. For both sexes, visual scanning predicted probe trial performance. More feminine CGN scores were associated with lower performance among men and greater performance among women on specific spatial learning or probe trial measures. These results provide mixed evidence for the cross-sex shift hypothesis of sexual orientation-related differences in spatial cognition.

Network dynamics underlying the formation of sparse, informative representations in the hippocampus.

PubMed

Karlsson, Mattias P; Frank, Loren M

2008-12-24

During development, activity-dependent processes increase the specificity of neural responses to stimuli, but the role that this type of process plays in adult plasticity is unclear. We examined the dynamics of hippocampal activity as animals learned about new environments to understand how neural selectivity changes with experience. Hippocampal principal neurons fire when the animal is located in a particular subregion of its environment, and in any given environment the hippocampal representation is sparse: less than half of the neurons in areas CA1 and CA3 are active whereas the rest are essentially silent. Here we show that different dynamics govern the evolution of this sparsity in CA1 and upstream area CA3. CA1, but not CA3, produces twice as many spikes in novel compared with familiar environments. This high rate firing continues during sharp wave ripple events in a subsequent rest period. The overall CA1 population rate declines and the number of active cells decreases as the environment becomes familiar and task performance improves, but the decline in rate is not uniform across neurons. Instead, the activity of cells with initial peak spatial rates above approximately 12 Hz is enhanced, whereas the activity of cells with lower initial peak rates is suppressed. The result of these changes is that the active CA1 population comes to consist of a relatively small group of cells with strong spatial tuning. This process is not evident in CA3, indicating that a region-specific and long timescale process operates in CA1 to create a sparse, spatially informative population of neurons.

Compactified cosmological simulations of the infinite universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rácz, Gábor; Szapudi, István; Csabai, István; Dobos, László

2018-06-01

We present a novel N-body simulation method that compactifies the infinite spatial extent of the Universe into a finite sphere with isotropic boundary conditions to follow the evolution of the large-scale structure. Our approach eliminates the need for periodic boundary conditions, a mere numerical convenience which is not supported by observation and which modifies the law of force on large scales in an unrealistic fashion. We demonstrate that our method outclasses standard simulations executed on workstation-scale hardware in dynamic range, it is balanced in following a comparable number of high and low k modes and, its fundamental geometry and topology match observations. Our approach is also capable of simulating an expanding, infinite universe in static coordinates with Newtonian dynamics. The price of these achievements is that most of the simulated volume has smoothly varying mass and spatial resolution, an approximation that carries different systematics than periodic simulations. Our initial implementation of the method is called StePS which stands for Stereographically projected cosmological simulations. It uses stereographic projection for space compactification and naive O(N^2) force calculation which is nevertheless faster to arrive at a correlation function of the same quality than any standard (tree or P3M) algorithm with similar spatial and mass resolution. The N2 force calculation is easy to adapt to modern graphics cards, hence our code can function as a high-speed prediction tool for modern large-scale surveys. To learn about the limits of the respective methods, we compare StePS with GADGET-2 running matching initial conditions.

Effects of spatial training on transitive inference performance in humans and rhesus monkeys

PubMed Central

Gazes, Regina Paxton; Lazareva, Olga F.; Bergene, Clara N.; Hampton, Robert R.

2015-01-01

It is often suggested that transitive inference (TI; if A>B and B>C then A>C) involves mentally representing overlapping pairs of stimuli in a spatial series. However, there is little direct evidence to unequivocally determine the role of spatial representation in TI. We tested whether humans and rhesus monkeys use spatial representations in TI by training them to organize seven images in a vertical spatial array. Then, we presented subjects with a TI task using these same images. The implied TI order was either congruent or incongruent with the order of the trained spatial array. Humans in the congruent condition learned premise pairs more quickly, and were faster and more accurate in critical probe tests, suggesting that the spatial arrangement of images learned during spatial training influenced subsequent TI performance. Monkeys first trained in the congruent condition also showed higher test trial accuracy when the spatial and inferred orders were congruent. These results directly support the hypothesis that humans solve TI problems by spatial organization, and suggest that this cognitive mechanism for inference may have ancient evolutionary roots. PMID:25546105

Affordances of Augmented Reality in Science Learning: Suggestions for Future Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Kun-Hung; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-08-01

Augmented reality (AR) is currently considered as having potential for pedagogical applications. However, in science education, research regarding AR-aided learning is in its infancy. To understand how AR could help science learning, this review paper firstly has identified two major approaches of utilizing AR technology in science education, which are named as image- based AR and location- based AR. These approaches may result in different affordances for science learning. It is then found that students' spatial ability, practical skills, and conceptual understanding are often afforded by image-based AR and location-based AR usually supports inquiry-based scientific activities. After examining what has been done in science learning with AR supports, several suggestions for future research are proposed. For example, more research is required to explore learning experience (e.g., motivation or cognitive load) and learner characteristics (e.g., spatial ability or perceived presence) involved in AR. Mixed methods of investigating learning process (e.g., a content analysis and a sequential analysis) and in-depth examination of user experience beyond usability (e.g., affective variables of esthetic pleasure or emotional fulfillment) should be considered. Combining image-based and location-based AR technology may bring new possibility for supporting science learning. Theories including mental models, spatial cognition, situated cognition, and social constructivist learning are suggested for the profitable uses of future AR research in science education.

Transforming e-Learning into ee-Learning: The Centrality of Sociocultural Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Sandra B.; Evans, Michael A.

2008-01-01

Traditional e-learning efforts use information communication technologies to create and support educational opportunities that are not constrained by temporal and spatial considerations. The focus of ee-learning is to couple e-learning's approach with experiential education models that employ service-learning methodologies and with…

Does swarming cause honey bees to update their solar ephemerides?

PubMed

Towne, William F; Baer, Christopher M; Fabiny, Sarah J; Shinn, Lisa M

2005-11-01

Spatial orientation in the social insects offers several examples of specialized learning mechanisms that underlie complex learning tasks. Here we study one of these systems: the processes by which honey bees update, or fail to update, their memories of the sun's daily pattern of movement (the solar ephemeris function) in relation to the landscape. Specifically, we ask whether bees that have initially learned the solar ephemeris function relative to a conspicuous treeline at their natal site can later realign the ephemeris to a differently oriented treeline. We first confirm and clarify an earlier finding that bees transplanted passively (by being carried) do not re-learn the solar ephemeris in relation to the new treeline. When they cannot detect the sun directly, as on overcast days, these transplanted bees use a solar ephemeris function appropriate for their natal site, despite days or weeks of experience at the new site. We then ask whether bees put through a swarming process as they are transplanted are induced to re-learn the solar ephemeris function at the new site, as swarming is a natural process wherein bees transplant themselves. Most of the swarmed bees failed to re-learn, even though they did extensive learning flights (in comparison with those of non-swarmed controls) as they first emerged from the hive at the new site. We hypothesize that the bees' representation of the solar ephemeris function is stored in an encapsulated cognitive module in which the ephemeris is inextricably linked to the reference landscape in which it was learned.

Simultaneous detection of landmarks and key-frame in cardiac perfusion MRI using a joint spatial-temporal context model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaoguang; Xue, Hui; Jolly, Marie-Pierre; Guetter, Christoph; Kellman, Peter; Hsu, Li-Yueh; Arai, Andrew; Zuehlsdorff, Sven; Littmann, Arne; Georgescu, Bogdan; Guehring, Jens

2011-03-01

Cardiac perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proven clinical significance in diagnosis of heart diseases. However, analysis of perfusion data is time-consuming, where automatic detection of anatomic landmarks and key-frames from perfusion MR sequences is helpful for anchoring structures and functional analysis of the heart, leading toward fully automated perfusion analysis. Learning-based object detection methods have demonstrated their capabilities to handle large variations of the object by exploring a local region, i.e., context. Conventional 2D approaches take into account spatial context only. Temporal signals in perfusion data present a strong cue for anchoring. We propose a joint context model to encode both spatial and temporal evidence. In addition, our spatial context is constructed not only based on the landmark of interest, but also the landmarks that are correlated in the neighboring anatomies. A discriminative model is learned through a probabilistic boosting tree. A marginal space learning strategy is applied to efficiently learn and search in a high dimensional parameter space. A fully automatic system is developed to simultaneously detect anatomic landmarks and key frames in both RV and LV from perfusion sequences. The proposed approach was evaluated on a database of 373 cardiac perfusion MRI sequences from 77 patients. Experimental results of a 4-fold cross validation show superior landmark detection accuracies of the proposed joint spatial-temporal approach to the 2D approach that is based on spatial context only. The key-frame identification results are promising.

Learning what children know about space from looking at their hands: The added value of gesture in spatial communication

PubMed Central

Sauter, Megan; Uttal, David H.; Alman, Amanda Schaal; Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Levine, Susan C.

2013-01-01

This article examines two issues: the role of gesture in the communication of spatial information and the relation between communication and mental representation. Children (8–10 years) and adults walked through a space to learn the locations of six hidden toy animals and then explained the space to another person. In Study 1, older children and adults typically gestured when describing the space and rarely provided spatial information in speech without also providing the information in gesture. However, few 8-year-olds communicated spatial information in speech or gesture. Studies 2 and 3 showed that 8-year-olds did understand the spatial arrangement of the animals and could communicate spatial information if prompted to use their hands. Taken together, these results indicate that gesture is important for conveying spatial relations at all ages and, as such, provides us with a more complete picture of what children do and do not know about communicating spatial relations. PMID:22209401

Sensory Substitution: The Spatial Updating of Auditory Scenes “Mimics” the Spatial Updating of Visual Scenes

PubMed Central

Pasqualotto, Achille; Esenkaya, Tayfun

2016-01-01

Visual-to-auditory sensory substitution is used to convey visual information through audition, and it was initially created to compensate for blindness; it consists of software converting the visual images captured by a video-camera into the equivalent auditory images, or “soundscapes”. Here, it was used by blindfolded sighted participants to learn the spatial position of simple shapes depicted in images arranged on the floor. Very few studies have used sensory substitution to investigate spatial representation, while it has been widely used to investigate object recognition. Additionally, with sensory substitution we could study the performance of participants actively exploring the environment through audition, rather than passively localizing sound sources. Blindfolded participants egocentrically learnt the position of six images by using sensory substitution and then a judgment of relative direction task (JRD) was used to determine how this scene was represented. This task consists of imagining being in a given location, oriented in a given direction, and pointing towards the required image. Before performing the JRD task, participants explored a map that provided allocentric information about the scene. Although spatial exploration was egocentric, surprisingly we found that performance in the JRD task was better for allocentric perspectives. This suggests that the egocentric representation of the scene was updated. This result is in line with previous studies using visual and somatosensory scenes, thus supporting the notion that different sensory modalities produce equivalent spatial representation(s). Moreover, our results have practical implications to improve training methods with sensory substitution devices (SSD). PMID:27148000

Is the Recall of Verbal-Spatial Information from Working Memory Affected by Symptoms of ADHD?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caterino, Linda C.; Verdi, Michael P.

2012-01-01

Objective: The Kulhavy model for text learning using organized spatial displays proposes that learning will be increased when participants view visual images prior to related text. In contrast to previous studies, this study also included students who exhibited symptoms of ADHD. Method: Participants were presented with either a map-text or…

Multiple Views of Space: Continuous Visual Flow Enhances Small-Scale Spatial Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Corinne A.; Marchette, Steven A.; Newcombe, Nora S.

2017-01-01

In the real word, we perceive our environment as a series of static and dynamic views, with viewpoint transitions providing a natural link from one static view to the next. The current research examined if experiencing such transitions is fundamental to learning the spatial layout of small-scale displays. In Experiment 1, participants viewed a…

User Control and Task Authenticity for Spatial Learning in 3D Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalgarno, Barney; Harper, Barry

2004-01-01

This paper describes two empirical studies which investigated the importance for spatial learning of view control and object manipulation within 3D environments. A 3D virtual chemistry laboratory was used as the research instrument. Subjects, who were university undergraduate students (34 in the first study and 80 in the second study), undertook…

The Role of Visualization in Learning from Computer-Based Images. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piburn, Michael D.; Reynolds, Stephen J.; McAuliffe, Carla; Leedy, Debra E.; Birk, James P.; Johnson, Julia K.

2005-01-01

Among the sciences, the practice of geology is especially visual. To assess the role of spatial ability in learning geology, we designed an experiment using: (1) web-based versions of spatial visualization tests, (2) a geospatial test, and (3) multimedia instructional modules built around QuickTime Virtual Reality movies. Students in control and…

Semantic Features, Perceptual Expectations, and Frequency as Factors in the Learning of Polar Spatial Adjective Concepts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunckley, Candida J. Lutes; Radtke, Robert C.

Two semantic theories of word learning, a perceptual complexity hypothesis (H. Clark, 1970) and a quantitative complexity hypothesis (E. Clark, 1972) were tested by teaching 24 preschoolers and 16 college students CVC labels for five polar spatial adjective concepts having single word representations in English, and for three having no direct…

Incidental Learning of Links during Navigation: The Role of Visuo-Spatial Capacity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rouet, Jean-Francois; Voros, Zsofia; Pleh, Csaba

2012-01-01

We investigated the impact of readers' visuo-spatial (VS) capacity on their incidental learning of page links during the exploration of simple hierarchical hypertextual documents. Forty-three university students were asked to explore a series of hypertexts for a limited period of time. Then the participants were asked to recall the layout and the…

The Effects of 3D-Representation Instruction on Composite-Solid Surface-Area Learning for Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Yao-Ting; Shih, Pao-Chen; Chang, Kuo-En

2015-01-01

Providing instruction on spatial geometry, specifically how to calculate the surface areas of composite solids, challenges many elementary school teachers. Determining the surface areas of composite solids involves complex calculations and advanced spatial concepts. The goals of this study were to build on students' learning processes for…

Experimental Analysis of Spatial Learning in Goldfish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saito, Kotaro; Watanabe, Shigeru

2005-01-01

The present study examined spatial learning in goldfish using a new apparatus that was an open-field circular pool with latticed holes. The subjects were motivated to reach the baited hole. We examined gustatory cues, intramaze cues, the possibility that the subject could see the food, etc. In Experiment 1, the position of the baited hole was…

Hierarchical acquisition of visual specificity in spatial contextual cueing.

PubMed

Lie, Kin-Pou

2015-01-01

Spatial contextual cueing refers to visual search performance's being improved when invariant associations between target locations and distractor spatial configurations are learned incidentally. Using the instance theory of automatization and the reverse hierarchy theory of visual perceptual learning, this study explores the acquisition of visual specificity in spatial contextual cueing. Two experiments in which detailed visual features were irrelevant for distinguishing between spatial contexts found that spatial contextual cueing was visually generic in difficult trials when the trials were not preceded by easy trials (Experiment 1) but that spatial contextual cueing progressed to visual specificity when difficult trials were preceded by easy trials (Experiment 2). These findings support reverse hierarchy theory, which predicts that even when detailed visual features are irrelevant for distinguishing between spatial contexts, spatial contextual cueing can progress to visual specificity if the stimuli remain constant, the task is difficult, and difficult trials are preceded by easy trials. However, these findings are inconsistent with instance theory, which predicts that when detailed visual features are irrelevant for distinguishing between spatial contexts, spatial contextual cueing will not progress to visual specificity. This study concludes that the acquisition of visual specificity in spatial contextual cueing is more plausibly hierarchical, rather than instance-based.

The effects of biological sex and gonadal hormones on learning strategy in adult rats.

PubMed

Hawley, Wayne R; Grissom, Elin M; Barratt, Harriet E; Conrad, Taylor S; Dohanich, Gary P

2012-02-28

When learning to navigate toward a goal in a spatial environment, rodents employ distinct learning strategies that are governed by specific regions of the brain. In the early stages of learning, adult male rats prefer a hippocampus-dependent place strategy over a striatum-dependent response strategy. Alternatively, female rats exhibit a preference for a place strategy only when circulating levels of estradiol are elevated. Notably, male rodents typically perform better than females on a variety of spatial learning tasks, which are mediated by the hippocampus. However, limited research has been done to determine if the previously reported male spatial advantage corresponds with a greater reliance on a place strategy, and, if the male preference for a place strategy is impacted by removal of testicular hormones. A dual-solution water T-maze task, which can be solved by adopting either a place or a response strategy, was employed to determine the effects of biological sex and hormonal status on learning strategy. In the first experiment, male rats made more correct arm choices than female rats during training and exhibited a bias for a place strategy on a probe trial. The results of the second experiment indicated that testicular hormones modulated arm choice accuracy during training, but not the preference for a place strategy. Together, these findings suggest that the previously reported male spatial advantage is associated with a greater reliance on a place strategy, and that only performance during the training phase of a dual-solution learning task is impacted by removal of testicular hormones. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatial learning of female mice: a role of the mineralocorticoid receptor during stress and the estrous cycle

PubMed Central

ter Horst, Judith P.; Kentrop, Jiska; Arp, Marit; Hubens, Chantal J.; de Kloet, E. Ron; Oitzl, Melly S.

2013-01-01

Corticosterone facilitates behavioral adaptation to a novel experience in a coordinate manner via mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR). Initially, MR mediates corticosterone action on appraisal processes, risk assessment and behavioral flexibility and then, GR activation promotes consolidation of the new information into memory. Here, we studied on the circular holeboard (CHB) the spatial performance of female mice with genetic deletion of MR from the forebrain (MRCaMKCre) and their wild type littermates (MRflox/flox mice) over the estrous cycle and in response to an acute stressor. The estrous cycle had no effect on the spatial performance of MRflox/flox mice and neither did the acute stressor. However, the MRCaMKCre mutants needed significantly more time to find the exit and made more hole visit errors than the MRflox/flox mice, especially when in proestrus and estrus. In addition, stressed MRCaMKCre mice in estrus had a shorter exit latency than the control estrus MRCaMKCre mice. About 70% of the female MRCaMKCre and MRflox/flox mice used a hippocampal (spatial, extra maze cues) rather than the caudate nucleus (stimulate-response, S-R, intra-maze cue) strategy and this preference did neither change over the estrous cycle nor after stress. However, stressed MRCaMKCre mice using the S-R strategy needed significantly more time to find the exit hole as compared to the spatial strategy using mice suggesting that the MR could be needed for the stress-induced strategy switch toward a spatial strategy. In conclusion, the results suggest that loss of MR interferes with performance of a spatial task especially when estrogen levels are high suggesting a strong interaction between stress and sex hormones. PMID:23754993

Spatial learning of female mice: a role of the mineralocorticoid receptor during stress and the estrous cycle.

PubMed

Ter Horst, Judith P; Kentrop, Jiska; Arp, Marit; Hubens, Chantal J; de Kloet, E Ron; Oitzl, Melly S

2013-01-01

Corticosterone facilitates behavioral adaptation to a novel experience in a coordinate manner via mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR). Initially, MR mediates corticosterone action on appraisal processes, risk assessment and behavioral flexibility and then, GR activation promotes consolidation of the new information into memory. Here, we studied on the circular holeboard (CHB) the spatial performance of female mice with genetic deletion of MR from the forebrain (MR(CaMKCre)) and their wild type littermates (MR(flox/flox) mice) over the estrous cycle and in response to an acute stressor. The estrous cycle had no effect on the spatial performance of MR(flox/flox) mice and neither did the acute stressor. However, the MR(CaMKCre) mutants needed significantly more time to find the exit and made more hole visit errors than the MR(flox/flox) mice, especially when in proestrus and estrus. In addition, stressed MR(CaMKCre) mice in estrus had a shorter exit latency than the control estrus MR(CaMKCre) mice. About 70% of the female MR(CaMKCre) and MR(flox/flox) mice used a hippocampal (spatial, extra maze cues) rather than the caudate nucleus (stimulate-response, S-R, intra-maze cue) strategy and this preference did neither change over the estrous cycle nor after stress. However, stressed MR(CaMKCre) mice using the S-R strategy needed significantly more time to find the exit hole as compared to the spatial strategy using mice suggesting that the MR could be needed for the stress-induced strategy switch toward a spatial strategy. In conclusion, the results suggest that loss of MR interferes with performance of a spatial task especially when estrogen levels are high suggesting a strong interaction between stress and sex hormones.

Experience-dependent shaping of hippocampal CA1 intracellular activity in novel and familiar environments

PubMed Central

Cohen, Jeremy D; Bolstad, Mark; Lee, Albert K

2017-01-01

The hippocampus is critical for producing stable representations of familiar spaces. How these representations arise is poorly understood, largely because changes to hippocampal inputs have not been measured during spatial learning. Here, using intracellular recording, we monitored inputs and plasticity-inducing complex spikes (CSs) in CA1 neurons while mice explored novel and familiar virtual environments. Inputs driving place field spiking increased in amplitude – often suddenly – during novel environment exploration. However, these increases were not sustained in familiar environments. Rather, the spatial tuning of inputs became increasingly similar across repeated traversals of the environment with experience – both within fields and throughout the whole environment. In novel environments, CSs were not necessary for place field formation. Our findings support a model in which initial inhomogeneities in inputs are amplified to produce robust place field activity, then plasticity refines this representation into one with less strongly modulated, but more stable, inputs for long-term storage. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23040.001 PMID:28742496

Neurocognition in College-Aged Daily Marijuana Users

PubMed Central

Becker, Mary P.; Collins, Paul F.; Luciana, Monica

2014-01-01

Background Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States. Use, particularly when it occurs early, has been associated with cognitive impairments in executive functioning, learning, and memory. Methods This study comprehensively measured cognitive ability as well as comorbid psychopathology and substance use history to determine the neurocognitive profile associated with young adult marijuana use. College-aged marijuana users who initiated use prior to age 17 (n=35) were compared to demographically-matched controls (n=35). Results Marijuana users were high functioning, demonstrating comparable IQs to controls and relatively better processing speed. Marijuana users demonstrated relative cognitive impairments in verbal memory, spatial working memory, spatial planning, and motivated decision-making. Comorbid use of alcohol, which was heavier in marijuana users, was unexpectedly found to be associated with better performance in some of these areas. Conclusions This study provides additional evidence of neurocognitive impairment in the context of adolescent and young adult marijuana use. Findings are discussed in relation to marijuana’s effects on intrinsic motivation and discrete aspects of cognition. PMID:24620756

A spatial paradigm, the allothetic place avoidance alternation task, for testing visuospatial working memory and skill learning in rats.

PubMed

Dockery, Colleen A; Wesierska, Malgorzata J

2010-08-30

We present a paradigm for assessing visuospatial working memory and skill learning in a rodent model, based on the place avoidance test. In our allothetic place avoidance alternation task (APAAT) the paradigm is comprised of minimal training sessions, tests various aspects of learning and memory and provides a rich set of parameters. A single working memory session consists of four conditions: habituation (no shock), two place avoidance training intervals (shock activated) and a retrieval test (shock inactivated). The location of the shock sector is alternated for each training day which initially requires extinction of previous representations and further working memory to achieve effective place avoidance across sessions. Visuospatial skill memory was evaluated by the shock/entrance ratio by tracking locomotor activity which is essential to execute a place avoidance strategy. For each day rats learned to avoid a new place with shock, as shown by a decreased number of entrances, and an increased time to the first entrance and maximum avoidance time. Skill learning improved according to the decreased number of shocks per entrance across conditions. These results indicate that complex cognitive functions are captured by this behavioral method. This APAAT paradigm expands and complements existing tools for studying hippocampal-prefrontal dependent functions to support development of treatment interventions. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prenatal and postnatal polybrominated diphenyl ether exposure and visual spatial abilities in children

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vuong, Ann M.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are associated with impaired visual spatial abilities in toxicological studies, but no epidemiologic study has investigated PBDEs and visual spatial abilities in children. The Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study, a prospective birth cohort (2003–2006, Cincinnati, OH), was used to examine prenatal and childhood PBDEs and visual spatial abilities in 199 children. PBDEs were measured at 16±3 weeks gestation and at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 years using gas chromatography/isotope dilution high-resolution mass spectrometry. We used the Virtual Morris Water Maze to measure visual spatial abilities at 8 years. In covariate-adjusted models, 10-foldmore » increases in BDE-47, −99, and −100 at 5 years were associated with shorter completion times by 5.2 s (95% Confidence Interval [CI] −9.3, −1.1), 4.5 s (95% CI −8.1, −0.9), and 4.7 s (95% CI −9.0, −0.3), respectively. However, children with higher BDE-153 at 3 years had longer completion times (β=5.4 s, 95% CI −0.3, 11.1). Prenatal PBDEs were associated with improved visual spatial memory retention, with children spending a higher percentage of their search path in the correct quadrant. Child sex modified some associations between PBDEs and visual spatial learning. Longer path lengths were observed among males with increased BDE-47 at 2 and 3 years, while females had shorter paths. In conclusion, prenatal and postnatal BDE-28, −47, −99, and −100 at 5 and 8 years were associated with improved visual spatial abilities, whereas a pattern of impairments in visual spatial learning was noted with early childhood BDE-153 concentrations. - Highlights: • The VMWM test was used to assess visual spatial abilities in children at 8 years. • BDE-153 at 3 years was adversely associated with visual spatial learning. • BDE-47, −99, and −100 at 5 years was associated with better visual spatial learning. • Prenatal PBDEs were associated with improved visual spatial memory retention. • Male children were observed to perform more poorly on the VMWM than females.« less

Barriers to Change: Findings from Three Literacy Professional Learning Initiatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Allison Ward; Parsons, Seth A.; Morewood, Aimee; Ankrum, Julie W.

2016-01-01

In this article, we describe lessons learned from three separate literacy professional learning initiatives that took place in elementary schools in three different locations: high-poverty urban, medium-poverty rural, and low-poverty suburban. The professional learning initiatives were also diverse in scope: one was a three-year, school-wide…

Effects of soil spatial variability at the hillslope and catchment scales on characteristics of rainfall-induced landslides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Linfeng; Lehmann, Peter; Or, Dani

2016-03-01

Spatial variations in soil properties affect key hydrological processes, yet their role in soil mechanical response to hydro-mechanical loading is rarely considered. This study aims to fill this gap by systematically quantifying effects of spatial variations in soil type and initial water content on rapid rainfall-induced shallow landslide predictions at the hillslope- and catchment-scales. We employed a physically-based landslide triggering model that considers mechanical interactions among soil columns governed by strength thresholds. At the hillslope scale, we found that the emergence of weak regions induced by spatial variations of soil type and initial water content resulted in early triggering of landslides with smaller volumes of released mass relative to a homogeneous slope. At the catchment scale, initial water content was linked to a topographic wetness index, whereas soil type varied deterministically with soil depth considering spatially correlated stochastic components. Results indicate that a strong spatial organization of initial water content delays landslide triggering, whereas spatially linked soil type with soil depth promoted landslide initiation. Increasing the standard deviation and correlation length of the stochastic component of soil type increases landslide volume and hastens onset of landslides. The study illustrates that for similar external boundary conditions and mean soil properties, landslide characteristics vary significantly with soil variability, hence it must be considered for improved landslide model predictions.

Perceptually Guided Photo Retargeting.

PubMed

Xia, Yingjie; Zhang, Luming; Hong, Richang; Nie, Liqiang; Yan, Yan; Shao, Ling

2016-04-22

We propose perceptually guided photo retargeting, which shrinks a photo by simulating a human's process of sequentially perceiving visually/semantically important regions in a photo. In particular, we first project the local features (graphlets in this paper) onto a semantic space, wherein visual cues such as global spatial layout and rough geometric context are exploited. Thereafter, a sparsity-constrained learning algorithm is derived to select semantically representative graphlets of a photo, and the selecting process can be interpreted by a path which simulates how a human actively perceives semantics in a photo. Furthermore, we learn the prior distribution of such active graphlet paths (AGPs) from training photos that are marked as esthetically pleasing by multiple users. The learned priors enforce the corresponding AGP of a retargeted photo to be maximally similar to those from the training photos. On top of the retargeting model, we further design an online learning scheme to incrementally update the model with new photos that are esthetically pleasing. The online update module makes the algorithm less dependent on the number and contents of the initial training data. Experimental results show that: 1) the proposed AGP is over 90% consistent with human gaze shifting path, as verified by the eye-tracking data, and 2) the retargeting algorithm outperforms its competitors significantly, as AGP is more indicative of photo esthetics than conventional saliency maps.

Differential Effects of Paced and Unpaced Responding on delayed Serial Order Recall in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Hill, S. Kristian; Griffin, Ginny B.; Houk, James C.; Sweeney, John A.

2011-01-01

Working memory for temporal order is a component of working memory that is especially dependent on striatal systems, but has not been extensively studied in schizophrenia. This study was designed to characterize serial order reproduction by adapting a spatial serial order task developed for nonhuman primate studies, while controlling for working memory load and whether responses were initiated freely (unpaced) or in an externally paced format. Clinically stable schizophrenia patients (n=27) and psychiatrically healthy individuals (n=25) were comparable on demographic variables and performance on standardized tests of immediate serial order recall (Digit Span, Spatial Span). No group differences were observed for serial order recall when read sequence reproduction was unpaced. However, schizophrenia patients exhibited significant impairments when responding was paced, regardless of sequence length or retention delay. Intact performance by schizophrenia patients during the unpaced condition indicates that prefrontal storage and striatal output systems are sufficiently intact to learn novel response sequences and hold them in working memory to perform serial order tasks. However, retention for newly learned response sequences was disrupted in schizophrenia patients by paced responding, when read-out of each element in the response sequence was externally controlled. The disruption of memory for serial order in paced read-out condition indicates a deficit in frontostriatal interaction characterized by an inability to update working memory stores and deconstruct ‘chunked’ information. PMID:21705197

Effects of curcumin (Curcuma longa) on learning and spatial memory as well as cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in adult and aged mice by upregulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor and CREB signaling.

PubMed

Nam, Sung Min; Choi, Jung Hoon; Yoo, Dae Young; Kim, Woosuk; Jung, Hyo Young; Kim, Jong Whi; Yoo, Miyoung; Lee, Sanghee; Kim, Chul Jung; Yoon, Yeo Sung; Hwang, In Koo

2014-06-01

Aging is a progressive process, and it may lead to the initiation of neurological diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of wild Indian Curcuma longa using a Morris water maze paradigm on learning and spatial memory in adult and D-galactose-induced aged mice. In addition, the effects on cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation were assessed by immunohistochemistry for Ki67 and doublecortin (DCX) respectively. The aging model in mice was induced through the subcutaneous administration of D-galactose (100 mg/kg) for 10 weeks. C. longa (300 mg/kg) or its vehicle (physiological saline) was administered orally to adult and D-galactose-treated mice for the last three weeks before sacrifice. The administration of C. longa significantly shortened the escape latency in both adult and D-galactose-induced aged mice and significantly ameliorated D-galactose-induced reduction of cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the subgranular zone of hippocampal dentate gyrus. In addition, the administration of C. longa significantly increased the levels of phosphorylated CREB and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the subgranular zone of dentate gyrus. These results indicate that C. longa mitigates D-galactose-induced cognitive impairment, associated with decreased cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation, by activating CREB signaling in the hippocampal dentate gyrus.

Effects of Curcumin (Curcuma longa) on Learning and Spatial Memory as Well as Cell Proliferation and Neuroblast Differentiation in Adult and Aged Mice by Upregulating Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and CREB Signaling

PubMed Central

Nam, Sung Min; Choi, Jung Hoon; Yoo, Dae Young; Kim, Woosuk; Jung, Hyo Young; Kim, Jong Whi; Yoo, Miyoung; Lee, Sanghee; Kim, Chul Jung; Yoon, Yeo Sung

2014-01-01

Abstract Aging is a progressive process, and it may lead to the initiation of neurological diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of wild Indian Curcuma longa using a Morris water maze paradigm on learning and spatial memory in adult and D-galactose-induced aged mice. In addition, the effects on cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation were assessed by immunohistochemistry for Ki67 and doublecortin (DCX) respectively. The aging model in mice was induced through the subcutaneous administration of D-galactose (100 mg/kg) for 10 weeks. C. longa (300 mg/kg) or its vehicle (physiological saline) was administered orally to adult and D-galactose-treated mice for the last three weeks before sacrifice. The administration of C. longa significantly shortened the escape latency in both adult and D-galactose-induced aged mice and significantly ameliorated D-galactose-induced reduction of cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the subgranular zone of hippocampal dentate gyrus. In addition, the administration of C. longa significantly increased the levels of phosphorylated CREB and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the subgranular zone of dentate gyrus. These results indicate that C. longa mitigates D-galactose-induced cognitive impairment, associated with decreased cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation, by activating CREB signaling in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. PMID:24712702

Mice with a fra-1 knock-in into the c-fos locus show impaired spatial but regular contextual learning and normal LTP.

PubMed

Gass, Peter; Fleischmann, Alexander; Hvalby, Oivind; Jensen, Vidar; Zacher, Christiane; Strekalova, Tatyana; Kvello, Ane; Wagner, Erwin F; Sprengel, Rolf

2004-11-04

The immediate early gene c-fos is part of the AP-1 transcription factor complex, which is involved in molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Mice that lack c-Fos in the brain show impairments in spatial reference and contextual learning, and also exhibit a reduced long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission (LTP) at CA3-to-CA1 synapses. In the present study, we investigated mice in which c-fos was deleted and replaced by fra-1 (c-fos(fra-1) mice) to determine whether other members of the c-fos gene family can substitute for the functions of the c-fos gene. In c-fos(fra-1) mice, both CA3-to-CA1 LTP and contextual learning in a Pavlovian fear conditioning task were similar to wild-type littermates, indicating that Fra-1 expression restored the impairments caused by brain-specific c-Fos depletion. However, c-Fos-mediated learning deficits in a reference memory task of the Morris watermaze were also present in c-fos(fra-1) mice. These findings suggest that different c-Fos target genes are involved in LTP, contextual learning, and spatial reference memory formation.

[Application of the method of one-day learning in a Morris water maze to analyse the effects of sleep deprivation on memory trace recall 24 hours later, after learning].

PubMed

Dorokhov, V B; Kozhedub, R G; Arsenyev, G N; Bukhgolts, O I; Marchenko, V G; Puchkova, A N

2014-01-01

The proposed model of a one-day spatial learning is of interest in research of how sleep influences the hippocamp-dependent memory consolidation. We have studied the influence of a one-day total sleep deprivation on spatial memory consolidation in hooded rats after a one-day learning in the Morris water maze according to Feldman et al. [2010] protocol. According to it rats had to find a submerged platform that was alternatively marked by a flag or completely invisible to an animal. In a previous study [Dorokhov et al., 2011] we have used another one-day learning protocol [Frick et al., 2000] and Wistar rats and have demonstrated a large interindividual variance in learning parameters and sleep deprivation effects on memory consolidation. In this study we confirm previously acquired results on negative impact of sleep deprivation on spatial memory consolidation. To demonstrate the effects of sleep deprivation on the results of one-day learning we are using for the first time an evaluation of the time spent by an animal in the area of the platform placement and corresponding areas in the other quadrants of the water maze.

Learning spatially coherent properties of the visual world in connectionist networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Suzanna; Hinton, Geoffrey E.

1991-10-01

In the unsupervised learning paradigm, a network of neuron-like units is presented with an ensemble of input patterns from a structured environment, such as the visual world, and learns to represent the regularities in that input. The major goal in developing unsupervised learning algorithms is to find objective functions that characterize the quality of the network's representation without explicitly specifying the desired outputs of any of the units. The sort of objective functions considered cause a unit to become tuned to spatially coherent features of visual images (such as texture, depth, shading, and surface orientation), by learning to predict the outputs of other units which have spatially adjacent receptive fields. Simulations show that using an information-theoretic algorithm called IMAX, a network can be trained to represent depth by observing random dot stereograms of surfaces with continuously varying disparities. Once a layer of depth-tuned units has developed, subsequent layers are trained to perform surface interpolation of curved surfaces, by learning to predict the depth of one image region based on depth measurements in surrounding regions. An extension of the basic model allows a population of competing neurons to learn a distributed code for disparity, which naturally gives rise to a representation of discontinuities.

Incubation under climate warming affects learning ability and survival in hatchling lizards.

PubMed

Dayananda, Buddhi; Webb, Jonathan K

2017-03-01

Despite compelling evidence for substantial individual differences in cognitive performance, it is unclear whether cognitive ability influences fitness of wild animals. In many animals, environmental stressors experienced in utero can produce substantial variation in the cognitive abilities of offspring. In reptiles, incubation temperatures experienced by embryos can influence hatchling brain function and learning ability. Under climate warming, the eggs of some lizard species may experience higher temperatures, which could affect the cognitive abilities of hatchlings. Whether such changes in cognitive abilities influence the survival of hatchlings is unknown. To determine whether incubation-induced changes in spatial learning ability affect hatchling survival, we incubated velvet gecko, Amalosia lesueurii , eggs using two fluctuating temperature regimes to mimic current (cold) versus future (hot) nest temperatures. We measured the spatial learning ability of hatchlings from each treatment, and released individually marked animals at two field sites in southeastern Australia. Hatchlings from hot-incubated eggs were slower learners than hatchlings from cold-incubated eggs. Survival analyses revealed that hatchlings with higher learning scores had higher survival than hatchlings with poor learning scores. Our results show that incubation temperature affects spatial learning ability in hatchling lizards, and that such changes can influence the survival of hatchlings in the wild. © 2017 The Author(s).

Hypermedia in Vocational Learning: A Hypermedia Learning Environment for Training Management Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konradt, Udo

2004-01-01

A learning environment is defined as an arrangement of issues, methods, techniques, and media in a given domain. Besides temporal and spatial features a learning environment considers the social situation in which learning takes place. In (hypermedia) learning environments the concept of exploration and the active role of the learner is…

Turner Syndrome

MedlinePlus

... increased risk of developing weak, brittle bones (osteoporosis). Learning disabilities. Girls and women with Turner syndrome usually have normal intelligence. However, there is increased risk of learning disabilities, particularly with learning that involves spatial concepts, math, ...

Moving Beyond Misconceptions: A New Model for Learning Challenges in Cognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, T. F.; Slater, S. J.

2011-12-01

For over 40 years, the science education community has given its attention to cataloging the substantial body of "misconceptions" in individual's thinking about science, and to addressing the consequences of those misconceptions in the science classroom. Despite the tremendous amount of effort given to researching and disseminating information related to misconceptions, and the development of a theory of conceptual change to mitigate misconceptions, progress continues to be less than satisfying. An analysis of the literature and our own research has persuaded the CAPER Center for Astronomy and Physics Education Research to put forth model that will allow us to operate on students' learning difficulties in a more fruitful manner. Previously, much of the field's work binned erroneous student thinking into a single construct, and from that basis, curriculum developers and instructors addressed student misconceptions with a single instructional strategy. In contrast this model suggests that "misconceptions" are a mixture of at least four learning barriers: incorrect factual information, inappropriately applied mental algorithms (phenomenological primitives), insufficient cognitive structures (e.g. spatial reasoning), and affective/emotional difficulties. Each of these types of barriers should be addressed with an appropriately designed instructional strategy. Initial applications of this model to learning problems in the Earth & Space Sciences have been fruitful, suggesting that an effort towards categorizing persistent learning difficulties in the geosciences beyond the level of "misconceptions" may allow our community to craft tailored and more effective learning experiences for our students and the general public.

Overt and covert attention to location-based reward.

PubMed

McCoy, Brónagh; Theeuwes, Jan

2018-01-01

Recent research on the impact of location-based reward on attentional orienting has indicated that reward factors play an influential role in spatial priority maps. The current study investigated whether and how reward associations based on spatial location translate from overt eye movements to covert attention. If reward associations can be tied to locations in space, and if overt and covert attention rely on similar overlapping neuronal populations, then both overt and covert attentional measures should display similar spatial-based reward learning. Our results suggest that location- and reward-based changes in one attentional domain do not lead to similar changes in the other. Specifically, although we found similar improvements at differentially rewarded locations during overt attentional learning, this translated to the least improvement at a highly rewarded location during covert attention. We interpret this as the result of an increased motivational link between the high reward location and the trained eye movement response acquired during learning, leading to a relative slowing during covert attention when the eyes remained fixated and the saccade response was suppressed. In a second experiment participants were not required to keep fixated during the covert attention task and we no longer observed relative slowing at the high reward location. Furthermore, the second experiment revealed no covert spatial priority of rewarded locations. We conclude that the transfer of location-based reward associations is intimately linked with the reward-modulated motor response employed during learning, and alternative attentional and task contexts may interfere with learned spatial priorities. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The effect of cerebellar transplantation and enforced physical activity on motor skills and spatial learning in adult Lurcher mutant mice.

PubMed

Cendelín, Jan; Korelusová, Ivana; Vozeh, Frantisek

2009-03-01

Lurcher mutant mice represent a model of olivocerebellar degeneration. They are used to investigate cerebellar functions, consequences of cerebellar degeneration and methods of therapy influencing them. The aim of the work was to assess the effect of foetal cerebellar graft transplantation, repeated enforced physical activity and the combination of both these types of treatment on motor skills, spontaneous motor activity and spatial learning ability in adult B6CBA Lurcher mice. Foetal cerebellar grafts were applied into the cerebellum of Lurchers in the form of solid tissue pieces. Enforced motor activity was realised through rotarod training. Motor functions were examined using bar, ladder and rotarod tests. Spatial learning was tested in the Morris water maze. Spontaneous motor activity in the open field was observed. The presence of the graft was examined histologically. Enforced physical activity led to moderate improvement of some motor skills and to a significant amelioration of spatial learning ability in Lurchers. The transplantation of cerebellar tissue did not influence motor functions significantly but led to an improvement of spatial learning ability. Mutual advancement of the effects of both types of treatment was not observed. Spontaneous motor activity was influenced neither by physical activity nor by the transplantation. Physical activity did not influence the graft survival and development. Because nerve sprouting and cell migration from the graft to the host cerebellum was poor, the functional effects of the graft should be explained with regard to its trophic influence rather than with any involvement of the grafted cells into neural circuitries.

Novelty exposure overcomes foot shock-induced spatial-memory impairment by processes of synaptic-tagging in rats.

PubMed

Almaguer-Melian, William; Bergado-Rosado, Jorge; Pavón-Fuentes, Nancy; Alberti-Amador, Esteban; Mercerón-Martínez, Daymara; Frey, Julietta U

2012-01-17

Novelty processing can transform short-term into long-term memory. We propose that this memory-reinforcing effect of novelty could be explained by mechanisms outlined in the "synaptic tagging hypothesis." Initial short-term memory is sustained by a transient plasticity change at activated synapses and sets synaptic tags. These tags are later able to capture and process the plasticity-related proteins (PRPs), which are required to transform a short-term synaptic change into a long-term one. Novelty is involved in inducing the synthesis of PRPs [Moncada D, et al. (2011) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:12937-12936], which are then captured by the tagged synapses, consolidating memory. In contrast to novelty, stress can impair learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. Here, we address questions as to whether novelty-induced PRPs are able to prevent the loss of memory caused by stress and if the latter would not interact with the tag-setting process. We used water-maze (WM) training as a spatial learning paradigm to test our hypothesis. Stress was induced by a strong foot shock (FS; 5 × 1 mA, 2 s) applied 5 min after WM training. Our data show that FS reduced long-term but not short-term memory in the WM paradigm. This negative effect on memory consolidation was time- and training-dependent. Interestingly, novelty exposure prevented the stress-induced memory loss of the spatial task and increased BDNF and Arc expression. This rescuing effect was blocked by anisomycin, suggesting that WM-tagged synapses were not reset by FS and were thus able to capture the novelty-induced PRPs, re-establishing FS-impaired long-term memory.

The Opponent Channel Population Code of Sound Location Is an Efficient Representation of Natural Binaural Sounds

PubMed Central

Młynarski, Wiktor

2015-01-01

In mammalian auditory cortex, sound source position is represented by a population of broadly tuned neurons whose firing is modulated by sounds located at all positions surrounding the animal. Peaks of their tuning curves are concentrated at lateral position, while their slopes are steepest at the interaural midline, allowing for the maximum localization accuracy in that area. These experimental observations contradict initial assumptions that the auditory space is represented as a topographic cortical map. It has been suggested that a “panoramic” code has evolved to match specific demands of the sound localization task. This work provides evidence suggesting that properties of spatial auditory neurons identified experimentally follow from a general design principle- learning a sparse, efficient representation of natural stimuli. Natural binaural sounds were recorded and served as input to a hierarchical sparse-coding model. In the first layer, left and right ear sounds were separately encoded by a population of complex-valued basis functions which separated phase and amplitude. Both parameters are known to carry information relevant for spatial hearing. Monaural input converged in the second layer, which learned a joint representation of amplitude and interaural phase difference. Spatial selectivity of each second-layer unit was measured by exposing the model to natural sound sources recorded at different positions. Obtained tuning curves match well tuning characteristics of neurons in the mammalian auditory cortex. This study connects neuronal coding of the auditory space with natural stimulus statistics and generates new experimental predictions. Moreover, results presented here suggest that cortical regions with seemingly different functions may implement the same computational strategy-efficient coding. PMID:25996373

Spatial Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fu, Zhengling

2016-01-01

Spatial language constitutes part of the basic fabric of language. Although languages may have the same number of terms to cover a set of spatial relations, they do not always do so in the same way. Spatial languages differ across languages quite radically, thus providing a real semantic challenge for second language learners. The essay first…

The Diagnosis Dilemma: Dyslexia and Visual-Spatial Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotsopoulos, Donna; Zambrzycka, Joanna; Makosz, Samantha; Asdrubolini, Emma; Babic, Jovana; Best, Olivia; Bines, Tara; Cook, Samantha; Farrell, Natalie; Gisondi, Victoria; Scott, Meghan; Siderius, Christina; Smith, Dyoni

2017-01-01

Visual-spatial ability is important for mathematics learning but also for future STEM participation. Some studies report children with dyslexia have superior visual-spatial skills and other studies report a deficit. We sought to further explore the relationship between children formally identified as having dyslexia and visual-spatial ability.…

Neural correlates of facilitations in face learning by selective caricaturing of facial shape or reflectance.

PubMed

Itz, Marlena L; Schweinberger, Stefan R; Schulz, Claudia; Kaufmann, Jürgen M

2014-11-15

Spatially caricatured faces were recently shown to benefit face learning (Schulz et al., 2012a). Moreover, spatial information may be particularly important for encoding unfamiliar faces, but less so for recognizing familiar faces (Kaufmann et al., 2013). To directly test the possibility of a major role of reflectance information for the recognition of familiar faces, we compared effects of selective photorealistic caricaturing in either shape or reflectance on face learning and recognition. Participants learned 3D-photographed faces across different viewpoints, and different images were presented at learning and test. At test, performance benefits for both types of caricatures were modulated by familiarity: Benefits for learned faces were substantially larger for reflectance caricatures, whereas benefits for novel faces were numerically larger for shape caricatures. ERPs confirmed a consistent reduction of the occipitotemporal P200 (200-240 ms) by shape caricaturing, whereas the most prominent effect of reflectance caricaturing was seen in an enhanced posterior N250 (240-400 ms), a component that has been related to the activation of acquired face representations. Our results suggest that performance benefits for face learning caused by distinctive spatial versus reflectance information are mediated by different neural processes with different timing and support a prominent role of reflectance for the recognition of learned faces. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Activity-dependent gene expression in honey bee mushroom bodies in response to orientation flight.

PubMed

Lutz, Claudia C; Robinson, Gene E

2013-06-01

The natural history of adult worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) provides an opportunity to study the molecular basis of learning in an ecological context. Foragers must learn to navigate between the hive and floral locations that may be up to miles away. Young pre-foragers prepare for this task by performing orientation flights near the hive, during which they begin to learn navigational cues such as the appearance of the hive, the position of landmarks, and the movement of the sun. Despite well-described spatial learning and navigation behavior, there is currently limited information on the neural basis of insect spatial learning. We found that Egr, an insect homolog of Egr-1, is rapidly and transiently upregulated in the mushroom bodies in response to orientation. This result is the first example of an Egr-1 homolog acting as a learning-related immediate-early gene in an insect and also demonstrates that honey bee orientation uses a molecular mechanism that is known to be involved in many other forms of learning. This transcriptional response occurred both in naïve bees and in foragers induced to re-orient. Further experiments suggest that visual environmental novelty, rather than exercise or memorization of specific visual cues, acts as the stimulus for Egr upregulation. Our results implicate the mushroom bodies in spatial learning and emphasize the deep conservation of Egr-related pathways in experience-dependent plasticity.

Improving effect of mild foot electrical stimulation on pentylenetetrazole-induced impairment of learning and memory.

PubMed

Abasi-Moghadam, Monir; Ghasemi-Dehno, Arefe; Sadegh, Mehdi; Palizvan, Mohammad Reza

2018-05-10

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that affects learning and memory. Recently it has been shown that mild foot electrical stimulation (MFES) can increase learning and memory in normal rats. Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling is a model of human epilepsy. As with human epilepsy, PTZ kindling impairs learning and memory in rats. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect MFES on kindling-induced learning and memory deficits in rats. Forty-nine male Wistar rats weighting 200 to 250 g were divided into the following seven groups: PTZ only, phenytoin only, MFES only, PTZ plus phenytoin, PTZ plus MFES, phenytoin plus MFES, and saline (control), with the treatments administered for 26 days. Forty-eight hours after the last injection, the animals performed the Morris water maze (MWM) task, and spatial learning and memory were measured. The results indicated that although chronic administration of phenytoin inhibited the development of PTZ kindling, it did not exert a protective effect against kindling-induced spatial learning and memory impairment in rats. On the other hand, pretreatment of PTZ-kindled animals with MFES significantly improved spatial working and reference memory. The results point to potential novel beneficial effects of MFES on learning and memory impairment induced by PTZ kindling in rats. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

THE EFFECT OF SELECTED SPATIAL DESIGN FACTORS IN EDUCATIONAL DISPLAYS ON LEARNING AND RETENTION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ROCKETT, AGNES M.; SAUL, EZRA V.

CRITERIA WERE DEVELOPED FOR THE DESIGN OF LABELS IN VERBAL-PICTORIAL EDUCATIONAL DISPLAYS. THE INFLUENCE OF SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF LABELS ON EASE OF LEARNING AND DEGREE OF RETENTION WAS INVESTIGATED. THIRTY ANATOMICAL PARTS OF THE HUMAN DIGESTIVE TRACT WERE LABELED ON 10 CHARTS SHOWING THE SAME DIAGRAM OF THE HUMAN BODY, BUT WITH DIFFERENT…

Does Spatial Ability Help the Learning of Anatomy in a Biomedical Science Course?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeney, Kevin; Hayes, Jennifer A.; Chiavaroli, Neville

2014-01-01

A three-dimensional appreciation of the human body is the cornerstone of clinical anatomy. Spatial ability has previously been found to be associated with students' ability to learn anatomy and their examination performance. The teaching of anatomy has been the subject of major change over the last two decades with the reduction in time spent…

Evidence for a Double Dissociation between Spatial-Simultaneous and Spatial-Sequential Working Memory in Visuospatial (Nonverbal) Learning Disabled Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mammarella, Irene C.; Cornoldi, Cesare; Pazzaglia, Francesca; Toso, Cristina; Grimoldi, Mario; Vio, Claudio

2006-01-01

The paper describes the performance of three children with specific visuospatial working memory (VSWM) impairments (Study 1) and three children with visuospatial (nonverbal) learning disabilities (Study 2) assessed with a battery of working memory (WM) tests and with a number of school achievement tasks. Overall, performance on WM tests provides…

Dopamine release from the locus coeruleus to the dorsal hippocampus promotes spatial learning and memory

PubMed Central

Kempadoo, Kimberly A.; Mosharov, Eugene V.; Choi, Se Joon; Sulzer, David; Kandel, Eric R.

2016-01-01

Dopamine neurotransmission in the dorsal hippocampus is critical for a range of functions from spatial learning and synaptic plasticity to the deficits underlying psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the presumed source of dopamine in the dorsal hippocampus. However, there is a surprising scarcity of VTA dopamine axons in the dorsal hippocampus despite the dense network of dopamine receptors. We have explored this apparent paradox using optogenetic, biochemical, and behavioral approaches and found that dopaminergic axons and subsequent dopamine release in the dorsal hippocampus originate from neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC). Photostimulation of LC axons produced an increase in dopamine release in the dorsal hippocampus as revealed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Furthermore, optogenetically induced release of dopamine from the LC into the dorsal hippocampus enhanced selective attention and spatial object recognition via the dopamine D1/D5 receptor. These results suggest that spatial learning and memory are energized by the release of dopamine in the dorsal hippocampus from noradrenergic neurons of the LC. The present findings are critical for identifying the neural circuits that enable proper attention selection and successful learning and memory. PMID:27930324

Teaching the blind to find their way by playing video games.

PubMed

Merabet, Lotfi B; Connors, Erin C; Halko, Mark A; Sánchez, Jaime

2012-01-01

Computer based video games are receiving great interest as a means to learn and acquire new skills. As a novel approach to teaching navigation skills in the blind, we have developed Audio-based Environment Simulator (AbES); a virtual reality environment set within the context of a video game metaphor. Despite the fact that participants were naïve to the overall purpose of the software, we found that early blind users were able to acquire relevant information regarding the spatial layout of a previously unfamiliar building using audio based cues alone. This was confirmed by a series of behavioral performance tests designed to assess the transfer of acquired spatial information to a large-scale, real-world indoor navigation task. Furthermore, learning the spatial layout through a goal directed gaming strategy allowed for the mental manipulation of spatial information as evidenced by enhanced navigation performance when compared to an explicit route learning strategy. We conclude that the immersive and highly interactive nature of the software greatly engages the blind user to actively explore the virtual environment. This in turn generates an accurate sense of a large-scale three-dimensional space and facilitates the learning and transfer of navigation skills to the physical world.

Dopamine release from the locus coeruleus to the dorsal hippocampus promotes spatial learning and memory.

PubMed

Kempadoo, Kimberly A; Mosharov, Eugene V; Choi, Se Joon; Sulzer, David; Kandel, Eric R

2016-12-20

Dopamine neurotransmission in the dorsal hippocampus is critical for a range of functions from spatial learning and synaptic plasticity to the deficits underlying psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the presumed source of dopamine in the dorsal hippocampus. However, there is a surprising scarcity of VTA dopamine axons in the dorsal hippocampus despite the dense network of dopamine receptors. We have explored this apparent paradox using optogenetic, biochemical, and behavioral approaches and found that dopaminergic axons and subsequent dopamine release in the dorsal hippocampus originate from neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC). Photostimulation of LC axons produced an increase in dopamine release in the dorsal hippocampus as revealed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Furthermore, optogenetically induced release of dopamine from the LC into the dorsal hippocampus enhanced selective attention and spatial object recognition via the dopamine D1/D5 receptor. These results suggest that spatial learning and memory are energized by the release of dopamine in the dorsal hippocampus from noradrenergic neurons of the LC. The present findings are critical for identifying the neural circuits that enable proper attention selection and successful learning and memory.

The contribution of the androgen receptor (AR) in human spatial learning and memory: A study in women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS).

PubMed

Mueller, S C; Verwilst, T; Van Branteghem, A; T'Sjoen, G; Cools, M

2016-02-01

Few studies have examined the impact of androgen insensitivity on human spatial learning and memory. In the present study, we tested 11 women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), a rare genetic disorder characterized by complete absence of AR activity, and compared their performance against 20 comparison males and 19 comparison females on a virtual analog of the Morris Water Maze task. The results replicated a main sex effect showing that men relative to women were faster in finding the hidden platform and had reduced heading error. Furthermore, findings indicated that mean performance of women with CAIS was between control women and control men, though the differences were not statistically significant. Effect size estimates (and corresponding confidence intervals) of spatial learning trials showed little difference between women with CAIS and control women but CAIS women differed from men, but not women, on two variables, latency to find the platform and first-move latency. No differences between groups were present during visible platform trials or the probe trial, a measure of spatial memory. Moreover, groups also did not differ on estimates of IQ and variability of performance. The findings are discussed in relation to androgen insensitivity in human spatial learning and memory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Visual landmarks facilitate rodent spatial navigation in virtual reality environments

PubMed Central

Youngstrom, Isaac A.; Strowbridge, Ben W.

2012-01-01

Because many different sensory modalities contribute to spatial learning in rodents, it has been difficult to determine whether spatial navigation can be guided solely by visual cues. Rodents moving within physical environments with visual cues engage a variety of nonvisual sensory systems that cannot be easily inhibited without lesioning brain areas. Virtual reality offers a unique approach to ask whether visual landmark cues alone are sufficient to improve performance in a spatial task. We found that mice could learn to navigate between two water reward locations along a virtual bidirectional linear track using a spherical treadmill. Mice exposed to a virtual environment with vivid visual cues rendered on a single monitor increased their performance over a 3-d training regimen. Training significantly increased the percentage of time avatars controlled by the mice spent near reward locations in probe trials without water rewards. Neither improvement during training or spatial learning for reward locations occurred with mice operating a virtual environment without vivid landmarks or with mice deprived of all visual feedback. Mice operating the vivid environment developed stereotyped avatar turning behaviors when alternating between reward zones that were positively correlated with their performance on the probe trial. These results suggest that mice are able to learn to navigate to specific locations using only visual cues presented within a virtual environment rendered on a single computer monitor. PMID:22345484

An Ecological Approach to Learning Dynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Normak, Peeter; Pata, Kai; Kaipainen, Mauri

2012-01-01

New approaches to emergent learner-directed learning design can be strengthened with a theoretical framework that considers learning as a dynamic process. We propose an approach that models a learning process using a set of spatial concepts: learning space, position of a learner, niche, perspective, step, path, direction of a step and step…

Left-handers' struggle in a rightward wor(l)d: The relation between horizontal spatial bias and effort in directed movements.

PubMed

Suitner, Caterina; Maass, Anne; Bettinsoli, Maria Laura; Carraro, Luciana; Kumar, Serena

2017-01-01

Five studies investigated the role of handedness and effort in horizontal spatial bias related to agency (Spatial Agency Bias, SAB). A Pilot Study (n = 33) confirmed the basic assumption that rightward writing requires greater effort from left- than from right-handers. In three studies, Italian students (n = 591 right-handed, n = 115 left-handed) were found to start drawings on the left, proceeding rightward (Study 1a, 1b), and to draw moving objects with a rightward orientation in line with script direction (Study 1c). These spatial asymmetries were displayed stronger by left- than by right-handed primacy school children, arguably due to the greater effort involved in learning how to write in a rightward fashion. Once writing has become fully automatic (high school) right- and left-handed students showed comparable spatial bias (Study 1c). The hypothesized role of effort was tested explicitly in Study 2 in which 99 right-handed adults learned a new (leftward) spatial trajectory through an easy or difficult motor exercise. The habitual rightward bias was reliably reduced, especially among those who performed a difficult task requiring greater effort. Together, findings are largely in line with the body specificity hypothesis (Casasanto, 2011 ) and suggest that spatial asymmetries are learned and unlearned most efficiently through effortful motor exercises.

Reference memory, anxiety and estrous cyclicity in C57BL/6NIA mice are affected by age and sex.

PubMed

Frick, K M; Burlingame, L A; Arters, J A; Berger-Sweeney, J

2000-01-01

Age-related changes in learning and memory are common in rodents. However, direct comparisons of the effects of aging on learning and memory in both males and females are lacking. The present study examined whether memory deteriorates with increasing age in C57BL/6NIA mice, and whether age-related changes in learning and memory are similar in both sexes. Male and female mice (five, 17 and 25 months of age) were tested in a battery of behavioral tasks including the Morris water maze (spatial and non-spatial reference memory), simple odor discrimination (olfactory reference memory), plus maze (anxiety/exploration), locomotor activity, and basic reflexes. Five-month-old mice learned the water maze and odor discrimination tasks rapidly. Relative to five-month-old mice, 25-month-old mice exhibited impaired spatial and olfactory reference memory, but intact non-spatial reference memory. The spatial reference memory of 17-month-old mice was also impaired, but less so than 25-month mice. Seventeen-month-old mice exhibited intact non-spatial (visual and olfactory) reference memory. Five and 25-month-old mice had similar levels of plus maze exploration and locomotor activity, whereas 17-month-old mice were more active than both groups and were slightly less exploratory than five-month-old mice. Although sex differences were not observed in the five- and 25-month groups, 17-month-old females exhibited more impaired spatial reference memory and increased anxiety relative to 17-month-old males. Estrous cycling in females deteriorated significantly with increased age; all 25-month-old females had ceased cycling and 80% of 17-month-old females displayed either irregular or absent estrous cycling. This study is the first to directly compare age-related mnemonic decline in male and female mice. The results suggest that: (i) aged mice exhibit significant deficits in spatial and olfactory reference memory relative to young mice, whereas middle-aged mice exhibit only a moderate spatial memory deficit and; (ii) spatial reference memory decline begins at an earlier age in females than in males, a finding that may be related to the cessation of estrous cycling.

Sharp wave/ripple network oscillations and learning-associated hippocampal maps.

PubMed

Csicsvari, Jozsef; Dupret, David

2014-02-05

Sharp wave/ripple (SWR, 150-250 Hz) hippocampal events have long been postulated to be involved in memory consolidation. However, more recent work has investigated SWRs that occur during active waking behaviour: findings that suggest that SWRs may also play a role in cell assembly strengthening or spatial working memory. Do such theories of SWR function apply to animal learning? This review discusses how general theories linking SWRs to memory-related function may explain circuit mechanisms related to rodent spatial learning and to the associated stabilization of new cognitive maps.

Physics Learning Styles in Higher Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loos, Rebecca; Ward, James

2012-03-01

Students in Physics learn in a variety ways depending on backgrounds and interests. This study proposes to evaluate how students in Physics learn using Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Physics utilizes numbers, conceptualization of models, observations and visualization skills, and the ability to understand and reflect on specific information. The main objective is to evaluate how Physics students learn specifically using spatial, visual and sequential approaches. This will be assessed by conducting a learning style survey provided by North Carolina State University (NCSU). The survey is completed online by the student after which the results are sent to NCSU. Students will print out the completed survey analysis for further evaluation. The NCSU results categorize students within five of ten learning styles. After the evaluation of Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and the NCSU definitions of the ten learning styles, the NCSU sensing and visual learning styles will be defined as the Gardener's spatial, visual learning styles. NCSU's sequential learning style will be looked at separately. With the survey results, it can be determined if Physics students fall within the hypothesized learning styles.

Reward-Based Spatial Learning in Teens With Bulimia Nervosa.

PubMed

Cyr, Marilyn; Wang, Zhishun; Tau, Gregory Z; Zhao, Guihu; Friedl, Eve; Stefan, Mihaela; Terranova, Kate; Marsh, Rachel

2016-11-01

To assess the functioning of mesolimbic and fronto-striatal areas involved in reward-based spatial learning in teenaged girls with bulimia nervosa (BN) that might be involved in the development and maintenance of maladaptive behaviors characteristic of the disorder. We compared functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level-dependent response in 27 adolescent girls with BN to that of 27 healthy, age-matched control participants during a reward-based learning task that required learning to use extra-maze cues to navigate a virtual 8-arm radial maze to find hidden rewards. We compared groups in their patterns of brain activation associated with reward-based spatial learning versus a control condition in which rewards were unexpected because they were allotted pseudo-randomly to experimentally prevent learning. Both groups learned to navigate the maze to find hidden rewards, but group differences in brain activity associated with maze navigation and reward processing were detected in the fronto-striatal regions and right anterior hippocampus. Unlike healthy adolescents, those with BN did not engage the right inferior frontal gyrus during maze navigation, activated the right anterior hippocampus during the receipt of unexpected rewards (control condition), and deactivated the left superior frontal gyrus and right anterior hippocampus during expected reward receipt (learning condition). These patterns of hippocampal activation in the control condition were significantly associated with the frequency of binge-eating episodes. Adolescents with BN displayed abnormal functioning of the anterior hippocampus and fronto-striatal regions during reward-based spatial learning. These findings suggest that an imbalance in control and reward circuits may arise early in the course of BN. Clinical trial registration information-An fMRI Study of Self-Regulation in Adolescents With Bulimia Nervosa; https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00345943. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of prenatal stress and neonatal handling on anxiety, spatial learning and serotonergic system of male offspring mice.

PubMed

Akatsu, Shigemi; Ishikawa, Chihiro; Takemura, Kaori; Ohtani, Akiko; Shiga, Takashi

2015-12-01

Environmental factors during perinatal period have various effects on behavior. The present study examined the effects of prenatal stress and neonatal handling on anxiety and spatial learning of offspring. Prenatal stress increased anxiety-related behavior of adult offspring, whereas neonatal handling had no effect. In contrast, spatial learning was not affected by prenatal stress, but improved by neonatal handling in both prenatally stressed and non-stressed mice. Next, to elucidate possible brain mechanisms mediating effects of environmental factors on behavior, we focused on serotonin (5-HT) system in the frontal cortex and hippocampus which is involved in anxiety and learning. We examined effects of environmental factors on the mRNA expression of 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors in the frontal cortex and hippocampus during postnatal period and adulthood. Both prenatal stress and neonatal handling altered the mRNA expression of 5-HT receptors. These effects were dependent on environmental factors, brain regions and developmental stages. In summary, the present study revealed that prenatal stress and neonatal handling had differential effects on anxiety and spatial learning of offspring, and concomitantly the expression of 5-HT receptors. It was also shown that the effects of prenatal stress on 5-HT system were recovered partially by neonatal handling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Dual Oculometer System for Aviation Crew Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latorella, Kara; Ellis, Kyle K.; Lynn, William A.; Frasca, Dennis; Burdette, Daniel W.; Feigh, Charles T.; Douglas, Alan L.

2010-01-01

Oculometers, eye trackers, are a useful tool for ascertaining the manner in which pilots deploy visual attentional resources, and for assessing the degree to which stimuli capture attention exogenously. The aim of this effort was to obtain oculometer data comfortably, unobtrusively, reliably and with good spatial resolution over a standard B757-like flight deck for both individuals in a crew. We chose to implement two remote, 5-camera Smarteye systems which were crafted for this purpose to operate harmoniously. We present here the results of validation exercises, lessons learned for improving data quality, and initial thoughts on the use of paired oculometer data to reflect crew workload, coordination, and situation awareness, in the aggregate.

Learning, Labour and Union Learning Representatives: Promoting Workplace Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Malcolm

2011-01-01

The initiative by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and affiliated trade unions in the UK to appoint trade union learning representatives (ULRs), to promote learning among their members, is a significant development in adult learning. Understandably, the initiative has attracted the attention of academic researchers, but primarily from the…

Robotic guidance benefits the learning of dynamic, but not of spatial movement characteristics.

PubMed

Lüttgen, Jenna; Heuer, Herbert

2012-10-01

Robotic guidance is an engineered form of haptic-guidance training and intended to enhance motor learning in rehabilitation, surgery, and sports. However, its benefits (and pitfalls) are still debated. Here, we investigate the effects of different presentation modes on the reproduction of a spatiotemporal movement pattern. In three different groups of participants, the movement was demonstrated in three different modalities, namely visual, haptic, and visuo-haptic. After demonstration, participants had to reproduce the movement in two alternating recall conditions: haptic and visuo-haptic. Performance of the three groups during recall was compared with regard to spatial and dynamic movement characteristics. After haptic presentation, participants showed superior dynamic accuracy, whereas after visual presentation, participants performed better with regard to spatial accuracy. Added visual feedback during recall always led to enhanced performance, independent of the movement characteristic and the presentation modality. These findings substantiate the different benefits of different presentation modes for different movement characteristics. In particular, robotic guidance is beneficial for the learning of dynamic, but not of spatial movement characteristics.

Implicit Learning of Viewpoint-Independent Spatial Layouts

PubMed Central

Tsuchiai, Taiga; Matsumiya, Kazumichi; Kuriki, Ichiro; Shioiri, Satoshi

2012-01-01

We usually perceive things in our surroundings as unchanged despite viewpoint changes caused by self-motion. The visual system therefore must have a function to process objects independently of viewpoint. In this study, we examined whether viewpoint-independent spatial layout can be obtained implicitly. For this purpose, we used a contextual cueing effect, a learning effect of spatial layout in visual search displays known to be an implicit effect. We investigated the transfer of the contextual cueing effect to images from a different viewpoint by using visual search displays of 3D objects. For images from a different viewpoint, the contextual cueing effect was maintained with self-motion but disappeared when the display changed without self-motion. This indicates that there is an implicit learning effect in environment-centered coordinates and suggests that the spatial representation of object layouts can be obtained and updated implicitly. We also showed that binocular disparity plays an important role in the layout representations. PMID:22740837

Topological Schemas of Cognitive Maps and Spatial Learning.

PubMed

Babichev, Andrey; Cheng, Sen; Dabaghian, Yuri A

2016-01-01

Spatial navigation in mammals is based on building a mental representation of their environment-a cognitive map. However, both the nature of this cognitive map and its underpinning in neural structures and activity remains vague. A key difficulty is that these maps are collective, emergent phenomena that cannot be reduced to a simple combination of inputs provided by individual neurons. In this paper we suggest computational frameworks for integrating the spiking signals of individual cells into a spatial map, which we call schemas. We provide examples of four schemas defined by different types of topological relations that may be neurophysiologically encoded in the brain and demonstrate that each schema provides its own large-scale characteristics of the environment-the schema integrals. Moreover, we find that, in all cases, these integrals are learned at a rate which is faster than the rate of complete training of neural networks. Thus, the proposed schema framework differentiates between the cognitive aspect of spatial learning and the physiological aspect at the neural network level.

Better Categorizing Misconceptions Using a Contemporary Cognitive Science Lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, S. J.; Slater, T. F.

2013-12-01

Much of the last three decades of discipline-based education research in the geosciences has focused on the important work of identifying the range and domain of misconceptions students bring into undergraduate science survey courses. Pinpointing students' prior knowledge is a cornerstone for developing constructivist approaches and learning environments for effective teaching. At the same time, the development of a robust a priori formula for professors to use in mitigating students' misconceptions remains elusive. An analysis of the literature and our own research has persuaded researchers at the CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research to put forth a model that will allow professors to operate on students' various learning difficulties in a more productive manner. Previously, much of the field's work binned erroneous student thinking into a single construct, and from that basis, curriculum developers and instructors addressed student misconceptions with a single instructional strategy. In contrast, we propose a model based on the notion that 'misconceptions' are a mixture of at least four learning barriers: incorrect factual information, inappropriately applied mental algorithms (phenomenological primitives), insufficient cognitive structures (e.g. spatial reasoning), and affective/emotional difficulties (e.g. students' spiritual commitments). In this sense, each of these different types of learning barriers would be more effectively addressed with an instructional strategy purposefully targeting these different attributes. Initial applications of this model to learning problems in geosciences have been fruitful, suggesting that an effort towards categorizing persistent learning difficulties in the geosciences beyond the single generalized category of 'misconceptions' might allow our community to more effectively design learning experiences for our students and the general public

Dual Systems for Spatial Updating in Immediate and Retrieved Environments: Evidence from Bias Analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Chuanjun; Xiao, Chengli

2018-01-01

The spatial updating and memory systems are employed during updating in both the immediate and retrieved environments. However, these dual systems seem to work differently, as the difference of pointing latency and absolute error between the two systems vary across environments. To verify this issue, the present study employed the bias analysis of signed errors based on the hypothesis that the transformed representation will bias toward the original one. Participants learned a spatial layout and then either stayed in the learning location or were transferred to a neighboring room directly or after being disoriented. After that, they performed spatial judgments from perspectives aligned with the learning direction, aligned with the direction they faced during the test, or a novel direction misaligned with the two above-mentioned directions. The patterns of signed error bias were consistent across environments. Responses for memory aligned perspectives were unbiased, whereas responses for sensorimotor aligned perspectives were biased away from the memory aligned perspective, and responses for misaligned perspectives were biased toward sensorimotor aligned perspectives. These findings indicate that the spatial updating system is consistently independent of the spatial memory system regardless of the environments, but the updating system becomes less accessible as the environment changes from immediate to a retrieved one.

Dual Systems for Spatial Updating in Immediate and Retrieved Environments: Evidence from Bias Analysis

PubMed Central

Liu, Chuanjun; Xiao, Chengli

2018-01-01

The spatial updating and memory systems are employed during updating in both the immediate and retrieved environments. However, these dual systems seem to work differently, as the difference of pointing latency and absolute error between the two systems vary across environments. To verify this issue, the present study employed the bias analysis of signed errors based on the hypothesis that the transformed representation will bias toward the original one. Participants learned a spatial layout and then either stayed in the learning location or were transferred to a neighboring room directly or after being disoriented. After that, they performed spatial judgments from perspectives aligned with the learning direction, aligned with the direction they faced during the test, or a novel direction misaligned with the two above-mentioned directions. The patterns of signed error bias were consistent across environments. Responses for memory aligned perspectives were unbiased, whereas responses for sensorimotor aligned perspectives were biased away from the memory aligned perspective, and responses for misaligned perspectives were biased toward sensorimotor aligned perspectives. These findings indicate that the spatial updating system is consistently independent of the spatial memory system regardless of the environments, but the updating system becomes less accessible as the environment changes from immediate to a retrieved one. PMID:29467698

Sex differences in retention after a visual or a spatial discrimination learning task in brood parasitic shiny cowbirds.

PubMed

Astié, Andrea A; Scardamaglia, Romina C; Muzio, Rubén N; Reboreda, Juan C

2015-10-01

Females of avian brood parasites, like the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis), locate host nests and on subsequent days return to parasitize them. This ecological pressure for remembering the precise location of multiple host nests may have selected for superior spatial memory abilities. We tested the hypothesis that shiny cowbirds show sex differences in spatial memory abilities associated with sex differences in host nest searching behavior and relative hippocampus volume. We evaluated sex differences during acquisition, reversal and retention after extinction in a visual and a spatial discrimination learning task. Contrary to our prediction, females did not outperform males in the spatial task in either the acquisition or the reversal phases. Similarly, there were no sex differences in either phase in the visual task. During extinction, in both tasks the retention of females was significantly higher than expected by chance up to 50 days after the last rewarded session (∼85-90% of the trials with correct responses), but the performance of males at that time did not differ than that expected by chance. This last result shows a long-term memory capacity of female shiny cowbirds, which were able to remember information learned using either spatial or visual cues after a long retention interval. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolution of learning strategies in temporally and spatially variable environments: A review of theory

PubMed Central

Aoki, Kenichi; Feldman, Marcus W.

2013-01-01

The theoretical literature from 1985 to the present on the evolution of learning strategies in variable environments is reviewed, with the focus on deterministic dynamical models that are amenable to local stability analysis, and on deterministic models yielding evolutionarily stable strategies. Individual learning, unbiased and biased social learning, mixed learning, and learning schedules are considered. A rapidly changing environment or frequent migration in a spatially heterogeneous environment favors individual learning over unbiased social learning. However, results are not so straightforward in the context of learning schedules or when biases in social learning are introduced. The three major methods of modeling temporal environmental change – coevolutionary, two-timescale, and information decay – are compared and shown to sometimes yield contradictory results. The so-called Rogers’ paradox is inherent in the two-timescale method as originally applied to the evolution of pure strategies, but is often eliminated when the other methods are used. Moreover, Rogers’ paradox is not observed for the mixed learning strategies and learning schedules that we review. We believe that further theoretical work is necessary on learning schedules and biased social learning, based on models that are logically consistent and empirically pertinent. PMID:24211681

Evolution of learning strategies in temporally and spatially variable environments: a review of theory.

PubMed

Aoki, Kenichi; Feldman, Marcus W

2014-02-01

The theoretical literature from 1985 to the present on the evolution of learning strategies in variable environments is reviewed, with the focus on deterministic dynamical models that are amenable to local stability analysis, and on deterministic models yielding evolutionarily stable strategies. Individual learning, unbiased and biased social learning, mixed learning, and learning schedules are considered. A rapidly changing environment or frequent migration in a spatially heterogeneous environment favors individual learning over unbiased social learning. However, results are not so straightforward in the context of learning schedules or when biases in social learning are introduced. The three major methods of modeling temporal environmental change--coevolutionary, two-timescale, and information decay--are compared and shown to sometimes yield contradictory results. The so-called Rogers' paradox is inherent in the two-timescale method as originally applied to the evolution of pure strategies, but is often eliminated when the other methods are used. Moreover, Rogers' paradox is not observed for the mixed learning strategies and learning schedules that we review. We believe that further theoretical work is necessary on learning schedules and biased social learning, based on models that are logically consistent and empirically pertinent. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental Changes in Cross-Situational Word Learning: The Inverse Effect of Initial Accuracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitneva, Stanka A.; Christiansen, Morten H.

2017-01-01

Intuitively, the accuracy of initial word-referent mappings should be positively correlated with the outcome of learning. Yet recent evidence suggests an inverse effect of initial accuracy in adults, whereby greater accuracy of initial mappings is associated with poorer outcomes in a cross-situational learning task. Here, we examine the impact of…

Nogo-A regulates spatial learning as well as memory formation and modulates structural plasticity in the adult mouse hippocampus.

PubMed

Zagrebelsky, Marta; Lonnemann, Niklas; Fricke, Steffen; Kellner, Yves; Preuß, Eike; Michaelsen-Preusse, Kristin; Korte, Martin

2017-02-01

Behavioral learning has been shown to involve changes in the function and structure of synaptic connections of the central nervous system (CNS). On the other hand, the neuronal circuitry in the mature brain is characterized by a high degree of stability possibly providing a correlate for long-term storage of information. This observation indicates the requirement for a set of molecules inhibiting plasticity and promoting stability thereby providing temporal and spatial specificity to plastic processes. Indeed, signaling of Nogo-A via its receptors has been shown to play a crucial role in restricting activity-dependent functional and structural plasticity in the adult CNS. However, whether Nogo-A controls learning and memory formation and what are the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this function is still unclear. Here we show that Nogo-A signaling controls spatial learning and reference memory formation upon training in the Morris water maze and negatively modulates structural changes at spines in the mouse hippocampus. Learning processes and the correlated structural plasticity have been shown to involve changes in excitatory as well as in inhibitory neuronal connections. We show here that Nogo-A is highly expressed not only in excitatory, but also in inhibitory, Parvalbumin positive neurons in the adult hippocampus. By this means our current and previous data indicate that Nogo-A loss-of-function positively influences spatial learning by priming the neuronal structure to a higher plasticity level. Taken together our results link the role of Nogo-A in negatively regulating plastic processes to a physiological function in controlling learning and memory processes in the mature hippocampus and open the interesting possibility that it might mainly act by controlling the function of the hippocampal inhibitory circuitry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Robust Machine Learning-Based Correction on Automatic Segmentation of the Cerebellum and Brainstem.

PubMed

Wang, Jun Yi; Ngo, Michael M; Hessl, David; Hagerman, Randi J; Rivera, Susan M

2016-01-01

Automated segmentation is a useful method for studying large brain structures such as the cerebellum and brainstem. However, automated segmentation may lead to inaccuracy and/or undesirable boundary. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether SegAdapter, a machine learning-based method, is useful for automatically correcting large segmentation errors and disagreement in anatomical definition. We further assessed the robustness of the method in handling size of training set, differences in head coil usage, and amount of brain atrophy. High resolution T1-weighted images were acquired from 30 healthy controls scanned with either an 8-channel or 32-channel head coil. Ten patients, who suffered from brain atrophy because of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, were scanned using the 32-channel head coil. The initial segmentations of the cerebellum and brainstem were generated automatically using Freesurfer. Subsequently, Freesurfer's segmentations were both manually corrected to serve as the gold standard and automatically corrected by SegAdapter. Using only 5 scans in the training set, spatial overlap with manual segmentation in Dice coefficient improved significantly from 0.956 (for Freesurfer segmentation) to 0.978 (for SegAdapter-corrected segmentation) for the cerebellum and from 0.821 to 0.954 for the brainstem. Reducing the training set size to 2 scans only decreased the Dice coefficient ≤0.002 for the cerebellum and ≤ 0.005 for the brainstem compared to the use of training set size of 5 scans in corrective learning. The method was also robust in handling differences between the training set and the test set in head coil usage and the amount of brain atrophy, which reduced spatial overlap only by <0.01. These results suggest that the combination of automated segmentation and corrective learning provides a valuable method for accurate and efficient segmentation of the cerebellum and brainstem, particularly in large-scale neuroimaging studies, and potentially for segmenting other neural regions as well.

Robust Machine Learning-Based Correction on Automatic Segmentation of the Cerebellum and Brainstem

PubMed Central

Wang, Jun Yi; Ngo, Michael M.; Hessl, David; Hagerman, Randi J.; Rivera, Susan M.

2016-01-01

Automated segmentation is a useful method for studying large brain structures such as the cerebellum and brainstem. However, automated segmentation may lead to inaccuracy and/or undesirable boundary. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether SegAdapter, a machine learning-based method, is useful for automatically correcting large segmentation errors and disagreement in anatomical definition. We further assessed the robustness of the method in handling size of training set, differences in head coil usage, and amount of brain atrophy. High resolution T1-weighted images were acquired from 30 healthy controls scanned with either an 8-channel or 32-channel head coil. Ten patients, who suffered from brain atrophy because of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, were scanned using the 32-channel head coil. The initial segmentations of the cerebellum and brainstem were generated automatically using Freesurfer. Subsequently, Freesurfer’s segmentations were both manually corrected to serve as the gold standard and automatically corrected by SegAdapter. Using only 5 scans in the training set, spatial overlap with manual segmentation in Dice coefficient improved significantly from 0.956 (for Freesurfer segmentation) to 0.978 (for SegAdapter-corrected segmentation) for the cerebellum and from 0.821 to 0.954 for the brainstem. Reducing the training set size to 2 scans only decreased the Dice coefficient ≤0.002 for the cerebellum and ≤ 0.005 for the brainstem compared to the use of training set size of 5 scans in corrective learning. The method was also robust in handling differences between the training set and the test set in head coil usage and the amount of brain atrophy, which reduced spatial overlap only by <0.01. These results suggest that the combination of automated segmentation and corrective learning provides a valuable method for accurate and efficient segmentation of the cerebellum and brainstem, particularly in large-scale neuroimaging studies, and potentially for segmenting other neural regions as well. PMID:27213683

Multi-Perspective Indexing of Diverse Spatial Characteristics of an Outdoor Field toward Redesigning of Real-World Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okada, Masaya; Tada, Masahiro

2014-01-01

Real-world learning is important because it encourages learners to obtain knowledge through various experiences. To design effective real-world learning, it is necessary to analyze the diverse learning activities that occur in real-world learning and to develop effective strategies for learning support. By inventing the technologies of multimodal…

Neural dynamics of object-based multifocal visual spatial attention and priming: Object cueing, useful-field-of-view, and crowding

PubMed Central

Foley, Nicholas C.; Grossberg, Stephen; Mingolla, Ennio

2015-01-01

How are spatial and object attention coordinated to achieve rapid object learning and recognition during eye movement search? How do prefrontal priming and parietal spatial mechanisms interact to determine the reaction time costs of intra-object attention shifts, inter-object attention shifts, and shifts between visible objects and covertly cued locations? What factors underlie individual differences in the timing and frequency of such attentional shifts? How do transient and sustained spatial attentional mechanisms work and interact? How can volition, mediated via the basal ganglia, influence the span of spatial attention? A neural model is developed of how spatial attention in the where cortical stream coordinates view-invariant object category learning in the what cortical stream under free viewing conditions. The model simulates psychological data about the dynamics of covert attention priming and switching requiring multifocal attention without eye movements. The model predicts how “attentional shrouds” are formed when surface representations in cortical area V4 resonate with spatial attention in posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC), while shrouds compete among themselves for dominance. Winning shrouds support invariant object category learning, and active surface-shroud resonances support conscious surface perception and recognition. Attentive competition between multiple objects and cues simulates reaction-time data from the two-object cueing paradigm. The relative strength of sustained surface-driven and fast-transient motion-driven spatial attention controls individual differences in reaction time for invalid cues. Competition between surface-driven attentional shrouds controls individual differences in detection rate of peripheral targets in useful-field-of-view tasks. The model proposes how the strength of competition can be mediated, though learning or momentary changes in volition, by the basal ganglia. A new explanation of crowding shows how the cortical magnification factor, among other variables, can cause multiple object surfaces to share a single surface-shroud resonance, thereby preventing recognition of the individual objects. PMID:22425615

Neural dynamics of object-based multifocal visual spatial attention and priming: object cueing, useful-field-of-view, and crowding.

PubMed

Foley, Nicholas C; Grossberg, Stephen; Mingolla, Ennio

2012-08-01

How are spatial and object attention coordinated to achieve rapid object learning and recognition during eye movement search? How do prefrontal priming and parietal spatial mechanisms interact to determine the reaction time costs of intra-object attention shifts, inter-object attention shifts, and shifts between visible objects and covertly cued locations? What factors underlie individual differences in the timing and frequency of such attentional shifts? How do transient and sustained spatial attentional mechanisms work and interact? How can volition, mediated via the basal ganglia, influence the span of spatial attention? A neural model is developed of how spatial attention in the where cortical stream coordinates view-invariant object category learning in the what cortical stream under free viewing conditions. The model simulates psychological data about the dynamics of covert attention priming and switching requiring multifocal attention without eye movements. The model predicts how "attentional shrouds" are formed when surface representations in cortical area V4 resonate with spatial attention in posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC), while shrouds compete among themselves for dominance. Winning shrouds support invariant object category learning, and active surface-shroud resonances support conscious surface perception and recognition. Attentive competition between multiple objects and cues simulates reaction-time data from the two-object cueing paradigm. The relative strength of sustained surface-driven and fast-transient motion-driven spatial attention controls individual differences in reaction time for invalid cues. Competition between surface-driven attentional shrouds controls individual differences in detection rate of peripheral targets in useful-field-of-view tasks. The model proposes how the strength of competition can be mediated, though learning or momentary changes in volition, by the basal ganglia. A new explanation of crowding shows how the cortical magnification factor, among other variables, can cause multiple object surfaces to share a single surface-shroud resonance, thereby preventing recognition of the individual objects. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of initial participation motivations on learning engagement in transition training for future general practitioners in rural China: perceived deterrents as mediator

PubMed Central

Cui, Guan-yu; Yao, Mei-lin; Zhang, Xia; Guo, Yan-kui; Li, Hui-min; Yao, Xiu-ping

2016-01-01

Background For the shortage of high-quality general practitioners (GPs) in China's rural areas, Chinese government has taken steps to encourage rural specialists to participate in transition training for future GPs. Specialists’ initial participation motivations and their perceived deterrents during training may play important roles for their learning engagement in the transition training. This study aimed at revealing the relationships among the variables of initial participation motivations, perceived deterrents in training, and learning engagement. Methods A questionnaire survey was used in this study. A total of 156 rural specialists who participated in transition training for future GPs filled out the questionnaire, which consisted of the measurements of initial participation motivations, perceived deterrents, and learning engagement in training. The data about specialists’ demographic variables were collected at the same time. Results The variance of initial escape/stimulations motivation significantly predicted the variance of learning engagement through the full mediating role of perceived deterrents in training. In addition, initial educational preparation motivations predicted the variance of learning engagement directly. Conclusions Specialists’ initial participation motivations and perceived deterrents in training played important roles for learning engagement in the transition training. PMID:27340086

A non-invasive system for delivering neural growth factors across the blood-brain barrier: a review.

PubMed

Granholm, A C; Albeck, D; Bäckman, C; Curtis, M; Ebendal, T; Friden, P; Henry, M; Hoffer, B; Kordower, J; Rose, G M; Söderström, S; Bartus, R T

1998-01-01

Intraventricular administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) in rats has been shown to reduce age-related atrophy of central cholinergic neurons and the accompanying memory impairment, as well as protect these neurons against a variety of perturbations. Since neurotrophins do not pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in significant amounts, a non-invasive delivery system for this group of therapeutic molecules needs to be developed. We have utilized a carrier system, consisting of NGF covalently linked to an anti-transferrin receptor antibody (OX-26), to transport biologically active NGF across the BBB. The biological activity of this carrier system was tested using in vitro bioassays and intraocular transplants; we were able to demonstrate that cholinergic markers in both developing and aged intraocular septal grafts were enhanced by intravenous delivery of the OX-26-NGF conjugate. In subsequent experiments, aged (24 months old) Fischer 344 rats received intravenous injections of the OX-26-NGF conjugate for 6 weeks, resulting in a significant improvement in spatial learning in previously impaired rats, but disrupting the learning ability of previously unimpaired rats. Neuroanatomical analyses showed that OX-26-NGF conjugate treatment resulted in a significant increase in cholinergic cell size as well as an upregulation of both low and high affinity NGF receptors in the medial septal region of rats initially impaired in spatial learning. Finally, OX-26-NGF was able to protect striatal cholinergic neurons against excitotoxicity and basal forebrain cholinergic neurons from degeneration associated with chemically-induced loss of target neurons. These results indicate the potential utility of the transferrin receptor antibody delivery system for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders with neurotrophic substances.

Predictive modeling of dynamic fracture growth in brittle materials with machine learning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moore, Bryan A.; Rougier, Esteban; O’Malley, Daniel

We use simulation data from a high delity Finite-Discrete Element Model to build an e cient Machine Learning (ML) approach to predict fracture growth and coalescence. Our goal is for the ML approach to be used as an emulator in place of the computationally intensive high delity models in an uncertainty quanti cation framework where thousands of forward runs are required. The failure of materials with various fracture con gurations (size, orientation and the number of initial cracks) are explored and used as data to train our ML model. This novel approach has shown promise in predicting spatial (path tomore » failure) and temporal (time to failure) aspects of brittle material failure. Predictions of where dominant fracture paths formed within a material were ~85% accurate and the time of material failure deviated from the actual failure time by an average of ~16%. Additionally, the ML model achieves a reduction in computational cost by multiple orders of magnitude.« less

Predictive modeling of dynamic fracture growth in brittle materials with machine learning

DOE PAGES

Moore, Bryan A.; Rougier, Esteban; O’Malley, Daniel; ...

2018-02-22

We use simulation data from a high delity Finite-Discrete Element Model to build an e cient Machine Learning (ML) approach to predict fracture growth and coalescence. Our goal is for the ML approach to be used as an emulator in place of the computationally intensive high delity models in an uncertainty quanti cation framework where thousands of forward runs are required. The failure of materials with various fracture con gurations (size, orientation and the number of initial cracks) are explored and used as data to train our ML model. This novel approach has shown promise in predicting spatial (path tomore » failure) and temporal (time to failure) aspects of brittle material failure. Predictions of where dominant fracture paths formed within a material were ~85% accurate and the time of material failure deviated from the actual failure time by an average of ~16%. Additionally, the ML model achieves a reduction in computational cost by multiple orders of magnitude.« less

The effects of online science instruction using geographic information systems to foster inquiry learning of teachers and middle school science students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagevik, Rita Anne

This study investigated the effects of using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to improve middle school students' and their teachers' understanding of environmental content and GIS. Constructivism provided the theoretical framework with Bonnstetter's inquiry evolution and Swartz's problem solving as the conceptual framework for designing these GIS units and interpreting the results. Teachers from nine schools in five counties attended a one-week workshop and follow-up session, where they learned how to teach the online Mapping Our School Site (www.ncsu.edu/scilink/studysite) and CITYgreen GIS inquiry-based problem-solving units. Two years after the workshop, two teachers from the workshop taught the six week Mapping Our School Site (MOSS) unit in the fall and one teacher from a different school taught the MOSS unit in the fall and the CITYgreen GIS unit in the spring. The students in the MOSS experimental group (n = 131) and the CITYgreen GIS comparison group (n = 33) were compared for differences in understanding of environmental content. Other factors were investigated such as students' spatial abilities, experiences, and learning preferences. Teachers and students completed the online Learning Styles Inventory (LSI), Spatial Experience Survey (SES), and the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R). Using qualitative and quantitative analyses, results indicated that the CITYgreen GIS group learned the environmental content better than the MOSS group. The MOSS group better understood how to design experiments and to use GIS to analyze problem questions. Both groups improved in problem identification and problem solving, data accuracy, and hypothesis testing. The spatial reasoning score was compared to learning style as reported on the LSI, and other spatial experiences as reported on the SES. Males scored higher than females on the spatial reasoning test, the more computer games played the higher the score, and the fewer shop classes taken the higher the score. Results indicated that 75% of the teachers' integrated GIS into classroom instruction two years after the GIS workshop. Even though teaching experience was negatively related to spatial reasoning test scores, implementation of GIS by teachers in the workshop was not influenced by years of teaching experience. The results indicate that GIS can be universally used for classroom instruction.

Navigation assistance: a trade-off between wayfinding support and configural learning support.

PubMed

Münzer, Stefan; Zimmer, Hubert D; Baus, Jörg

2012-03-01

Current GPS-based mobile navigation assistance systems support wayfinding, but they do not support learning about the spatial configuration of an environment. The present study examined effects of visual presentation modes for navigation assistance on wayfinding accuracy, route learning, and configural learning. Participants (high-school students) visited a university campus for the first time and took a predefined assisted tour. In Experiment 1 (n = 84, 42 females), a presentation mode showing wayfinding information from eye-level was contrasted with presentation modes showing wayfinding information included in views that provided comprehensive configural information. In Experiment 2 (n = 48, 24 females), wayfinding information was included in map fragments. A presentation mode which always showed north on top of the device was compared with a mode which rotated according to the orientation of the user. Wayfinding accuracy (deviations from the route), route learning, and configural learning (direction estimates, sketch maps) were assessed. Results indicated a trade-off between wayfinding and configural learning: Presentation modes providing comprehensive configural information supported the acquisition of configural knowledge at the cost of accurate wayfinding. The route presentation mode supported wayfinding at the cost of configural knowledge acquisition. Both presentation modes based on map fragments supported wayfinding. Individual differences in visual-spatial working memory capacity explained a considerable portion of the variance in wayfinding accuracy, route learning, and configural learning. It is concluded that learning about an unknown environment during assisted navigation is based on the integration of spatial information from multiple sources and can be supported by appropriate visualization. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Four-Dimensional Spatial Reasoning in Humans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aflalo, T. N.; Graziano, M. S. A.

2008-01-01

Human subjects practiced navigation in a virtual, computer-generated maze that contained 4 spatial dimensions rather than the usual 3. The subjects were able to learn the spatial geometry of the 4-dimensional maze as measured by their ability to perform path integration, a standard test of spatial ability. They were able to travel down a winding…

Spatial Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Superior, Impaired, or Just Intact?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edgin, Jamie O.; Pennington, Bruce F.

2005-01-01

The profile of spatial ability is of interest across autism spectrum disorders (ASD) because of reported spatial strengths in ASD and due to the recent association of Asperger's syndrome with Nonverbal Learning Disability. Spatial functions were examined in relation to two cognitive theories in autism: the central coherence and executive function…

One Spatial Map or Many? Spatial Coding of Connected Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Xue; Becker, Suzanna

2014-01-01

We investigated how humans encode large-scale spatial environments using a virtual taxi game. We hypothesized that if 2 connected neighborhoods are explored jointly, people will form a single integrated spatial representation of the town. However, if the neighborhoods are first learned separately and later observed to be connected, people will…

Medial Prefrontal Cortex Reduces Memory Interference by Modifying Hippocampal Encoding

PubMed Central

Guise, Kevin G.; Shapiro, Matthew L.

2017-01-01

Summary The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for accurate memory performance when prior knowledge interferes with new learning, but the mechanisms that minimize proactive interference are unknown. To investigate these, we assessed the influence of medial PFC (mPFC) activity on spatial learning and hippocampal coding in a plus maze task that requires both structures. mPFC inactivation did not impair spatial learning or retrieval per se, but impaired the ability to follow changing spatial rules. mPFC and CA1 ensembles recorded simultaneously predicted goal choices and tracked changing rules; inactivating mPFC attenuated CA1 prospective coding. mPFC activity modified CA1 codes during learning, which in turn predicted how quickly rats adapted to subsequent rule changes. The results suggest that task rules signaled by the mPFC become incorporated into hippocampal representations and support prospective coding. By this mechanism, mPFC activity prevents interference by “teaching” the hippocampus to retrieve distinct representations of similar circumstances. PMID:28343868

Age-related spatial learning impairment is unrelated to spinophilin immunoreactive spine number and protein levels in rat hippocampus.

PubMed

Calhoun, Michael E; Fletcher, Bonnie R; Yi, Stella; Zentko, Diana C; Gallagher, Michela; Rapp, Peter R

2008-08-01

Age-related impairments in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory tasks are not associated with a loss of hippocampal neurons, but may be related to alterations in synaptic integrity. Here we used stereological techniques to estimate spine number in hippocampal subfields using immunostaining for the spine-associated protein, spinophilin, as a marker. Quantification of the immunoreactive profiles was performed using the optical disector/fractionator technique. Aging was associated with a modest increase in spine number in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus and CA1 stratum lacunosum-moleculare. By comparison, spinophilin protein levels in the hippocampus, measured by Western blot analysis, failed to differ as a function of age. Neither the morphological nor the protein level data were correlated with spatial learning ability across individual aged rats. The results extend current evidence on synaptic integrity in the aged brain, indicating that a substantial loss of dendritic spines and spinophilin protein in the hippocampus are unlikely to contribute to age-related impairment in spatial learning.

Spatial ability of slow learners based on Hubert Maier theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Permatasari, I.; Pramudya, I.; Kusmayadi, T. A.

2018-03-01

Slow learners are children who have low learning achievement (under the average of normal children) in one or all of the academic field, but they are not classified as a mentally retarded children. Spatial ability developed according to age and level of knowledge possessed, both from the neighborhood and formal education. Analyzing the spatial ability of students is important for teachers, as an effort to improve the quality of learning for slow learners. Especially on the implementation of inclusion school which is developing in Indonesia. This research used a qualitative method and involved slow learner students as the subject. Based on the data analysis it was found the spatial ability of slow learners, there were: spatial perception, students were able to describe the other shape of object when its position changed; spatial visualisation, students were able to describe the materials that construct an object; mental rotation, students cannot describe the object being rotated; spatial relation, students cannot describe the relations of same objects; spatial orientation, students were able to describe object from the others perspective.

The Seat of Insect Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyer, Fred C.

1997-01-01

Describes the role of mushroom bodies--cup-shaped structures perched atop the brain of an insect--in learning. Mushroom bodies may help fruit flies in learning meaningful odors, cockroaches in spatial learning, and honeybees both in locating pollen and nectar and in navigating back to the colony. (PVD)

Learning to Count: Structured Practice with Spatial Cues Supports the Development of Counting Sequence Knowledge in 3-Year-Old English-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunbar, Kristina; Ridha, Aala; Cankaya, Ozlem; Jiménez Lira, Carolina; LeFevre, Jo-Anne

2017-01-01

Research Findings: Children who speak English are slower to learn the counting sequence between 11 and 20 compared to children who speak Asian languages. In the present research, we examined whether providing children with spatially relevant information during counting would facilitate their acquisition of the counting sequence. Three-year-olds…

A Study of the Relationship between Iranian EFL Learners' Level of Spatial Intelligence and Their Performance on Analytical and Perceptual Cloze Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmadian, Moussa; Jalilian, Vahid

2012-01-01

During the last two decades, Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences with its emphasis on learner variables has been appreciated in language learning. Spatial intelligence, as one domain of the multiple structures of intelligence, which is thought to play a great role in reading, writing, and literacy, particularly in L2 learning, has not…

Selective Spatial Working Memory Impairment in a Group of Children with Mathematics Learning Disabilities and Poor Problem-Solving Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Passolunghi, Maria Chiara; Mammarella, Irene Cristina

2012-01-01

This study examines visual and spatial working memory skills in 35 third to fifth graders with both mathematics learning disabilities (MLD) and poor problem-solving skills and 35 of their peers with typical development (TD) on tasks involving both low and high attentional control. Results revealed that children with MLD, relative to TD children,…

Dorsolateral Striatal Lesions Impair Navigation Based on Landmark-Goal Vectors but Facilitate Spatial Learning Based on a "Cognitive Map"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kosaki, Yutaka; Poulter, Steven L.; Austen, Joe M.; McGregor, Anthony

2015-01-01

In three experiments, the nature of the interaction between multiple memory systems in rats solving a variation of a spatial task in the water maze was investigated. Throughout training rats were able to find a submerged platform at a fixed distance and direction from an intramaze landmark by learning a landmark-goal vector. Extramaze cues were…

Learning What Children Know about Space from Looking at Their Hands: The Added Value of Gesture in Spatial Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sauter, Megan; Uttal, David H.; Alman, Amanda Schaal; Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Levine, Susan C.

2012-01-01

This article examines two issues: the role of gesture in the communication of spatial information and the relation between communication and mental representation. Children (8-10 years) and adults walked through a space to learn the locations of six hidden toy animals and then explained the space to another person. In Study 1, older children and…

Time course influences transfer of visual perceptual learning across spatial location.

PubMed

Larcombe, S J; Kennard, C; Bridge, H

2017-06-01

Visual perceptual learning describes the improvement of visual perception with repeated practice. Previous research has established that the learning effects of perceptual training may be transferable to untrained stimulus attributes such as spatial location under certain circumstances. However, the mechanisms involved in transfer have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the effect of altering training time course on the transferability of learning effects. Participants were trained on a motion direction discrimination task or a sinusoidal grating orientation discrimination task in a single visual hemifield. The 4000 training trials were either condensed into one day, or spread evenly across five training days. When participants were trained over a five-day period, there was transfer of learning to both the untrained visual hemifield and the untrained task. In contrast, when the same amount of training was condensed into a single day, participants did not show any transfer of learning. Thus, learning time course may influence the transferability of perceptual learning effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Efficacious Measurement of Learning Initiatives: E-Learning Systems, Learning-Organization Culture, Knowledge Creation, and Innovativeness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grundhoefer, Raymie

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research is twofold: (a) develop a validated measure for learning initiatives based on knowledge-creation theory and (b) conduct a quantitative study to investigate the relationships between electronic learning systems, learning-organization culture, efficacious knowledge creation (EKC), and innovativeness. Although Cheng-Chang…

Space Matters: Experiences of Managing Static Formal Learning Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Tim

2008-01-01

Managing the space in which learning takes place is subject to ongoing debate. Spatial management and movement can impact upon the construction of meaning within education and upon the dynamic of learning. It is suggested that there are now different learning goals and expectations and consequently a need for different learning environments. We…

Superior Cognitive Mapping through Single Landmark-Related Learning than through Boundary-Related Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Ruojing; Mou, Weimin

2016-01-01

Cognitive mapping is assumed to be through hippocampus-dependent place learning rather than striatum-dependent response learning. However, we proposed that either type of spatial learning, as long as it involves encoding metric relations between locations and reference points, could lead to a cognitive map. Furthermore, the fewer reference points…

A lateralized avian hippocampus: preferential role of the left hippocampal formation in homing pigeon sun compass-based spatial learning.

PubMed

Gagliardo, Anna; Vallortigara, Giorgio; Nardi, Daniele; Bingman, Verner P

2005-11-01

The hippocampal formation (HF) plays a crucial role in amniote spatial cognition. There are also indications of functional lateralization in the contribution of the left and right HF in processes that enable birds to navigate space. The experiments described in this study were designed to examine left and right HF differences in a task of sun compass-based spatial learning in homing pigeons (Columba livia). Control, left (HFL) and right (HFR) HF lesioned pigeons were trained in an outdoor arena to locate a food reward using their sun compass in the presence or absence of alternative feature cues. Subsequent to training, the pigeons were subjected to test sessions to determine if they learned to represent the goal location with their sun compass and the relative importance of the sun compass vs. feature cues. Under all test conditions, the control pigeons demonstrated preferential use of the sun compass in locating the goal. By contrast, the HFL pigeons demonstrated no ability to locate the goal by the sun compass but an ability to use the feature cues. The behaviour of the HFR pigeons demonstrated that an intact left HF is sufficient to support sun compass-based learning, but in conflict situations and in contrast to controls, they often relied on feature cues. In conclusion, only the left HF is capable of supporting sun compass-based learning. However, preferential use of the sun compass for learning requires an intact right HF. The data support the hypothesis that the left and right HF make different but complementary contributions toward avian spatial cognition.

Spatial Learning and Action Planning in a Prefrontal Cortical Network Model

PubMed Central

Martinet, Louis-Emmanuel; Sheynikhovich, Denis; Benchenane, Karim; Arleo, Angelo

2011-01-01

The interplay between hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) is fundamental to spatial cognition. Complementing hippocampal place coding, prefrontal representations provide more abstract and hierarchically organized memories suitable for decision making. We model a prefrontal network mediating distributed information processing for spatial learning and action planning. Specific connectivity and synaptic adaptation principles shape the recurrent dynamics of the network arranged in cortical minicolumns. We show how the PFC columnar organization is suitable for learning sparse topological-metrical representations from redundant hippocampal inputs. The recurrent nature of the network supports multilevel spatial processing, allowing structural features of the environment to be encoded. An activation diffusion mechanism spreads the neural activity through the column population leading to trajectory planning. The model provides a functional framework for interpreting the activity of PFC neurons recorded during navigation tasks. We illustrate the link from single unit activity to behavioral responses. The results suggest plausible neural mechanisms subserving the cognitive “insight” capability originally attributed to rodents by Tolman & Honzik. Our time course analysis of neural responses shows how the interaction between hippocampus and PFC can yield the encoding of manifold information pertinent to spatial planning, including prospective coding and distance-to-goal correlates. PMID:21625569

Spatial navigation in young versus older adults

PubMed Central

Gazova, Ivana; Laczó, Jan; Rubinova, Eva; Mokrisova, Ivana; Hyncicova, Eva; Andel, Ross; Vyhnalek, Martin; Sheardova, Katerina; Coulson, Elizabeth J.; Hort, Jakub

2013-01-01

Older age is associated with changes in the brain, including the medial temporal lobe, which may result in mild spatial navigation deficits, especially in allocentric navigation. The aim of the study was to characterize the profile of real-space allocentric (world-centered, hippocampus-dependent) and egocentric (body-centered, parietal lobe dependent) navigation and learning in young vs. older adults, and to assess a possible influence of gender. We recruited healthy participants without cognitive deficits on standard neuropsychological testing, white matter lesions or pronounced hippocampal atrophy: 24 young participants (18–26 years old) and 44 older participants stratified as participants 60–70 years old (n = 24) and participants 71–84 years old (n = 20). All underwent spatial navigation testing in the real-space human analog of the Morris Water Maze, which has the advantage of assessing separately allocentric and egocentric navigation and learning. Of the eight consecutive trials, trials 2–8 were used to reduce bias by a rebound effect (more dramatic changes in performance between trials 1 and 2 relative to subsequent trials). The participants who were 71–84 years old (p < 0.001), but not those 60–70 years old, showed deficits in allocentric navigation compared to the young participants. There were no differences in egocentric navigation. All three groups showed spatial learning effect (p’ s ≤ 0.01). There were no gender differences in spatial navigation and learning. Linear regression limited to older participants showed linear (β = 0.30, p = 0.045) and quadratic (β = 0.30, p = 0.046) effect of age on allocentric navigation. There was no effect of age on egocentric navigation. These results demonstrate that navigation deficits in older age may be limited to allocentric navigation, whereas egocentric navigation and learning may remain preserved. This specific pattern of spatial navigation impairment may help differentiate normal aging from prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. PMID:24391585

Effects of Inter-Alpha Inhibitor Proteins on Neonatal Brain Injury: Age, Task and Treatment Dependent Neurobehavioral Outcomes

PubMed Central

Threlkeld, Steven W.; Gaudet, Cynthia M.; La Rue, Molly E.; Dugas, Ethan; Hill, Courtney A.; Lim, Yow-Pin; Stonestreet, Barbara S.

2014-01-01

Hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury is frequently associated with premature and/or full term birth related complications. HI injury often results in learning and processing deficits that reflect widespread damage to an extensive range of cortical and sub-cortical brain structures. Further, inflammation has been implicated in the long-term progression and severity of HI injury. Recently, Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins (IAIPs) have been shown to attenuate inflammation in models of systemic infection. Importantly, preclinical studies of neonatal HI injury and neuroprotection often focus on single time windows of assessment or single behavioral domains. This approach limits translational validity, given evidence for a diverse spectrum of neurobehavioral deficits that may change across developmental windows following neonatal brain injury. Therefore, the aims of this research were to assess the effects of human IAIPs on early neocortical cell death (72 hours post insult), adult regional brain volume measurements (cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, corpus callosum) and long-term behavioral outcomes in juvenile (P38-50) and adult (P80+) periods across two independent learning domains (spatial and non-spatial learning), after postnatal day 7 HI injury in rats. Here, for the first time, we show that IAIPs reduce acute neocortical neuronal cell death and improve brain weight outcome 72 hours following HI injury in the neonatal rat. Further, these longitudinal studies are the first to show age, task and treatment dependent improvements in behavioral outcome for both spatial and non-spatial learning following systemic administration of IAIPs in neonatal HI injured rats. Finally, results also show sparing of brain regions critical for spatial and non-spatial learning in adult animals treated with IAIPs at the time of injury onset. These data support the proposal that Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins may serve as novel therapeutics for brain injury associated with premature birth and/or neonatal brain injury and highlight the importance of assessing multiple ages, brain regions and behavioral domains when investigating experimental treatment efficacy. PMID:25084519

Repeated Sleep Restriction in Adolescent Rats Altered Sleep Patterns and Impaired Spatial Learning/Memory Ability

PubMed Central

Yang, Su-Rong; Sun, Hui; Huang, Zhi-Li; Yao, Ming-Hui; Qu, Wei-Min

2012-01-01

Study Objectives: To investigate possible differences in the effect of repeated sleep restriction (RSR) during adolescence and adulthood on sleep homeostasis and spatial learning and memory ability. Design: The authors examined electroencephalograms of rats as they were subjected to 4-h daily sleep deprivation that continued for 7 consecutive days and assessed the spatial learning and memory by Morris water maze test (WMT). Participants: Adolescent and adult rats. Measurements and Results: Adolescent rats exhibited a similar amount of rapid eye movement (REM) and nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep with higher slow wave activity (SWA, 0.5-4 Hz) and fewer episodes and conversions with prolonged durations, indicating they have better sleep quality than adult rats. After RSR, adult rats showed strong rebound of REM sleep by 31% on sleep deprivation day 1; this value was 37% on sleep deprivation day 7 in adolescents compared with 20-h baseline level. On sleep deprivation day 7, SWA in adult and adolescent rats increased by 47% and 33%, and such elevation lasted for 5 h and 7 h, respectively. Furthermore, the authors investigated the effects of 4-h daily sleep deprivation immediately after the water maze training sessions on spatial cognitive performance. Adolescent rats sleep-restricted for 7 days traveled a longer distance to find the hidden platform during the acquisition training and had fewer numbers of platform crossings in the probe trial than those in the control group, something that did not occur in the sleep-deprived adult rats. Conclusions: Repeated sleep restriction (RSR) altered sleep profiles and mildly impaired spatial learning and memory capability in adolescent rats. Citation: Yang SR; Sun H; Huang ZL; Yao MH; Qu WM. Repeated sleep restriction in adolescent rats altered sleep patterns and impaired spatial learning/memory ability. SLEEP 2012;35(6):849-859. PMID:22654204

Cingulate neglect in humans: disruption of contralesional reward learning in right brain damage.

PubMed

Lecce, Francesca; Rotondaro, Francesca; Bonnì, Sonia; Carlesimo, Augusto; Thiebaut de Schotten, Michel; Tomaiuolo, Francesco; Doricchi, Fabrizio

2015-01-01

Motivational valence plays a key role in orienting spatial attention. Nonetheless, clinical documentation and understanding of motivationally based deficits of spatial orienting in the human is limited. Here in a series of one group-study and two single-case studies, we have examined right brain damaged patients (RBD) with and without left spatial neglect in a spatial reward-learning task, in which the motivational valence of the left contralesional and the right ipsilesional space was contrasted. In each trial two visual boxes were presented, one to the left and one to the right of central fixation. In one session monetary rewards were released more frequently in the box on the left side (75% of trials) whereas in another session they were released more frequently on the right side. In each trial patients were required to: 1) point to each one of the two boxes; 2) choose one of the boxes for obtaining monetary reward; 3) report explicitly the position of reward and whether this position matched or not the original choice. Despite defective spontaneous allocation of attention toward the contralesional space, RBD patients with left spatial neglect showed preserved contralesional reward learning, i.e., comparable to ipsilesional learning and to reward learning displayed by patients without neglect. A notable exception in the group of neglect patients was L.R., who showed no sign of contralesional reward learning in a series of 120 consecutive trials despite being able of reaching learning criterion in only 20 trials in the ipsilesional space. L.R. suffered a cortical-subcortical brain damage affecting the anterior components of the parietal-frontal attentional network and, compared with all other neglect and non-neglect patients, had additional lesion involvement of the medial anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and of the adjacent sectors of the corpus callosum. In contrast to his lateralized motivational learning deficit, L.R. had no lateral bias in the early phases of attentional processing as he suffered no contralesional visual or auditory extinction on double simultaneous tachistoscopic and dichotic stimulation and detected, with no exception, single contralesional visual and auditory stimuli. In a separate study, we were able to compare L.R. with another RBD patient, G.P., who had a selective lesion in the right ACC, in the adjacent callosal connections and the medial-basal prefrontal cortex. G.P. had no contralesional neglect and displayed normal reward learning both in the left and right side of space. These findings show that contralesional reward learning is generally preserved in RBD patients with left spatial neglect and that this can be exploited in rehabilitation protocols. Contralesional reward learning is severely disrupted in neglect patients when an additional lesion of the ACC is present: however, as demonstrated by the comparison between L.R. and G.P. cases, selective unilateral lesion of the right ACC does not produce motivational neglect for the contralesional space. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SPATIAL Short Courses Build Expertise and Community in Isotope Geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riggs, E. M.; Bowen, G. J.

2015-12-01

The SPATIAL short course at the University of Utah is designed for graduate students and professionals in the earth and environmental sciences from around the globe. An integral part of the broader, NSF-funded Inter-university Training for Continental-scale Ecology (ITCE) project, the course is an intensive two-week field, classroom and laboratory experience with internationally-known researchers as instructors. The course focuses on stable isotope geochemistry coupled with spatial analysis techniques. Participants do not typically know each other or this research community well upon entering. One of the stated goals of the overall project is to build a community of practice around these techniques. This design is common in many professional fields, but is not often applied at the graduate level nor formally assessed in the earth sciences. Paired pre- and post-tests were administered before the start and after the close of the short courses over 3 years. The survey is a set of instruments adapted from social-cognitive psychology measuring changes in identity and community with other items to measure content knowledge outcomes. We see a subtle, consistent convergence of identities between large-scale isotope geochemistry and participants' research areas. Results also show that the course generates an increase in understanding about stable isotopes' use and application. The data show the SPATIAL course is very effective at bringing students together socially with each other and with faculty to create an environment that fosters community and scientific cooperation. Semi-structured pre-and post- interviews were conducted to understand the program elements that generated gains in learning and community. Participants were selected based on initial responses on the pre-survey to capture the range of initial conditions for the group. Qualitative analysis shows that the major factors for participants were 1) ready access to researchers in an informal setting during the course with many substantial opportunities to discuss research, 2) scaffolded, guided-inquiry group research designed to build group cohesion and skills, 3) just-in-time teaching at key junctures during lab and field exercises, and 4) access to curated sets of research literature from disparate fields relevant to SPATIAL content.

Frontostriatal and Mediotemporal Lobe Contributions to Implicit Higher-Order Spatial Sequence Learning Declines in Aging and Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Schendan, Haline E.; Tinaz, Sule; Maher, Stephen M.; Stern, Chantal E.

2015-01-01

Sequence learning depends on the striatal system, but recent findings also implicate the mediotemporal lobe (MTL) system. Schendan, Searl, Melrose, & Stern (2003) found higher-order associative, learning-related activation in the striatum, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the MTL during the early acquisition phase of both implicit and explicit variants of a serial response time task. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study capitalized on this task to determine how changes in MTL function observed in aging and compromised frontostriatal function characteristic of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients impacts sequence learning and memory under implicit instructions. Brain activity was compared between “Sequence” and “Random” conditions in 12 non-demented PD patients and education and gender matched healthy control participants of whom 12 were age matched (MC) and 14 were younger (YC). Behaviorally, sequence-specific learning of higher-order associations was reduced with aging and changed further with PD and resulted primarily in implicit knowledge in the older participants. FMRI revealed reduced intensity and extent of sequence learning-related activation in older relative to younger people in frontostriatal circuits and the MTL. This was because signal was greater for the Sequence than Random condition in younger people, whereas older people, especially those with PD, showed the opposite pattern. Both older groups also showed increased activation to the task itself relative to baseline fixation. In addition, right MTL showed hypoactivation and left MTL hyperactivation in PD relative to the MC group. The results suggest changes in frontostriatal and MTL activity occur during aging that affect task-related activity and the initial acquisition phase of implicit higher-order sequence learning. In addition, the results suggest that Parkinson’s disease adversely affects processes in the MTL including sequence learning and memory. PMID:23565935

Evaluation of multi-level social learning for sustainable landscapes: perspective of a development initiative in Bergslagen, Sweden.

PubMed

Axelsson, Robert; Angelstam, Per; Myhrman, Lennart; Sädbom, Stefan; Ivarsson, Milis; Elbakidze, Marine; Andersson, Kenneth; Cupa, Petr; Diry, Christian; Doyon, Frederic; Drotz, Marcus K; Hjorth, Arne; Hermansson, Jan Olof; Kullberg, Thomas; Lickers, F Henry; McTaggart, Johanna; Olsson, Anders; Pautov, Yurij; Svensson, Lennart; Törnblom, Johan

2013-03-01

To implement policies about sustainable landscapes and rural development necessitates social learning about states and trends of sustainability indicators, norms that define sustainability, and adaptive multi-level governance. We evaluate the extent to which social learning at multiple governance levels for sustainable landscapes occur in 18 local development initiatives in the network of Sustainable Bergslagen in Sweden. We mapped activities over time, and interviewed key actors in the network about social learning. While activities resulted in exchange of experiences and some local solutions, a major challenge was to secure systematic social learning and make new knowledge explicit at multiple levels. None of the development initiatives used a systematic approach to secure social learning, and sustainability assessments were not made systematically. We discuss how social learning can be improved, and how a learning network of development initiatives could be realized.