Cycling on Abandoned Second World War Airfields and Jugando a Las Escondidas en El Parque: Examining Play Memories from Adults Growing up around the World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, Julie; Shimpi, Priya Mariana; Jevgjovikj, Maja; Kurnik, Jean; Ufoegbune, Veronica

2016-01-01

This study examined play memories from adults who grew up in a wide range of international contexts. Surveys and semi-structured interviews asking adults to recollect play memories were completed with 135 adults (100 Females, 35 Males) who grew up in 21 countries. Play memories were analysed to identify adults' favourite types of childhood play,…

A Key Role for Nectin-1 in the Ventral Hippocampus in Contextual Fear Memory

PubMed Central

Grosse, Jocelyn; Krummenacher, Claude; Sandi, Carmen

2013-01-01

Nectins are cell adhesion molecules that are widely expressed in the brain. Nectin expression shows a dynamic spatiotemporal regulation, playing a role in neural migratory processes during development. Nectin-1 and nectin-3 and their heterophilic trans-interactions are important for the proper formation of synapses. In the hippocampus, nectin-1 and nectin-3 localize at puncta adherentia junctions and may play a role in synaptic plasticity, a mechanism essential for memory and learning. We evaluated the potential involvement of nectin-1 and nectin-3 in memory consolidation using an emotional learning paradigm. Rats trained for contextual fear conditioning showed transient nectin-1—but not nectin-3—protein upregulation in synapse-enriched hippocampal fractions at about 2 h posttraining. The upregulation of nectin-1 was found exclusively in the ventral hippocampus and was apparent in the synaptoneurosomal fraction. This upregulation was induced by contextual fear conditioning but not by exposure to context or shock alone. When an antibody against nectin-1, R165, was infused in the ventral-hippocampus immediately after training, contextual fear memory was impaired. However, treatment with the antibody in the dorsal hippocampus had no effect in contextual fear memory formation. Similarly, treatment with the antibody in the ventral hippocampus did not interfere with acoustic memory formation. Further control experiments indicated that the effects of ventral hippocampal infusion of the nectin-1 antibody in contextual fear memory cannot be ascribed to memory non-specific effects such as changes in anxiety-like behavior or locomotor behavior. Therefore, we conclude that nectin-1 recruitment to the perisynaptic environment in the ventral hippocampus plays an important role in the formation of contextual fear memories. Our results suggest that these mechanisms could be involved in the connection of emotional and contextual information processed in the amygdala and dorsal hippocampus, respectively, thus opening new venues for the development of treatments to psychopathological alterations linked to impaired contextualization of emotions. PMID:23418609

[Technique-based game for daycare visitors with and without dementia : Effects, heuristics and correlates].

PubMed

Ehret, S; Putze, F; Miller-Teynor, H; Kruse, A; Schultz, T

2017-01-01

Playing of old people with or without dementia have not yet been substantially investigated. This study deals with the acceptance and impact of a tablet-based memory game, which was played on a weekly or semiweekly basis by visitors in two daycare units. Within the framework of focus groups the technical system was adapted for elderly users. The video-assisted data at the level of the game and the dynamics were investigated with respect to interaction and communication. The analysis of psychological observation forms and game protocols, which were conducted over a period of 3 months, indicated different effects of the game on psychosocial and cognitive activation. The individual memory cards in particular served as an intensification of communication and a stimulation of episodic memory. Finally, with video analysis during the whole game setting three theoretical relationship patterns of the spheres playing and speech could be depicted. Coherence, separation and incoherence of playing and speech are different forms of interaction in which individual and collaborative competences of people with and without dementia can be visualized. Furthermore, the study provides evidence for the cultural theory of playing by Huizinga.

The Role of Sex in Memory Function: Considerations and Recommendations in the Context of Exercise.

PubMed

Loprinzi, Paul D; Frith, Emily

2018-05-31

There is evidence to suggest that biological sex plays a critical role in memory function, with sex differentially influencing memory type. In this review, we detail the current evidence evaluating sex-specific effects on various memory types. We also discuss potential mechanisms that explain these sex-specific effects, which include sex differences in neuroanatomy, neurochemical differences, biological differences, and cognitive and affect-related differences. Central to this review, we also highlight that, despite the established sex differences in memory, there is little work directly comparing whether males and females have a differential exercise-induced effect on memory function. As discussed herein, such a differential effect is plausible given the clear sex-specific effects on memory, exercise response, and molecular mediators of memory. We emphasize that future work should be carefully powered to detect sex differences. Future research should also examine these potential exercise-related sex-specific effects for various memory types and exercise intensities and modalities. This will help enhance our understanding of whether sex indeed moderates the effects of exercise and memory function, and as such, will improve our understanding of whether sex-specific, memory-enhancing interventions should be developed, implemented, and evaluated.

Alpha 2B adrenoceptor genotype moderates effect of reboxetine on negative emotional memory bias in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Gibbs, Ayana A; Bautista, Carla E; Mowlem, Florence D; Naudts, Kris H; Duka, Theodora

2013-10-23

Evidence suggests that emotional memory plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression/anxiety disorders. Noradrenaline crucially modulates emotional memory. Genetic variants involved in noradrenergic signaling contribute to individual differences in emotional memory and vulnerability to psychopathology. A functional deletion polymorphism in the α-2B adrenoceptor gene (ADRA2B) has been linked to emotional memory and post-traumatic stress disorder. The noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor reboxetine attenuates enhanced memory for negative stimuli in healthy and depressed individuals. We examined whether the effect of reboxetine on emotional memory in healthy individuals would be moderated by ADRA2B genotype. ADRA2B deletion carriers demonstrated enhanced emotional memory for negative stimuli compared with deletion noncarriers, consistent with prior studies. Reboxetine attenuated enhanced memory for negative stimuli in deletion noncarriers but had no significant effect in deletion carriers. This is the first demonstration of genetic variation influencing antidepressant drug effects on emotional processing in healthy humans.

Effects of tennis play on executive function in 6-11-year-old children: a 12-month longitudinal study.

PubMed

Ishihara, Toru; Mizuno, Masao

2018-06-01

The present study aimed to assess the effects of 12 months of frequent tennis play on executive functions and the relationships of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), physical competence, and enjoyment of playing tennis to executive functions in children. Thirty-two children (6-11 years old) who had regularly played tennis (once a week; mean = 3 years, range = 0-6 years) before the study were enrolled in a 12-month intervention. Participants were allocated into two groups: low-dose (maintain current frequency of tennis play, N = 19) or high-dose (increased frequency of tennis play to four times per week, N = 13). Participants' MVPA, physical competence, enjoyment of playing tennis, and executive functions (i.e. inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) were evaluated before and after this intervention. The high-dose group demonstrated a greater improvement in working memory than the low-dose group, while there was no group difference in MVPA, physical competence, and enjoyment of playing tennis. Changes in MVPA were associated with improvements in cognitive flexibility. Changes in physical competence were associated with improvements in working memory and cognitive flexibility. Changes in the enjoyment of playing tennis were associated with improvements in inhibitory control. The current findings suggest that replacement of MVPA with sports activity, such as tennis enhances executive functions development, and suggest that sports programmes that seek to build competence and enjoyment might help support the development of executive functions in children.

Evaluating Models of Working Memory through the Effects of Concurrent Irrelevant Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chein, Jason M.; Fiez, Julie A.

2010-01-01

Working memory is believed to play a central role in almost all domains of higher cognition, yet the specific mechanisms involved in working memory are still fiercely debated. We describe a neuroimaging experiment with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a companion behavioral experiment, and in both we seek to adjudicate between…

Effects of grasp compatibility on long-term memory for objects.

PubMed

Canits, Ivonne; Pecher, Diane; Zeelenberg, René

2018-01-01

Previous studies have shown action potentiation during conceptual processing of manipulable objects. In four experiments, we investigated whether these motor actions also play a role in long-term memory. Participants categorized objects that afforded either a power grasp or a precision grasp as natural or artifact by grasping cylinders with either a power grasp or a precision grasp. In all experiments, responses were faster when the affordance of the object was compatible with the type of grasp response. However, subsequent free recall and recognition memory tasks revealed no better memory for object pictures and object names for which the grasp affordance was compatible with the grasp response. The present results therefore do not support the hypothesis that motor actions play a role in long-term memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hold it! Memory affects attentional dwell time.

PubMed

Parks, Emily L; Hopfinger, Joseph B

2008-12-01

The allocation of attention, including the initial orienting and the subsequent dwell time, is affected by several bottom-up and top-down factors. How item memory affects these processes, however, remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether item memory affects attentional dwell time by using a modified version of the attentional blink (AB) paradigm. Across four experiments, our results revealed that the AB was significantly affected by memory status (novel vs. old), but critically, this effect depended on the ongoing memory context. Specifically, items that were unique in terms of memory status demanded more resources, as measured by a protracted AB. The present findings suggest that a more comprehensive understanding of memory's effects on attention can be obtained by accounting for an item's memorial context, as well as its individual item memory strength. Our results provide new evidence that item memory and memory context play a significant role in the temporal allocation of attention.

Cholinergic manipulations bidirectionally regulate object memory destabilization

PubMed Central

Stiver, Mikaela L.; Jacklin, Derek L.; Mitchnick, Krista A.; Vicic, Nevena; Carlin, Justine; O'Hara, Matthew

2015-01-01

Consolidated memories can become destabilized and open to modification upon retrieval. Destabilization is most reliably prompted when novel information is present during memory reactivation. We hypothesized that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) plays an important role in novelty-induced memory destabilization because of its established involvement in new learning. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of cholinergic manipulations in rats using an object recognition paradigm that requires reactivation novelty to destabilize object memories. The muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine, systemically or infused directly into the perirhinal cortex, blocked this novelty-induced memory destabilization. Conversely, systemic oxotremorine or carbachol, muscarinic receptor agonists, administered systemically or intraperirhinally, respectively, mimicked the destabilizing effect of novel information during reactivation. These bidirectional effects suggest a crucial influence of ACh on memory destabilization and the updating functions of reconsolidation. This is a hitherto unappreciated mnemonic role for ACh with implications for its potential involvement in cognitive flexibility and the dynamic process of long-term memory storage. PMID:25776038

Motivation Matters: Differing Effects of Pre-Goal and Post-Goal Emotions on Attention and Memory

PubMed Central

Kaplan, Robin L.; Van Damme, Ilse; Levine, Linda J.

2012-01-01

People often show enhanced memory for information that is central to emotional events and impaired memory for peripheral details. The intensity of arousal elicited by an emotional event is commonly held to be the mechanism underlying memory narrowing, with the implication that all sources of emotional arousal should have comparable effects. Discrete emotions differ in their effects on memory, however, with some emotions broadening rather than narrowing the range of information attended to and remembered. Thus, features of emotion other than arousal appear to play a critical role in memory narrowing. We review theory and research on emotional memory narrowing and argue that motivation matters. Recent evidence suggests that emotions experienced prior to goal attainment or loss lead to memory narrowing whereas emotions experienced after goal attainment or loss broaden the range of information encoded in memory. The motivational component of emotion is an important but understudied feature that can help to clarify the conditions under which emotions enhance and impair attention and memory. PMID:23162490

Motivation matters: differing effects of pre-goal and post-goal emotions on attention and memory.

PubMed

Kaplan, Robin L; Van Damme, Ilse; Levine, Linda J

2012-01-01

People often show enhanced memory for information that is central to emotional events and impaired memory for peripheral details. The intensity of arousal elicited by an emotional event is commonly held to be the mechanism underlying memory narrowing, with the implication that all sources of emotional arousal should have comparable effects. Discrete emotions differ in their effects on memory, however, with some emotions broadening rather than narrowing the range of information attended to and remembered. Thus, features of emotion other than arousal appear to play a critical role in memory narrowing. We review theory and research on emotional memory narrowing and argue that motivation matters. Recent evidence suggests that emotions experienced prior to goal attainment or loss lead to memory narrowing whereas emotions experienced after goal attainment or loss broaden the range of information encoded in memory. The motivational component of emotion is an important but understudied feature that can help to clarify the conditions under which emotions enhance and impair attention and memory.

Effects of Violent and Non-Violent Computer Game Content on Memory Performance in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maass, Asja; Kollhorster, Kirsten; Riediger, Annemarie; MacDonald, Vanessa; Lohaus, Arnold

2011-01-01

The present study focuses on the short-term effects of electronic entertainment media on memory and learning processes. It compares the effects of violent versus non-violent computer game content in a condition of playing and in another condition of watching the same game. The participants consisted of 83 female and 94 male adolescents with a mean…

A Cross-Syndrome Study of the Differential Effects of Sleep on Declarative Memory Consolidation in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashworth, Anna; Hill, Catherine M.; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Dimitriou, Dagmara

2017-01-01

Sleep plays an active role in memory consolidation. Because children with Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS) experience significant problems with sleep and also with learning, we predicted that sleep-dependent memory consolidation would be impaired in these children when compared to typically developing (TD) children. This is the first…

The effects of ghrelin on sleep, appetite, and memory, and its possible role in depression: A review of the literature.

PubMed

Morin, V; Hozer, F; Costemale-Lacoste, J-F

2018-06-01

Ghrelin is an orexigenic digestive hormone that plays a role in sleep and memory. Our work aims is to synthesize the effects of ghrelin on appetite, sleep and memory, and also to evidence its role in depressive disorders. A systematic search was carried out on PubMed with no time boundaries. The following MeSH terms were used: ghrelin AND (appetite regulation OR obesity), (sleep wake disorders OR sleep) (memory OR cognition disorders) (depression OR depressive disorder OR mood disorder). Ghrelin triggers appetite and alters meal patterns by making them longer and richer. This can lead to pathologies, obesity and insulin-resistance. Ghrelin seems to have a favourable effect on sleep in human beings. It tends to make sleep more efficacious and better quality. Finally, it seems to have an effect on synaptic plasticity in the zones involved in memory and it has been shown to improve memory capacity in rodents. Regarding depression, the administration of ghrelin leads to an anti-depressive effect in animals and in humans. Conversely, post anti-depressant ghrelin titrations have generally shown a decrease in ghrelin levels. Resistant patients seem to retain high levels. Finally, the seriousness of depression could be related to ghrelin levels. Ghrelin plays a probable part in depression, especially for particular endophenotypes. A better understanding of ghrelin in depression could potentially help to optimize future therapeutic treatments. Copyright © 2017 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Reducing unwanted trauma memories by imaginal exposure or autobiographical memory elaboration: An analogue study of memory processes

PubMed Central

Ehlers, Anke; Mauchnik, Jana; Handley, Rachel

2012-01-01

Unwanted memories of traumatic events are a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. A range of interventions including imaginal exposure and elaboration of the trauma memory in its autobiographical context are effective in reducing such unwanted memories. This study explored whether priming for stimuli that occur in the context of trauma and evaluative conditioning may play a role in the therapeutic effects of these procedures. Healthy volunteers (N = 122) watched analogue traumatic and neutral picture stories. They were then randomly allocated to 20 min of either imaginal exposure, autobiographical memory elaboration, or a control condition designed to prevent further processing of the picture stories. A blurred picture identification task showed that neutral objects that preceded traumatic pictures in the stories were subsequently more readily identified than those that had preceded neutral stories, indicating enhanced priming. There was also an evaluative conditioning effect in that participants disliked neutral objects that had preceded traumatic pictures more. Autobiographical memory elaboration reduced the enhanced priming effect. Both interventions reduced the evaluative conditioning effect. Imaginal exposure and autobiographical memory elaboration both reduced the frequency of subsequent unwanted memories of the picture stories. PMID:21227404

Retrieval of Emotional Memories

PubMed Central

Buchanan, Tony W.

2008-01-01

Long-term memories are influenced by the emotion experienced during learning as well as by the emotion experienced during memory retrieval. The present article reviews the literature addressing the effects of emotion on retrieval, focusing on the cognitive and neurological mechanisms that have been revealed. The reviewed research suggests that the amygdala, in combination with the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, plays an important role in the retrieval of memories for emotional events. The neural regions necessary for online emotional processing also influence emotional memory retrieval, perhaps through the reexperience of emotion during the retrieval process. PMID:17723029

Randomized controlled trial evaluating the temporal effects of high-intensity exercise on learning, short-term and long-term memory, and prospective memory.

PubMed

Frith, Emily; Sng, Eveleen; Loprinzi, Paul D

2017-11-01

The broader purpose of this study was to examine the temporal effects of high-intensity exercise on learning, short-term and long-term retrospective memory and prospective memory. Among a sample of 88 young adult participants, 22 were randomized into one of four different groups: exercise before learning, control group, exercise during learning, and exercise after learning. The retrospective assessments (learning, short-term and long-term memory) were assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Long-term memory including a 20-min and 24-hr follow-up assessment. Prospective memory was assessed using a time-based procedure by having participants contact (via phone) the researchers at a follow-up time period. The exercise stimulus included a 15-min bout of progressive maximal exertion treadmill exercise. High-intensity exercise prior to memory encoding (vs. exercise during memory encoding or consolidation) was effective in enhancing long-term memory (for both 20-min and 24-h follow-up assessments). We did not observe a differential temporal effect of high-intensity exercise on short-term memory (immediate post-memory encoding), learning or prospective memory. The timing of high-intensity exercise may play an important role in facilitating long-term memory. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Analysis of acute naproxen administration on memory in young adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

PubMed

Wilson, Jack H; Criss, Amy H; Spangler, Sean A; Walukevich, Katherine; Hewett, Sandra

2017-10-01

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs work by non-selectively inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes. Evidence indicates that metabolites of the cyclooxygenase pathway play a critical role in the process of learning and memory. We evaluated whether acute naproxen treatment impairs short-term working memory, episodic memory, or semantic memory in a young, healthy adult population. Participants received a single dose of placebo or naproxen (750 mg) in random order separated by 7-10 days. Two hours following administration, participants completed five memory tasks. The administration of acute high-dose naproxen had no effect on memory in healthy young adults.

Differential effects of ADORA2A gene variations in pre-attentive visual sensory memory subprocesses.

PubMed

Beste, Christian; Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Ness, Vanessa; Epplen, Jörg T; Arning, Larissa

2012-08-01

The ADORA2A gene encodes the adenosine A(2A) receptor that is highly expressed in the striatum where it plays a role in modulating glutamatergic and dopaminergic transmission. Glutamatergic signaling has been suggested to play a pivotal role in cognitive functions related to the pre-attentive processing of external stimuli. Yet, the precise molecular mechanism of these processes is poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether ADORA2A gene variation has modulating effects on visual pre-attentive sensory memory processing. Studying two polymorphisms, rs5751876 and rs2298383, in 199 healthy control subjects who performed a partial-report paradigm, we find that ADORA2A variation is associated with differences in the efficiency of pre-attentive sensory memory sub-processes. We show that especially the initial visual availability of stimulus information is rendered more efficiently in the homozygous rare genotype groups. Processes related to the transfer of information into working memory and the duration of visual sensory (iconic) memory are compromised in the homozygous rare genotype groups. Our results show a differential genotype-dependent modulation of pre-attentive sensory memory sub-processes. Hence, we assume that this modulation may be due to differential effects of increased adenosine A(2A) receptor signaling on glutamatergic transmission and striatal medium spiny neuron (MSN) interaction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Developmental Differences in the Effects of Repeated Interviews and Interviewer Bias on Young Children's Event Memory and False Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quas, Jodi A.; Malloy, Lindsay C.; Melinder, Annika; Goodman, Gail S.; D'Mello, Michelle; Schaaf, Jennifer

2007-01-01

The present study investigated developmental differences in the effects of repeated interviews and interviewer bias on children's memory and suggestibility. Three- and 5-year-olds were singly or repeatedly interviewed about a play event by a highly biased or control interviewer. Children interviewed once by the biased interviewer after a long…

The Role of Eyes and Mouth in the Memory of a Face

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKelvie, Stuart J.

1976-01-01

Investigates the relative importance that the eyes and mouth play in the representation in memory of a human face. Systematically applies two kinds of transformation--masking the eyes or the mouths on photographs of faces--and observes the effects on recognition. (Author/RK)

Glycogen synthase kinase 3β in the basolateral amygdala is critical for the reconsolidation of cocaine reward memory.

PubMed

Wu, Ping; Xue, Yan-Xue; Ding, Zeng-Bo; Xue, Li-Fen; Xu, Chun-Mei; Lu, Lin

2011-07-01

Exposure to cocaine-associated conditioned stimuli elicits craving and increases the probability of cocaine relapse in cocaine users even after extended periods of abstinence. Recent evidence indicates that cocaine seeking can be inhibited by disrupting the reconsolidation of the cocaine cue memories and that basolateral amygdala (BLA) neuronal activity plays a role in this effect. Previous studies demonstrated that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) plays a role in the reconsolidation of fear memory. Here, we used a conditioned place preference procedure to examine the role of GSK-3β in the BLA in the reconsolidation of cocaine cue memories. GSK-3β activity in the BLA, but not central amygdala (CeA), in rats that acquired cocaine (10 mg/kg)-induced conditioned place preference increased after re-exposure to a previously cocaine-paired chamber (i.e., a memory reactivation procedure). Systemic injections of the GSK-3β inhibitor lithium chloride after memory reactivation impaired the reconsolidation of cocaine cue memories and inhibited subsequent cue-induced GSK-3β activity in the BLA. Basolateral amygdala, but not central amygdala, injections of SB216763, a selective inhibitor of GSK-3β, immediately after the reactivation of cocaine cue memories also disrupted cocaine cue memory reconsolidation and prevented cue-induced increases in GSK-3β activity in the BLA. The effect of SB216763 on the reconsolidation of cocaine cue memories lasted at least 2 weeks and was not recovered by a cocaine priming injection. These results indicate that GSK-3β activity in the BLA mediates the reconsolidation of cocaine cue memories. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Neurochemistry © 2011 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Long-Term Memory in Healthy Humans: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Brambilla, Michela; Manenti, Rosa; de Girolamo, Giovanni; Adenzato, Mauro; Bocchio-Chiavetto, Luisella; Cotelli, Maria

2016-12-01

Preclinical Research The neuropeptide oxytocin (Oxt) is implicated in complex emotional and social behaviors and appears to play an important role in learning and memory. Animal studies have shown that the effects of exogenous Oxt on memory vary according to the timing of administration, context, gender, and dose and may improve the memory of social, but not nonsocial stimuli. Oxt is intimately involved in a broad array of neuropsychiatric functions and may therefore be a pharmacological target for several psychiatric disorders. This review summarizes the potential effects of Oxt on long-term memory processes in healthy humans based on a PubMed search over the period 1980-2016. The effects of intranasal Oxt on human memory are controversial and the studies included in this review have applied a variety of learning paradigms, in turn producing variable outcomes. Specifically, data on the long-term memory of nonemotional stimuli found no effect or even worsening in memory, while studies using emotional stimuli showed an improvement of long-term memory performance. In conclusion, this review identified a link between long-term memory performance and exogenous intranasal Oxt in humans, although these results still warrant further confirmation in large, multicenter randomized controlled trials. Drug Dev Res 77 : 479-488, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

VirSchool: The Effect of Background Music and Immersive Display Systems on Memory for Facts Learned in an Educational Virtual Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fassbender, Eric; Richards, Deborah; Bilgin, Ayse; Thompson, William Forde; Heiden, Wolfgang

2012-01-01

Game technology has been widely used for educational applications, however, despite the common use of background music in games, its effect on learning has been largely unexplored. This paper discusses how music played in the background of a computer-animated history lesson affected participants' memory for facts. A virtual history lesson was…

Epigenetic regulation of estrogen-dependent memory

PubMed Central

Fortress, Ashley M.; Frick, Karyn M.

2014-01-01

Hippocampal memory formation is highly regulated by post-translational histone modifications and DNA methylation. Accordingly, these epigenetic processes play a major role in the effects of modulatory factors, such as sex steroid hormones, on hippocampal memory. Our laboratory recently demonstrated that the ability of the potent estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2) to enhance hippocampal-dependent novel object recognition memory in ovariectomized female mice requires ERK-dependent histone H3 acetylation and DNA methylation in the dorsal hippocampus. Although these data provide valuable insight into the chromatin modifications that mediate the memory-enhancing effects of E2, epigenetic regulation of gene expression is enormously complex. Therefore, more research is needed to fully understand how E2 and other hormones employ epigenetic alterations to shape behavior. This review discusses the epigenetic alterations shown thus far to regulate hippocampal memory, briefly reviews the effects of E2 on hippocampal function, and describes in detail our work on epigenetic regulation of estrogenic memory enhancement. PMID:24878494

Epigenetic regulation of estrogen-dependent memory.

PubMed

Fortress, Ashley M; Frick, Karyn M

2014-10-01

Hippocampal memory formation is highly regulated by post-translational histone modifications and DNA methylation. Accordingly, these epigenetic processes play a major role in the effects of modulatory factors, such as sex steroid hormones, on hippocampal memory. Our laboratory recently demonstrated that the ability of the potent estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2) to enhance hippocampal-dependent novel object recognition memory in ovariectomized female mice requires ERK-dependent histone H3 acetylation and DNA methylation in the dorsal hippocampus. Although these data provide valuable insight into the chromatin modifications that mediate the memory-enhancing effects of E2, epigenetic regulation of gene expression is enormously complex. Therefore, more research is needed to fully understand how E2 and other hormones employ epigenetic alterations to shape behavior. This review discusses the epigenetic alterations shown thus far to regulate hippocampal memory, briefly reviews the effects of E2 on hippocampal function, and describes in detail our work on epigenetic regulation of estrogenic memory enhancement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact and other-race effects in configural and component processing of faces.

PubMed

Rhodes, Gillian; Ewing, Louise; Hayward, William G; Maurer, Daphne; Mondloch, Catherine J; Tanaka, James W

2009-11-01

Other-race faces are generally recognized more poorly than own-race faces. There has been a long-standing interest in the extent to which differences in contact contribute to this other-race effect (ORE). Here, we examined the effect of contact on two distinct aspects of face memory, memory for configuration and for components, both of which are better for own-race than other-race faces. Configural and component memory were measured using recognition memory tests with intact study faces and blurred (isolates memory for configuration) and scrambled (isolates memory for components) test faces, respectively. Our participants were a large group of ethnically Chinese individuals who had resided in Australia for varying lengths of time, from a few weeks to 26 years. We found that time in a Western country significantly (negatively) predicted the size of the ORE for configural, but not component, memory. There was also a trend for earlier age of arrival to predict smaller OREs in configural, but not component, memory. These results suggest that memory for configural information in other-race faces improves with experience with such faces. However, as found for recognition memory generally, the contact effects were small, indicating that other factors must play a substantial role in cross-race differences in face memory.

Differential Effects of Arousal in Positive and Negative Autobiographical Memories

PubMed Central

Ford, Jaclyn Hennessey; Addis, Donna Rose; Giovanello, Kelly S.

2014-01-01

Autobiographical memories are characterized by a range of emotions and emotional reactions. Recent research has demonstrated that differences in emotional valence (positive v. negative emotion) and arousal (the degree of emotional intensity) differentially influence the retrieved memory narrative. Although the mnemonic effects of valence and arousal have both been heavily studied, it is currently unclear whether the effects of emotional arousal are equivalent for positive and negative autobiographical events. In the current study, multilevel models were used to examine differential effects emotional valence and arousal on the richness of autobiographical memory retrieval both between and within subjects. Thirty-four young adults were asked to retrieve personal autobiographical memories associated with popular musical cues and to rate the valence, arousal, and richness of these events. The multilevel analyses identified independent influences of valence and intensity upon retrieval characteristics at the within and between subject levels. In addition, the within subject interactions between valence and arousal highlighted differential effects of arousal for positive and negative memories. These findings have important implications for future studies of emotion and memory, highlighting the importance of considering both valence and arousal when examining the role emotion plays in the richness of memory representation. PMID:22873402

Differential effects of arousal in positive and negative autobiographical memories.

PubMed

Ford, Jaclyn Hennessey; Addis, Donna Rose; Giovanello, Kelly S

2012-01-01

Autobiographical memories are characterised by a range of emotions and emotional reactions. Recent research has demonstrated that differences in emotional valence (positive vs. negative emotion) and arousal (the degree of emotional intensity) differentially influence the retrieved memory narrative. Although the mnemonic effects of valence and arousal have both been heavily studied, it is currently unclear whether the effects of emotional arousal are equivalent for positive and negative autobiographical events. In the current study, multilevel models were used to examine differential effects of emotional valence and arousal on the richness of autobiographical memory retrieval both between and within subjects. Thirty-four young adults were asked to retrieve personal autobiographical memories associated with popular musical cues and to rate the valence, arousal and richness of these events. The multilevel analyses identified independent influences of valence and intensity upon retrieval characteristics at the within- and between-subject levels. In addition, the within-subject interactions between valence and arousal highlighted differential effects of arousal for positive and negative memories. These findings have important implications for future studies of emotion and memory, highlighting the importance of considering both valence and arousal when examining the role emotion plays in the richness of memory representation.

Melatonin reverses H-89 induced spatial memory deficit: Involvement of oxidative stress and mitochondrial function.

PubMed

Sharif, Rojin; Aghsami, Mehdi; Gharghabi, Mehdi; Sanati, Mehdi; Khorshidahmad, Tina; Vakilzadeh, Gelareh; Mehdizadeh, Hajar; Gholizadeh, Shervin; Taghizadeh, Ghorban; Sharifzadeh, Mohammad

2017-01-01

Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play indispensable role in memory and learning impairment. Growing evidences have shed light on anti-oxidative role for melatonin in memory deficit. We have previously reported that inhibition of protein kinase A by H-89 can induce memory impairment. Here, we investigated the effect of melatonin on H-89 induced spatial memory deficit and pursued their interactive consequences on oxidative stress and mitochondrial function in Morris Water Maze model. Rats received melatonin (50 and 100μg/kg/side) and H-89(10μM) intra-hippocampally 30min before each day of training. Animals were trained for 4 consecutive days, each containing one block from four trials. Oxidative stress indices, including thiobarbituric acid (TBARS), reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiol groups, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were assessed using spectrophotometer. Mitochondrial function was evaluated through measuring ROS production, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), swelling, outer membrane damage, and cytochrome c release. As expected from our previous report, H-89 remarkably impaired memory by increasing the escape latency and traveled distance. Intriguingly, H-89 significantly augmented TBARS and ROS levels, caused mitochondrial ROS production, swelling, outer membrane damage, and cytochrome c release. Moreover, H-89 lowered thiol, FRAP, and MMP values. Intriguingly, melatonin pre-treatment not only effectively hampered H-89-mediated spatial memory deficit at both doses, but also reversed the H-89 effects on mitochondrial and biochemical indices upon higher dose. Collectively, these findings highlight a protective role for melatonin against H-89-induced memory impairment and indicate that melatonin may play a therapeutic role in the treatment of oxidative- related neurodegenerative disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Processing speed and working memory span: their differential role in superficial and deep memory processes in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Brébion, Gildas; Bressan, Rodrigo A; Pilowsky, Lyn S; David, Anthony S

2011-05-01

Previous work has suggested that decrement in both processing speed and working memory span plays a role in the memory impairment observed in patients with schizophrenia. We undertook a study to examine simultaneously the effect of these two factors. A sample of 49 patients with schizophrenia and 43 healthy controls underwent a battery of verbal and visual memory tasks. Superficial and deep encoding memory measures were tallied. We conducted regression analyses on the various memory measures, using processing speed and working memory span as independent variables. In the patient group, processing speed was a significant predictor of superficial and deep memory measures in verbal and visual memory. Working memory span was an additional significant predictor of the deep memory measures only. Regression analyses involving all participants revealed that the effect of diagnosis on all the deep encoding memory measures was reduced to non-significance when processing speed was entered in the regression. Decreased processing speed is involved in verbal and visual memory deficit in patients, whether the task require superficial or deep encoding. Working memory is involved only insofar as the task requires a certain amount of effort.

Effects of scopolamine on morphine-induced conditioned place preference in mice.

PubMed

Tan, Hua; Liu, Ning; Wilson, Fraser A W; Ma, Yuanye

2007-09-01

It is well known that the cholinergic system plays a crucial role in learning and memory. Psychopharmacological studies in humans and animals have shown that a systemic cholinergic blockade may induce deficits in learning and memory. Accumulated studies have indicated that learning and memory play an important role in drug addition. In the present study, in order to get a further understanding about the functions of the cholinergic system in drug-related learning and memory, we examined the effects of scopolamine (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg) on morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Two kinds of morphine exposure durations (4 days and 12 days) were used. The main finding was that all doses of scopolamine enhanced the extinction of morphine-induced CPP in mice treated with morphine for 12 days. However, in mice treated with morphine for 4 days, all doses of scopolamine did not inhibit morphine-induced CPP. The highest dose (2.0 mg/kg) of scopolamine even significantly delayed the extinction of morphine-induced CPP. Our results suggest that the effects of a systemic cholinergic blockade on morphine-induced CPP depend on the morphine exposure time.

Similar effects of substance P on learning and memory function between hippocampus and striatal marginal division

PubMed Central

Yu, Yan; Zeng, Changchun; Shu, Siyun; Liu, Xuemei; Li, Chuhua

2014-01-01

Substance P is an endogenous neurokinin that is present in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The neuropeptide substance P and its high-affinity receptor neurokinin 1 receptor are known to play an important role in the central nervous system in inflammation, blood pressure, motor behavior and anxiety. The effects of substance P in the hippocampus and the marginal division of the striatum on memory remain poorly understood. Compared with the hippocampus as a control, immunofluorescence showed high expression of the substance P receptor, neurokinin 1, in the marginal division of the striatum of normal rats. Unilateral or bilateral injection of an antisense oligonucleotide against neurokinin 1 receptor mRNA in the rat hippocampus or marginal division of the striatum effectively reduced neurokinin 1 receptor expression. Independent of injection site, rats that received this antisense oligonucleotide showed obviously increased footshock times in a Y-maze test. These results indicate that the marginal division of the striatum plays a similar function in learning and memory to the hippocampus, which is a valuable addition to our mechanistic understanding of the learning and memory functions of the marginal division of the striatum. PMID:25206901

Computer Game Play Reduces Intrusive Memories of Experimental Trauma via Reconsolidation-Update Mechanisms.

PubMed

James, Ella L; Bonsall, Michael B; Hoppitt, Laura; Tunbridge, Elizabeth M; Geddes, John R; Milton, Amy L; Holmes, Emily A

2015-08-01

Memory of a traumatic event becomes consolidated within hours. Intrusive memories can then flash back repeatedly into the mind's eye and cause distress. We investigated whether reconsolidation-the process during which memories become malleable when recalled-can be blocked using a cognitive task and whether such an approach can reduce these unbidden intrusions. We predicted that reconsolidation of a reactivated visual memory of experimental trauma could be disrupted by engaging in a visuospatial task that would compete for visual working memory resources. We showed that intrusive memories were virtually abolished by playing the computer game Tetris following a memory-reactivation task 24 hr after initial exposure to experimental trauma. Furthermore, both memory reactivation and playing Tetris were required to reduce subsequent intrusions (Experiment 2), consistent with reconsolidation-update mechanisms. A simple, noninvasive cognitive-task procedure administered after emotional memory has already consolidated (i.e., > 24 hours after exposure to experimental trauma) may prevent the recurrence of intrusive memories of those emotional events. © The Author(s) 2015.

Computer Game Play Reduces Intrusive Memories of Experimental Trauma via Reconsolidation-Update Mechanisms

PubMed Central

James, Ella L.; Bonsall, Michael B.; Hoppitt, Laura; Tunbridge, Elizabeth M.; Geddes, John R.; Milton, Amy L.

2015-01-01

Memory of a traumatic event becomes consolidated within hours. Intrusive memories can then flash back repeatedly into the mind’s eye and cause distress. We investigated whether reconsolidation—the process during which memories become malleable when recalled—can be blocked using a cognitive task and whether such an approach can reduce these unbidden intrusions. We predicted that reconsolidation of a reactivated visual memory of experimental trauma could be disrupted by engaging in a visuospatial task that would compete for visual working memory resources. We showed that intrusive memories were virtually abolished by playing the computer game Tetris following a memory-reactivation task 24 hr after initial exposure to experimental trauma. Furthermore, both memory reactivation and playing Tetris were required to reduce subsequent intrusions (Experiment 2), consistent with reconsolidation-update mechanisms. A simple, noninvasive cognitive-task procedure administered after emotional memory has already consolidated (i.e., > 24 hours after exposure to experimental trauma) may prevent the recurrence of intrusive memories of those emotional events. PMID:26133572

Effect of chronic and acute low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on spatial memory in rats.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Yang, Yuye; Ye, Qing; Yang, Bo; Wang, Zhengrong

2007-03-15

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a novel, non-invasive neurological and psychiatric tool. The low-frequency (1 Hz or less) rTMS is likely to play a particular role in its mechanism of action with different effects in comparison with high-frequency (>1 Hz) rTMS. There is limited information regarding the effect of low-frequency rTMS on spatial memory. In our study, each male Wistar rat was daily given 300 stimuli (1.0 T, 200 micros) at a rate of 0.5 Hz or sham stimulation. We investigated the effects of chronic and acute rTMS on reference/working memory process in Morris water maze test with the hypothesis that the effect would differ by chronic or acute condition. Chronic low-frequency rTMS impaired the retrieval of spatial short- and long-term spatial reference memory but not acquisition process and working memory, whereas acute low-frequency rTMS predominantly induced no deficits in acquisition or short-term spatial reference memory as well as working memory except for long-term reference memory. In summary, chronic 0.5 Hz rTMS disrupts spatial short- and long-term reference memory function, but acute rTMS differently affects reference memory. Chronic low-frequency rTMS may be used to modulate reference memory. Treatment protocols using low-frequency rTMS in neurological and psychiatric disorders need to take into account the potential effect of chronic low-frequency rTMS on memory and other cognitive functions.

Does proactive interference play a significant role in visual working memory tasks?

PubMed

Makovski, Tal

2016-10-01

Visual working memory (VWM) is an online memory buffer that is typically assumed to be immune to source memory confusions. Accordingly, the few studies that have investigated the role of proactive interference (PI) in VWM tasks found only a modest PI effect at best. In contrast, a recent study has found a substantial PI effect in that performance in a VWM task was markedly improved when all memory items were unique compared to the more standard condition in which only a limited set of objects was used. The goal of the present study was to reconcile this discrepancy between the findings, and to scrutinize the extent to which PI is involved in VWM tasks. Experiments 1-2 showed that the robust advantage in using unique memory items can also be found in a within-subject design and is largely independent of set size, encoding duration, or intertrial interval. Importantly, however, PI was found mainly when all items were presented at the same location, and the effect was greatly diminished when the items were presented, either simultaneously (Experiment 3) or sequentially (Experiments 4-5), at distinct locations. These results indicate that PI is spatially specific and that without the assistance of spatial information VWM is not protected from PI. Thus, these findings imply that spatial information plays a key role in VWM, and underscore the notion that VWM is more vulnerable to interference than is typically assumed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Auditory memory function in expert chess players.

PubMed

Fattahi, Fariba; Geshani, Ahmad; Jafari, Zahra; Jalaie, Shohreh; Salman Mahini, Mona

2015-01-01

Chess is a game that involves many aspects of high level cognition such as memory, attention, focus and problem solving. Long term practice of chess can improve cognition performances and behavioral skills. Auditory memory, as a kind of memory, can be influenced by strengthening processes following long term chess playing like other behavioral skills because of common processing pathways in the brain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the auditory memory function of expert chess players using the Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test. The Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test was performed for 30 expert chess players aged 20-35 years and 30 non chess players who were matched by different conditions; the participants in both groups were randomly selected. The performance of the two groups was compared by independent samples t-test using SPSS version 21. The mean score of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test between the two groups, expert chess players and non-chess players, revealed a significant difference (p≤ 0.001). The difference between the ears scores for expert chess players (p= 0.023) and non-chess players (p= 0.013) was significant. Gender had no effect on the test results. Auditory memory function in expert chess players was significantly better compared to non-chess players. It seems that increased auditory memory function is related to strengthening cognitive performances due to playing chess for a long time.

No Role for Motor Affordances in Visual Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pecher, Diane

2013-01-01

Motor affordances have been shown to play a role in visual object identification and categorization. The present study explored whether working memory is likewise supported by motor affordances. Use of motor affordances should be disrupted by motor interference, and this effect should be larger for objects that have motor affordances than for…

Emotional Enhancement Effect of Memory: Removing the Influence of Cognitive Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sommer, Tobias; Glascher, Jan; Moritz, Steffen; Buchel, Christian

2008-01-01

According to the modulation hypothesis, arousal is the crucial factor in the emotional enhancement of memory (EEM). However, the multifactor theory of the EEM recently proposed that cognitive characteristics of emotional stimuli, e.g., relatedness and distinctiveness, also play an important role. The current study aimed to investigate the…

Is Working Memory Training Effective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shipstead, Zach; Redick, Thomas S.; Engle, Randall W.

2012-01-01

Working memory (WM) is a cognitive system that strongly relates to a person's ability to reason with novel information and direct attention to goal-relevant information. Due to the central role that WM plays in general cognition, it has become the focus of a rapidly growing training literature that seeks to affect broad cognitive change through…

The Effects of Age, Priming, and Working Memory on Decision-Making.

PubMed

Wood, Meagan; Black, Sheila; Gilpin, Ansley

2016-01-11

In the current study, we examined the effects of priming and personality on risky decision-making while playing the Game of Dice Task (GDT). In the GDT, participants decide how risky they wish to be on each trial. In this particular study prior to playing the GDT, participants were randomly assigned to one of three priming conditions: Risk-Aversive, Risk-Seeking, or Control. In the Risk-Seeking condition, a fictional character benefitted from risky behavior while in the Risk-Aversive condition, a fictional character benefitted from exercising caution. Although not explicitly stated in the instructions, participants need to make "safe" rather than risky choices to optimize performance on the GDT. Participants were also given Daneman and Carpenter's assessment of working memory task. Interestingly, although older adults self-reported being more cautious than younger adults on the Domain Specific Risk Attitude scale (DOSPERT), older adults made riskier decisions than younger adults on the GDT. However, after controlling for working memory, the age differences on the GDT became insignificant, indicating that working memory mediated the relation between age and risky decisions on the GDT.

The Effects of Age, Priming, and Working Memory on Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Wood, Meagan; Black, Sheila; Gilpin, Ansley

2016-01-01

In the current study, we examined the effects of priming and personality on risky decision-making while playing the Game of Dice Task (GDT). In the GDT, participants decide how risky they wish to be on each trial. In this particular study prior to playing the GDT, participants were randomly assigned to one of three priming conditions: Risk-Aversive, Risk-Seeking, or Control. In the Risk-Seeking condition, a fictional character benefitted from risky behavior while in the Risk-Aversive condition, a fictional character benefitted from exercising caution. Although not explicitly stated in the instructions, participants need to make “safe” rather than risky choices to optimize performance on the GDT. Participants were also given Daneman and Carpenter’s assessment of working memory task. Interestingly, although older adults self-reported being more cautious than younger adults on the Domain Specific Risk Attitude scale (DOSPERT), older adults made riskier decisions than younger adults on the GDT. However, after controlling for working memory, the age differences on the GDT became insignificant, indicating that working memory mediated the relation between age and risky decisions on the GDT. PMID:26761023

Effects of Arousal on Interpreting Other People's Emotions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Margaret S.; And Others

Previous research has found that sympathetic arousal will cue information stored in memory with a similar level of arousal. To investigate the effect of arousal on the interpretation of other people's emotions, three studies were conducted. In the first study, 37 adult tennis players, who were either about to play tennis or who had just played,…

Playing the computer game Tetris prior to viewing traumatic film material and subsequent intrusive memories: Examining proactive interference.

PubMed

James, Ella L; Lau-Zhu, Alex; Tickle, Hannah; Horsch, Antje; Holmes, Emily A

2016-12-01

Visuospatial working memory (WM) tasks performed concurrently or after an experimental trauma (traumatic film viewing) have been shown to reduce subsequent intrusive memories (concurrent or retroactive interference, respectively). This effect is thought to arise because, during the time window of memory consolidation, the film memory is labile and vulnerable to interference by the WM task. However, it is not known whether tasks before an experimental trauma (i.e. proactive interference) would also be effective. Therefore, we tested if a visuospatial WM task given before a traumatic film reduced intrusions. Findings are relevant to the development of preventative strategies to reduce intrusive memories of trauma for groups who are routinely exposed to trauma (e.g. emergency services personnel) and for whom tasks prior to trauma exposure might be beneficial. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions. In the Tetris condition (n = 28), participants engaged in the computer game for 11 min immediately before viewing a 12-min traumatic film, whereas those in the Control condition (n = 28) had no task during this period. Intrusive memory frequency was assessed using an intrusion diary over 1-week and an Intrusion Provocation Task at 1-week follow-up. Recognition memory for the film was also assessed at 1-week. Compared to the Control condition, participants in the Tetris condition did not report statistically significant difference in intrusive memories of the trauma film on either measure. There was also no statistically significant difference in recognition memory scores between conditions. The study used an experimental trauma paradigm and findings may not be generalizable to a clinical population. Compared to control, playing Tetris before viewing a trauma film did not lead to a statistically significant reduction in the frequency of later intrusive memories of the film. It is unlikely that proactive interference, at least with this task, effectively influences intrusive memory development. WM tasks administered during or after trauma stimuli, rather than proactively, may be a better focus for intrusive memory amelioration. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control.

PubMed

Boot, Walter R; Kramer, Arthur F; Simons, Daniel J; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele

2008-11-01

Expert video game players often outperform non-players on measures of basic attention and performance. Such differences might result from exposure to video games or they might reflect other group differences between those people who do or do not play video games. Recent research has suggested a causal relationship between playing action video games and improvements in a variety of visual and attentional skills (e.g., [Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2003). Action video game modifies visual selective attention. Nature, 423, 534-537]). The current research sought to replicate and extend these results by examining both expert/non-gamer differences and the effects of video game playing on tasks tapping a wider range of cognitive abilities, including attention, memory, and executive control. Non-gamers played 20+ h of an action video game, a puzzle game, or a real-time strategy game. Expert gamers and non-gamers differed on a number of basic cognitive skills: experts could track objects moving at greater speeds, better detected changes to objects stored in visual short-term memory, switched more quickly from one task to another, and mentally rotated objects more efficiently. Strikingly, extensive video game practice did not substantially enhance performance for non-gamers on most cognitive tasks, although they did improve somewhat in mental rotation performance. Our results suggest that at least some differences between video game experts and non-gamers in basic cognitive performance result either from far more extensive video game experience or from pre-existing group differences in abilities that result in a self-selection effect.

Oxytocin receptor antagonist atosiban impairs consolidation, but not reconsolidation of contextual fear memory in rats.

PubMed

Abdullahi, Payman Rasise; Eskandarian, Sharaf; Ghanbari, Ali; Rashidy-Pour, Ali

2018-05-23

There is increasing evidence that oxytocin is involved in learning and memory process. This study investigated the effects of blockade of oxytocin receptors using the selective oxytocin receptor antagonist atosiban (ATO) on contextual fear memory consolidation and reconsolidation in male rats. Post-training injections of different doses of ATO (1, 10, 100 or 1000 µg/kg) impaired the 48 h retention performance in a dose-dependent manner. The same doses of ATO following memory reactivation did not impair subsequent expression of contextual fear memories which formed under low or high shock intensities and tested 24 h or one week following memory reactivation. Also, no effect was found when ATO was administrated in the absence of memory reactivation. Our finding is the first report that indicates endogenous oxytocin released during training play an important role in the consolidation, but not reconsolidation of contextual fear memory in rats. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

[Effects of propranolol on acquisition and retrieval of morphine- induced conditioned place preference memories in ICR mice].

PubMed

Mao, Yu; Yang, Shang-Chuan; Liu, Chang; Ma, Yuan-Ye; Hu, Xin-Tian

2011-12-01

To interfere with the drug-cue memory processes of addicts such as reconsolidation by the administration of the β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) of norepinephrine (NE) antagonist propranolol (PRO) has become a potential therapy in the future to decrease or inhibit relapse. However, the relationship between PRO and the acquisition or retrieval of morphine-cue memory is not clear. This study examined the effects of PRO on the acquisition and retrieval of memories in morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) mice model. We found that during memory acquisition period, PRO had no effects on the expression and extinction of morphine-CPP, which suggests that the β-AR was irrelevant to the CPP memory acquisition. However, during memory retrieval period, although PRO did not affect the expression of CPP, but it delayed the occurrence of CPP extinction, which indicates that PRO has an inhibit effect on CPP memory extinction, and β-AR plays an important role in modulating the extinction of morphine-CPP. Our study further improved the relationship between drug addiction and β-AR, and proposed a new theory to help developing potential therapy to cure addiction and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

Impaired social recognition memory in Recombination Activating Gene 1-deficient mice

PubMed Central

McGowan, Patrick O.; Hope, Thomas A.; Meck, Warren H.; Kelsoe, Garnett; Williams, Christina L.

2012-01-01

The Recombination Activating Genes (RAGs) encode two enzymes that play key roles in the adaptive immune system. RAG1 and RAG2 mediate VDJ recombination, a process necessary for the maturation of B- and T-cells. Interestingly, RAG1 is also expressed in the brain, particularly in areas of high neural density such as the hippocampus, although its function is unknown. We tested evidence that RAG1 plays a role in brain function using a social recognition memory task, an assessment of the acquisition and retention of conspecific identity. In a first experiment, we found that RAG1-deficient mice show impaired social recognition memory compared to mice wildtype for the RAG1 allele. In a second experiment, by breeding to homogenize background genotype we found that RAG1-deficient mice show impaired social recognition memory relative to heterozygous or RAG2-deficient littermates. Because RAG1 and RAG2 null mice are both immunodeficient, the results suggest that the memory impairment is not an indirect effect of immunological dysfunction. RAG1-deficient mice show normal habituation to non-socially derived odors and habituation to an open-field, indicating that the observed effect is not likely a result of a general deficit in habituation to novelty. These data trace the origin of the impairment in social recognition memory in RAG1-deficient mice to the RAG1 gene locus and implicate RAG1 in memory formation. PMID:21354115

Sleep enhances a spatially mediated generalization of learned values

PubMed Central

Tolat, Anisha; Spiers, Hugo J.

2015-01-01

Sleep is thought to play an important role in memory consolidation. Here we tested whether sleep alters the subjective value associated with objects located in spatial clusters that were navigated to in a large-scale virtual town. We found that sleep enhances a generalization of the value of high-value objects to the value of locally clustered objects, resulting in an impaired memory for the value of high-valued objects. Our results are consistent with (a) spatial context helping to bind items together in long-term memory and serve as a basis for generalizing across memories and (b) sleep mediating memory effects on salient/reward-related items. PMID:26373834

Odor-induced recall of emotional memories in PTSD-Review and new paradigm for research.

PubMed

Daniels, Judith K; Vermetten, Eric

2016-10-01

It is clinically well known that olfactory intrusions in PTSD can be a disabling phenomena due to the involuntary recall of odor memories. Odorants can trigger involuntary recall of emotional memories as well have the potential to help diminishing emotional arousal as grounding stimuli. Despite major advances in our understanding of the function of olfactory system, the study of the relation of olfaction and emotional memory is still relatively scarce. Odor memory is long thought to be different than other types of memories such as verbal or visual memories, being more strongly engraved and more closely related to strong emotions. Brain areas mediating smell memory including orbitofrontal cortex and other parts of medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala, have been implicated in learning and memory and are part of a neural circuitry that is involved in PTSD. The olfactory cortex itself also plays an important role in emotional processing. Clinical observations support the notion that odor-evoked memories can play a role in the symptomatology of PTSD. This paper reviews a re-emerging body of science linking odor processing to emotional processing in PTSD using the calming and grounding effect of odors as well as the use of odors in augmented exposure therapy. This results in converging evidence that olfaction is an excellent model for studying many questions germane to the field of human emotional memory processing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Taxing Working Memory during Retrieval of Emotional Memories Does Not Reduce Memory Accessibility When Cued with Reminders

PubMed Central

van Schie, Kevin; Engelhard, Iris M.; van den Hout, Marcel A.

2015-01-01

Earlier studies have shown that when individuals recall an emotional memory while simultaneously doing a demanding dual-task [e.g., playing Tetris, mental arithmetic, making eye movements (EM)], this reduces self-reported vividness and emotionality of the memory. These effects have been found up to 1 week later, but have largely been confined to self-report ratings. This study examined whether this dual-tasking intervention reduces memory performance (i.e., accessibility of emotional memories). Undergraduates (N = 60) studied word-image pairs and rated the retrieved image on vividness and emotionality when cued with the word. Then they viewed the cues and recalled the images with or without making EM. Finally, they re-rated the images on vividness and emotionality. Additionally, fragments from images from all conditions were presented and participants identified which fragment was paired earlier with which cue. Findings showed no effect of the dual-task manipulation on self-reported ratings and latency responses. Several possible explanations for the lack of effects are discussed, but the cued recall procedure in our experiment seems to explain the absence of effects best. The study demonstrates boundaries to the effects of the “dual-tasking” procedure. PMID:25729370

Nonspecific verbal cues alleviate forgetting by young children.

PubMed

Morgan, Kirstie; Hayne, Harlene

2007-11-01

Verbal reminders play a pervasive role in memory retrieval by human adults. In fact, relatively nonspecific verbal information (e.g. 'Remember the last time we ate at that restaurant?') will often cue vivid recollections of a past event even when presented outside the original encoding context. Although research has shown that memory retrieval by young children can be initiated by physical cues and by highly specific verbal cues, the effect of less specific verbal cues is not known. Using a Visual Recognition Memory (VRM) procedure, we examined the effect of nonspecific verbal cues on memory retrieval by 4-year-old children. Our findings showed that nonspecific verbal cues were as effective as highly specific nonverbal cues in facilitating memory retrieval after a 2-week delay. We conclude that, at least by 4 years of age, children are able to use nonspecific verbal reminders to cue memory retrieval, and that the VRM paradigm may be particularly valuable in examining the age at which this initially occurs.

Attention Effects During Visual Short-Term Memory Maintenance: Protection or Prioritization?

PubMed Central

Matsukura, Michi; Luck, Steven J.; Vecera, Shaun P.

2007-01-01

Interactions between visual attention and visual short-term memory (VSTM) play a central role in cognitive processing. For example, attention can assist in selectively encoding items into visual memory. Attention appears to be able to influence items already stored in visual memory as well; cues that appear long after the presentation of an array of objects can affect memory for those objects (Griffin & Nobre, 2003). In five experiments, we distinguished two possible mechanisms for the effects of cues on items currently stored in VSTM. A protection account proposes that attention protects the cued item from becoming degraded during the retention interval. By contrast, a prioritization account suggests that attention increases a cued item’s priority during the comparison process that occurs when memory is tested. The results of the experiments were consistent with the first of these possibilities, suggesting that attention can serve to protect VSTM representations while they are being maintained. PMID:18078232

Modeling the dynamics of recognition memory testing with an integrated model of retrieval and decision making.

PubMed

Osth, Adam F; Jansson, Anna; Dennis, Simon; Heathcote, Andrew

2018-08-01

A robust finding in recognition memory is that performance declines monotonically across test trials. Despite the prevalence of this decline, there is a lack of consensus on the mechanism responsible. Three hypotheses have been put forward: (1) interference is caused by learning of test items (2) the test items cause a shift in the context representation used to cue memory and (3) participants change their speed-accuracy thresholds through the course of testing. We implemented all three possibilities in a combined model of recognition memory and decision making, which inherits the memory retrieval elements of the Osth and Dennis (2015) model and uses the diffusion decision model (DDM: Ratcliff, 1978) to generate choice and response times. We applied the model to four datasets that represent three challenges, the findings that: (1) the number of test items plays a larger role in determining performance than the number of studied items, (2) performance decreases less for strong items than weak items in pure lists but not in mixed lists, and (3) lexical decision trials interspersed between recognition test trials do not increase the rate at which performance declines. Analysis of the model's parameter estimates suggests that item interference plays a weak role in explaining the effects of recognition testing, while context drift plays a very large role. These results are consistent with prior work showing a weak role for item noise in recognition memory and that retrieval is a strong cause of context change in episodic memory. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Timeless Memory: Evidence against Temporal Distinctiveness Models of Short-Term Memory for Serial Order

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewandowsky, Stephan; Brown, Gordon D. A.; Wright, Tarryn; Nimmo, Lisa M.

2006-01-01

According to temporal distinctiveness models, items that are temporally isolated from their neighbors during list presentation are more distinct and thus should be recalled better. Event-based theories, by contrast, deny that time plays a role at encoding and predict no beneficial effect of temporal isolation, although they acknowledge that a…

Encoding: The Keystone to Efficient Functioning of Verbal Short-Term Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barry, Johanna G.; Sabisch, Beate; Friederici, Angela D.; Brauer, Jens

2011-01-01

Verbal short-term memory (VSTM) is thought to play a critical role in language learning. It is indexed by the nonword repetition task where listeners are asked to repeat meaningless words like "blonterstaping". The present study investigated the effect on nonword repetition performance of differences in efficiency of functioning of some part of…

Effect of quantum learning model in improving creativity and memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sujatmika, S.; Hasanah, D.; Hakim, L. L.

2018-04-01

Quantum learning is a combination of many interactions that exist during learning. This model can be applied by current interesting topic, contextual, repetitive, and give opportunities to students to demonstrate their abilities. The basis of the quantum learning model are left brain theory, right brain theory, triune, visual, auditorial, kinesthetic, game, symbol, holistic, and experiential learning theory. Creativity plays an important role to be success in the working world. Creativity shows alternatives way to problem-solving or creates something. Good memory plays a role in the success of learning. Through quantum learning, students will use all of their abilities, interested in learning and create their own ways of memorizing concepts of the material being studied. From this idea, researchers assume that quantum learning models can improve creativity and memory of the students.

The Effects of Goal Relevance and Perceptual Features on Emotional Items and Associative Memory

PubMed Central

Mao, Wei B.; An, Shu; Yang, Xiao F.

2017-01-01

Showing an emotional item in a neutral background scene often leads to enhanced memory for the emotional item and impaired associative memory for background details. Meanwhile, both top–down goal relevance and bottom–up perceptual features played important roles in memory binding. We conducted two experiments and aimed to further examine the effects of goal relevance and perceptual features on emotional items and associative memory. By manipulating goal relevance (asking participants to categorize only each item image as living or non-living or to categorize each whole composite picture consisted of item image and background scene as natural scene or manufactured scene) and perceptual features (controlling visual contrast and visual familiarity) in two experiments, we found that both high goal relevance and salient perceptual features (high salience of items vs. high familiarity of items) could promote emotional item memory, but they had different effects on associative memory for emotional items and neutral backgrounds. Specifically, high goal relevance and high perceptual-salience of items could jointly impair the associative memory for emotional items and neutral backgrounds, while the effect of item familiarity on associative memory for emotional items would be modulated by goal relevance. High familiarity of items could increase associative memory for negative items and neutral backgrounds only in the low goal relevance condition. These findings suggest the effect of emotion on associative memory is not only related to attentional capture elicited by emotion, but also can be affected by goal relevance and perceptual features of stimulus. PMID:28790943

The Effects of Goal Relevance and Perceptual Features on Emotional Items and Associative Memory.

PubMed

Mao, Wei B; An, Shu; Yang, Xiao F

2017-01-01

Showing an emotional item in a neutral background scene often leads to enhanced memory for the emotional item and impaired associative memory for background details. Meanwhile, both top-down goal relevance and bottom-up perceptual features played important roles in memory binding. We conducted two experiments and aimed to further examine the effects of goal relevance and perceptual features on emotional items and associative memory. By manipulating goal relevance (asking participants to categorize only each item image as living or non-living or to categorize each whole composite picture consisted of item image and background scene as natural scene or manufactured scene) and perceptual features (controlling visual contrast and visual familiarity) in two experiments, we found that both high goal relevance and salient perceptual features (high salience of items vs. high familiarity of items) could promote emotional item memory, but they had different effects on associative memory for emotional items and neutral backgrounds. Specifically, high goal relevance and high perceptual-salience of items could jointly impair the associative memory for emotional items and neutral backgrounds, while the effect of item familiarity on associative memory for emotional items would be modulated by goal relevance. High familiarity of items could increase associative memory for negative items and neutral backgrounds only in the low goal relevance condition. These findings suggest the effect of emotion on associative memory is not only related to attentional capture elicited by emotion, but also can be affected by goal relevance and perceptual features of stimulus.

The ERM protein Moesin is essential for neuronal morphogenesis and long-term memory in Drosophila.

PubMed

Freymuth, Patrick S; Fitzsimons, Helen L

2017-08-29

Moesin is a cytoskeletal adaptor protein that plays an important role in modification of the actin cytoskeleton. Rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton drives both neuronal morphogenesis and the structural changes in neurons that are required for long-term memory formation. Moesin has been identified as a candidate memory gene in Drosophila, however, whether it is required for memory formation has not been evaluated. Here, we investigate the role of Moesin in neuronal morphogenesis and in short- and long-term memory formation in the courtship suppression assay, a model of associative memory. We found that both knockdown and overexpression of Moesin led to defects in axon growth and guidance as well as dendritic arborization. Moreover, reduction of Moesin expression or expression of a constitutively active phosphomimetic in the adult Drosophila brain had no effect on short term memory, but prevented long-term memory formation, an effect that was independent of its role in development. These results indicate a critical role for Moesin in both neuronal morphogenesis and long-term memory formation.

How memory mechanisms are a key component in the guidance of our eye movements: evidence from the global effect.

PubMed

Silvis, J D; Van der Stigchel, S

2014-04-01

Investigating eye movements has been a promising approach to uncover the role of visual working memory in early attentional processes. Prior research has already demonstrated that eye movements in search tasks are more easily drawn toward stimuli that show similarities to working memory content, as compared with neutral stimuli. Previous saccade tasks, however, have always required a selection process, thereby automatically recruiting working memory. The present study was an attempt to confirm the role of working memory in oculomotor selection in an unbiased saccade task that rendered memory mechanisms irrelevant. Participants executed a saccade in a display with two elements, without any instruction to aim for one particular element. The results show that when two objects appear simultaneously, a working memory match attracts the first saccade more profoundly than do mismatch objects, an effect that was present throughout the saccade latency distribution. These findings demonstrate that memory plays a fundamental biasing role in the earliest competitive processes in the selection of visual objects, even when working memory is not recruited during selection.

Auditory memory function in expert chess players

PubMed Central

Fattahi, Fariba; Geshani, Ahmad; Jafari, Zahra; Jalaie, Shohreh; Salman Mahini, Mona

2015-01-01

Background: Chess is a game that involves many aspects of high level cognition such as memory, attention, focus and problem solving. Long term practice of chess can improve cognition performances and behavioral skills. Auditory memory, as a kind of memory, can be influenced by strengthening processes following long term chess playing like other behavioral skills because of common processing pathways in the brain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the auditory memory function of expert chess players using the Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test. Methods: The Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test was performed for 30 expert chess players aged 20-35 years and 30 non chess players who were matched by different conditions; the participants in both groups were randomly selected. The performance of the two groups was compared by independent samples t-test using SPSS version 21. Results: The mean score of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test between the two groups, expert chess players and non-chess players, revealed a significant difference (p≤ 0.001). The difference between the ears scores for expert chess players (p= 0.023) and non-chess players (p= 0.013) was significant. Gender had no effect on the test results. Conclusion: Auditory memory function in expert chess players was significantly better compared to non-chess players. It seems that increased auditory memory function is related to strengthening cognitive performances due to playing chess for a long time. PMID:26793666

Chronic stress effects on working memory: association with prefrontal cortical tyrosine hydroxylase.

PubMed

Lee, Young-A; Goto, Yukiori

2015-06-01

Chronic stress causes deficits in cognitive function including working memory, for which transmission of such catecholamines as dopamine and noradrenaline transmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are crucial. Since catecholamine synthesis depends on the rate-limiting enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), TH is thought to play an important role in PFC function. In this study, we found that two distinct population existed in Sprague-Dawley rats in terms of working memory capacity, one with higher working memory capacity, and the other with low capacity. This distinction of working memory capacity became apparent after rats were exposed to chronic stress. In addition, such working memory capacity and alterations of working memory function by chronic stress were associated with TH expression in the PFC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NAND FLASH Radiation Tolerant Intelligent Memory Stack (RTIMS FLASH)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sellier, Charles; Wang, Pierre

2014-08-01

The NAND Flash Radiation Tolerant and Intelligent Memory Stack (RTIMS FLASH) is a User's Friendly, Plug-and- Play and Radiation Protected high density NAND Flash Memory. It provides a very high density, radiation hardened by design and non-volatile memory module suitable for all space applications such as commercial or scientific geo-stationary missions, earth observation, navigation, manned space vehicles and deep space scientific exploration. The Intelligent Memory Module embeds a very high density of non-volatile NAND Flash memory and one Intelligent Flash Memory Controller (FMC). The FMC provides the module with a full protection against the radiation effects such as SEL, SEFI and SEU. It's also granting the module with bad block immunity as well as high level service functions that will benefit to the user's applications.

Examining the relationship between face processing and social interaction behavior in children with and without autism spectrum disorder

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairment in reciprocal social communication, which includes deficits in social cognition and behavior. Since social cognition and social behavior are considered to be interdependent, it is valuable to examine social processes on multiple levels of analysis. Neuropsychological measures of face processing often reveal deficits in social cognition in ASD including the ability to identify and remember facial information. However, the extent to which neuropsychological measures are associated with or predictive of real-world social behavior is unclear. Methods The study investigated 66 children (ASD 34, typically developing (TD) 32) using neuropsychological measures of face processing (identity, affect, and memory). Children also participated in a peer interaction paradigm, which allowed observation and coding of natural social interaction behaviors during play with peers (e.g., Self-Play, Cooperative Play, Verbal Bout). ANCOVA, regression, and correlation models analyzed between-group differences, the ability of neuropsychological measures to predict social behavior, and the strength of the associations. Results Between-group differences were shown on Memory for Faces Delayed and the peer interaction variables Self-Play and Verbal Bout. Regression models indicated that Memory for Faces Delayed predicted the amount of Self-Play, Equipment use alone, and Cooperative Play with peers on the playground. Autism symptomology only predicted verbal exchange with peers. Conclusions Face memory strongly predicts relevant social engagement patterns in both children with and without ASD. Impairment in facial memory is associated with reduced ‘real-world’ social interaction and more self-play, whereas higher performance in face memory predicts more cooperative play. Results highlight the strong connection between face memory and reciprocal social interaction, suggesting that improvement in one may benefit the other. PMID:25180050

Effect of BDNF val(66)met polymorphism on declarative memory and its neural substrate: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kambeitz, Joseph P; Bhattacharyya, Sagnik; Kambeitz-Ilankovic, Lana M; Valli, Isabel; Collier, David A; McGuire, Philip

2012-10-01

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a critical component of the molecular mechanism of memory formation. Variation in the BDNF gene, particularly the rs6265 (val(66)met) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), has been linked to variability in human memory performance and to both the structure and physiological response of the hippocampus, which plays a central role in memory processing. However, these effects have not been consistently reported, which may reflect the modest size of the samples studied to date. Employing a meta-analytic approach, we examined the effect of the BDNF val(66)met polymorphism on human memory (5922 subjects) and hippocampal structure (2985 subjects) and physiology (362 subjects). Our results suggest that variations in the rs6265 SNP of the BDNF gene have a significant effect on memory performance, and on both the structure and physiology of the hippocampus, with carriers of the met allele being adversely affected. These results underscore the role of BDNF in moderating variability between individuals in human memory performance and in mediating some of the neurocognitive impairments underlying neuropsychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Micropore Geometry Manipulation by Macroscopic Deformation Based on Shape Memory Effect in Porous PLLA Membrane and its Enhanced Separation Performance.

PubMed

Zhao, Jingxin; Yang, Qiucheng; Wang, Tao; Wang, Lian; You, Jichun; Li, Yongjin

2017-12-20

An effective strategy to tailor the microporous structures has been developed based on the shape memory effect in porous poly(l-lactic acid) membranes in which tiny crystals and amorphous matrix play the roles of shape-fixed phase and reversible-phase, respectively. Our results indicate that not only PLLA membranes but micropores exhibit shape memory properties. The proportional deformations on two scales have been achieved by uniaxial or biaxial tension, providing a facile way to manipulate continuously the size and the orientation degree of pores on microscale. The enhanced separation performance has been validated by taking polystyrene colloids with varying diameters as an example.

Working memory affects false memory production for emotional events.

PubMed

Mirandola, Chiara; Toffalini, Enrico; Ciriello, Alfonso; Cornoldi, Cesare

2017-01-01

Whereas a link between working memory (WM) and memory distortions has been demonstrated, its influence on emotional false memories is unclear. In two experiments, a verbal WM task and a false memory paradigm for negative, positive or neutral events were employed. In Experiment 1, we investigated individual differences in verbal WM and found that the interaction between valence and WM predicted false recognition, with negative and positive material protecting high WM individuals against false remembering; the beneficial effect of negative material disappeared in low WM participants. In Experiment 2, we lowered the WM capacity of half of the participants with a double task request, which led to an overall increase in false memories; furthermore, consistent with Experiment 1, the increase in negative false memories was larger than that of neutral or positive ones. It is concluded that WM plays a critical role in determining false memory production, specifically influencing the processing of negative material.

Environment enrichment rescues the neurodegenerative phenotypes in presenilins-deficient mice.

PubMed

Dong, Suzhen; Li, Chunxia; Wu, Pu; Tsien, Joe Z; Hu, Yinghe

2007-07-01

Presenilin (PS) 1 and 2 conditional double knockout (cDKO) mice show progressive memory dysfunction and forebrain degeneration. Gene expression profiling results revealed a strong activation of immunity and inflammation responses in the brains of 10-month-old cDKO mice. As environmental enrichment (EE) has been shown to be able to improve memory and induce neurogenesis of the brain, we assessed the effects of EE on the memory performance and the neurodegeneration in cDKO mice. We found that EE effectively enhanced memory and partially rescued the forebrain atrophy of the cDKO mice. Our results suggest that immunity and inflammation could play important roles in the neurodegeneration of cDKO mice. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of EE may be associated with the inhibition of the expression of immunity and inflammation-related genes in the brain.

Rapamycin prevents drug seeking via disrupting reconsolidation of reward memory in rats.

PubMed

Lin, Jue; Liu, Lingqi; Wen, Quan; Zheng, Chunming; Gao, Yang; Peng, Shuxian; Tan, Yalun; Li, Yanqin

2014-01-01

The maladaptive drug memory developed between the drug-rewarding effect and environmental cues contributes to difficulty in preventing drug relapse. Established reward memories can be disrupted by pharmacologic interventions following their reactivation. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase, has been proved to be involved in various memory consolidation. However, it is less well characterized in drug memory reconsolidation. Using a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure, we examined the effects of systemically administered rapamycin on reconsolidation of drug memory in rats. We found that systemically administered rapamycin (0.1 or 10 mg/kg, i.p.) after re-exposure to drug-paired environment, dose dependently decreased the expression of CPP 1 d later, and the effect lasted for up to 14 d and could not be reversed by a priming injection of morphine. The effect of rapamycin on morphine-associated memory was specific to drug-paired context, and rapamycin had no effect on subsequent CPP expression when rats were exposed to saline-paired context or homecage. These results indicated that systemic administration of rapamycin after memory reactivation can persistently inhibit the drug seeking behaviour via disruption of morphine memory reconsolidation in rats. Additionally, the effect of rapamycin on memory reconsolidation was reproduced in cocaine CPP and alcohol CPP. Furthermore, rapamycin did not induce conditioned place aversion and had no effect on locomotor activity and anxiety behaviour. These findings suggest that rapamycin could erase the acquired drug CPP in rats, and that mTOR activity plays an important role in drug reconsolidation and is required for drug relapse.

The Effect of Insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factors on Hippocampus- and Amygdala-Dependent Long-Term Memory Formation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, Sarah A.; Chen, Dillon Y.; Alberini, Cristina M.

2014-01-01

Recent work has reported that the insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) promotes memory enhancement. Furthermore, impaired insulin or IGF1 functions have been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration and cognitive impairments, hence implicating the insulin/IGF system as an important target for cognitive enhancement and/or…

The Limits of Visual Working Memory in Children: Exploring Prioritization and Recency Effects with Sequential Presentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, Ed D. J.; Waterman, Amanda H.; Baddeley, Alan D.; Hitch, Graham J.; Allen, Richard J.

2018-01-01

Recent research has demonstrated that, when instructed to prioritize a serial position in visual working memory (WM), adults are able to boost performance for this selected item, at a cost to nonprioritized items (e.g., Hu, Hitch, Baddeley, Zhang, & Allen, 2014). While executive control appears to play an important role in this ability, the…

Critical role of CA1 muscarinic receptors on memory acquisition deficit induced by total (TSD) and REM sleep deprivation (RSD).

PubMed

Javad-Moosavi, Bibi-Zahra; Vaezi, Gholamhassan; Nasehi, Mohammad; Haeri-Rouhani, Seyed-Ali; Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza

2017-10-03

Despite different theories regarding sleep physiological function, an overall census indicates that sleep is useful for neural plasticity which eventually strengthens cognition and brain performance. Different studies show that sleep deprivation (SD) leads to impaired learning and hippocampus dependent memory. According to some studies, cholinergic system plays an important role in sleep (particularly REM sleep), learning, memory, and its retrieval. So this study has been designed to investigate the effect of CA1 Cholinergic Muscarinic Receptors on memory acquisition deficit induced by total sleep deprivation (TSD) and REM sleep deprivation (RSD). A modified water box (locomotor activity may be provide a limiting factor in this method of SD) or multiple platforms were used for induction of TSD or RSD, respectively. Inhibitory passive avoidance apparatus has been used to determine the effects of SD and its changes by physostigmine (as cholinesterase inhibitor) or scopolamine (muscarinic receptor antagonist) on memory formation. Because locomotor activity and pain perception induce critical roles in passive avoidance memory formation, we also measured these factors by open field and hot-plate instruments, respectively. The results showed that TSD and RSD for 24 hours impaired memory formation but they did not alter locomotor activity. TSD also induced analgesia effect, but RSD did not alter it. Intra-CA1 injection of physostigmine (0.0001μg/rat) and scopolamine (0.01μg/rat) did not alter memory acquisition in the sham-TSD or sham-RSD, by themselves. Moreover, intra-CA1 injection of sub-threshold dose of physostigmine (0.0001μg/rat) and scopolamine (0.01μg/rat) could restore the memory acquisition deficit induced by RSD, while scopolamine could restore TSD-induced amnesia. Both drugs reversed analgesia induced by TSD. None of previous interventions altered locomotor activity. According to this study, CA1 cholinergic muscarinic receptors play an important role in amnesia induced by both TSD and RSD. However further studies are needed for showing cellular and molecular mechanisms of surprising result of similar pharmacological effects using compounds with opposite profiles. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Xenon Impairs Reconsolidation of Fear Memories in a Rat Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PubMed Central

Meloni, Edward G.; Gillis, Timothy E.; Manoukian, Jasmine; Kaufman, Marc J.

2014-01-01

Xenon (Xe) is a noble gas that has been developed for use in people as an inhalational anesthestic and a diagnostic imaging agent. Xe inhibits glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors involved in learning and memory and can affect synaptic plasticity in the amygdala and hippocampus, two brain areas known to play a role in fear conditioning models of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because glutamate receptors also have been shown to play a role in fear memory reconsolidation – a state in which recalled memories become susceptible to modification – we examined whether Xe administered after fear memory reactivation could affect subsequent expression of fear-like behavior (freezing) in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained for contextual and cued fear conditioning and the effects of inhaled Xe (25%, 1 hr) on fear memory reconsolidation were tested using conditioned freezing measured days or weeks after reactivation/Xe administration. Xe administration immediately after fear memory reactivation significantly reduced conditioned freezing when tested 48 h, 96 h or 18 d after reactivation/Xe administration. Xe did not affect freezing when treatment was delayed until 2 h after reactivation or when administered in the absence of fear memory reactivation. These data suggest that Xe substantially and persistently inhibits memory reconsolidation in a reactivation and time-dependent manner, that it could be used as a new research tool to characterize reconsolidation and other memory processes, and that it could be developed to treat people with PTSD and other disorders related to emotional memory. PMID:25162644

Short-term memory to long-term memory transition in a nanoscale memristor.

PubMed

Chang, Ting; Jo, Sung-Hyun; Lu, Wei

2011-09-27

"Memory" is an essential building block in learning and decision-making in biological systems. Unlike modern semiconductor memory devices, needless to say, human memory is by no means eternal. Yet, forgetfulness is not always a disadvantage since it releases memory storage for more important or more frequently accessed pieces of information and is thought to be necessary for individuals to adapt to new environments. Eventually, only memories that are of significance are transformed from short-term memory into long-term memory through repeated stimulation. In this study, we show experimentally that the retention loss in a nanoscale memristor device bears striking resemblance to memory loss in biological systems. By stimulating the memristor with repeated voltage pulses, we observe an effect analogous to memory transition in biological systems with much improved retention time accompanied by additional structural changes in the memristor. We verify that not only the shape or the total number of stimuli is influential, but also the time interval between stimulation pulses (i.e., the stimulation rate) plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of the transition. The memory enhancement and transition of the memristor device was explained from the microscopic picture of impurity redistribution and can be qualitatively described by the same equations governing biological memories. © 2011 American Chemical Society

A neuroanatomical analysis of the effects of a memory impairing dose of scopolamine in the rat brain using cytochrome c oxidase as principle marker.

PubMed

Hescham, Sarah; Temel, Yasin; Casaca-Carreira, João; Arslantas, Kemal; Yakkioui, Youssef; Blokland, Arjan; Jahanshahi, Ali

2014-09-01

Acetylcholine plays a role in mnemonic and attentional processes, but also in locomotor and anxiety-related behavior. Receptor blockage by scopolamine can therefore induce cognitive as well as motor deficits and increase anxiety levels. Here we show that scopolamine, at a dose that has previously been found to affect learning and memory performance (0.1 mg/kg i.p.), has a widespread effect on cytochrome c oxidase histochemistry in various regions of the rat brain. We found a down-regulation of cytochrome c oxidase in the nucleus basalis, in movement-related structures such as the primary motor cortex and the globus pallidus, memory-related structures such as the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex and in anxiety-related structures like the amygdala, which also plays a role in memory. However choline acetyltransferase levels were only affected in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus and both, choline acetyltransferase and c-Fos expression levels were decreased in the amygdala. These findings corroborate strong cognitive behavioral effects of this drug, but also suggest possible anxiety- and locomotor-related changes in subjects. Moreover, they present histochemical evidence that the effects of scopolamine are not ultimately restricted to cognitive parameters. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pianists exhibit enhanced memory for vocal melodies but not piano melodies.

PubMed

Weiss, Michael W; Vanzella, Patrícia; Schellenberg, E Glenn; Trehub, Sandra E

2015-01-01

Nonmusicians remember vocal melodies (i.e., sung to la la) better than instrumental melodies. If greater exposure to the voice contributes to those effects, then long-term experience with instrumental timbres should elicit instrument-specific advantages. Here we evaluate this hypothesis by comparing pianists with other musicians and nonmusicians. We also evaluate the possibility that absolute pitch (AP), which involves exceptional memory for isolated pitches, influences melodic memory. Participants heard 24 melodies played in four timbres (voice, piano, banjo, marimba) and were subsequently required to distinguish the melodies heard previously from 24 novel melodies presented in the same timbres. Musicians performed better than nonmusicians, but both groups showed a comparable memory advantage for vocal melodies. Moreover, pianists performed no better on melodies played on piano than on other instruments, and AP musicians performed no differently than non-AP musicians. The findings confirm the robust nature of the voice advantage and rule out explanations based on familiarity, practice, and motor representations.

Young readers' use of phonological information: phonological awareness, memory, and comprehension.

PubMed

Gray, Audra; McCutchen, Deborah

2006-01-01

In this study, we explored the relationship between beginning readers' phonological awareness and other aspects of phonological processing, specifically as manifested in short-term memory and comprehension tasks. The theoretical questions underlying the study were (a) what roles phonological processes play in children's beginning reading, from word identification through sentence comprehension, and (b) whether those roles are sufficiently related that potential difficulties at one level directly affect processing at other levels. Phonologically induced effects were observed for word-list memory and for sentence judgments for both novice readers (at the end of kindergarten) and relatively more experienced readers (end of Grades 1 and 2). For both age groups, correlational analyses revealed relationships among phonological awareness, phonological processing in list memory, and word reading. However, phonological processing in sentence comprehension was not related to other types of phonological processing. These results indicate that although phonology plays a role during comprehension, phonological processing may not be as limiting a factor in comprehension as in word reading.

Modeling Memory for Language Understanding.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

Abstract Research on natural language understanding by computer has shown that the nature and organization of memory plays j central role in the...block number) Research on natural language understanding by computer has shown that the nature and organization of memory plays a central role in the...understanding mechanism. Further we claim that such reminding is at the root of how we learn. Issues such as these have played an important part in shaping the

Hippocampal Administration of Levothyroxine Impairs Contextual Fear Memory Consolidation in Rats.

PubMed

Yu, Dafu; Zhou, Heng; Zou, Lin; Jiang, Yong; Wu, Xiaoqun; Jiang, Lizhu; Zhou, Qixin; Yang, Yuexiong; Xu, Lin; Mao, Rongrong

2017-01-01

Thyroid hormone (TH) receptors are highly distributed in the hippocampus, which plays a vital role in memory processes. However, how THs are involved in the different stages of memory process is little known. Herein, we used hippocampus dependent contextual fear conditioning to address the effects of hippocampal THs on the different stages of fear memory. First, we found that a single systemic levothyroxine (LT 4 ) administration increased the level of free triiodothyronine (FT 3 ) and free tetraiodothyroxine (FT 4 ) not only in serum but also in hippocampus. In addition, a single systemic LT 4 administration immediately after fear conditioning significantly impaired fear memory. These results indicated the important role of hippocampal THs in fear memory process. To further confirm the effects of hippocampal THs on the different stages of fear memory, LT 4 (0.4 μg/μl, 1 μl/side) was injected bilaterally into hippocampus. Rats given LT 4 into hippocampus before training or tests had no effect on the acquisition or retrieval of fear memory, however rats given LT 4 into hippocampus either immediately or 2 h after training showed being significantly impaired fear memory, which demonstrated LT 4 administration into hippocampus impairs the consolidation but has no effect on the acquisition and retrieval of fear memory. Furthermore, hippocampal injection of LT 4 did not affect rats' locomotor activity, thigmotaxis and THs level in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and serum. These findings may have important implications for understanding mechanisms underlying contribution of THs to memory disorders.

Hippocampal Administration of Levothyroxine Impairs Contextual Fear Memory Consolidation in Rats

PubMed Central

Yu, Dafu; Zhou, Heng; Zou, Lin; Jiang, Yong; Wu, Xiaoqun; Jiang, Lizhu; Zhou, Qixin; Yang, Yuexiong; Xu, Lin; Mao, Rongrong

2017-01-01

Thyroid hormone (TH) receptors are highly distributed in the hippocampus, which plays a vital role in memory processes. However, how THs are involved in the different stages of memory process is little known. Herein, we used hippocampus dependent contextual fear conditioning to address the effects of hippocampal THs on the different stages of fear memory. First, we found that a single systemic levothyroxine (LT4) administration increased the level of free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free tetraiodothyroxine (FT4) not only in serum but also in hippocampus. In addition, a single systemic LT4 administration immediately after fear conditioning significantly impaired fear memory. These results indicated the important role of hippocampal THs in fear memory process. To further confirm the effects of hippocampal THs on the different stages of fear memory, LT4 (0.4 μg/μl, 1 μl/side) was injected bilaterally into hippocampus. Rats given LT4 into hippocampus before training or tests had no effect on the acquisition or retrieval of fear memory, however rats given LT4 into hippocampus either immediately or 2 h after training showed being significantly impaired fear memory, which demonstrated LT4 administration into hippocampus impairs the consolidation but has no effect on the acquisition and retrieval of fear memory. Furthermore, hippocampal injection of LT4 did not affect rats’ locomotor activity, thigmotaxis and THs level in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and serum. These findings may have important implications for understanding mechanisms underlying contribution of THs to memory disorders. PMID:28824379

Tetramethylpyrazine reverses intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced memory deficits by inhibiting GSK-3β.

PubMed

Lu, Fen; Li, Xu; Li, Wei; Wei, Ke; Yao, Yong; Zhang, Qianlin; Liang, Xinliang; Zhang, Jiewen

2017-08-01

Brain dysfunction, especially cognitive impairment, is one of the main complications in Alzheimer's disease (AD), which threatens the health of 46.8 million people worldwide. At present, the pathogenesis of cognitive dysfunction is only partially understood, and effective therapies for memory loss in AD remain elusive. Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is one of the major bioactive compounds purified from Chuanxiong, a Chinese herb used for the treatment of neurovascular and cardiovascular diseases. The neuroprotective properties of TMP are evident in some neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease. However, whether TMP plays a neuroprotective role in AD is still unknown. Here, we report that 2-week treatment with TMP rescued both short-term and long-term fear memory impairment induced by intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin in a well-known AD rat model. Administration of TMP also restored spatial learning and memory retention abilities in streptozotocin-injected rats. Furthermore, TMP inhibited the activity of GSK-3β, an important kinase that mediates hippocampal synaptic and memory disorders in diabetes mellitus. Finally, we found that TMP treatment restored the function of cholinergic neurons. Our data suggest that dietary uptake of TMP can provide protection against memory loss in AD, and the inhibition of GSK-3β may play an important role in this protective effect. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The dopamine D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride modulates striatal BOLD signal during the manipulation of information in working memory.

PubMed

Dodds, Chris M; Clark, Luke; Dove, Anja; Regenthal, Ralf; Baumann, Frank; Bullmore, Ed; Robbins, Trevor W; Müller, Ulrich

2009-11-01

Dopamine (DA) plays an important role in working memory. However, the precise functions supported by different DA receptor subtypes in different neural regions remain unclear. The present study used pharmacological, event-related fMRI to test the hypothesis that striatal dopamine is important for the manipulation of information in working memory. Twenty healthy human subjects were scanned twice, once after placebo and once after sulpiride 400 mg, a selective DA D2 receptor antagonist, while performing a verbal working memory task requiring different levels of manipulation. Whilst there was no overall effect of sulpiride on task-dependent activation, individual variation in sulpiride plasma levels predicted the effect of working memory manipulation on activation in the putamen, suggesting a dose-dependent effect of DA antagonism on a striatally based manipulation process. These effects occurred in the context of a drug-induced improvement in performance on trials requiring the manipulation of information in working memory but not on simple retrieval trials. No significant drug effects were observed in the prefrontal cortex. These results support models of dopamine function that posit a 'gating' function for dopamine D2 receptors in the striatum, which enables the flexible updating and manipulation of information in working memory.

Additive effect of harmane and muscimol for memory consolidation impairment in inhibitory avoidance task.

PubMed

Nasehi, Mohammad; Morteza-Zadeh, Parastoo; Khakpai, Fatemeh; Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza

2016-12-17

In the current study, we examined the effect of bilateral intra-dorsal hippocampal (intra-CA1) microinjections of GABA A receptor agents on amnesia induced by a β-carboline alkaloid, harmane in mice. We used a single-trial step-down passive avoidance task to assess memory retention and then, open-field test to assess locomotor activity. The results indicated that post-training intra-CA1 injections of bicuculline - a GABA A receptor antagonist - had no significant effect, while muscimol (0.01 and 0.1μg/mouse) - a GABA A receptor agonist - impaired memory consolidation. Post-training intra-peritoneal (i.p.) infusion of harmane (3 and 5mg/kg) decreased memory consolidation. Furthermore, post-training intra-CA1 administration of sub-threshold dose of bicuculline (0.001μg/mouse) restored, whereas muscimol (0.001μg/mouse) potentiated impairment of memory consolidation induced by harmane. The isobologram analysis revealed that there is an additive effect between harmane and muscimol on impairment of memory consolidation. Moreover, all above doses of drugs did not alter locomotor activity. These findings suggest that GABA A receptors of the CA1 area, at least partly, play a role in modulating the effect of harmane on memory consolidation. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A critical role of the human hippocampus in an electrophysiological measure of implicit memory

PubMed Central

Addante, Richard James

2015-01-01

The hippocampus has traditionally been thought to be critical for conscious explicit memory but not necessary for unconscious implicit memory processing. In a recent study of a group of mild amnesia patients with evidence of MTL damage limited to the hippocampus, subjects were tested on a direct test of item recognition confidence while electroencephalogram (EEG) was acquired, and revealed intact measures of explicit memory from 400–600ms (mid-frontal old-new effect, FN400). The current investigation re-analyzed this data to study event-related potentials (ERPs) of implicit memory, using a recently developed procedure that eliminated declarative memory differences. Prior ERP findings from this technique were first replicated in two independent matched control groups, which exhibited reliable implicit memory effects in posterior scalp regions from 400–600 msec, which were topographically dissociated from the explicit memory effects of familiarity. However, patients were found to be dramatically impaired in implicit memory effects relative to control subjects, as quantified by a reliable condition × group interaction. Several control analysis were conducted to consider alternative factors that could account for the results, including outliers, sample size, age, or contamination by explicit memory, and each of these factors were systematically ruled out. Results suggest that the hippocampus plays a fundamental role in aspects of memory processing that is beyond conscious awareness. The current findings therefore indicate that both memory systems of implicit and explicit memory may rely upon the same neural structures – but function in different physiological ways. PMID:25562828

Enhanced serotonergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus following tryptophan administration improves learning acquisition and memory consolidation in rats.

PubMed

Haider, Saida; Khaliq, Saima; Haleem, Darakhshan J

2007-01-01

Increasing evidence shows that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine - 5-HT) plays a modulatory role in memory functions. 5-HT transmission has been implicated in learning and memory. Both 5-HT depletion and specific 5-HT agonists lower memory performance. Hippocampus is thought to be the key region involved in long-term memory. It is the major limbic target of the brainstem serotonergic neurons that modulate learning. In the present study, we examined the effects of increased hippocampal 5-HT metabolism following tryptophan (TRP) administration on short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) in rats. Learning acquisition (LA) and memory consolidation (MC) in rats was also evaluated. TRP at 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg body weight was used. Assessment of memory in rats was done using the water maze test (WM) after 6 weeks of daily administration of TRP. The results showed that administration of TRP enhanced both STM and LTM. However, the effect on STM was significant only at the higher dose. Rats administered the higher dose of TRP also exhibited a significant enhancement in LA. A significant effect on MC was also observed in tryptophan-treated rats. The results suggest that serotonergic system in the hippocampus is important in LA and MC in rats.

Betaine prevents homocysteine-induced memory impairment via matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the frontal cortex.

PubMed

Kunisawa, K; Nakashima, N; Nagao, M; Nomura, T; Kinoshita, S; Hiramatsu, M

2015-10-01

Betaine plays important roles that include acting as a methyl donor and converting homocysteine (Hcy) to methionine. Elevated plasma Hcy levels are known as hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and contribute to impairments of learning and memory. Although it is commonly known that betaine plays an important role in Hcy metabolism, the effects of betaine on Hcy-induced memory impairment have not been investigated. Previously, we demonstrated the beneficial effects of betaine on acute stress and lipopolysaccharide-induced memory impairment. In the present study, we investigated whether betaine ameliorates Hcy-induced memory impairment and the underlying mechanisms of this putative effect. Mice were treated with Hcy (0.162mg/kg, s.c.) twice a day for nine days, and betaine (25mg/kg, s.c.) was administered 30min before the Hcy injections. The memory functions were evaluated using a spontaneous alternation performance test (Y-maze) at seven days and a step-down type passive avoidance test (SD) at nine and ten days after Hcy injection. We found that betaine suppressed the memory impairment induced by repeated Hcy injections. However, the blood concentrations of Hcy were significantly increased in the Hcy-treated mice immediately after the passive avoidance test, and betaine did not prevent this increase. Furthermore, Hcy induces redox stress in part by activating matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which leads to BBB dysfunction. Therefore, we tested whether betaine affected MMP-9 activity. Interestingly, treatment with betaine significantly inhibited Hcy-induced MMP-9 activity in the frontal cortex but not in the hippocampus after acute Hcy injection. These results suggest that the changes in MMP-9 activity after betaine treatment might have been partially responsible for the amelioration of the memory deficits and that MMP-9 might be a candidate therapeutic target for HHcy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CB2 Cannabinoid Receptor Knockout in Mice Impairs Contextual Long-Term Memory and Enhances Spatial Working Memory

PubMed Central

Li, Yong; Kim, Jimok

2016-01-01

Neurocognitive effects of cannabinoids have been extensively studied with a focus on CB1 cannabinoid receptors because CB1 receptors have been considered the major cannabinoid receptor in the nervous system. However, recent discoveries of CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the brain demand accurate determination of whether and how CB2 receptors are involved in the cognitive effects of cannabinoids. CB2 cannabinoid receptors are primarily involved in immune functions, but also implicated in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. Here, we examined the effects of CB2 receptor knockout in mice on memory to determine the roles of CB2 receptors in modulating cognitive function. Behavioral assays revealed that hippocampus-dependent, long-term contextual fear memory was impaired whereas hippocampus-independent, cued fear memory was normal in CB2 receptor knockout mice. These mice also displayed enhanced spatial working memory when tested in a Y-maze. Motor activity and anxiety of CB2 receptor knockout mice were intact when assessed in an open field arena and an elevated zero maze. In contrast to the knockout of CB2 receptors, acute blockade of CB2 receptors by AM603 in C57BL/6J mice had no effect on memory, motor activity, or anxiety. Our results suggest that CB2 cannabinoid receptors play diverse roles in regulating memory depending on memory types and/or brain areas. PMID:26819779

Glucocorticoids interact with the hippocampal endocannabinoid system in impairing retrieval of contextual fear memory

PubMed Central

Atsak, Piray; Hauer, Daniela; Campolongo, Patrizia; Schelling, Gustav; McGaugh, James L.; Roozendaal, Benno

2012-01-01

There is extensive evidence that glucocorticoid hormones impair the retrieval of memory of emotionally arousing experiences. Although it is known that glucocorticoid effects on memory retrieval impairment depend on rapid interactions with arousal-induced noradrenergic activity, the exact mechanism underlying this presumably nongenomically mediated glucocorticoid action remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that the hippocampal endocannabinoid system, a rapidly activated retrograde messenger system, is involved in mediating glucocorticoid effects on retrieval of contextual fear memory. Systemic administration of corticosterone (0.3–3 mg/kg) to male Sprague–Dawley rats 1 h before retention testing impaired the retrieval of contextual fear memory without impairing the retrieval of auditory fear memory or directly affecting the expression of freezing behavior. Importantly, a blockade of hippocampal CB1 receptors with AM251 prevented the impairing effect of corticosterone on retrieval of contextual fear memory, whereas the same impairing dose of corticosterone increased hippocampal levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. We also found that antagonism of hippocampal β-adrenoceptor activity with local infusions of propranolol blocked the memory retrieval impairment induced by the CB receptor agonist WIN55,212–2. Thus, these findings strongly suggest that the endocannabinoid system plays an intermediary role in regulating rapid glucocorticoid effects on noradrenergic activity in impairing memory retrieval of emotionally arousing experiences. PMID:22331883

Preschool Child Development: Implications for Investigation of Child Abuse Allegations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sivan, Abigail B.

1991-01-01

This article reviews research on child development relevant to the question of the veracity of mistreatment allegations made by children ages two to five years. The article covers research on thought and language, memory and learning, fears, fantasy, play, and television's effects. It is concluded that preschoolers base their play on the reality…

Effects of motor congruence on visual working memory.

PubMed

Quak, Michel; Pecher, Diane; Zeelenberg, Rene

2014-10-01

Grounded-cognition theories suggest that memory shares processing resources with perception and action. The motor system could be used to help memorize visual objects. In two experiments, we tested the hypothesis that people use motor affordances to maintain object representations in working memory. Participants performed a working memory task on photographs of manipulable and nonmanipulable objects. The manipulable objects were objects that required either a precision grip (i.e., small items) or a power grip (i.e., large items) to use. A concurrent motor task that could be congruent or incongruent with the manipulable objects caused no difference in working memory performance relative to nonmanipulable objects. Moreover, the precision- or power-grip motor task did not affect memory performance on small and large items differently. These findings suggest that the motor system plays no part in visual working memory.

False Memories for Suggestions: The Impact of Conceptual Elaboration

PubMed Central

Zaragoza, Maria S.; Mitchell, Karen J.; Payment, Kristie; Drivdahl, Sarah

2010-01-01

Relatively little attention has been paid to the potential role that reflecting on the meaning and implications of suggested events (i.e., conceptual elaboration) might play in promoting the creation of false memories. Two experiments assessed whether encouraging repeated conceptual elaboration, would, like perceptual elaboration, increase false memory for suggested events. Results showed that conceptual elaboration of suggested events more often resulted in high confidence false memories (Experiment 1) and false memories that were accompanied by the phenomenal experience of remembering them (Experiment 2) than did surface-level processing. Moreover, conceptual elaboration consistently led to higher rates of false memory than did perceptual elaboration. The false memory effects that resulted from conceptual elaboration were highly dependent on the organization of the postevent interview questions, such that conceptual elaboration only increased false memory beyond surface level processing when participants evaluated both true and suggested information in relation to the same theme or dimension. PMID:21103451

Effect of ablated hippocampal neurogenesis on the formation and extinction of contextual fear memory

PubMed Central

Ko, Hyoung-Gon; Jang, Deok-Jin; Son, Junehee; Kwak, Chuljung; Choi, Jun-Hyeok; Ji, Young-Hoon; Lee, Yun-Sil; Son, Hyeon; Kaang, Bong-Kiun

2009-01-01

Newborn neurons in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus incorporate into the dentate gyrus and mature. Numerous studies have focused on hippocampal neurogenesis because of its importance in learning and memory. However, it is largely unknown whether hippocampal neurogenesis is involved in memory extinction per se. Here, we sought to examine the possibility that hippocampal neurogenesis may play a critical role in the formation and extinction of hippocampus-dependent contextual fear memory. By methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) or gamma-ray irradiation, hippocampal neurogenesis was impaired in adult mice. Under our experimental conditions, only a severe impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis inhibited the formation of contextual fear memory. However, the extinction of contextual fear memory was not affected. These results suggest that although adult newborn neurons contribute to contextual fear memory, they may not be involved in the extinction or erasure of hippocampus-dependent contextual fear memory. PMID:19138433

Memory and its role in appetite regulation.

PubMed

Higgs, Suzanne

2005-05-19

The importance of memory processes for the formation and expression of conditioned food preferences and satieties has long been appreciated. Recently, based on the eating of multiple meals in amnesic patients, it has been suggested that information about a recent eating episode may be factored into decisions about how much to consume at the next meal. In support of this, it has been shown that enhancing memory for a recent meal, by cueing neurologically intact participants to recall items eaten at lunch, suppresses intake at a taste test later in the afternoon. This effect is specific to recalling food eaten that day, since asking participants to think about lunch consumed the previous day had no effect on intake. These studies suggest that memory for recent eating has a role to play in controlling everyday eating. However, the involvement of memory and cognition does not exclude learnt control by physiological after effects of the recent meal; indeed, this seems likely from the known functions of the hippocampal system that is damaged in amnesic patients.

Hippocampal learning, memory, and neurogenesis: Effects of sex and estrogens across the lifespan in adults.

PubMed

Duarte-Guterman, Paula; Yagi, Shunya; Chow, Carmen; Galea, Liisa A M

2015-08-01

This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and Cognition". There are sex differences in hippocampus-dependent cognition and neurogenesis suggesting that sex hormones are involved. Estrogens modulate certain forms of spatial and contextual memory and neurogenesis in the adult female rodent, and to a lesser extent male, hippocampus. This review focuses on the effects of sex and estrogens on hippocampal learning, memory, and neurogenesis in the young and aged adult rodent. We discuss how factors such as the type of estrogen, duration and dose of treatment, timing of treatment, and type of memory influence the effects of estrogens on cognition and neurogenesis. We also address how reproductive experience (pregnancy and mothering) and aging interact with estrogens to modulate hippocampal cognition and neurogenesis in females. Given the evidence that adult hippocampal neurogenesis plays a role in long-term spatial memory and pattern separation, we also discuss the functional implications of regulating neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The contribution of temporary storage and executive processes to category learning.

PubMed

Wang, Tengfei; Ren, Xuezhu; Schweizer, Karl

2015-09-01

Three distinctly different working memory processes, temporary storage, mental shifting and inhibition, were proposed to account for individual differences in category learning. A sample of 213 participants completed a classic category learning task and two working memory tasks that were experimentally manipulated for tapping specific working memory processes. Fixed-links models were used to decompose data of the category learning task into two independent components representing basic performance and improvement in performance in category learning. Processes of working memory were also represented by fixed-links models. In a next step the three working memory processes were linked to components of category learning. Results from modeling analyses indicated that temporary storage had a significant effect on basic performance and shifting had a moderate effect on improvement in performance. In contrast, inhibition showed no effect on any component of the category learning task. These results suggest that temporary storage and the shifting process play different roles in the course of acquiring new categories. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unusual magnetoelectric memory and polarization reversal in the kagome staircase compound N i3V2O8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y. J.; Wang, J. F.; He, Z. Z.; Lu, C. L.; Xia, Z. C.; Ouyang, Z. W.; Liu, C. B.; Chen, R.; Matsuo, A.; Kohama, Y.; Kindo, K.; Tokunaga, M.

2018-05-01

We study the electric polarization of the kagome staircase N i3V2O8 in magnetic fields up to 30 T and report a magnetoelectric memory effect controlled by bias electric fields. The explored ferroelectric phase in 19 -24 T is electrically controlled, whereas the ferroelectric phase in 2 -11 T exhibits unusual memory effects. We determine a characteristic critical magnetic field H3=11 T , below which strong memory exists and the polarization is frozen even in opposite bias fields. But when magnetic fields exceed H3, the frozen polarization is released and polarization reversal appears by tuning bias electric fields. We ascribe these phenomena to the pinning-depinning mechanism: nucleation and the accompanying pinning of chiral domain walls cooperatively induce the frozen behavior; the polarization reversal results from the depinning through the ferroelectrtic-to-paraelectric phase transition in high magnetic fields. Our experimental results reveal that the first-order phase transition plays an important role in these unusual memory effects.

Individual differences in preschoolers' emotion content memory: the role of emotion knowledge.

PubMed

Channell, Marie Moore; Barth, Joan M

2013-07-01

This study examined the relation between preschool children's emotion knowledge and their ability to recall emotionally salient information. In total, 42 participants (ages 35-65months) viewed a brief video in which a child played with different toys and expressed one of four basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, or afraid) or a neutral expression in each of 10 vignettes. Children were tested on memory accuracy from the vignettes, and their emotion knowledge was also measured. Results indicated that preschoolers' emotion knowledge was significantly related to memory accuracy for emotion information above and beyond the effect of age or receptive language skills. Tests of a mediation model revealed that emotion knowledge fully mediated the effect of age (or general developmental level) on memory accuracy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

6-Shogaol, an active constituent of ginger, attenuates neuroinflammation and cognitive deficits in animal models of dementia.

PubMed

Moon, Minho; Kim, Hyo Geun; Choi, Jin Gyu; Oh, Hyein; Lee, Paula K J; Ha, Sang Keun; Kim, Sun Yeou; Park, Yongkon; Huh, Youngbuhm; Oh, Myung Sook

2014-06-20

Recently, increased attention has been directed towards medicinal extracts as potential new drug candidates for dementia. Ginger has long been used as an important ingredient in cooking and traditional herbal medicine. In particular, ginger has been known to have disease-modifying effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, there is no evidence of which constituents of ginger exhibit therapeutic effects against AD. A growing number of experimental studies suggest that 6-shogaol, a bioactive component of ginger, may play an important role as a memory-enhancing and anti-oxidant agent against neurological diseases. 6-Shogaol has also recently been shown to have anti-neuroinflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated astrocytes and animal models of Parkinson's disease, LPS-induced inflammation and transient global ischemia. However, it is still unknown whether 6-shogaol has anti-inflammatory effects against oligomeric forms of the Aβ (AβO) in animal brains. Furthermore, the effects of 6-shogaol against memory impairment in dementia models are also yet to be investigated. In this study, we found that administration of 6-shogaol significantly reduced microgliosis and astrogliosis in intrahippocampal AβO-injected mice, ameliorated AβO and scopolamine-induced memory impairment, and elevated NGF levels and pre- and post-synaptic marker in the hippocampus. All these results suggest that 6-shogaol may play a role in inhibiting glial cell activation and reducing memory impairment in animal models of dementia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain training game boosts executive functions, working memory and processing speed in the young adults: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Nouchi, Rui; Taki, Yasuyuki; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Nozawa, Takayuki; Kambara, Toshimune; Sekiguchi, Atsushi; Miyauchi, Carlos Makoto; Kotozaki, Yuka; Nouchi, Haruka; Kawashima, Ryuta

2013-01-01

Do brain training games work? The beneficial effects of brain training games are expected to transfer to other cognitive functions. Yet in all honesty, beneficial transfer effects of the commercial brain training games in young adults have little scientific basis. Here we investigated the impact of the brain training game (Brain Age) on a wide range of cognitive functions in young adults. We conducted a double-blind (de facto masking) randomized controlled trial using a popular brain training game (Brain Age) and a popular puzzle game (Tetris). Thirty-two volunteers were recruited through an advertisement in the local newspaper and randomly assigned to either of two game groups (Brain Age, Tetris). Participants in both the Brain Age and the Tetris groups played their game for about 15 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. Measures of the cognitive functions were conducted before and after training. Measures of the cognitive functions fell into eight categories (fluid intelligence, executive function, working memory, short-term memory, attention, processing speed, visual ability, and reading ability). Our results showed that commercial brain training game improves executive functions, working memory, and processing speed in young adults. Moreover, the popular puzzle game can engender improvement attention and visuo-spatial ability compared to playing the brain training game. The present study showed the scientific evidence which the brain training game had the beneficial effects on cognitive functions (executive functions, working memory and processing speed) in the healthy young adults. Our results do not indicate that everyone should play brain training games. However, the commercial brain training game might be a simple and convenient means to improve some cognitive functions. We believe that our findings are highly relevant to applications in educational and clinical fields. UMIN Clinical Trial Registry 000005618.

Brain Training Game Boosts Executive Functions, Working Memory and Processing Speed in the Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Nouchi, Rui; Taki, Yasuyuki; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Nozawa, Takayuki; Kambara, Toshimune; Sekiguchi, Atsushi; Miyauchi, Carlos Makoto; Kotozaki, Yuka; Nouchi, Haruka; Kawashima, Ryuta

2013-01-01

Background Do brain training games work? The beneficial effects of brain training games are expected to transfer to other cognitive functions. Yet in all honesty, beneficial transfer effects of the commercial brain training games in young adults have little scientific basis. Here we investigated the impact of the brain training game (Brain Age) on a wide range of cognitive functions in young adults. Methods We conducted a double-blind (de facto masking) randomized controlled trial using a popular brain training game (Brain Age) and a popular puzzle game (Tetris). Thirty-two volunteers were recruited through an advertisement in the local newspaper and randomly assigned to either of two game groups (Brain Age, Tetris). Participants in both the Brain Age and the Tetris groups played their game for about 15 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. Measures of the cognitive functions were conducted before and after training. Measures of the cognitive functions fell into eight categories (fluid intelligence, executive function, working memory, short-term memory, attention, processing speed, visual ability, and reading ability). Results and Discussion Our results showed that commercial brain training game improves executive functions, working memory, and processing speed in young adults. Moreover, the popular puzzle game can engender improvement attention and visuo-spatial ability compared to playing the brain training game. The present study showed the scientific evidence which the brain training game had the beneficial effects on cognitive functions (executive functions, working memory and processing speed) in the healthy young adults. Conclusions Our results do not indicate that everyone should play brain training games. However, the commercial brain training game might be a simple and convenient means to improve some cognitive functions. We believe that our findings are highly relevant to applications in educational and clinical fields. Trial Registration UMIN Clinical Trial Registry 000005618. PMID:23405164

Dispositional Mindfulness and Memory Problems: The Role of Perceived Stress and Sleep Quality

PubMed Central

Brisbon, Nicholas M.; Lachman, Margie E.

2016-01-01

There is a growing body of evidence exploring the beneficial effects of mindfulness on stress, sleep quality, and memory, though the mechanisms involved are less certain. The present study explored the roles of perceived stress and sleep quality as potential mediators between dispositional mindfulness and subjective memory problems. Data were from a Boston area subsample of the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS-II) assessed in 2004–2006, and again approximately one year later (N=299). As expected, higher dispositional mindfulness was associated with lower perceived stress and better sleep quality. There was no direct association found between mindfulness and subjective memory problems, however, there was a significant indirect effect through perceived stress, although not with sleep quality. The present findings suggest that perceived stress may play a mediating role between dispositional mindfulness and subjective memory problems, in that those with higher mindfulness generally report experiencing less stress than those with lower mindfulness, which may be protective of memory problems in everyday life. PMID:28344682

Dispositional Mindfulness and Memory Problems: The Role of Perceived Stress and Sleep Quality.

PubMed

Brisbon, Nicholas M; Lachman, Margie E

2017-04-01

There is a growing body of evidence exploring the beneficial effects of mindfulness on stress, sleep quality, and memory, though the mechanisms involved are less certain. The present study explored the roles of perceived stress and sleep quality as potential mediators between dispositional mindfulness and subjective memory problems. Data were from a Boston area subsample of the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS-II) assessed in 2004-2006, and again approximately one year later (N=299). As expected, higher dispositional mindfulness was associated with lower perceived stress and better sleep quality. There was no direct association found between mindfulness and subjective memory problems, however, there was a significant indirect effect through perceived stress, although not with sleep quality. The present findings suggest that perceived stress may play a mediating role between dispositional mindfulness and subjective memory problems, in that those with higher mindfulness generally report experiencing less stress than those with lower mindfulness, which may be protective of memory problems in everyday life.

BDNF Val66Met predicts cognitive decline in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention

PubMed Central

Boots, Elizabeth A.; Schultz, Stephanie A.; Clark, Lindsay R.; Racine, Annie M.; Darst, Burcu F.; Koscik, Rebecca L.; Carlsson, Cynthia M.; Gallagher, Catherine L.; Hogan, Kirk J.; Bendlin, Barbara B.; Asthana, Sanjay; Sager, Mark A.; Hermann, Bruce P.; Christian, Bradley T.; Dubal, Dena B.; Engelman, Corinne D.; Johnson, Sterling C.

2017-01-01

Objective: To examine the influence of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism on longitudinal cognitive trajectories in a large, cognitively healthy cohort enriched for Alzheimer disease (AD) risk and to understand whether β-amyloid (Aβ) burden plays a moderating role in this relationship. Methods: One thousand twenty-three adults (baseline age 54.94 ± 6.41 years) enrolled in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention underwent BDNF genotyping and cognitive assessment at up to 5 time points (average follow-up 6.92 ± 3.22 years). A subset (n = 140) underwent 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) scanning. Covariate-adjusted mixed-effects regression models were used to elucidate the effect of BDNF on cognitive trajectories in 4 cognitive domains, including verbal learning and memory, speed and flexibility, working memory, and immediate memory. Secondary mixed-effects regression models were conducted to examine whether Aβ burden, indexed by composite PiB load, modified any observed BDNF-related cognitive trajectories. Results: Compared to BDNF Val/Val homozygotes, Met carriers showed steeper decline in verbal learning and memory (p = 0.002) and speed and flexibility (p = 0.017). In addition, Aβ burden moderated the relationship between BDNF and verbal learning and memory such that Met carriers with greater Aβ burden showed even steeper cognitive decline (p = 0.033). Conclusions: In a middle-aged cohort with AD risk, carriage of the BDNF Met allele was associated with steeper decline in episodic memory and executive function. This decline was exacerbated by greater Aβ burden. These results suggest that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism may play an important role in cognitive decline and could be considered as a target for novel AD therapeutics. PMID:28468845

Chronic exposure to glufosinate-ammonium induces spatial memory impairments, hippocampal MRI modifications and glutamine synthetase activation in mice.

PubMed

Calas, André-Guilhem; Richard, Olivier; Même, Sandra; Beloeil, Jean-Claude; Doan, Bich-Thuy; Gefflaut, Thierry; Même, William; Crusio, Wim E; Pichon, Jacques; Montécot, Céline

2008-07-01

Glufosinate-ammonium (GLA), the active compound of a worldwide-used herbicide, acts by inhibiting the plant glutamine synthetase (GS) leading to a lethal accumulation of ammonia. GS plays a pivotal role in the mammalian brain where it allows neurotransmitter glutamate recycling within astroglia. Clinical studies report that an acute GLA ingestion induces convulsions and memory impairment in humans. Toxicological studies performed at doses used for herbicidal activity showed that GLA is probably harmless at short or medium range periods. However, effects of low doses of GLA on chronically exposed subjects are not known. In our study, C57BL/6J mice were treated during 10 weeks three times a week with 2.5, 5 and 10mg/kg of GLA. Effects of this chronic treatment were assessed at behavioral, structural and metabolic levels by using tests of spatial memory, locomotor activity and anxiety, hippocampal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) texture analysis, and hippocampal GS activity assay, respectively. Chronic GLA treatments have effects neither on anxiety nor on locomotor activity of mice but at 5 and 10mg/kg induce (1) mild memory impairments, (2) a modification of hippocampal texture and (3) a significant increase in hippocampal GS activity. It is suggested that these modifications may be causally linked one to another. Since glutamate is the main neurotransmitter in hippocampus where it plays a crucial role in spatial memory, hippocampal MRI texture and spatial memory alterations might be the consequences of hippocampal glutamate homeostasis modification revealed by increased GS activity in hippocampus. The present study provides the first data that show cerebral alterations after chronic exposure to GLA.

BDNF Val66Met predicts cognitive decline in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention.

PubMed

Boots, Elizabeth A; Schultz, Stephanie A; Clark, Lindsay R; Racine, Annie M; Darst, Burcu F; Koscik, Rebecca L; Carlsson, Cynthia M; Gallagher, Catherine L; Hogan, Kirk J; Bendlin, Barbara B; Asthana, Sanjay; Sager, Mark A; Hermann, Bruce P; Christian, Bradley T; Dubal, Dena B; Engelman, Corinne D; Johnson, Sterling C; Okonkwo, Ozioma C

2017-05-30

To examine the influence of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF ) Val66Met polymorphism on longitudinal cognitive trajectories in a large, cognitively healthy cohort enriched for Alzheimer disease (AD) risk and to understand whether β-amyloid (Aβ) burden plays a moderating role in this relationship. One thousand twenty-three adults (baseline age 54.94 ± 6.41 years) enrolled in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention underwent BDNF genotyping and cognitive assessment at up to 5 time points (average follow-up 6.92 ± 3.22 years). A subset (n = 140) underwent 11 C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) scanning. Covariate-adjusted mixed-effects regression models were used to elucidate the effect of BDNF on cognitive trajectories in 4 cognitive domains, including verbal learning and memory, speed and flexibility, working memory, and immediate memory. Secondary mixed-effects regression models were conducted to examine whether Aβ burden, indexed by composite PiB load, modified any observed BDNF -related cognitive trajectories. Compared to BDNF Val/Val homozygotes, Met carriers showed steeper decline in verbal learning and memory ( p = 0.002) and speed and flexibility ( p = 0.017). In addition, Aβ burden moderated the relationship between BDNF and verbal learning and memory such that Met carriers with greater Aβ burden showed even steeper cognitive decline ( p = 0.033). In a middle-aged cohort with AD risk, carriage of the BDNF Met allele was associated with steeper decline in episodic memory and executive function. This decline was exacerbated by greater Aβ burden. These results suggest that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism may play an important role in cognitive decline and could be considered as a target for novel AD therapeutics. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

False memories and lexical decision: even twelve primes do not cause long-term semantic priming.

PubMed

Zeelenberg, René; Pecher, Diane

2002-03-01

Semantic priming effects are usually obtained only if the prime is presented shortly before the target stimulus. Recent evidence obtained with the so-called false memory paradigm suggests, however, that in both explicit and implicit memory tasks semantic relations between words can result in long-lasting effects when multiple 'primes' are presented. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether these effects would generalize to lexical decision. In four experiments we showed that even as many as 12 primes do not cause long-term semantic priming. In all experiments, however, a repetition priming effect was obtained. The present results are consistent with a number of other results showing that semantic information plays a minimal role in long-term priming in visual word recognition.

A Dynamical Systems Explanation of the Hurst Effect and Atmospheric Low-Frequency Variability

PubMed Central

Franzke, Christian L. E.; Osprey, Scott M.; Davini, Paolo; Watkins, Nicholas W.

2015-01-01

The Hurst effect plays an important role in many areas such as physics, climate and finance. It describes the anomalous growth of range and constrains the behavior and predictability of these systems. The Hurst effect is frequently taken to be synonymous with Long-Range Dependence (LRD) and is typically assumed to be produced by a stationary stochastic process which has infinite memory. However, infinite memory appears to be at odds with the Markovian nature of most physical laws while the stationarity assumption lacks robustness. Here we use Lorenz's paradigmatic chaotic model to show that regime behavior can also cause the Hurst effect. By giving an alternative, parsimonious, explanation using nonstationary Markovian dynamics, our results question the common belief that the Hurst effect necessarily implies a stationary infinite memory process. We also demonstrate that our results can explain atmospheric variability without the infinite memory previously thought necessary and are consistent with climate model simulations. PMID:25765880

Role of state-dependent learning in the cognitive effects of caffeine in mice.

PubMed

Sanday, Leandro; Zanin, Karina A; Patti, Camilla L; Fernandes-Santos, Luciano; Oliveira, Larissa C; Longo, Beatriz M; Andersen, Monica L; Tufik, Sergio; Frussa-Filho, Roberto

2013-08-01

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world and it is generally believed that it promotes beneficial effects on cognitive performance. However, there is also evidence suggesting that caffeine has inhibitory effects on learning and memory. Considering that caffeine may have anxiogenic effects, thus changing the emotional state of the subjects, state-dependent learning may play a role in caffeine-induced cognitive alterations. Mice were administered 20 mg/kg caffeine before training and/or before testing both in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task (an animal model that concomitantly evaluates learning, memory, anxiety-like behaviour and general activity) and in the inhibitory avoidance task, a classic paradigm for evaluating memory in rodents. Pre-training caffeine administration did not modify learning, but produced an anxiogenic effect and impaired memory retention. While pre-test administration of caffeine did not modify retrieval on its own, the pre-test administration counteracted the memory deficit induced by the pre-training caffeine injection in both the plus-maze discriminative and inhibitory avoidance tasks. Our data demonstrate that caffeine-induced memory deficits are critically related to state-dependent learning, reinforcing the importance of considering the participation of state-dependency on the interpretation of the cognitive effects of caffeine. The possible participation of caffeine-induced anxiety alterations in state-dependent memory deficits is discussed.

The effects of marital status on episodic and semantic memory in healthy middle-aged and old individuals.

PubMed

Mousavi-Nasab, S-M-Hossein; Kormi-Nouri, Reza; Sundström, Anna; Nilsson, Lars-Göran

2012-02-01

The present study examined the influences of marital status on different episodic and semantic memory tasks. A total of 1882 adult men and women participated in a longitudinal project (Betula) on memory, health and aging. The participants were grouped into two age cohorts, 35-60 and 65-85, and studied over a period of 5 years. Episodic memory tasks concerned recognition and recall, whereas semantic memory tasks concerned knowledge and fluency. The results showed, after controlling for education, some diseases, chronological age and leisure activity as covariates, that there were significant differences between married and single individuals in episodic memory, but not in semantic memory. Married people showed significantly better memory performances than singles in both subsystems of episodic memory, that is, recall and recognition. Also, the rate of decline in episodic memory was significantly larger for singles and widowed than other groups over the 5-year time period in both age groups. The findings demonstrate that the positive relation found between marriage and health can be extended to the relation between marriage and cognitive performance. This effect might be explained by the role played by cognitive stimulation in memory and cognition. © 2011 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2011 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Effect of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on digital working memory and spatial localization in a healthy Chinese Han population.

PubMed

Gong, Pingyuan; Zheng, Anyun; Chen, Dongmei; Ge, Wanhua; Lv, Changchao; Zhang, Kejin; Gao, Xiaocai; Zhang, Fuchang

2009-07-01

Cognitive abilities are complex human traits influenced by genetic factors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a unique polypeptide growth factor, has an influence on the differentiation and survival of neurons in the nervous system. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs6265) in the human gene, resulting in a valine to methionine substitution in the pro-BDNF protein, was thought to associate with psychiatric disorders and might play roles in the individual difference of cognitive abilities. However, the specific roles of the gene in cognition remain unclear. To investigate the relationships between the substitution and cognitive abilities, a healthy population-based study and the PCR-SSCP method were performed. The results showed the substitution was associated with digital working memory (p = 0.02) and spatial localization (p = 0.03), but not with inhibition, shifting, updating, visuo-spatial working memory, long-term memory, and others (p > 0.05) among the compared genotype groups analyzed by general linear model. On the other hand, the participants with BDNF (GG) had higher average performance in digital working memory and spatial localization than the ones with BDNF (AA). The findings of the present work implied that the variation in BDNF might play positive roles in human digital working memory and spatial localization.

Odors as effective retrieval cues for stressful episodes.

PubMed

Wiemers, Uta S; Sauvage, Magdalena M; Wolf, Oliver T

2014-07-01

Olfactory information seems to play a special role in memory due to the fast and direct processing of olfactory information in limbic areas like the amygdala and the hippocampus. This has led to the assumption that odors can serve as effective retrieval cues for autobiographic memories, especially emotional memories. The current study sought to investigate whether an olfactory cue can serve as an effective retrieval cue for memories of a stressful episode. A total of 95 participants were exposed to a psychosocial stressor or a well matching but not stressful control condition. During both conditions were visual objects present, either bound to the situation (central objects) or not (peripheral objects). Additionally, an ambient odor was present during both conditions. The next day, participants engaged in an unexpected object recognition task either under the influence of the same odor as was present during encoding (congruent odor) or another odor (non-congruent odor). Results show that stressed participants show a better memory for all objects and especially for central visual objects if recognition took place under influence of the congruent odor. An olfactory cue thus indeed seems to be an effective retrieval cue for stressful memories. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ROLE OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN SHORT- AND LONG-TERM MEMORY

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

Bennett, E.L.; Rosenzweig, M.R.; Flood, J.F.

1978-10-01

Anisomycin is an effective inhibitor of cerebral protein synthesis in mice and is also an effective amnestic agent for both passive and active behavioral tasks. From use of anisomycin in combination with a variety of stimulant and depressant drugs, we conclude that the level of arousal following acquisition plays an important role in determining the duration and the rate of the biosynthetic phase of memory formation. While we have interpreted the experiments with anisomycin as evidence for an essential role of protein in memory storage, others have suggested that side effects of inhibitors of protein synthesis on catecholamine metabolism aremore » the main cause of amnesia. Several experiments were therefore done to compare the effects of anisemycin and catecholamine inhibitors on memory. We conclude that anisomycin's principal amnestic mechanism does not involve inhibition of the catecholamine system. The results strengthen our conclusion that protein synthesis is an essential component for longterm memory trace formation. Also, it is suggested that proteins synthesized in the neuronal cell body are used, in conjunction with other molecules, to produce permanent and semi-permanent anatomical changes.« less

A review on shape memory alloys with applications to morphing aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbarino, S.; Saavedra Flores, E. I.; Ajaj, R. M.; Dayyani, I.; Friswell, M. I.

2014-06-01

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a unique class of metallic materials with the ability to recover their original shape at certain characteristic temperatures (shape memory effect), even under high applied loads and large inelastic deformations, or to undergo large strains without plastic deformation or failure (super-elasticity). In this review, we describe the main features of SMAs, their constitutive models and their properties. We also review the fatigue behavior of SMAs and some methods adopted to remove or reduce its undesirable effects. SMAs have been used in a wide variety of applications in different fields. In this review, we focus on the use of shape memory alloys in the context of morphing aircraft, with particular emphasis on variable twist and camber, and also on actuation bandwidth and reduction of power consumption. These applications prove particularly challenging because novel configurations are adopted to maximize integration and effectiveness of SMAs, which play the role of an actuator (using the shape memory effect), often combined with structural, load-carrying capabilities. Iterative and multi-disciplinary modeling is therefore necessary due to the fluid-structure interaction combined with the nonlinear behavior of SMAs.

Speaker's voice as a memory cue.

PubMed

Campeanu, Sandra; Craik, Fergus I M; Alain, Claude

2015-02-01

Speaker's voice occupies a central role as the cornerstone of auditory social interaction. Here, we review the evidence suggesting that speaker's voice constitutes an integral context cue in auditory memory. Investigation into the nature of voice representation as a memory cue is essential to understanding auditory memory and the neural correlates which underlie it. Evidence from behavioral and electrophysiological studies suggest that while specific voice reinstatement (i.e., same speaker) often appears to facilitate word memory even without attention to voice at study, the presence of a partial benefit of similar voices between study and test is less clear. In terms of explicit memory experiments utilizing unfamiliar voices, encoding methods appear to play a pivotal role. Voice congruency effects have been found when voice is specifically attended at study (i.e., when relatively shallow, perceptual encoding takes place). These behavioral findings coincide with neural indices of memory performance such as the parietal old/new recollection effect and the late right frontal effect. The former distinguishes between correctly identified old words and correctly identified new words, and reflects voice congruency only when voice is attended at study. Characterization of the latter likely depends upon voice memory, rather than word memory. There is also evidence to suggest that voice effects can be found in implicit memory paradigms. However, the presence of voice effects appears to depend greatly on the task employed. Using a word identification task, perceptual similarity between study and test conditions is, like for explicit memory tests, crucial. In addition, the type of noise employed appears to have a differential effect. While voice effects have been observed when white noise is used at both study and test, using multi-talker babble does not confer the same results. In terms of neuroimaging research modulations, characterization of an implicit memory effect reflective of voice congruency is currently lacking. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inhibiting DNA methylation alters olfactory extinction but not acquisition learning in Apis cerana and Apis mellifera.

PubMed

Gong, Zhiwen; Wang, Chao; Nieh, James C; Tan, Ken

2016-07-01

DNA methylation plays a key role in invertebrate acquisition and extinction memory. Honey bees have excellent olfactory learning, but the role of DNA methylation in memory formation has, to date, only been studied in Apis mellifera. We inhibited DNA methylation by inhibiting DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) with zebularine (zeb) and studied the resulting effects upon olfactory acquisition and extinction memory in two honey bee species, Apis cerana and A. mellifera. We used the proboscis extension reflex (PER) assay to measure memory. We provide the first demonstration that DNA methylation is also important in the olfactory extinction learning of A. cerana. DNMT did not reduce acquisition learning in either species. However, zeb bidirectionally and differentially altered extinction learning in both species. In particular, zeb provided 1h before acquisition learning improved extinction memory retention in A. mellifera, but reduced extinction memory retention in A. cerana. The reasons for these differences are unclear, but provide a basis for future studies to explore species-specific differences in the effects of methylation on memory formation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Galnon Facilitates Extinction of Morphine-Conditioned Place Preference but Also Potentiates the Consolidation Process

PubMed Central

Zhao, Xiaojie; Yun, Keming; Seese, Ronald R.; Wang, Zhenyuan

2013-01-01

Learning and memory systems are intimately involved in drug addiction. Previous studies suggest that galanin, a neuropeptide that binds G-protein coupled receptors, plays essential roles in the encoding of memory. In the present study, we tested the function of galnon, a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, in reward-associated memory, using conditioned place preference (CPP), a widely used paradigm in drug-associated memory. Either before or following CPP-inducing morphine administration, galnon was injected at four different time points to test the effects of galanin activation on different reward-associated memory processes: 15 min before CPP training (acquisition), immediately after CPP training (consolidation), 15 min before the post-conditioning test (retrieval), and multiple injection after post-tests (reconsolidation and extinction). Galnon enhanced consolidation and extinction processes of morphine-induced CPP memory, but the compound had no effect on acquisition, retrieval, or reconsolidation processes. Our findings demonstrate that a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, galnon, may be used as a viable compound to treat drug addiction by facilitating memory extinction process. PMID:24146862

Galnon facilitates extinction of morphine-conditioned place preference but also potentiates the consolidation process.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaojie; Yun, Keming; Seese, Ronald R; Wang, Zhenyuan

2013-01-01

Learning and memory systems are intimately involved in drug addiction. Previous studies suggest that galanin, a neuropeptide that binds G-protein coupled receptors, plays essential roles in the encoding of memory. In the present study, we tested the function of galnon, a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, in reward-associated memory, using conditioned place preference (CPP), a widely used paradigm in drug-associated memory. Either before or following CPP-inducing morphine administration, galnon was injected at four different time points to test the effects of galanin activation on different reward-associated memory processes: 15 min before CPP training (acquisition), immediately after CPP training (consolidation), 15 min before the post-conditioning test (retrieval), and multiple injection after post-tests (reconsolidation and extinction). Galnon enhanced consolidation and extinction processes of morphine-induced CPP memory, but the compound had no effect on acquisition, retrieval, or reconsolidation processes. Our findings demonstrate that a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, galnon, may be used as a viable compound to treat drug addiction by facilitating memory extinction process.

Attention and working memory training: A feasibility study in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

PubMed

Kerns, Kimberly A; Macoun, Sarah; MacSween, Jenny; Pei, Jacqueline; Hutchison, Marnie

2017-01-01

The current study investigated the efficacy of a game-based process specific intervention for improving attention and working memory in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The Caribbean Quest (CQ) is a 'serious game' that consists of five hierarchically structured tasks, delivered in an adaptive format, targeting different aspects of attention and/or working memory. In addition to game play, the intervention incorporates metacognitive strategies provided by trained educational assistants (EAs), to facilitate generalization and far transfer to academic and daily skills. EAs delivered the intervention to children (ages 6-13) during their regular school day, providing children with instruction in metacognitive strategies to improve game play, with participants completing approximately 12 hours of training over an 8 to 12 school week period. Pre- and post-test analyses revealed significant improvement on measures of working memory and attention, including reduced distractibility and improved divided attention skills. Additionally, children showed significant gains in performance on an academic measure of reading fluency, suggesting that training-related gains in attention and working memory transferred to classroom performance. Exit interviews with EAs revealed that the intervention was easily delivered within the school day, that children enjoyed the intervention, and that children transferred metacognitive strategies learned in game play into the classroom. Preliminary results support this game-based process specific intervention as a potentially effective treatment and useful tool for supporting cognitive improvements in children with FASD or ASD, when delivered as part of an overall treatment plan.

Leveling the playing field: attention mitigates the effects of intelligence on memory.

PubMed

Markant, Julie; Amso, Dima

2014-05-01

Effective attention and memory skills are fundamental to typical development and essential for achievement during the formal education years. It is critical to identify the specific mechanisms linking efficiency of attentional selection of an item and the quality of its memory retention. The present study capitalized on the spatial cueing paradigm to examine the role of selection via suppression in modulating children and adolescents' memory encoding. By varying a single parameter, the spatial cueing task can elicit either a simple orienting mechanism (i.e., facilitation) or one that involves both target selection and simultaneous suppression of competing information (i.e., IOR). We modified this paradigm to include images of common items in target locations. Participants were not instructed to learn the items and were not told they would be completing a memory test later. Following the cueing task, we imposed a 7-min delay and then asked participants to complete a recognition memory test. Results indicated that selection via suppression promoted recognition memory among 7-17year-olds. Moreover, individual differences in the extent of suppression during encoding predicted recognition memory accuracy. When basic cueing facilitated orienting to target items during encoding, IQ was the best predictor of recognition memory performance for the attended items. In contrast, engaging suppression (i.e., IOR) during encoding counteracted individual differences in intelligence, effectively improving recognition memory performance among children with lower IQs. This work demonstrates that engaging selection via suppression during learning and encoding improves memory retention and has broad implications for developing effective educational techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Leveling the playing field: Attention mitigates the effects of intelligence on memory

PubMed Central

Markant, Julie; Amso, Dima

2014-01-01

Effective attention and memory skills are fundamental to typical development and essential for achievement during the formal education years. It is critical to identify the specific mechanisms linking efficiency of attentional selection of an item and the quality of its memory retention. The present study capitalized on the spatial cueing paradigm to examine the role of selection via suppression in modulating children and adolescents’ memory encoding. By varying a single parameter, the spatial cueing task can elicit either a simple orienting mechanism (i.e., facilitation) or one that involves both target selection and simultaneous suppression of competing information (i.e., IOR). We modified this paradigm to include images of common items in target locations. Participants were not instructed to learn the items and were not told they would be completing a memory test later. Following the cueing task, we imposed a seven-minute delay and then asked participants to complete a recognition memory test. Results indicated that selection via suppression promoted recognition memory among 7-17 year-olds. Moreover, individual differences in the extent of suppression during encoding predicted recognition memory accuracy. When basic cueing facilitated orienting to target items during encoding, IQ was the best predictor of recognition memory performance for the attended items. In contrast, engaging suppression (i.e, IOR) during encoding counteracted individual differences in intelligence, effectively improving recognition memory performance among children with lower IQs. This work demonstrates that engaging selection via suppression during learning and encoding improves memory retention and has broad implications for developing effective educational techniques. PMID:24549142

Working memory training improves emotion regulation ability: Evidence from HRV.

PubMed

Xiu, Lichao; Zhou, Renlai; Jiang, Yihan

2016-03-01

Emotion regulation during social situations plays a pivotal role in health and interpersonal functioning. In this study, we propose a working memory training approach to improve emotion regulation ability. This training promotes an updating function that is a crucial modulated process for emotion regulation. In the present study, the participants in the training group completed a running memory task over 20 days of training. Their working memory capability and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) data on pretest and posttest were assessed and analyzed. Compared with the control group, the training group's reaction time in the 2-back working memory task was reduced significantly. In addition, the HF-HRV in the emotion regulation condition was increased after the 20-day training, which indicates that the working memory training effect could transfer to emotion regulation. In other words, working memory training improved emotion regulation ability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The "memory kinases": roles of PKC isoforms in signal processing and memory formation.

PubMed

Sun, Miao-Kun; Alkon, Daniel L

2014-01-01

The protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, which play an essential role in transmembrane signal conduction, can be viewed as a family of "memory kinases." Evidence is emerging that they are critically involved in memory acquisition and maintenance, in addition to their involvement in other functions of cells. Deficits in PKC signal cascades in neurons are one of the earliest abnormalities in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Their dysfunction is also involved in several other types of memory impairments, including those related to emotion, mental retardation, brain injury, and vascular dementia/ischemic stroke. Inhibition of PKC activity leads to a reduced capacity of many types of learning and memory, but may have therapeutic values in treating substance abuse or aversive memories. PKC activators, on the other hand, have been shown to possess memory-enhancing and antidementia actions. PKC pharmacology may, therefore, represent an attractive area for developing effective cognitive drugs for the treatment of many types of memory disorders and dementias. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of mild acute stress during memory consolidation on emotional recognition memory.

PubMed

Corbett, Brittany; Weinberg, Lisa; Duarte, Audrey

2017-11-01

Stress during consolidation improves recognition memory performance. Generally, this memory benefit is greater for emotionally arousing stimuli than neutral stimuli. The strength of the stressor also plays a role in memory performance, with memory performance improving up to a moderate level of stress and thereafter worsening. As our daily stressors are generally minimal in strength, we chose to induce mild acute stress to determine its effect on memory performance. In the current study, we investigated if mild acute stress during consolidation improves memory performance for emotionally arousing images. To investigate this, we had participants encode highly arousing negative, minimally arousing negative, and neutral images. We induced stress using the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) in half of the participants and a control task to the other half of the participants directly after encoding (i.e. during consolidation) and tested recognition 48h later. We found no difference in memory performance between the stress and control group. We found a graded pattern among confidence, with responders in the stress group having the least amount of confidence in their hits and controls having the most. Across groups, we found highly arousing negative images were better remembered than minimally arousing negative or neutral images. Although stress did not affect memory accuracy, responders, as defined by cortisol reactivity, were less confident in their decisions. Our results suggest that the daily stressors humans experience, regardless of their emotional affect, do not have adverse effects on memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PASS assisted prediction and pharmacological evaluation of hesperidin against scopolamine induced amnesia in mice.

PubMed

Habibyar, Ahmad Farid; Sharma, Neha; Khurana, Navneet

2016-10-15

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory impairment. However, the exact etiology of AD is not clear but cholinergic dysfunction and oxidative stress are considered to play an important role in its pathogenesis. Because of this reason, antioxidant compounds are expected to play potential beneficial role in this disease. Among number of antioxidant compounds, hesperidin (HSD) was selected for this study on the basis of its reported antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. Moreover, it has shown higher probable activity value for scavenging free radical along with anti-dementia effects, predicted by PASS online computer program. Current study was designed to evaluate the nootropic and antioxidant effects of HSD. The different groups of animals received scopolamine (2mg/kg) along with co-treamtment of HSD (100, 200mg/kg) and donepezil HCl (3mg/kg) i.p. for consecutive 10 days. Behavioral tests were carried out, 30min after respective treatment on 2nd, 5th and 9th day for memory evaluation. On 10th day of treatment, the animals were sacrificed and the homogenates of brain hippocampus and cortex were used for biochemical estimation. Co-treatment with HSD at both doses significantly reversed the changes in memory and biochemical alterations, induced by scopolamine administration. It can be concluded that HSD has strong memory enhancing and anti-oxidant effects, therefore, it can be considered as a potential candidate for its further pharmacological evaluation for AD-induced dementia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optogenetic Stimulation of Prefrontal Glutamatergic Neurons Enhances Recognition Memory.

PubMed

Benn, Abigail; Barker, Gareth R I; Stuart, Sarah A; Roloff, Eva V L; Teschemacher, Anja G; Warburton, E Clea; Robinson, Emma S J

2016-05-04

Finding effective cognitive enhancers is a major health challenge; however, modulating glutamatergic neurotransmission has the potential to enhance performance in recognition memory tasks. Previous studies using glutamate receptor antagonists have revealed that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a central role in associative recognition memory. The present study investigates short-term recognition memory using optogenetics to target glutamatergic neurons within the rodent mPFC specifically. Selective stimulation of glutamatergic neurons during the online maintenance of information enhanced associative recognition memory in normal animals. This cognitive enhancing effect was replicated by local infusions of the AMPAkine CX516, but not CX546, which differ in their effects on EPSPs. This suggests that enhancing the amplitude, but not the duration, of excitatory synaptic currents improves memory performance. Increasing glutamate release through infusions of the mGluR7 presynaptic receptor antagonist MMPIP had no effect on performance. These results provide new mechanistic information that could guide the targeting of future cognitive enhancers. Our work suggests that improved associative-recognition memory can be achieved by enhancing endogenous glutamatergic neuronal activity selectively using an optogenetic approach. We build on these observations to recapitulate this effect using drug treatments that enhance the amplitude of EPSPs; however, drugs that alter the duration of the EPSP or increase glutamate release lack efficacy. This suggests that both neural and temporal specificity are needed to achieve cognitive enhancement. Copyright © 2016 Benn et al.

Nitric oxide pathway presumably does not contribute to antianxiety and memory retrieval effects of losartan.

PubMed

Aghaei, Iraj; Arjmand, Shokouh; Yousefzadeh Chabok, Shahrokh; Tondar, Mahdi; Shabani, Mohammad

2017-09-01

Nitric oxide (NO) and angiotensin (AT) receptors have demonstrated well-established interactions in various physiological phenomena. AT1 receptors can play a part in stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; also, angiotensinergic neurotransmission plays a pivotal role in stress-evoked physiological responses. On the basis of the stress-modulating characteristics of NO, AT1, and AT2 receptors, the present study evaluated the roles of NO and AT1 receptors in the attenuation of stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors after administration of losartan, an AT1 antagonist. Male Wistar rats were exposed to the communication stress box, using a novel method to induce physical or emotional stress, and losartan (10 mg/kg), losartan+L-NG-nitroargininemethyl ester (L-NAME), L-NAME (1, 10, and 100 mg/kg), and normal saline-treated groups were compared. Losartan had reduced behavioral changes induced by both types of stressor and enhanced memory retrieval. Anxiety-like behaviors were significantly attenuated by administration of losartan, to a greater extent in the emotional rather than physical stress group. None of the injected dosages of L-NAME reversed the antianxiety and memory retrieval effects of losartan. Our results indicate that losartan probably improves memory retrieval and lessens anxiety-like behaviors through mechanisms other than the NO pathway.

Gender-Specific Differences in the Relationship between Autobiographical Memory and Intertemporal Choice in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Seinstra, Maayke; Grzymek, Katharina; Kalenscher, Tobias

2015-01-01

As the population of older adults grows, their economic choices will have increasing impact on society. Research on the effects of aging on intertemporal decisions shows inconsistent, often opposing results, indicating that yet unexplored factors might play an essential role in guiding one's choices. Recent studies suggest that episodic future thinking, which is based on the same neural network involved in episodic memory functions, leads to reductions in discounting of future rewards. As episodic memory functioning declines with normal aging, but to greatly variable degrees, individual differences in delay discounting might be due to individual differences in the vitality of this memory system in older adults. We investigated this hypothesis, using a sample of healthy older adults who completed an intertemporal choice task as well as two episodic memory tasks. We found no clear evidence for a relationship between episodic memory performance and delay discounting in older adults. However, when additionally considering gender differences, we found an interaction effect of gender and autobiographical memory on delay discounting: while men with higher memory scores showed less delay discounting, women with higher memory scores tended to discount the future more. We speculate that this gender effect might stem from the gender-specific use of different modal representation formats (i.e. temporal or visual) during assessment of intertemporal choice options. PMID:26335426

Sleep and Cognition

PubMed Central

Deak, Maryann C.; Stickgold, Robert

2018-01-01

Sleep is a complex physiologic state, the importance of which has long been recognized. Lack of sleep is detrimental to humans and animals. Over the past decade, an important link between sleep and cognitive processing has been established. Sleep plays an important role in consolidation of different types of memory and contributes to insightful, inferential thinking. While the mechanism by which memories are processed in sleep remains unknown, several experimental models have been proposed. This article explores the link between sleep and cognition by reviewing (1) the effects of sleep deprivation on cognition, (2) the influence of sleep on consolidation of declarative and non-declarative memory, and 3) some proposed models of how sleep facilitates memory consolidation in sleep. PMID:26271496

Tennessee Williams: the uses of declarative memory in The Glass Menagerie.

PubMed

Jacobs, Daniel

2002-01-01

Tennessee Williams called his first great work, The Glass Menagerie, his "memory play." The situation in which Williams found himself when he began writing the play is explored, as are the ways in which he used the declarative memory of his protagonist, Tom Wingfield, to express and deal with his own painful conflicts. Williams's use of stage directions, lighting, and music to evoke memory and render it three-dimensional is described. Through a close study of The Glass Menagerie, the many uses of memory for the purposes of wish fulfillment, conflict resolution, and resilience are examined.

Mild deficits in mice lacking pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide receptor type 1 (PAC1) performing on memory tasks.

PubMed

Sauvage, M; Brabet, P; Holsboer, F; Bockaert, J; Steckler, T

2000-12-08

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and its receptor subtype 1 (PAC1) have been suggested to play a role in the modulation of learning and memory. However, behavioral evidence for altered mnemonic function due to altered PAC1 activity is missing. Therefore, the role of PAC1 in learning and memory was studied in mouse mutants lacking this receptor (PAC1 knock-out mice), tested in water maze two-choice spatial discrimination, one-trial contextual and cued fear conditioning, and multiple-session contextual discrimination. Water maze spatial discrimination was unaffected in PAC1 mutants, while a mild deficit was observed in multiple session contextual discrimination in PAC1 knock-out mice. Furthermore, PAC1 knock-out mice were able to learn the association between context and shock in one-trial contextual conditioning, but showed faster return to baseline than wild-type mice. Thus, the effects of PAC1 knock-out on modulating performance in these tasks were subtle and suggest that PAC1 only plays a limited role in learning and memory.

Acute restriction impairs memory in the elevated T-maze (ETM) and modifies serotonergic activity in the dorsolateral striatum.

PubMed

Cruz-Morales, Sara Eugenia; García-Saldívar, Norma Laura; González-López, María Reyes; Castillo-Roberto, Georgina; Monroy, Juana; Domínguez, Roberto

2008-12-16

Serotonin (5-HT) is involved in behaviors such as sleep, eating, memory, in mental disorders like anxiety and depression and plays an important role in the modulation of stress. On the other hand, exposure to stress influence learning as well as declarative and non-declarative memory. These effects are dependent on the type of stressor, their magnitude, and the type of memory. The striatum has been associated with non-declarative procedural memory, while the information about stress effects on procedural memory and their relation with striatal serotonin is scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of stress on the modifications of the striatal serotonergic system. In Experiment 1, the effects of either 60 min of restraint (R) or exposure to the elevated T-maze (ETM) was assessed. Exposure to ETM decreased 5-HT concentration and to R increased 5-HT activity ([metabolite]/[neurotransmitter]). In Experiment 2, we evaluated the effects of restraint on ETM trained immediately, 24 or 48 h after restraint. No effects were detected in acquisition or escape latencies, while retention latencies were lower in all groups compared with the non-restrained group, although significant effects were detected immediately and 24h after restraint. The memory impairment seems to be associated with changes in striatal serotonergic system, given that 5-HT concentration increased, while serotonergic activity decreased. The differences in the activity of 5-HT detected in each experiment could be explained by the effects of different stressors on the serotonergic neurons ability to synthesize the neurotransmitter. Thus, we suggest that exposure to stress impairs procedural memory and that striatal serotonin modulates this effect.

The effect of path length and display size on memory for spatial information.

PubMed

Guérard, Katherine; Tremblay, Sébastien

2012-01-01

In serial memory for spatial information, some studies showed that recall performance suffers when the distance between successive locations increases relatively to the size of the display in which they are presented (the path length effect; e.g., Parmentier et al., 2005) but not when distance is increased by enlarging the size of the display (e.g., Smyth & Scholey, 1994). In the present study, we examined the effect of varying the absolute and relative distance between to-be-remembered items on memory for spatial information. We manipulated path length using small (15″) and large (64″) screens within the same design. In two experiments, we showed that distance was disruptive mainly when it is varied relatively to a fixed reference frame, though increasing the size of the display also had a small deleterious effect on recall. The insertion of a retention interval did not influence these effects, suggesting that rehearsal plays a minor role in mediating the effects of distance on serial spatial memory. We discuss the potential role of perceptual organization in light of the pattern of results.

The influence of cannabinoids on learning and memory processes of the dorsal striatum.

PubMed

Goodman, Jarid; Packard, Mark G

2015-11-01

Extensive evidence indicates that the mammalian endocannabinoid system plays an integral role in learning and memory. Our understanding of how cannabinoids influence memory comes predominantly from studies examining cognitive and emotional memory systems mediated by the hippocampus and amygdala, respectively. However, recent evidence suggests that cannabinoids also affect habit or stimulus-response (S-R) memory mediated by the dorsal striatum. Studies implementing a variety of maze tasks in rats indicate that systemic or intra-dorsolateral striatum infusions of cannabinoid receptor agonists or antagonists impair habit memory. In mice, cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor knockdown can enhance or impair habit formation, whereas Δ(9)THC tolerance enhances habit formation. Studies in human cannabis users also suggest an enhancement of S-R/habit memory. A tentative conclusion based on the available data is that acute disruption of the endocannabinoid system with either agonists or antagonists impairs, whereas chronic cannabinoid exposure enhances, dorsal striatum-dependent S-R/habit memory. CB1 receptors are required for multiple forms of striatal synaptic plasticity implicated in memory, including short-term and long-term depression. Interactions with the hippocampus-dependent memory system may also have a role in some of the observed effects of cannabinoids on habit memory. The impairing effect often observed with acute cannabinoid administration argues for cannabinoid-based treatments for human psychopathologies associated with a dysfunctional habit memory system (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction/relapse). In addition, the enhancing effect of repeated cannabinoid exposure on habit memory suggests a novel neurobehavioral mechanism for marijuana addiction involving the dorsal striatum-dependent memory system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Verbal Synchrony and Action Dynamics in Large Groups

PubMed Central

von Zimmermann, Jorina; Richardson, Daniel C.

2016-01-01

While synchronized movement has been shown to increase liking and feelings of togetherness between people, we investigated whether collective speaking in time would change the way that larger groups played a video game together. Anthropologists have speculated that the function of interpersonal coordination in dance, chants, and singing is not just to produce warm, affiliative feelings, but also to improve group action. The group that chants and dances together hunts well together. Direct evidence for this is sparse, as research so far has mainly studied pairs, the effects of coordinated physical movement, and measured cooperation and affiliative decisions. In our experiment, large groups of people were given response handsets to play a computer game together, in which only joint coordinative efforts lead to success. Before playing, the synchrony of their verbal behavior was manipulated. After the game, we measured group members’ affiliation toward their group, their performance on a memory task, and the way in which they played the group action task. We found that verbal synchrony in large groups produced affiliation, enhanced memory performance, and increased group members’ coordinative efforts. Our evidence suggests that the effects of synchrony are stable across modalities, can be generalized to larger groups and have consequences for action coordination. PMID:28082944

Nicotine Uses Neuron-Glia Communication to Enhance Hippocampal Synaptic Transmission and Long-term Memory

PubMed Central

López-Hidalgo, Mónica; Salgado-Puga, Karla; Alvarado-Martínez, Reynaldo; Medina, Andrea Cristina; Prado-Alcalá, Roberto A.; García-Colunga, Jesús

2012-01-01

Nicotine enhances synaptic transmission and facilitates long-term memory. Now it is known that bi-directional glia-neuron interactions play important roles in the physiology of the brain. However, the involvement of glial cells in the effects of nicotine has not been considered until now. In particular, the gliotransmitter D-serine, an endogenous co-agonist of NMDA receptors, enables different types of synaptic plasticity and memory in the hippocampus. Here, we report that hippocampal long-term synaptic plasticity induced by nicotine was annulled by an enzyme that degrades endogenous D-serine, or by an NMDA receptor antagonist that acts at the D-serine binding site. Accordingly, both effects of nicotine: the enhancement of synaptic transmission and facilitation of long-term memory were eliminated by impairing glial cells with fluoroacetate, and were restored with exogenous D-serine. Together, these results show that glial D-serine is essential for the long-term effects of nicotine on synaptic plasticity and memory, and they highlight the roles of glial cells as key participants in brain functions. PMID:23185511

Rapid effects of estrogens on short-term memory: Possible mechanisms.

PubMed

Paletta, Pietro; Sheppard, Paul A S; Matta, Richard; Ervin, Kelsy S J; Choleris, Elena

2018-06-01

Estrogens affect learning and memory through rapid and delayed mechanisms. Here we review studies on rapid effects on short-term memory. Estradiol rapidly improves social and object recognition memory, spatial memory, and social learning when administered systemically. The dorsal hippocampus mediates estrogen rapid facilitation of object, social and spatial short-term memory. The medial amygdala mediates rapid facilitation of social recognition. The three estrogen receptors, α (ERα), β (ERβ) and the G-protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) appear to play different roles depending on the task and brain region. Both ERα and GPER agonists rapidly facilitate short-term social and object recognition and spatial memory when administered systemically or into the dorsal hippocampus and facilitate social recognition in the medial amygdala. Conversely, only GPER can facilitate social learning after systemic treatment and an ERβ agonist only rapidly improved short-term spatial memory when given systemically or into the hippocampus, but also facilitates social recognition in the medial amygdala. Investigations into the mechanisms behind estrogens' rapid effects on short term memory showed an involvement of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) kinase pathways. Recent evidence also showed that estrogens interact with the neuropeptide oxytocin in rapidly facilitating social recognition. Estrogens can increase the production and/or release of oxytocin and other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and acetylcholine. Therefore, it is possible that estrogens' rapid effects on short-term memory may occur through the regulation of various neurotransmitters, although more research is need on these interactions as well as the mechanisms of estrogens' actions on short-term memory. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of cognitive reserve and memory self-efficacy in compensatory strategy use: A structural equation approach.

PubMed

Simon, Christa; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2016-08-01

The use of compensatory strategies plays an important role in the ability of older adults to adapt to late-life memory changes. Even with the benefits associated with compensatory strategy use, little research has explored specific mechanisms associated with memory performance and compensatory strategies. Rather than an individual's objective memory performance directly predicting their use of compensatory strategies, it is possible that some other variables are indirectly influencing that relationship. The purpose of this study was to: (a) examine the moderating effects of cognitive reserve (CR) and (b) evaluate the potential mediating effects of memory self-efficacy on the relationship between objective memory performance and compensatory strategy use. Two structural equation models (SEM) were used to evaluate CR (latent moderator model) and memory self-efficacy (mediator model) in a sample of 155 community-dwelling older adults over the age of 55. The latent variable moderator model indicated that CR was not substantiated as a moderator variable in this sample (p = .861). However, memory self-efficacy significantly mediated the association between objective memory performance and compensatory strategy use (β = .22, 95% confidence interval, CI [.002, .437]). More specifically, better objective memory was associated with lower compensatory strategy use because of its relation to higher memory self-efficacy. These findings provide initial support for an explanatory framework of the relation between objective memory and compensatory strategy use in a healthy older adult population by identifying the importance of an individual's memory perceptions.

Maternal Scaffolding and Preterm Toddlers’ Visual-Spatial Processing and Emerging Working Memory

PubMed Central

Poehlmann, Julie; Hilgendorf, Amy E; Miller, Kyle; Lambert, Heather

2010-01-01

Objective We examined longitudinal associations among neonatal and socioeconomic risks, maternal scaffolding behaviors, and 24-month visual-spatial processing and working memory in a sample of 73 toddlers born preterm or low birthweight (PT LBW). Methods Risk data were collected at hospital discharge and dyadic play interactions were observed at 16-months postterm. Abbreviated IQ scores, verbal/nonverbal working memory, and verbal/nonverbal visual-spatial processing data were collected at 24-months postterm. Results Higher attention scaffolding and lower emotion scaffolding during 16-month play were associated with 24-month verbal working memory scores. A joint significance test revealed that maternal attention and emotion scaffolding during 16-month play mediated the relationship between socioeconomic risk and 24-month verbal working memory. Conclusions These findings suggest areas for future research and intervention with children born PT LBW who also experience high socioeconomic risk. PMID:19505998

Electrolytic lesions of the bilateral ventrolateral orbital cortex inhibit methamphetamine-associated contextual memory formation in rats.

PubMed

Zhao, Yan; Liu, Peng; Chu, Zheng; Liu, Fei; Han, Wei; Xun, Xi; Dang, Yong-Hui

2015-10-22

The memories that are formed between rewarding and drug-associated contextual cues have been suggested to contribute to drug addiction relapse. Recent evidence has indicated that the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO) plays important roles in reward-based learning and reversal learning. However, whether the VLO is required for methamphetamine-induced contextual memory formation is not well understood. In the present study, a three-phase methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) model was used to investigate the effects of VLO lesions on the formation of drug-associated contextual memories in rats. We found that the VLO lesions themselves elicited no observable effects on place preferences. However, the VLO lesions delayed the acquisition and extinction phases of CPP without affecting the expression level. Furthermore, the VLO lesions did not have an obvious influence on CPP reinstatement. These results indicate that electrolytic lesions of the bilateral ventrolateral orbital cortex can inhibit the formation of methamphetamine-induced contextual memories in rats. Moreover, VLO may not be critically involved in memory storage and retrieval. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fear memory consolidation in sleep requires protein kinase A.

PubMed

Cho, Jiyeon; Sypniewski, Krzysztof A; Arai, Shoko; Yamada, Kazuo; Ogawa, Sonoko; Pavlides, Constantine

2018-05-01

It is well established that protein kinase A (PKA) is involved in hippocampal dependent memory consolidation. Sleep is also known to play an important role in this process. However, whether sleep-dependent memory consolidation involves PKA activation has not been clearly determined. Using behavioral observation, animals were categorized into sleep and awake groups. We show that intrahippocampal injections of the PKA inhibitor Rp-cAMPs in post-contextual fear conditioning sleep produced a suppression of long-term fear memory, while injections of Rp-cAMPs during an awake state, at a similar time point, had no effect. In contrast, injections of the PKA activator Sp-cAMPs in awake state, rescued sleep deprivation-induced memory impairments. These results suggest that following learning, PKA activation specifically in sleep is required for the consolidation of long-term memory. © 2018 Cho et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Dissociable contributions of the amygdala to the immediate and delayed effects of emotional arousal on memory.

PubMed

Schümann, Dirk; Sommer, Tobias

2018-06-01

Emotional arousal enhances memory encoding and consolidation leading to better immediate and delayed memory. Although the central noradrenergic system and the amygdala play critical roles in both effects of emotional arousal, we have recently shown that these effects are at least partly independent of each other, suggesting distinct underlying neural mechanisms. Here we aim to dissociate the neural substrates of both effects in 70 female participants using an emotional memory paradigm to investigate how neural activity, as measured by fMRI, and a polymorphism in the α 2B -noradrenoceptor vary for these effects. To also test whether the immediate and delayed effects of emotional arousal on memory are stable traits, we invited back participants who were a part of a large-scale behavioral memory study ∼3.5 yr ago. We replicated the low correlation of the immediate and delayed emotional enhancement of memory across participants ( r = 0.16) and observed, moreover, that only the delayed effect was, to some degree, stable over time ( r = 0.23). Bilateral amygdala activity, as well as its coupling with the visual cortex and the fusiform gyrus, was related to the preferential encoding of emotional stimuli, which is consistent with affect-biased attention. Moreover, the adrenoceptor genotype modulated the bilateral amygdala activity associated with this effect. The left amygdala and its coupling with the hippocampus was specifically associated with the more efficient consolidation of emotional stimuli, which is consistent with amygdalar modulation of hippocampal consolidation. © 2018 Schümann and Sommer; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

First demonstration of olfactory learning and long term memory in honey bee queens.

PubMed

Gong, Zhiwen; Tan, Ken; Nieh, James C

2018-05-18

As the primary source of colony reproduction, social insect queens play a vital role. However, the cognitive abilities of queens are not well understood, although queen learning and memory are essential in multiple species such as honey bees, in which virgin queens must leave the nest and then successful learn to navigate back over repeated nuptial flights. Honey bee queen learning has never been previously demonstrated. We therefore tested olfactory learning in queens and workers and examined the role of DNA methylation, which plays a key role in long term memory formation. We provide the first evidence that honey bee queens have excellent learning and memory. The proportion of honey bee queens that exhibited learning was 5-fold higher than workers at every tested age and, for memory, 4-fold higher than workers at a very young age. DNA methylation may play a key role in this queen memory because queens exhibiting remote memory had a more consistent elevation in Dnmt3 gene expression as compared to workers. Both castes also showed excellent remote memory (7 day memory), which was reduced by 14-20% by the DNA methylation inhibitor, zebularine. Given that queens live about 10-fold longer than workers, these results suggest that queens can serve as an excellently long-term reservoir of colony memory. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Individuals with Alzheimer's learn to play a tile placement game: Results of a pilot study.

PubMed

Miltiades, Helen B; Thatcher, W Gregory

2016-10-25

With the ongoing need to determine effective memory interventions for persons with dementia and other memory impairments, the purpose of this study was to create a unique learning opportunity, where persons with early to moderate Alzheimer's engaged in game play activity. Six female participants, diagnosed with early to moderate dementia, were recruited from an adult day care center and participated in a 10-week study. The participants were placed in groups of three and were taught a tile placement game. Results indicate playing the game yielded inconsistent, but some significant, increases and eventual plateauing of knowing when it was their turn. The results also indicate the participant's maintained improvement in tile placement over the study period. Tile placement accuracy increased over rounds, which points to the importance of practice to maintain learned behavior. The game provided a platform for learning, social engagement, and occupied their time meaningfully. © The Author(s) 2016.

The Effects of Acute Exercise on Memory and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).

PubMed

Etnier, Jennifer L; Wideman, Laurie; Labban, Jeffrey D; Piepmeier, Aaron T; Pendleton, Daniel M; Dvorak, Kelly K; Becofsky, Katie

2016-08-01

Acute exercise benefits cognition, and some evidence suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a role in this effect. The purpose of this study was to explore the dose-response relationship between exercise intensity, memory, and BDNF. Young adults completed 3 exercise sessions at different intensities relative to ventilator threshold (Vt) (VO 2max , Vt - 20%, Vt + 20%). For each session, participants exercised for approximately 30 min. Following exercise, they performed the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) to assess short-term memory, learning, and long-term memory recall. Twenty-four hours later, they completed the RAVLT recognition trial, which provided another measure of long-term memory. Blood was drawn before exercise, immediately postexercise, and after the 30-min recall test. Results indicated that long-term memory as assessed after the 24-hr delay differed as a function of exercise intensity with the largest benefits observed following maximal intensity exercise. BDNF data showed a significant increase in response to exercise; however, there were no differences relative to exercise intensity and there were no significant associations between BDNF and memory. Future research is warranted so that we can better understand how to use exercise to benefit cognitive performance.

Sex differences in verbal and nonverbal learning before and after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

PubMed

Berger, Justus; Oltmanns, Frank; Holtkamp, Martin; Bengner, Thomas

2017-01-01

Women outperform men in a host of episodic memory tasks, yet the neuroanatomical basis for this effect is unclear. It has been suggested that the anterior temporal lobe might be especially relevant for sex differences in memory. In the current study, we investigated whether temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) has an influence on sex effects in learning and memory and whether women and men with TLE differ in their risk for memory deficits after epilepsy surgery. 177 patients (53 women and 41 men with left TLE, 42 women and 41 men with right TLE) were neuropsychologically tested before and one year after temporal lobe resection. We found that women with TLE had better verbal, but not figural, memory than men with TLE. The female advantage in verbal memory was not affected by temporal lobe resection. The same pattern of results was found in a more homogeneous subsample of 84 patients with only hippocampal sclerosis who were seizure-free after surgery. Our findings challenge the concept that the anterior temporal lobe plays a central role in the verbal memory advantage for women. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Collaboration enhances later individual memory for emotional material.

PubMed

Bärthel, Gwennis A; Wessel, Ineke; Huntjens, Rafaële J C; Verwoerd, Johan

2017-05-01

Research on collaborative remembering suggests that collaboration hampers group memory (i.e., collaborative inhibition), yet enhances later individual memory. Studies examining collaborative effects on memory for emotional stimuli are scarce, especially concerning later individual memory. In the present study, female undergraduates watched an emotional movie and recalled it either collaboratively (n = 60) or individually (n = 60), followed by an individual free recall test and a recognition test. We replicated the standard collaborative inhibition effect. Further, in line with the literature, the collaborative condition displayed better post-collaborative individual memory. More importantly, in post-collaborative free recall, the centrality of the information to the movie plot did not play an important role. Recognition rendered slightly different results. Although collaboration rendered more correct recognition for more central details, it did not enhance recognition of background details. Secondly, the collaborative and individual conditions did not differ with respect to overlap of unique correct items in free recall. Yet, during recognition former collaborators more unanimously endorsed correct answers, as well as errors. Finally, extraversion, neuroticism, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms did not moderate the influence of collaboration on memory. Implications for the fields of forensic and clinical psychology are discussed.

The processing of spatial information in short-term memory: insights from eye tracking the path length effect.

PubMed

Guérard, Katherine; Tremblay, Sébastien; Saint-Aubin, Jean

2009-10-01

Serial memory for spatial locations increases as the distance between successive stimuli locations decreases. This effect, known as the path length effect [Parmentier, F. B. R., Elford, G., & Maybery, M. T. (2005). Transitional information in spatial serial memory: Path characteristics affect recall performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 31, 412-427], was investigated in a systematic manner using eye tracking and interference procedures to explore the mechanisms responsible for the processing of spatial information. In Experiment 1, eye movements were monitored during a spatial serial recall task--in which the participants have to remember the location of spatially and temporally separated dots on the screen. In the experimental conditions, eye movements were suppressed by requiring participants to incessantly move their eyes between irrelevant locations. Ocular suppression abolished the path length effect whether eye movements were prevented during item presentation or during a 7s retention interval. In Experiment 2, articulatory suppression was combined with a spatial serial recall task. Although articulatory suppression impaired performance, it did not alter the path length effect. Our results suggest that rehearsal plays a key role in serial memory for spatial information, though the effect of path length seems to involve other processes located at encoding, such as the time spent fixating each location and perceptual organization.

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Divergent short- and long-term effects of acute stress in object recognition memory are mediated by endogenous opioid system activation.

PubMed

Nava-Mesa, Mauricio O; Lamprea, Marisol R; Múnera, Alejandro

2013-11-01

Acute stress induces short-term object recognition memory impairment and elicits endogenous opioid system activation. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate whether opiate system activation mediates the acute stress-induced object recognition memory changes. Adult male Wistar rats were trained in an object recognition task designed to test both short- and long-term memory. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive an intraperitoneal injection of saline, 1 mg/kg naltrexone or 3 mg/kg naltrexone, four and a half hours before the sample trial. Five minutes after the injection, half the subjects were submitted to movement restraint during four hours while the other half remained in their home cages. Non-stressed subjects receiving saline (control) performed adequately during the short-term memory test, while stressed subjects receiving saline displayed impaired performance. Naltrexone prevented such deleterious effect, in spite of the fact that it had no intrinsic effect on short-term object recognition memory. Stressed subjects receiving saline and non-stressed subjects receiving naltrexone performed adequately during the long-term memory test; however, control subjects as well as stressed subjects receiving a high dose of naltrexone performed poorly. Control subjects' dissociated performance during both memory tests suggests that the short-term memory test induced a retroactive interference effect mediated through light opioid system activation; such effect was prevented either by low dose naltrexone administration or by strongly activating the opioid system through acute stress. Both short-term memory retrieval impairment and long-term memory improvement observed in stressed subjects may have been mediated through strong opioid system activation, since they were prevented by high dose naltrexone administration. Therefore, the activation of the opioid system plays a dual modulating role in object recognition memory. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DREAM/calsenilin/KChIP3 modulates strategy selection and estradiol-dependent learning and memory.

PubMed

Tunur, Tumay; Stelly, Claire E; Schrader, Laura Ann

2013-11-18

Downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM)/calsenilin(C)/K⁺ channel interacting protein 3 (KChIP3) is a multifunctional Ca²⁺-binding protein highly expressed in the hippocampus that inhibits hippocampus-sensitive memory and synaptic plasticity in male mice. Initial studies in our lab suggested opposing effects of DR/C/K3 expression in female mice. Fluctuating hormones that occur during the estrous cycle may affect these results. In this study, we hypothesized that DR/C/K3 interacts with 17β-estradiol, the primary estrogen produced by the ovaries, to play a role in hippocampus function. We investigated the role of estradiol and DR/C/K3 in learning strategy in ovariectomized (OVX) female mice. OVX WT and DR/C/K3 knockout (KO) mice were given three injections of vehicle (sesame oil) or 17β-estradiol benzoate (0.25 mg in 100 mL sesame oil) 48, 24, and 2 h before training and testing. DR/C/K3 and estradiol had a time-dependent effect on strategy use in the female mice. Male KO mice exhibited enhanced place strategy relative to WT 24 h after pre-exposure. Fear memory formation was significantly reduced in intact female KO mice relative to intact WT mice, and OVX reduced fear memory formation in the WT, but had no effect in the KO mice. Long-term potentiation in hippocampus slices from female mice was enhanced by circulating ovarian hormones in both WT and DR/C/K3 KO mice. Paired-pulse depression was not affected by ovarian hormones but was reduced in DR/C/K3 KO mice. These results provide the first evidence that DR/C/K3 plays a timing-dependent role in estradiol regulation of learning, memory, and plasticity.

Impact of singular excessive computer game and television exposure on sleep patterns and memory performance of school-aged children.

PubMed

Dworak, Markus; Schierl, Thomas; Bruns, Thomas; Strüder, Heiko Klaus

2007-11-01

Television and computer game consumption are a powerful influence in the lives of most children. Previous evidence has supported the notion that media exposure could impair a variety of behavioral characteristics. Excessive television viewing and computer game playing have been associated with many psychiatric symptoms, especially emotional and behavioral symptoms, somatic complaints, attention problems such as hyperactivity, and family interaction problems. Nevertheless, there is insufficient knowledge about the relationship between singular excessive media consumption on sleep patterns and linked implications on children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of singular excessive television and computer game consumption on sleep patterns and memory performance of children. Eleven school-aged children were recruited for this polysomnographic study. Children were exposed to voluntary excessive television and computer game consumption. In the subsequent night, polysomnographic measurements were conducted to measure sleep-architecture and sleep-continuity parameters. In addition, a visual and verbal memory test was conducted before media stimulation and after the subsequent sleeping period to determine visuospatial and verbal memory performance. Only computer game playing resulted in significant reduced amounts of slow-wave sleep as well as significant declines in verbal memory performance. Prolonged sleep-onset latency and more stage 2 sleep were also detected after previous computer game consumption. No effects on rapid eye movement sleep were observed. Television viewing reduced sleep efficiency significantly but did not affect sleep patterns. The results suggest that television and computer game exposure affect children's sleep and deteriorate verbal cognitive performance, which supports the hypothesis of the negative influence of media consumption on children's sleep, learning, and memory.

Delay-dependent working memory impairment in young-adult and aged 5-HT1BKO mice as assessed in a radial-arm water maze.

PubMed

Wolff, Mathieu; Benhassine, Narimane; Costet, Pierre; Hen, Rene; Segu, Louis; Buhot, Marie-Christine

2003-01-01

Serotonin (5-HT) plays a modulatory role in mnemonic functions, especially by interacting with the cholinergic system. The 5-HT1B receptor is a key target of this interaction. The 5-HT1B receptor knockout mice were found previously to exhibit a facilitation in hippocampal-dependent spatial reference memory learning. In the present study, we submitted mice to a delayed spatial working memory task, allowing the introduction of various delays between an exposure trial and a test trial. The 5-HT1BKO and wild-type mice learned the task in a radial-arm water maze (returning to the most recent presented arm containing the escape platform), and exhibited a high level of performance at delays of 0 and 5 min. However, at the delay of 60 min, only 5-HT1BKO mice exhibited an impairment. At a delay of 90 min, all mice were impaired. Treatment by scopolamine (0.8 mg/kg) induced the same pattern of performance in wild type as did the mutation for short (5 min, no impairment) and long (60 min, impairment) delays. The 22-month-old wild-type and knockout mice exhibited an impairment at short delays (5 and 15 min). The effect of the mutation affected both young-adult and aged mice at delays of 15, 30, and 60 min. Neurobiological data show that stimulation of the 5-HT1B receptor inhibits the release of acetylcholine in the hippocampus, but stimulates this in the frontal cortex. This dual function might, at least in part, explain the opposite effect of the mutation on reference memory (facilitation) and delay-dependent working memory (impairment). These results support the idea that cholinergic-serotonergic interactions play an important role in memory processes.

The selective A-type K+ current blocker Tx3-1 isolated from the Phoneutria nigriventer venom enhances memory of naïve and Aβ(25-35)-treated mice.

PubMed

Gomes, Guilherme M; Dalmolin, Gerusa D; Cordeiro, Marta do Nascimento; Gomez, Marcus V; Ferreira, Juliano; Rubin, Maribel A

2013-12-15

Potassium channels regulate many neuronal functions, including neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity, contributing, by these means, to mnemonic processes. In particular, A-type K(+) currents (IA) play a key role in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of the peptidic toxin Tx3-1, a selective blocker of IA currents, extracted from the venom of the spider Phoneutria nigriventer, on memory of mice. Administration of Tx3-1 (i.c.v., 300 pmol/site) enhanced both short- and long-term memory consolidation of mice tested in the novel object recognition task. In comparison, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; i.c.v., 30-300 pmol/site), a non-selective K(+) channel blocker did not alter long-term memory and caused toxic side effects such as circling, freezing and tonic-clonic seizures. Moreover, Tx3-1 (i.c.v., 10-100 pmol/site) restored memory of Aβ25-35-injected mice, and exhibited a higher potency to improve memory of Aβ25-35-injected mice when compared to control group. These results show the effect of the selective blocker of IA currents Tx3-1 in both short- and long-term memory retention and in memory impairment caused by Aβ25-35, reinforcing the role of IA in physiological and pathological memory processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Memory for music in Alzheimer's disease: unforgettable?

PubMed

Baird, Amee; Samson, Séverine

2009-03-01

The notion that memory for music can be preserved in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has been raised by a number of case studies. In this paper, we review the current research examining musical memory in patients with AD. In keeping with models of memory described in the non-musical domain, we propose that various forms of musical memory exist, and may be differentially impaired in AD, reflecting the pattern of neuropathological changes associated with the condition. Our synthesis of this literature reveals a dissociation between explicit and implicit musical memory functions. Implicit, specifically procedural musical memory, or the ability to play a musical instrument, can be spared in musicians with AD. In contrast, explicit musical memory, or the recognition of familiar or unfamiliar melodies, is typically impaired. Thus, the notion that music is unforgettable in AD is not wholly supported. Rather, it appears that the ability to play a musical instrument may be unforgettable in some musicians with AD.

Memory does not necessarily promote cooperation in dilemma games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tao; Chen, Zhigang; Li, Kenli; Deng, Xiaoheng; Li, Deng

2014-02-01

Evolutionary games can model dilemmas for which cooperation can exist in rational populations. According to intuition, memory of the history can help individuals to overcome the dilemma and increase cooperation. However, here we show that no such general predictions can be made for dilemma games with memory. Agents play repeated prisoner’s dilemma, snowdrift, or stag hunt games in well-mixed populations or on a lattice. We compare the cooperation ratio and fitness for systems with or without memory. An interesting result is that cooperation is demoted in snowdrift and stag hunt games with memory when cost-to-benefit ratio is low, while system fitness still increases with memory in the snowdrift game. To illustrate this interesting phenomenon, two further experiments were performed to study R, ST, and P reciprocity and investigate 16 agent strategies for one-step memory. The results show that memory plays different roles in different dilemma games.

Stress Impairs Optimal Behavior in a Water Foraging Choice Task in Rats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Lauren K.; Yoon, Taejib; Kim, Jeansok J.

2010-01-01

Stress is a biologically significant social-environmental factor that plays a pervasive role in influencing human and animal behaviors. While stress effects on various types of memory are well characterized, its effects on other cognitive functions are relatively unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of acute, uncontrollable stress on…

The Effects of Distraction on Cognitive Task Performance during Toddlerhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyss, Nancy M.; Kannass, Kathleen N.; Haden, Catherine A.

2013-01-01

We investigated the effects of distraction on attention and task performance during toddlerhood. Thirty toddlers (24- to 26-month-olds) completed different tasks (2 of each: categorization, problem solving, memory, free play) in one of two conditions: No Distraction or Distraction. The results revealed that the distractor had varying effects on…

Training-Associated Emotional Arousal Shapes Endocannabinoid Modulation of Spatial Memory Retrieval in Rats.

PubMed

Morena, Maria; De Castro, Valentina; Gray, J Megan; Palmery, Maura; Trezza, Viviana; Roozendaal, Benno; Hill, Matthew N; Campolongo, Patrizia

2015-10-14

Variations in environmental aversiveness influence emotional memory processes in rats. We have previously shown that cannabinoid effects on memory are dependent on the stress level at the time of training as well as on the aversiveness of the environmental context. Here, we investigated whether the hippocampal endocannabinoid system modulates memory retrieval depending on the training-associated arousal level. Male adult Sprague Dawley rats were trained on a water maze spatial task at two different water temperatures (19°C and 25°C) to elicit either higher or lower stress levels, respectively. Rats trained under the higher stress condition had better memory and higher corticosterone concentrations than rats trained at the lower stress condition. The cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55212-2 (10-30 ng/side), the 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) hydrolysis inhibitor JZL184 (0.1-1 μg/side), and the anandamide (AEA) hydrolysis inhibitor URB597 (10-30 ng/side) were administered bilaterally into the hippocampus 60 min before probe-trial retention testing. WIN55212-2 or JZL184, but not URB597, impaired probe-trial performances only of rats trained at the higher stressful condition. Furthermore, rats trained under higher stress levels displayed an increase in hippocampal 2-AG, but not AEA, levels at the time of retention testing and a decreased affinity of the main 2-AG-degrading enzyme for its substrate. The present findings indicate that the endocannabinoid 2-AG in the hippocampus plays a key role in the selective regulation of spatial memory retrieval of stressful experience, shedding light on the neurobiological mechanisms involved in the impact of stress effects on memory processing. Endogenous cannabinoids play a central role in the modulation of memory for emotional events. Here we demonstrate that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol in the hippocampus, a brain region crucially involved in the regulation of memory processes, selectively modulates spatial memory recall of stressful experiences. Thus, our findings provide evidence that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol is a key player in mediating the impact of stress on memory retrieval. These findings can pave the way to new potential therapeutic intervention for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, where a previous exposure to traumatic events could alter the response to traumatic memory recall leading to mental illness. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3513963-13$15.00/0.

Study modality and false recall.

PubMed

Smith, Rebekah E; Engle, Randall W

2011-01-01

False memories occur when individuals mistakenly report an event as having taken place when that event did not in fact occur. The DRM (Deese, 1959; Roediger & McDermott, 1995) paradigm provides an effective technique for creating and investigating false memories. In this paradigm participants study a list of words (e.g., SOUR, CANDY,…) that are highly associated to a non-presented critical item (e.g., SWEET). The study phase is followed by a test of memory for the study list words. Researchers typically find very high levels of false recall of the critical non-presented item. However, the likelihood of falsely remembering the non-presented critical items can be reduced by presenting studied associates visually rather than auditorally (e.g., Smith & Hunt, 1998). This is referred to as the modality effect in false memory. The current study investigated the role of resource availability in the expression of this modality effect in false recall. In Experiment 1 false recall was reduced in the visual study presentation condition relative to the auditory condition for participants with higher working memory capacity, but not for participants with lower working memory capacity. In Experiment 2 the effect of study modality on false recall was eliminated by the addition of a divided attention task at encoding. Both studies support the proposal that resource availability plays a role in the expression of the modality effect in the DRM paradigm (Smith, Lozito, & Bayen, 2005).

Positive Outcomes Enhance Incidental Learning for Both Younger and Older Adults

PubMed Central

Mather, Mara; Schoeke, Andrej

2011-01-01

Previous studies suggest that memory encoding is enhanced when people are anticipating a potential reward, consistent with the idea that dopaminergic systems that respond to motivationally relevant information also enhance memory for that information. In the current study, we examined how anticipating and receiving rewards versus losses affect incidental learning of information. In addition, we compared the modulatory effects of reward anticipation and outcome on memory for younger and older adults. Forty-two younger (aged 18–33 years) and 44 older (aged 66–92 years) adults played a game involving pressing a button as soon as they saw a target. Gain trials began with a cue that they would win $0.25 if they pressed the button fast enough, loss trials began with a cue that they would avoid losing $0.25 if they pressed the button fast enough, and no-outcome trials began with a cue indicating no monetary outcome. The target was a different photo-object on each trial (e.g., balloon, dolphin) and performance outcomes were displayed after the photo disappeared. Both younger and older adults recalled and recognized pictures from trials with positive outcomes (either rewarding or loss avoiding) better than from trials with negative outcomes. Positive outcomes were associated with not only enhanced memory for the picture just seen in that trial, but also with enhanced memory for the pictures shown in the next two trials. Although anticipating a reward also enhanced incidental memory, this effect was seen only in recognition memory of positive pictures and was a smaller effect than the outcome effect. The fact that older adults showed similar incidental memory effects of reward anticipation and outcome as younger adults suggests that reward–memory system interactions remain intact in older age. PMID:22125509

Iconic memory requires attention

PubMed Central

Persuh, Marjan; Genzer, Boris; Melara, Robert D.

2012-01-01

Two experiments investigated whether attention plays a role in iconic memory, employing either a change detection paradigm (Experiment 1) or a partial-report paradigm (Experiment 2). In each experiment, attention was taxed during initial display presentation, focusing the manipulation on consolidation of information into iconic memory, prior to transfer into working memory. Observers were able to maintain high levels of performance (accuracy of change detection or categorization) even when concurrently performing an easy visual search task (low load). However, when the concurrent search was made difficult (high load), observers' performance dropped to almost chance levels, while search accuracy held at single-task levels. The effects of attentional load remained the same across paradigms. The results suggest that, without attention, participants consolidate in iconic memory only gross representations of the visual scene, information too impoverished for successful detection of perceptual change or categorization of features. PMID:22586389

Iconic memory requires attention.

PubMed

Persuh, Marjan; Genzer, Boris; Melara, Robert D

2012-01-01

Two experiments investigated whether attention plays a role in iconic memory, employing either a change detection paradigm (Experiment 1) or a partial-report paradigm (Experiment 2). In each experiment, attention was taxed during initial display presentation, focusing the manipulation on consolidation of information into iconic memory, prior to transfer into working memory. Observers were able to maintain high levels of performance (accuracy of change detection or categorization) even when concurrently performing an easy visual search task (low load). However, when the concurrent search was made difficult (high load), observers' performance dropped to almost chance levels, while search accuracy held at single-task levels. The effects of attentional load remained the same across paradigms. The results suggest that, without attention, participants consolidate in iconic memory only gross representations of the visual scene, information too impoverished for successful detection of perceptual change or categorization of features.

The effects of screen media content on young children's executive functioning.

PubMed

Huber, Brittany; Yeates, Megan; Meyer, Denny; Fleckhammer, Lorraine; Kaufman, Jordy

2018-06-01

Children's exposure to screen-based media has raised concerns for many reasons. One reason is that viewing particular television content has been shown to negatively affect children's executive functioning. Yet, it is unclear whether interacting with a touchscreen device affects executive functioning in the same way as the television research suggests. In the current study, 96 2- and 3-year-old children completed executive functioning measures of working memory and response inhibition and task switching before and after a brief screen intervention consisting of watching an educational television show, playing an educational app, or watching a cartoon. Children's ability to delay gratification was also assessed. Results indicate that the type of screen intervention had a significant effect on executive functioning performance. Children were more likely to delay gratification after playing an educational app than after viewing a cartoon. In particular instances, children's working memory improved after playing the educational app. These findings emphasize that, for young children's executive functioning, interactivity and content may be more important factors to consider than simply "screen time." Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In Search of Decay in Verbal Short-Term Memory

PubMed Central

Berman, Marc G.; Jonides, John; Lewis, Richard L.

2014-01-01

Is forgetting in the short term due to decay with the mere passage of time, interference from other memoranda, or both? Past research on short-term memory has revealed some evidence for decay and a plethora of evidence showing that short-term memory is worsened by interference. However, none of these studies has directly contrasted decay and interference in short-term memory in a task that rules out the use of rehearsal processes. In this article the authors present a series of studies using a novel paradigm to address this problem directly, by interrogating the operation of decay and interference in short-term memory without rehearsal confounds. The results of these studies indicate that short-term memories are subject to very small decay effects with the mere passage of time but that interference plays a much larger role in their degradation. The authors discuss the implications of these results for existing models of memory decay and interference. PMID:19271849

In search of decay in verbal short-term memory.

PubMed

Berman, Marc G; Jonides, John; Lewis, Richard L

2009-03-01

Is forgetting in the short term due to decay with the mere passage of time, interference from other memoranda, or both? Past research on short-term memory has revealed some evidence for decay and a plethora of evidence showing that short-term memory is worsened by interference. However, none of these studies has directly contrasted decay and interference in short-term memory in a task that rules out the use of rehearsal processes. In this article the authors present a series of studies using a novel paradigm to address this problem directly, by interrogating the operation of decay and interference in short-term memory without rehearsal confounds. The results of these studies indicate that short-term memories are subject to very small decay effects with the mere passage of time but that interference plays a much larger role in their degradation. The authors discuss the implications of these results for existing models of memory decay and interference. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved

Neural Protein Synthesis during Aging: Effects on Plasticity and Memory

PubMed Central

Schimanski, Lesley A.; Barnes, Carol A.

2010-01-01

During aging, many experience a decline in cognitive function that includes memory loss. The encoding of long-term memories depends on new protein synthesis, and this is also reduced during aging. Thus, it is possible that changes in the regulation of protein synthesis contribute to the memory impairments observed in older animals. Several lines of evidence support this hypothesis. For instance, protein synthesis is required for a longer period following learning to establish long-term memory in aged rodents. Also, under some conditions, synaptic activity or pharmacological activation can induce de novo protein synthesis and lasting changes in synaptic transmission in aged, but not young, rodents; the opposite results can be observed in other conditions. These changes in plasticity likely play a role in manifesting the altered place field properties observed in awake and behaving aged rats. The collective evidence suggests a link between memory loss and the regulation of protein synthesis in senescence. In fact, pharmaceuticals that target the signaling pathways required for induction of protein synthesis have improved memory, synaptic plasticity, and place cell properties in aged animals. We suggest that a better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to different protein expression patterns in the neural circuits that change as a function of age will enable the development of more effective therapeutic treatments for memory loss. PMID:20802800

Competitive advantage for multiple-memory strategies in an artificial market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitman, Kurt E.; Choe, Sehyo C.; Johnson, Neil F.

2005-05-01

We consider a simple binary market model containing N competitive agents. The novel feature of our model is that it incorporates the tendency shown by traders to look for patterns in past price movements over multiple time scales, i.e. multiple memory-lengths. In the regime where these memory-lengths are all small, the average winnings per agent exceed those obtained for either (1) a pure population where all agents have equal memory-length, or (2) a mixed population comprising sub-populations of equal-memory agents with each sub-population having a different memory-length. Agents who consistently play strategies of a given memory-length, are found to win more on average -- switching between strategies with different memory lengths incurs an effective penalty, while switching between strategies of equal memory does not. Agents employing short-memory strategies can outperform agents using long-memory strategies, even in the regime where an equal-memory system would have favored the use of long-memory strategies. Using the many-body 'Crowd-Anticrowd' theory, we obtain analytic expressions which are in good agreement with the observed numerical results. In the context of financial markets, our results suggest that multiple-memory agents have a better chance of identifying price patterns of unknown length and hence will typically have higher winnings.

Revealing past memories: proactive interference and ketamine-induced memory deficits.

PubMed

Chrobak, James J; Hinman, James R; Sabolek, Helen R

2008-04-23

Memories of events that occur often are sensitive to interference from memories of similar events. Proactive interference plays an important and often unexamined role in memory testing for spatially and temporally unique events ("episodes"). Ketamine (NMDA receptor antagonist) treatment in humans and other mammals induces a constellation of cognitive deficits, including impairments in working and episodic memory. We examined the effects of the ketamine (2.5-100 mg/kg) on the acquisition, retrieval, and retention of memory in a delayed-match-to-place radial water maze task that can be used to assess proactive interference. Ketamine (2.5-25 mg/kg, i.p.) given 20 min before the sample trial, impaired encoding. The first errors made during the test trial were predominantly to arms located spatially adjacent to the goal arm, suggesting an established albeit weakened representation. Ketamine (25-100 mg/kg) given immediately after the sample trial had no effect on retention. Ketamine given before the test trial impaired retrieval. First errors under the influence of ketamine were predominantly to the goal location of the previous session. Thus, ketamine treatment promoted proactive interference. These memory deficits were not state dependent, because ketamine treatment at both encoding and retrieval only increased the number of errors during the test session. These data demonstrate the competing influence of distinct memory representations during the performance of a memory task in the rat. Furthermore, they demonstrate the subtle disruptive effects of the NMDA antagonist ketamine on both encoding and retrieval. Specifically, ketamine treatment disrupted retrieval by promoting proactive interference from previous episodic representations.

Individual Variation in the Late Positive Complex to Semantic Anomalies

PubMed Central

Kos, Miriam; van den Brink, Danielle; Hagoort, Peter

2012-01-01

It is well-known that, within ERP paradigms of sentence processing, semantically anomalous words elicit N400 effects. Less clear, however, is what happens after the N400. In some cases N400 effects are followed by Late Positive Complexes (LPC), whereas in other cases such effects are lacking. We investigated several factors which could affect the LPC, such as contextual constraint, inter-individual variation, and working memory. Seventy-two participants read sentences containing a semantic manipulation (Whipped cream tastes sweet/anxious and creamy). Neither contextual constraint nor working memory correlated with the LPC. Inter-individual variation played a substantial role in the elicitation of the LPC with about half of the participants showing a negative response and the other half showing an LPC. This individual variation correlated with a syntactic ERP as well as an alternative semantic manipulation. In conclusion, our results show that inter-individual variation plays a large role in the elicitation of the LPC and this may account for the diversity in LPC findings in language research. PMID:22973249

Musical memory in a patient with severe anterograde amnesia

PubMed Central

Cavaco, Sara; Feinstein, Justin S.; van Twillert, Henk; Tranel, Daniel

2014-01-01

The ability to play a musical instrument represents a unique procedural skill that can be remarkably resilient to disruptions in declarative memory. For example, musicians with severe anterograde amnesia have demonstrated preserved ability to play musical instruments. However, the question of whether amnesic musicians can learn how to play new musical material despite severe memory impairment has not been thoroughly investigated. We capitalized on a rare opportunity to address this question. Patient SZ, an amateur musician (tenor saxophone), has extensive bilateral damage to his medial temporal lobes following herpes simplex encephalitis, resulting in a severe anterograde amnesia. We tested SZ’s capacity to learn new unfamiliar songs by sight-reading following three months of biweekly practices. Performances were recorded and then evaluated by a professional saxophonist. SZ demonstrated significant improvement in his ability to read and play new music, despite his inability to recognize any of the songs at a declarative level. The results suggest that it is possible to learn certain aspects of new music without the assistance of declarative memory. PMID:23036073

Machine parts recognition using a trinary associative memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Awwal, Abdul Ahad S.; Karim, Mohammad A.; Liu, Hua-Kuang

1989-01-01

The convergence mechanism of vectors in Hopfield's neural network in relation to recognition of partially known patterns is studied in terms of both inner products and Hamming distance. It has been shown that Hamming distance should not always be used in determining the convergence of vectors. Instead, inner product weighting coefficients play a more dominant role in certain data representations for determining the convergence mechanism. A trinary neuron representation for associative memory is found to be more effective for associative recall. Applications of the trinary associative memory to reconstruct machine part images that are partially missing are demonstrated by means of computer simulation as examples of the usefulness of this approach.

Machine Parts Recognition Using A Trinary Associative Memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awwal, Abdul A. S.; Karim, Mohammad A.; Liu, Hua-Kuang

1989-05-01

The convergence mechanism of vectors in Hopfield's neural network in relation to recognition of partially known patterns is studied in terms of both inner products and Hamming distance. It has been shown that Hamming distance should not always be used in determining the convergence of vectors. Instead, inner product weighting coefficients play a more dominant role in certain data representations for determining the convergence mechanism. A trinary neuron representation for associative memory is found to be more effective for associative recall. Applications of the trinary associative memory to reconstruct machine part images that are partially missing are demonstrated by means of computer simulation as examples of the usefulness of this approach.

Order information and free recall: evaluating the item-order hypothesis.

PubMed

Mulligan, Neil W; Lozito, Jeffrey P

2007-05-01

The item-order hypothesis proposes that order information plays an important role in recall from long-term memory, and it is commonly used to account for the moderating effects of experimental design in memory research. Recent research (Engelkamp, Jahn, & Seiler, 2003; McDaniel, DeLosh, & Merritt, 2000) raises questions about the assumptions underlying the item-order hypothesis. Four experiments tested these assumptions by examining the relationship between free recall and order memory for lists of varying length (8, 16, or 24 unrelated words or pictures). Some groups were given standard free-recall instructions, other groups were explicitly instructed to use order information in free recall, and other groups were given free-recall tests intermixed with tests of order memory (order reconstruction). The results for short lists were consistent with the assumptions of the item-order account. For intermediate-length lists, explicit order instructions and intermixed order tests made recall more reliant on order information, but under standard conditions, order information played little role in recall. For long lists, there was little evidence that order information contributed to recall. In sum, the assumptions of the item-order account held for short lists, received mixed support with intermediate lists, and received no support for longer lists.

The role of the frontal cortex in memory: an investigation of the Von Restorff effect

PubMed Central

Elhalal, Anat; Davelaar, Eddy J.; Usher, Marius

2014-01-01

Evidence from neuropsychology and neuroimaging indicate that the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) plays an important role in human memory. Although frontal patients are able to form new memories, these memories appear qualitatively different from those of controls by lacking distinctiveness. Neuroimaging studies of memory indicate activation in the PFC under deep encoding conditions, and under conditions of semantic elaboration. Based on these results, we hypothesize that the PFC enhances memory by extracting differences and commonalities in the studied material. To test this hypothesis, we carried out an experimental investigation to test the relationship between the PFC-dependent factors and semantic factors associated with common and specific features of words. These experiments were performed using Free-Recall of word lists with healthy adults, exploiting the correlation between PFC function and fluid intelligence. As predicted, a correlation was found between fluid intelligence and the Von-Restorff effect (better memory for semantic isolates, e.g., isolate “cat” within category members of “fruit”). Moreover, memory for the semantic isolate was found to depend on the isolate's serial position. The isolate item tends to be recalled first, in comparison to non-isolates, suggesting that the process interacts with short term memory. These results are captured within a computational model of free recall, which includes a PFC mechanism that is sensitive to both commonality and distinctiveness, sustaining a trade-off between the two. PMID:25018721

Memory retrieval of everyday information under stress.

PubMed

Stock, Lisa-Marie; Merz, Christian J

2018-07-01

Psychosocial stress is known to crucially influence learning and memory processes. Several studies have already shown an impairing effect of elevated cortisol concentrations on memory retrieval. These studies mainly used learning material consisting of stimuli with a limited ecological validity. When using material with a social contextual component or with educational relevant material both impairing and enhancing stress effects on memory retrieval could be observed. In line with these latter studies, the present experiment also used material with a higher ecological validity (a coherent text consisting of daily relevant numeric, figural and verbal information). After encoding, retrieval took place 24 h later after exposure to psychosocial stress or a control procedure (20 healthy men per group). The stress group was further subdivided into cortisol responders and non-responders. Results showed a significantly impaired retrieval of everyday information in non-responders compared to responders and controls. Altogether, the present findings indicate the need of an appropriate cortisol response for the successful memory retrieval of everyday information. Thus, the present findings suggest that cortisol increases - contrary to a stressful experience per se - seem to play a protective role for retrieving everyday information. Additionally, it could be speculated that the previously reported impairing stress effects on memory retrieval might depend on the used learning material. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neurotrophins play differential roles in short and long-term recognition memory.

PubMed

Callaghan, Charlotte K; Kelly, Aine M

2013-09-01

The neurotrophin family of proteins are believed to mediate various forms of synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. Here we have assessed the roles of these proteins in object recognition memory in the rat, using icv infusions of function-blocking antibodies or the tyrosine kinase antagonist, tyrphostin AG879, to block Trk receptors. We report that tyrphostin AG879 impairs both short-term and long-term recognition memory, indicating a requirement for Trk receptor activation in both processes. The effect of inhibition of each of the neurotrophins with activity-blocking neutralising antibodies was also tested. Treatment with anti-BDNF, anti-NGF or anti-NT4 had no effect on short-term memory, but blocked long-term recognition memory. Treatment with anti-NT3 had no effect on either process. We also assessed changes in expression of neurotrophins and their respective receptors in the hippocampus, dentate gyrus and perirhinal cortex over a 24 h period following training in the object recognition task. We observed time-dependent changes in expression of the Trk receptors and their ligands in the dentate gyrus and perirhinal cortex. The data are consistent with a pivotal role for neurotrophic factors in the expression of recognition memory. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The polarity-dependent effects of the bilateral brain stimulation on working memory.

PubMed

Keshvari, Fatemeh; Pouretemad, Hamid-Reza; Ekhtiari, Hamed

2013-01-01

Working memory plays a critical role in cognitive processes which are central to our daily life. Neuroimaging studies have shown that one of the most important areas corresponding to the working memory is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLFPC). This study was aimed to assess whether bilateral modulation of the DLPFC using a noninvasive brain stimulation, namely transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), modifies the working memory function in healthy adults. In a randomized sham-controlled cross-over study, 60 subjects (30 Males) received sham and active tDCS in two subgroups (anode left/cathode right and anode right/cathode left) of the DLPFC. Subjects were presented working memory n-back task while the reaction time and accuracy were recorded. A repeated measures, mixed design ANOVA indicated a significant difference between the type of stimulation (sham vs. active) in anodal stimulation of the left DLPFC with cathodal stimulation of the right DLPFC [F(1,55)= 5.29, P=0.019], but not the inverse polarity worsened accuracy in the 2-back working memory task. There were also no statistically significant changes in speed of working memory [F(1,55)= 0.458,P=0.502] related to type or order of stimulation. The results would imply to a polarity dependence of bilateral tDCS of working memory. Left anodal/ right cathodal stimulation of DLPFC could impair working memory, while the reverser stimulation had no effect. Meaning that bilateral stimulation of DLFC would not be a useful procedure to improve working memory. Further studies are required to understand subtle effects of different tDCS stimulation/inhibition electrode positioning on the working memory.

Does cortisol influence core executive functions? A meta-analysis of acute cortisol administration effects on working memory, inhibition, and set-shifting.

PubMed

Shields, Grant S; Bonner, Joseph C; Moons, Wesley G

2015-08-01

The hormone cortisol is often believed to play a pivotal role in the effects of stress on human cognition. This meta-analysis is an attempt to determine the effects of acute cortisol administration on core executive functions. Drawing on both rodent and stress literatures, we hypothesized that acute cortisol administration would impair working memory and set-shifting but enhance inhibition. Additionally, because cortisol is thought to exert different nongenomic (rapid) and genomic (slow) effects, we further hypothesized that the effects of cortisol would differ as a function of the delay between cortisol administration and cognitive testing. Although the overall analyses were nonsignificant, after separating the rapid, nongenomic effects of cortisol from the slower, genomic effects of cortisol, the rapid effects of cortisol enhanced response inhibition, g+ = 0.113, p=.016, but impaired working memory, g+ = -0.315, p=.008, although these effects reversed over time. Contrary to our hypotheses, there was no effect of cortisol administration on set-shifting. Thus, although we did not find support for the idea that increases in cortisol influence set-shifting, we found that acute increases in cortisol exert differential effects on working memory and inhibition over time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The reduction of adult neurogenesis in depression impairs the retrieval of new as well as remote episodic memory

PubMed Central

Fang, Jing; Demic, Selver; Cheng, Sen

2018-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with an impairment of episodic memory, but the mechanisms underlying this deficit remain unclear. Animal models of MDD find impaired adult neurogenesis (AN) in the dentate gyrus (DG), and AN in DG has been suggested to play a critical role in reducing the interference between overlapping memories through pattern separation. Here, we study the effect of reduced AN in MDD on the accuracy of episodic memory using computational modeling. We focus on how memory is affected when periods with a normal rate of AN (asymptomatic states) alternate with periods with a low rate (depressive episodes), which has never been studied before. Also, unlike previous models of adult neurogenesis, which consider memories as static patterns, we model episodic memory as sequences of neural activity patterns. In our model, AN adds additional random components to the memory patterns, which results in the decorrelation of similar patterns. Consistent with previous studies, higher rates of AN lead to higher memory accuracy in our model, which implies that memories stored in the depressive state are impaired. Intriguingly, our model makes the novel prediction that memories stored in an earlier asymptomatic state are also impaired by a later depressive episode. This retrograde effect exacerbates with increased duration of the depressive episode. Finally, pattern separation at the sensory processing stage does not improve, but rather worsens, the accuracy of episodic memory retrieval, suggesting an explanation for why AN is found in brain areas serving memory rather than sensory function. In conclusion, while cognitive retrieval biases might contribute to episodic memory deficits in MDD, our model suggests a mechanistic explanation that affects all episodic memories, regardless of emotional relevance. PMID:29879169

The reduction of adult neurogenesis in depression impairs the retrieval of new as well as remote episodic memory.

PubMed

Fang, Jing; Demic, Selver; Cheng, Sen

2018-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with an impairment of episodic memory, but the mechanisms underlying this deficit remain unclear. Animal models of MDD find impaired adult neurogenesis (AN) in the dentate gyrus (DG), and AN in DG has been suggested to play a critical role in reducing the interference between overlapping memories through pattern separation. Here, we study the effect of reduced AN in MDD on the accuracy of episodic memory using computational modeling. We focus on how memory is affected when periods with a normal rate of AN (asymptomatic states) alternate with periods with a low rate (depressive episodes), which has never been studied before. Also, unlike previous models of adult neurogenesis, which consider memories as static patterns, we model episodic memory as sequences of neural activity patterns. In our model, AN adds additional random components to the memory patterns, which results in the decorrelation of similar patterns. Consistent with previous studies, higher rates of AN lead to higher memory accuracy in our model, which implies that memories stored in the depressive state are impaired. Intriguingly, our model makes the novel prediction that memories stored in an earlier asymptomatic state are also impaired by a later depressive episode. This retrograde effect exacerbates with increased duration of the depressive episode. Finally, pattern separation at the sensory processing stage does not improve, but rather worsens, the accuracy of episodic memory retrieval, suggesting an explanation for why AN is found in brain areas serving memory rather than sensory function. In conclusion, while cognitive retrieval biases might contribute to episodic memory deficits in MDD, our model suggests a mechanistic explanation that affects all episodic memories, regardless of emotional relevance.

Effect of Long-Term Sodium Salicylate Administration on Learning, Memory, and Neurogenesis in the Rat Hippocampus

PubMed Central

Niu, Haichen; Ding, Sheng; Li, Haiying; Wei, Jianfeng; Ren, Chao; Wu, Xiujuan

2018-01-01

Tinnitus is thought to be caused by damage to the auditory and nonauditory system due to exposure to loud noise, aging, or other etiologies. However, at present, the exact neurophysiological basis of chronic tinnitus remains unknown. To explore whether the function of the limbic system is disturbed in tinnitus, the hippocampus was selected, which plays a vital role in learning and memory. The hippocampal function was examined with a learning and memory procedure. For this purpose, sodium salicylate (NaSal) was used to create a rat animal model of tinnitus, evaluated with prepulse inhibition behavior (PPI). The acquisition and retrieval abilities of spatial memory were measured using the Morris water maze (MWM) in NaSal-treated and control animals, followed by observation of c-Fos and delta-FosB protein expression in the hippocampal field by immunohistochemistry. To further identify the neural substrate for memory change in tinnitus, neurogenesis in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus (DG) was compared between the NaSal group and the control group. The results showed that acquisition and retrieval of spatial memory were impaired by NaSal treatment. The expression of c-Fos and delta-FosB protein was also inhibited in NaSal-treated animals. Simultaneously, neurogenesis in the DG was also impaired in tinnitus animals. In general, our data suggest that the hippocampal system (limbic system) may play a key role in tinnitus pathology.

Cholinergic Manipulations Bidirectionally Regulate Object Memory Destabilization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stiver, Mikaela L.; Jacklin, Derek L.; Mitchnick, Krista A.; Vicic, Nevena; Carlin, Justine; O'Hara, Matthew; Winters, Boyer D.

2015-01-01

Consolidated memories can become destabilized and open to modification upon retrieval. Destabilization is most reliably prompted when novel information is present during memory reactivation. We hypothesized that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) plays an important role in novelty-induced memory destabilization because of its established…

The Chemokine MIP-1α/CCL3 impairs mouse hippocampal synaptic transmission, plasticity and memory.

PubMed

Marciniak, Elodie; Faivre, Emilie; Dutar, Patrick; Alves Pires, Claire; Demeyer, Dominique; Caillierez, Raphaëlle; Laloux, Charlotte; Buée, Luc; Blum, David; Humez, Sandrine

2015-10-29

Chemokines are signaling molecules playing an important role in immune regulations. They are also thought to regulate brain development, neurogenesis and neuroendocrine functions. While chemokine upsurge has been associated with conditions characterized with cognitive impairments, their ability to modulate synaptic plasticity remains ill-defined. In the present study, we specifically evaluated the effects of MIP1-α/CCL3 towards hippocampal synaptic transmission, plasticity and spatial memory. We found that CCL3 (50 ng/ml) significantly reduced basal synaptic transmission at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse without affecting NMDAR-mediated field potentials. This effect was ascribed to post-synaptic regulations, as CCL3 did not impact paired-pulse facilitation. While CCL3 did not modulate long-term depression (LTD), it significantly impaired long-term potentiation (LTP), an effect abolished by Maraviroc, a CCR5 specific antagonist. In addition, sub-chronic intracerebroventricular (icv) injections of CCL3 also impair LTP. In accordance with these electrophysiological findings, we demonstrated that the icv injection of CCL3 in mouse significantly impaired spatial memory abilities and long-term memory measured using the two-step Y-maze and passive avoidance tasks. These effects of CCL3 on memory were inhibited by Maraviroc. Altogether, these data suggest that the chemokine CCL3 is an hippocampal neuromodulator able to regulate synaptic plasticity mechanisms involved in learning and memory functions.

Beneficial effect of commercial Rhodiola extract in rats with scopolamine-induced memory impairment on active avoidance.

PubMed

Vasileva, Liliya V; Getova, Damianka P; Doncheva, Nina D; Marchev, Andrey S; Georgiev, Milen I

2016-12-04

Rhodiola rosea L., family Crassulaceae also known as Golden Root or Arctic root is one of the most widely used medicinal plants with effect on cognitive dysfunction, psychological stress and depression. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a standardized commercial Rhodiola extract on learning and memory processes in naive rats as well as its effects in rats with scopolamine-induced memory impairment. Sixty male Wistar rats were used in the study. The experiment was conducted in two series - on naive rats and on rats with scopolamine-induced model of impaired memory. The active avoidance test was performed in an automatic conventional shuttle box set-up. The criteria used were the number of conditional stimuli (avoidances), the number of unconditioned stimuli (escapes) as well as the number of intertrial crossings. The chemical fingerprinting of the standardized commercial Rhodiola extract was performed by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Naive rats treated with standardized Rhodiola extract increased the number of avoidances during the learning session and memory retention test compared to the controls. Rats with scopolamine-induced memory impairment treated with Rhodiola extract showed an increase in the number of avoidances during the learning session and on the memory tests compared to the scopolamine group. The other two parameters were not changed in rats treated with the extract of Rhodiola in the two series. It was found that the studied Rhodiola extract exerts a beneficial effect on learning and memory processes in naive rats and rats with scopolamine-induced memory impairment. The observed effect is probably due to multiple underlying mechanisms including its modulating effect on acetylcholine levels in the brain and MAO-inhibitory activity leading to stimulation of the monoamines' neurotransmission. In addition the pronounced stress-protective properties of Rhodiola rosea L. could also play a role in the improvement of cognitive functions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two Components of Aversive Memory in Drosophila, Anesthesia-Sensitive and Anesthesia-Resistant Memory, Require Distinct Domains Within the Rgk1 Small GTPase.

PubMed

Murakami, Satoshi; Minami-Ohtsubo, Maki; Nakato, Ryuichiro; Shirahige, Katsuhiko; Tabata, Tetsuya

2017-05-31

Multiple components have been identified that exhibit different stabilities for aversive olfactory memory in Drosophila These components have been defined by behavioral and genetic studies and genes specifically required for a specific component have also been identified. Intermediate-term memory generated after single cycle conditioning is divided into anesthesia-sensitive memory (ASM) and anesthesia-resistant memory (ARM), with the latter being more stable. We determined that the ASM and ARM pathways converged on the Rgk1 small GTPase and that the N-terminal domain-deleted Rgk1 was sufficient for ASM formation, whereas the full-length form was required for ARM formation. Rgk1 is specifically accumulated at the synaptic site of the Kenyon cells (KCs), the intrinsic neurons of the mushroom bodies, which play a pivotal role in olfactory memory formation. A higher than normal Rgk1 level enhanced memory retention, which is consistent with the result that Rgk1 suppressed Rac-dependent memory decay; these findings suggest that rgk1 bolsters ASM via the suppression of forgetting. We propose that Rgk1 plays a pivotal role in the regulation of memory stabilization by serving as a molecular node that resides at KC synapses, where the ASM and ARM pathway may interact. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Memory consists of multiple components. Drosophila olfactory memory serves as a fundamental model with which to investigate the mechanisms that underlie memory formation and has provided genetic and molecular means to identify the components of memory, namely short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term memory, depending on how long the memory lasts. Intermediate memory is further divided into anesthesia-sensitive memory (ASM) and anesthesia-resistant memory (ARM), with the latter being more stable. We have identified a small GTPase in Drosophila , Rgk1, which plays a pivotal role in the regulation of olfactory memory stability. Rgk1 is required for both ASM and ARM. Moreover, N-terminal domain-deleted Rgk1 was sufficient for ASM formation, whereas the full-length form was required for ARM formation. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/375496-•$15.00/0.

True memory, false memory, and subjective recollection deficits after focal parietal lobe lesions.

PubMed

Drowos, David B; Berryhill, Marian; André, Jessica M; Olson, Ingrid R

2010-07-01

There is mounting evidence that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays an important role in episodic memory. We previously found that patients with PPC damage exhibit retrieval-related episodic memory deficits. Here we assess whether parietal lobe damage affects episodic memory on a different task: the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) false-memory paradigm. Two patients with bilateral PPC damage and a group of matched controls were tested. In Experiment 1, the task was to remember words; in Experiment 2 the task was to remember pictures of common objects. Prior studies have shown that normal participants have high levels of false memory to words, low levels to pictures. The patients exhibited significantly lower levels of false memory to words. One patient showed significantly elevated levels of false memory to pictures. The patients' false memories were accompanied by reduced levels of recollection, as tested by a Remember/Know procedure. PPC damage causes decreased levels of false memories and an abnormal Remember/Know profile. Their false memory rate is similar to the rate exhibited by patients with medial temporal lobe damage. These results support the view that portions of the PPC play a critical role in objective and subjective aspects of recollection.

Distributed memory compiler methods for irregular problems: Data copy reuse and runtime partitioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Das, Raja; Ponnusamy, Ravi; Saltz, Joel; Mavriplis, Dimitri

1991-01-01

Outlined here are two methods which we believe will play an important role in any distributed memory compiler able to handle sparse and unstructured problems. We describe how to link runtime partitioners to distributed memory compilers. In our scheme, programmers can implicitly specify how data and loop iterations are to be distributed between processors. This insulates users from having to deal explicitly with potentially complex algorithms that carry out work and data partitioning. We also describe a viable mechanism for tracking and reusing copies of off-processor data. In many programs, several loops access the same off-processor memory locations. As long as it can be verified that the values assigned to off-processor memory locations remain unmodified, we show that we can effectively reuse stored off-processor data. We present experimental data from a 3-D unstructured Euler solver run on iPSC/860 to demonstrate the usefulness of our methods.

Distractor devaluation requires visual working memory.

PubMed

Goolsby, Brian A; Shapiro, Kimron L; Raymond, Jane E

2009-02-01

Visual stimuli seen previously as distractors in a visual search task are subsequently evaluated more negatively than those seen as targets. An attentional inhibition account for this distractor-devaluation effect posits that associative links between attentional inhibition and to-be-ignored stimuli are established during search, stored, and then later reinstantiated, implying that distractor devaluation may require visual working memory (WM) resources. To assess this, we measured distractor devaluation with and without a concurrent visual WM load. Participants viewed a memory array, performed a simple search task, evaluated one of the search items (or a novel item), and then viewed a memory test array. Although distractor devaluation was observed with low (and no) WM load, it was absent when WM load was increased. This result supports the notions that active association of current attentional states with stimuli requires WM and that memory for these associations plays a role in affective response.

Does the Magnetosphere go to Sleep?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hesse, M.; Moretto, T.; Friis-Christensen, E. A.; Kuznetsova, M.; Østgaard, N.; Tenfjord, P.; Opgenoorth, H. J.

2017-12-01

An interesting question in magnetospheric research is related to the transition between magnetospheric configurations under substantial solar wind driving, and a putative relaxed state after the driving ceases. While it is conceivable that the latter state may be unique and only dependent on residual solar wind driving, a more likely scenario has magnetospheric memory playing a key role. Memory processes may be manifold: constraints from conservation of flux tube entropy to neutral wind inertia in the upper atmosphere may all contribute. In this presentation, we use high-resolution, global, MHD simulations to begin to shed light on this transition, as well as on the concept of a quiet state of the magnetosphere. We will discuss key elements of magnetospheric memory, and demonstrate their influence, as well as the actual memory time scale, through simulations and analytical estimates. Finally, we will point out processes with the potential to effect magnetospheric memory loss.

The role of verbal memory in regressions during reading.

PubMed

Guérard, Katherine; Saint-Aubin, Jean; Maltais, Marilyne

2013-01-01

During reading, participants generally move their eyes rightward on the line. A number of eye movements, called regressions, are made leftward, to words that have already been fixated. In the present study, we investigated the role of verbal memory during regressions. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to read sentences for comprehension. After reading, they were asked to make a regression to a target word presented auditorily. The results revealed that their regressions were guided by memory, as they differed from those of a control group who did not read the sentences. The role of verbal memory during regressions was then investigated by combining the reading task with articulatory suppression (Exps. 2 and 3). The results showed that articulatory suppression affected the size and the accuracy of the initial regression but had a minimal effect on corrective saccades. This suggests that verbal memory plays an important role in determining the location of the initial saccade during regressions.

Game-based situation awareness training for child and adult cyclists

PubMed Central

Airaksinen, Jasmiina; Kanerva, Kaisa; Rissanen, Anna; Ränninranta, Riikka; Åberg, Veera

2017-01-01

Safe cycling requires situation awareness (SA), which is the basis for recognizing and anticipating hazards. Children have poorer SA than adults, which may put them at risk. This study investigates whether cyclists' SA can be trained with a video-based learning game. The effect of executive working memory on SA was also studied. Thirty-six children (9–10 years) and 22 adults (21–48 years) played the game. The game had 30 video clips filmed from a cyclist's perspective. Each clip was suddenly masked and two or three locations were presented. The player's task was to choose locations with a potential hazard and feedback was given for their answers. Working memory capacity (WMC) was tested with a counting span task. Children's and adults' performance improved while playing the game, which suggests that playing the game trains SA. Adults performed better than children, and they also glanced at hazards more while the video was playing. Children expectedly had a lower WMC than adults, but WMC did not predict performance within the groups. This indicates that SA does not depend on WMC when passively viewing videos. PMID:28405369

Reduction of Cav1.3 channels in dorsal hippocampus impairs the development of dentate gyrus newborn neurons and hippocampal-dependent memory tasks.

PubMed

Kim, Su-Hyun; Park, Ye-Ryoung; Lee, Boyoung; Choi, Byungil; Kim, Hyun; Kim, Chong-Hyun

2017-01-01

Cav1.3 has been suggested to mediate hippocampal neurogenesis of adult mice and contribute to hippocampal-dependent learning and memory processes. However, the mechanism of Cav1.3 contribution in these processes is unclear. Here, roles of Cav1.3 of mouse dorsal hippocampus during newborn cell development were examined. We find that knock-out (KO) of Cav1.3 resulted in the reduction of survival of newborn neurons at 28 days old after mitosis. The retroviral eGFP expression showed that both dendritic complexity and the number and length of mossy fiber bouton (MFB) filopodia of newborn neurons at ≥ 14 days old were significantly reduced in KO mice. Both contextual fear conditioning (CFC) and object-location recognition tasks were impaired in recent (1 day) memory test while passive avoidance task was impaired only in remote (≥ 20 days) memory in KO mice. Results using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated Cav1.3 knock-down (KD) or retrovirus-mediated KD in dorsal hippocampal DG area showed that the recent memory of CFC was impaired in both KD mice but the remote memory was impaired only in AAV KD mice, suggesting that Cav1.3 of mature neurons play important roles in both recent and remote CFC memory while Cav1.3 in newborn neurons is selectively involved in the recent CFC memory process. Meanwhile, AAV KD of Cav1.3 in ventral hippocampal area has no effect on the recent CFC memory. In conclusion, the results suggest that Cav1.3 in newborn neurons of dorsal hippocampus is involved in the survival of newborn neurons while mediating developments of dendritic and axonal processes of newborn cells and plays a role in the memory process differentially depending on the stage of maturation and the type of learning task.

Reduction of Cav1.3 channels in dorsal hippocampus impairs the development of dentate gyrus newborn neurons and hippocampal-dependent memory tasks

PubMed Central

Kim, Su-Hyun; Park, Ye-Ryoung; Lee, Boyoung; Choi, Byungil; Kim, Hyun

2017-01-01

Cav1.3 has been suggested to mediate hippocampal neurogenesis of adult mice and contribute to hippocampal-dependent learning and memory processes. However, the mechanism of Cav1.3 contribution in these processes is unclear. Here, roles of Cav1.3 of mouse dorsal hippocampus during newborn cell development were examined. We find that knock-out (KO) of Cav1.3 resulted in the reduction of survival of newborn neurons at 28 days old after mitosis. The retroviral eGFP expression showed that both dendritic complexity and the number and length of mossy fiber bouton (MFB) filopodia of newborn neurons at ≥ 14 days old were significantly reduced in KO mice. Both contextual fear conditioning (CFC) and object-location recognition tasks were impaired in recent (1 day) memory test while passive avoidance task was impaired only in remote (≥ 20 days) memory in KO mice. Results using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated Cav1.3 knock-down (KD) or retrovirus-mediated KD in dorsal hippocampal DG area showed that the recent memory of CFC was impaired in both KD mice but the remote memory was impaired only in AAV KD mice, suggesting that Cav1.3 of mature neurons play important roles in both recent and remote CFC memory while Cav1.3 in newborn neurons is selectively involved in the recent CFC memory process. Meanwhile, AAV KD of Cav1.3 in ventral hippocampal area has no effect on the recent CFC memory. In conclusion, the results suggest that Cav1.3 in newborn neurons of dorsal hippocampus is involved in the survival of newborn neurons while mediating developments of dendritic and axonal processes of newborn cells and plays a role in the memory process differentially depending on the stage of maturation and the type of learning task. PMID:28715454

Anticholinergic drug use is associated with episodic memory decline in older adults without dementia.

PubMed

Papenberg, Goran; Bäckman, Lars; Fratiglioni, Laura; Laukka, Erika J; Fastbom, Johan; Johnell, Kristina

2017-07-01

Anticholinergic drug use is common in older adults and has been related to increased dementia risk. This suggests that users of these drugs may experience accelerated cognitive decline. So far, however, longitudinal data on this topic are absent and the available evidence is inconclusive with respect to effects on specific cognitive domains due to suboptimal control of confounding variables. We investigated whether anticholinergic medication use is associated with cognitive decline over 6 years in a population-based study of older adults (aged 60-90; n = 1473) without dementia. We found that users (n = 29) declined more on episodic memory over 6 years compared to nonusers (n = 1418). These results were independent of age, sex, education, overall drug intake, physical activity, depression, cardiovascular risk burden, and cardiovascular disease. By contrast, anticholinergic drug use was unrelated to performance in processing speed, semantic memory, short-term memory, verbal fluency, and global cognition (the Mini-Mental-State Examination). Our results suggest that effects of anticholinergics may be particularly detrimental to episodic memory in older adults, which supports the assertion that the cholinergic system plays an important role in episodic memory formation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Imagery Rescripting of Early Traumatic Memories in Social Phobia

PubMed Central

Wild, Jennifer; Clark, David M.

2011-01-01

Negative self-images appear to play a role in the maintenance of social phobia and research suggests they are often linked to earlier memories of socially traumatic events. Imagery rescripting is a clinical intervention that aims to update such unpleasant or traumatic memories, and is increasingly being incorporated in cognitive behavioral therapy programs. In previous research, we have found that imagery rescripting was superior to a control condition in terms of its beneficial effects on negative beliefs, image and memory distress, fear of negative evaluation, and anxiety in social situations. In this article, we describe our imagery rescripting procedure. We consider the importance of updating negative imagery in social phobia, the theoretical basis for imagery rescripting, directions for future research, and how to conduct imagery rescripting, including potential problems and their solutions. PMID:22298942

Encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of contextual memory: differential involvement of dorsal CA3 and CA1 hippocampal subregions.

PubMed

Daumas, Stéphanie; Halley, Hélène; Francés, Bernard; Lassalle, Jean-Michel

2005-01-01

Studies on human and animals shed light on the unique hippocampus contributions to relational memory. However, the particular role of each hippocampal subregion in memory processing is still not clear. Hippocampal computational models and theories have emphasized a unique function in memory for each hippocampal subregion, with the CA3 area acting as an autoassociative memory network and the CA1 area as a critical output structure. In order to understand the respective roles of the CA3- and CA1-hippocampal areas in the formation of contextual memory, we studied the effects of the reversible inactivation by lidocaine of the CA3 or CA1 areas of the dorsal hippocampus on acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval of a contextual fear conditioning. Whereas infusions of lidocaine never impaired elementary tone conditioning, their effects on contextual conditioning provided interesting clues about the role of these two hippocampal regions. They demonstrated first that the CA3 area is necessary for the rapid elaboration of a unified representation of the context. Secondly, they suggested that the CA1 area is rather involved in the consolidation process of contextual memory. Third, they showed that CA1 or CA3 inactivation during retention test has no effect on contextual fear retrieval when a recognition memory procedure is used. In conclusion, our findings point as evidence that CA1 and CA3 subregions of the dorsal hippocampus play important and different roles in the acquisition and consolidation of contextual fear memory, whereas they are not required for context recognition.

Post-training gamma irradiation-enhanced contextual fear memory associated with reduced neuronal activation of the infralimbic cortex.

PubMed

Kugelman, Tara; Zuloaga, Damian G; Weber, Sydney; Raber, Jacob

2016-02-01

The brain might be exposed to irradiation under a variety of situations, including clinical treatments, nuclear accidents, dirty bomb scenarios, and military and space missions. Correctly recalling tasks learned prior to irradiation is important but little is known about post-learning effects of irradiation. It is not clear whether exposure to X-ray irradiation during memory consolidation, a few hours following training, is associated with altered contextual fear conditioning 24h after irradiation and which brain region(s) might be involved in these effects. Brain immunoreactivity patterns of the immediately early gene c-Fos, a marker of cellular activity was used to determine which brain areas might be altered in post-training irradiation memory retention tasks. In this study, we show that post-training gamma irradiation exposure (1 Gy) enhanced contextual fear memory 24h later and is associated with reduced cellular activation in the infralimbic cortex. Reduced GABA-ergic neurotransmission in parvalbumin-positive cells in the infralimbic cortex might play a role in this post-training radiation-enhanced contextual fear memory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Post-training gamma irradiation-enhanced contextual fear memory associated with reduced neuronal activation of the infralimbic cortex

PubMed Central

Kugelman, Tara; Zuloaga, Damian G.; Weber, Sydney; Raber, Jacob

2015-01-01

The brain might be exposed to irradiation under a variety of situations, including clinical treatments, nuclear accidents, dirty bomb scenarios, and military and space missions. Correctly recalling tasks learned prior to irradiation is important but little is known about post-learning effects of irradiation. It is not clear whether exposure to X-ray irradiation during memory consolidation, a few hours following training, is associated with altered contextual fear conditioning 24 hours after irradiation and which brain region(s) might be involved in these effects. Brain immunoreactivity patterns of the immediately early gene c-Fos, a marker of cellular activity was used to determine which brain areas might be altered in post-training irradiation memory retention tasks. In this study, we show that post-training gamma irradiation exposure (1 Gy) enhanced contextual fear memory 24 hours later and is associated with reduced cellular activation in the infralimbic cortex. Reduced GABA-ergic neurotransmission in parvalbumin-positive cells in the infralimbic cortex might play a role in this post-training radiation-enhanced contextual fear memory. PMID:26522840

Sulforaphane attenuates postnatal proteasome inhibition and improves spatial learning in adult mice.

PubMed

Sunkaria, Aditya; Bhardwaj, Supriya; Yadav, Aarti; Halder, Avishek; Sandhir, Rajat

2018-01-01

Proteasomes are known to degrade proteins involved in various processes like metabolism, signal transduction, cell-cycle regulation, inflammation, and apoptosis. Evidence showed that protein degradation has a strong influence on developing neurons as well as synaptic plasticity. Here, we have shown that sulforaphane (SFN) could prevent the deleterious effects of postnatal proteasomal inhibition on spatial reference and working memory of adult mice. One day old Balb/c mice received intracerebroventricular injections of MG132 and SFN. Sham received an equal volume of aCSF. We observed that SFN pre-administration could attenuate MG132 mediated decrease in proteasome and calpain activities. In vitro findings revealed that SFN could induce proteasomal activity by enhancing the expression of catalytic subunit-β5. SFN pre-administration prevented the hippocampus based spatial memory impairments during adulthood, mediated by postnatal MG132 exposure. Histological examination showed deleterious effects of MG132 on pyramidal neurons and granule cell neurons in DG and CA3 sub-regions respectively. Furthermore, SFN pre-administration has shown to attenuate the effect of MG132 on proteasome subunit-β5 expression and also induce the Nrf2 nuclear translocation. In addition, SFN pre-administered mice have also shown to induce expression of pCaMKII, pCreb, and mature/pro-Bdnf, molecules which play a crucial role in spatial learning and memory consolidation. Our findings have shown that proteasomes play an important role in hippocampal synaptic plasticity during the early postnatal period and SFN pre-administration could enhance the proteasomal activity as well as improve spatial learning and memory consolidation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Central ghrelin increases anxiety in the Open Field test and impairs retention memory in a passive avoidance task in neonatal chicks.

PubMed

Carvajal, Pedro; Carlini, Valeria P; Schiöth, Helgi B; de Barioglio, Susana R; Salvatierra, Nancy A

2009-05-01

Ghrelin (Grh) is an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. Although Ghr stimulates feeding in rats, it inhibits feeding in neonatal chicks. However, little is known about other central behavioral effects of Ghr. Therefore, we investigated the Ghr effects, injected intracerebroventricularly, on anxiety and memory retention of neonatal chicks in an Open Field test and in a one-trial passive avoidance task, respectively. In the Open Field test, the administration of Ghr in a dose-dependent manner increased the latency to ambulate but decreased ambulation activity, indicating an anxiogenic effect. Furthermore, chicks trained on a passive avoidance task and injected with a dose of 30pmol of Ghr immediately after training showed an impairment of memory retention. However, there were no significant effects on the number of pecks during the pretraining, training, retention and discrimination. In addition, different doses of Ghr produced an inhibition in food intake at different times after injection. Our results indicate that Ghr induces anxiogenesis in chicks. Moreover, we have shown for the first time that Ghr can decrease memory retention in a non-mammalian species, suggesting that Ghr may play an important role in the processes of memory retention in birds.

Liar, liar, working memory on fire: Investigating the role of working memory in childhood verbal deception.

PubMed

Alloway, Tracy Packiam; McCallum, Fiona; Alloway, Ross G; Hoicka, Elena

2015-09-01

The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of working memory in verbal deception in children. We presented 6- and 7-year-olds with a temptation resistance paradigm; they played a trivia game and were then given an opportunity to peek at the final answers on the back of a card. Measures of both verbal and visuospatial working memory were included. The good liars performed better on the verbal working memory test in both processing and recall compared with the bad liars. However, there was no difference in visuospatial working scores between good liars and bad liars. This pattern suggests that verbal working memory plays a role in processing and manipulating the multiple pieces of information involved in lie-telling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does Far Transfer Exist? Negative Evidence From Chess, Music, and Working Memory Training.

PubMed

Sala, Giovanni; Gobet, Fernand

2017-12-01

Chess masters and expert musicians appear to be, on average, more intelligent than the general population. Some researchers have thus claimed that playing chess or learning music enhances children's cognitive abilities and academic attainment. We here present two meta-analyses assessing the effect of chess and music instruction on children's cognitive and academic skills. A third meta-analysis evaluated the effects of working memory training-a cognitive skill correlated with music and chess expertise-on the same variables. The results show small to moderate effects. However, the effect sizes are inversely related to the quality of the experimental design (e.g., presence of active control groups). This pattern of results casts serious doubts on the effectiveness of chess, music, and working memory training. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings; extend the debate to other types of training such as spatial training, brain training, and video games; and conclude that far transfer of learning rarely occurs.

Study Modality and False Recall: The Influence of Resource Availability

PubMed Central

Smith, Rebekah E.; Engle, Randall W.

2010-01-01

False memories occur when individuals mistakenly report an event as having taken place when that event did not in fact occur. The DRM (Deese, 1959; Roediger & McDermott, 1995) paradigm provides an effective technique for creating and investigating false memories. In this paradigm participants study a list of words (e.g., SOUR, CANDY,…) that are highly associated to a non-presented critical item (e.g., SWEET). The study phase is followed by a test of memory for the study list words. Researchers typically find very high levels of false recall of the critical non-presented item. However, the likelihood of falsely remembering the non-presented critical items can be reduced by presenting studied associates visually rather than auditorally (e.g. Smith & Hunt, 1998). This is referred to as the modality effect in false memory. The current study investigated the role of resource availability in the expression of this modality effect in false recall. In Experiment 1 false recall was reduced in the visual study presentation condition relative to the auditory condition for participants with higher working memory capacity, but not for participants with lower working memory capacity. In Experiment 2 the effect of study modality on false recall was eliminated by the addition of a divided attention task at encoding. Both studies support the proposal that resource availability plays a role in the expression of the modality effect in the DRM paradigm (Smith, Lozito, & Bayen, 2005). PMID:20494859

Spatial But Not Oculomotor Information Biases Perceptual Memory: Evidence From Face Perception and Cognitive Modeling.

PubMed

Wantz, Andrea L; Lobmaier, Janek S; Mast, Fred W; Senn, Walter

2017-08-01

Recent research put forward the hypothesis that eye movements are integrated in memory representations and are reactivated when later recalled. However, "looking back to nothing" during recall might be a consequence of spatial memory retrieval. Here, we aimed at distinguishing between the effect of spatial and oculomotor information on perceptual memory. Participants' task was to judge whether a morph looked rather like the first or second previously presented face. Crucially, faces and morphs were presented in a way that the morph reactivated oculomotor and/or spatial information associated with one of the previously encoded faces. Perceptual face memory was largely influenced by these manipulations. We considered a simple computational model with an excellent match (4.3% error) that expresses these biases as a linear combination of recency, saccade, and location. Surprisingly, saccades did not play a role. The results suggest that spatial and temporal rather than oculomotor information biases perceptual face memory. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Age-Related Cognitive Effects of Videogame Playing Across the Adult Life span.

PubMed

Wang, Ping; Zhu, Xing-Ting; Liu, Han-Hui; Zhang, Yi-Wen; Hu, Yang; Li, Hui-Jie; Zuo, Xi-Nian

2017-08-01

Previous studies found positive influences of videogame playing on cognition. However, the age-related and task-related effects of videogame experience across the adult life span are still unknown. The current study aimed to systematically investigate this question. The current study used the cross-sectional approach. A total of 166 participants (84 videogame players [VGPs], 82 nonvideogame players [NVGPs]) at the age of 18-80 in the present study were recruited, including 62 young adults aged from 18 to 34 (35 VGPs, 27 NVGPs), 55 middle-aged adults aged between 35 and 59 (24 VGPs, 31 NVGPs), and 49 older adults aged between 60 and 80 (25 VGPs, 24 NVGPs). 1,2 A series of neuropsychological tests from different cognitive domains, including processing speed, visuospatial, attention, memory, and executive function, were conducted on participants. The age-related effects demonstrated that young and older adults benefited more from videogame experience than middle-aged adults. The task-related effects showed that VGPs benefited more from videogame experience in processing speed and visuospatial processing; next was executive function and attention, while no benefits in memory. The effect sizes suggested that the difference in extent between VGPs and NVGPs in processing speed and visuospatial processing is moderate, in attention and executive function is small, and in memory is negligible. The current findings support the beneficial effects and transfer effects of videogame experience; however, the effects presented age-specific and task-specific characteristics. The results provide useful insights for future videogame intervention studies for healthy adults of different ages.

Short-term memory impairment after isoflurane in mice is prevented by the α5 γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor inverse agonist L-655,708.

PubMed

Saab, Bechara J; Maclean, Ashley J B; Kanisek, Marijana; Zurek, Agnieszka A; Martin, Loren J; Roder, John C; Orser, Beverley A

2010-11-01

Memory blockade is an essential component of the anesthetic state. However, postanesthesia memory deficits represent an undesirable and poorly understood adverse effect. Inhibitory α5 subunit-containing γ-aminobutyric acid subtype A receptors (α5GABAA) are known to play a critical role in memory processes and are highly sensitive to positive modulation by anesthetics. We postulated that inhibiting the activity of α5GABAA receptors during isoflurane anesthesia would prevent memory deficits in the early postanesthesia period. Mice were pretreated with L-655,708, an α5GABAA receptor-selective inverse agonist, or vehicle. They were then exposed to isoflurane for 1 h (1.3%, or 1 minimum alveolar concentration, or air-oxygen control). Then, either 1 or 24 h later, mice were conditioned in fear-associated contextual and cued learning paradigms. In addition, the effect of L-655,708 on the immobilizing dose of isoflurane was studied. Motor coordination, sedation, anxiety, and the concentration of isoflurane in the brain at 5 min, 1 h, and 24 h after isoflurane were also examined. Motor and sensory function recovered within minutes after termination of isoflurane administration. In contrast, a robust deficit in contextual fear memory persisted for at least 24 h. The α5GABAA receptor inverse agonist, L-655,708, completely prevented memory deficits without changing the immobilizing dose of isoflurane. Trace concentrations of isoflurane were measured in the brain 24 h after treatment. Memory deficits occurred long after the sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic effects of isoflurane subsided. L-655,708 prevented memory deficit, suggesting that an isoflurane interaction at α5GABAA receptors contributes to memory impairment during the early postanesthesia period.

Making lasting memories: Remembering the significant

PubMed Central

McGaugh, James L.

2013-01-01

Although forgetting is the common fate of most of our experiences, much evidence indicates that emotional arousal enhances the storage of memories, thus serving to create, selectively, lasting memories of our more important experiences. The neurobiological systems mediating emotional arousal and memory are very closely linked. The adrenal stress hormones epinephrine and corticosterone released by emotional arousal regulate the consolidation of long-term memory. The amygdala plays a critical role in mediating these stress hormone influences. The release of norepinephrine in the amygdala and the activation of noradrenergic receptors are essential for stress hormone-induced memory enhancement. The findings of both animal and human studies provide compelling evidence that stress-induced activation of the amygdala and its interactions with other brain regions involved in processing memory play a critical role in ensuring that emotionally significant experiences are well-remembered. Recent research has determined that some human subjects have highly superior autobiographic memory of their daily experiences and that there are structural differences in the brains of these subjects compared with the brains of subjects who do not have such memory. Understanding of neurobiological bases of such exceptional memory may provide additional insights into the processes underlying the selectivity of memory. PMID:23754441

Executive Functions and Working Memory Behaviours in Children with a Poor Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Clair-Thompson, Helen L.

2011-01-01

Previous research has suggested that working memory difficulties play an integral role in children's underachievement at school. However, working memory is just one of several executive functions. The extent to which problems in working memory extend to other executive functions is not well understood. In the current study 38 children with a poor…

Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left angular gyrus during encoding does not impair associative memory performance.

PubMed

Koen, Joshua D; Thakral, Preston P; Rugg, Michael D

2018-06-05

The left angular gyrus (AG) is thought to play a critical role in episodic retrieval and has been implicated in the recollection of specific details of prior episodes. Motivated by recent fMRI studies in which it was reported that elevated neural activity in left AG during study is predictive of subsequent associative memory, the present study investigated whether the region plays a causal role in associative memory encoding. Participants underwent online transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) while encoding word pairs prior to an associative memory test. We predicted that TMS to left AG during encoding would result in reduced subsequent memory accuracy, especially for estimates of recollection. The results did not support this prediction: estimates of both recollection and familiarity-driven recognition were essentially identical for words pairs encoded during TMS to left AG relative to a vertex control site. These results suggest that the left AG may not play a necessary role in associative memory encoding. TMS to left AG did however affect confidence for incorrect 'intact' judgments to rearranged pairs and incorrect 'rearranged' judgments to intact pairs. These findings suggest that the left AG supports encoding processes that contribute to aspects of subjective mnemonic experience.

Incidental and Intentional Memory: Their Relation with Attention and Executive Functions.

PubMed

Kontaxopoulou, Dionysia; Beratis, Ion N; Fragkiadaki, Stella; Pavlou, Dimosthenis; Yannis, George; Economou, Alexandra; Papanicolaou, Andrew C; Papageorgiou, Sokratis G

2017-08-01

The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of gender and age on incidental and intentional memory in healthy participants and to explore the strength of the association of incidental and intentional memory with attentional and executive functioning. A total number of 47 participants underwent a driving simulation experiment and went through detailed neuropsychological testing. Incidental memory was assessed with a questionnaire that evaluated the memorization of information related to the driving simulator task while intentional memory was assessed using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised. The analysis revealed a greater impact of age on incidental as compared to intentional memory. Gender did not appear to have such an effect on either incidental or intentional memory. Finally, attentional and executive functioning were more strongly associated with incidental memory than the intentional memory measures that were utilized in the current study. Ageing appears to affect incidental rather than intentional memory to a greater extent. In addition, attentional and executive functioning seem to play a more important role in incidental than intentional encoding and consolidation processes. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Histone Deacetylase HDAC4 Regulates Long-Term Memory in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Fitzsimons, Helen L.; Schwartz, Silvia; Given, Fiona M.; Scott, Maxwell J.

2013-01-01

A growing body of research indicates that pharmacological inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) correlates with enhancement of long-term memory and current research is concentrated on determining the roles that individual HDACs play in cognitive function. Here, we investigate the role of HDAC4 in long-term memory formation in Drosophila. We show that overexpression of HDAC4 in the adult mushroom body, an important structure for memory formation, resulted in a specific impairment in long-term courtship memory, but had no affect on short-term memory. Overexpression of an HDAC4 catalytic mutant also abolished LTM, suggesting a mode of action independent of catalytic activity. We found that overexpression of HDAC4 resulted in a redistribution of the transcription factor MEF2 from a relatively uniform distribution through the nucleus into punctate nuclear bodies, where it colocalized with HDAC4. As MEF2 has also been implicated in regulation of long-term memory, these data suggest that the repressive effects of HDAC4 on long-term memory may be through interaction with MEF2. In the same genetic background, we also found that RNAi-mediated knockdown of HDAC4 impairs long-term memory, therefore we demonstrate that HDAC4 is not only a repressor of long-term memory, but also modulates normal memory formation. PMID:24349558

Interactions of nitric oxide with α2 -adrenoceptors within the locus coeruleus underlie the facilitation of inhibitory avoidance memory by agmatine.

PubMed

Shelkar, Gajanan P; Gakare, Sukanya G; Chakraborty, Suwarna; Dravid, Shashank M; Ugale, Rajesh R

2016-09-01

Agmatine, a putative neurotransmitter, plays a vital role in learning and memory. Although it is considered an endogenous ligand of imidazoline receptors, agmatine exhibits high affinity for α-adrenoceptors, NOS and NMDA receptors. These substrates within the locus coeruleus (LC) are critically involved in learning and memory processes. The hippocampus and LC of male Wistar rat were stereotaxically cannulated for injection. Effects of agmatine, given i.p. or intra-LC, on acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of inhibitory avoidance (IA) memory were measured. The NO donor S-nitrosoglutathione, non-specific (L-NAME) and specific NOS inhibitors (L-NIL, 7-NI, L-NIO), the α2 -adrenoceptor antagonist (yohimbine) or the corresponding agonist (clonidine) were injected intra-LC before agmatine. Intra-hippocampal injections of the NMDA antagonist, MK-801 (dizocilpine), were used to modify the memory enhancing effects of agmatine, SNG and yohimbine. Expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and eNOS in the LC was assessed immunohistochemically. Agmatine (intra-LC or i.p.) facilitated memory retrieval in the IA test. S-nitrosoglutathione potentiated, while L-NAME and L-NIO decreased, these effects of agmatine. L-NIL and 7-NI did not alter the effects of agmatine. Yohimbine potentiated, whereas clonidine attenuated, effects of agmatine within the LC. The effects of agmatine, S-nitrosoglutathione and yohimbine were blocked by intra-hippocampal MK-801. Agmatine increased the population of TH- and eNOS-immunoreactive elements in the LC. The facilitation of memory retrieval in the IA test by agmatine is probably mediated by interactions between eNOS, NO and noradrenergic pathways in the LC. © 2016 The British Pharmacological Society.

Interactions of nitric oxide with α2‐adrenoceptors within the locus coeruleus underlie the facilitation of inhibitory avoidance memory by agmatine

PubMed Central

Shelkar, Gajanan P; Gakare, Sukanya G; Chakraborty, Suwarna; Dravid, Shashank M

2016-01-01

Background and Purpose Agmatine, a putative neurotransmitter, plays a vital role in learning and memory. Although it is considered an endogenous ligand of imidazoline receptors, agmatine exhibits high affinity for α‐adrenoceptors, NOS and NMDA receptors. These substrates within the locus coeruleus (LC) are critically involved in learning and memory processes. Experimental Approach The hippocampus and LC of male Wistar rat were stereotaxically cannulated for injection. Effects of agmatine, given i.p. or intra‐LC, on acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of inhibitory avoidance (IA) memory were measured. The NO donor S‐nitrosoglutathione, non‐specific (L‐NAME) and specific NOS inhibitors (L‐NIL, 7‐NI, L‐NIO), the α2‐adrenoceptor antagonist (yohimbine) or the corresponding agonist (clonidine) were injected intra‐LC before agmatine. Intra‐hippocampal injections of the NMDA antagonist, MK‐801 (dizocilpine), were used to modify the memory enhancing effects of agmatine, SNG and yohimbine. Expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and eNOS in the LC was assessed immunohistochemically. Key Results Agmatine (intra‐LC or i.p.) facilitated memory retrieval in the IA test. S‐nitrosoglutathione potentiated, while L‐NAME and L‐NIO decreased, these effects of agmatine. L‐NIL and 7‐NI did not alter the effects of agmatine. Yohimbine potentiated, whereas clonidine attenuated, effects of agmatine within the LC. The effects of agmatine, S‐nitrosoglutathione and yohimbine were blocked by intra‐hippocampal MK‐801. Agmatine increased the population of TH‐ and eNOS‐immunoreactive elements in the LC. Conclusions and Implications The facilitation of memory retrieval in the IA test by agmatine is probably mediated by interactions between eNOS, NO and noradrenergic pathways in the LC. PMID:27273730

Intermittent fasting uncovers and rescues cognitive phenotypes in PTEN neuronal haploinsufficient mice.

PubMed

Cabral-Costa, J V; Andreotti, D Z; Mello, N P; Scavone, C; Camandola, S; Kawamoto, E M

2018-06-05

Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is an important protein with key modulatory functions in cell growth and survival. PTEN is crucial during embryogenesis and plays a key role in the central nervous system (CNS), where it directly modulates neuronal development and synaptic plasticity. Loss of PTEN signaling function is associated with cognitive deficits and synaptic plasticity impairment. Accordingly, Pten mutations have a strong link with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, neuronal Pten haploinsufficient male mice were subjected to a long-term environmental intervention - intermittent fasting (IF) - and then evaluated for alterations in exploratory, anxiety and learning and memory behaviors. Although no significant effects on spatial memory were observed, mutant mice showed impaired contextual fear memory in the passive avoidance test - an outcome that was effectively rescued by IF. In this study, we demonstrated that IF modulation, in addition to its rescue of the memory deficit, was also required to uncover behavioral phenotypes otherwise hidden in this neuronal Pten haploinsufficiency model.

The emotional startle effect is disrupted by a concurrent working memory task.

PubMed

King, Rosemary; Schaefer, Alexandre

2011-02-01

Working memory (WM) processes are often thought to play an important role in the cognitive regulation of negative emotions. However, little is known about how they influence emotional processing. We report two experiments that tested whether a concurrent working memory task could modulate the emotional startle eyeblink effect, a well-known index of emotional processing. In both experiments, emotionally negative and neutral pictures were viewed in two conditions: a "cognitive load" (CL) condition, in which participants had to actively maintain information in working memory (WM) while viewing the pictures, and a control "no load" (NL) condition. Picture-viewing instructions were identical across CL and NL. In both experiments, results showed a significant reduction of the emotional modulation of the startle eyeblink reflex in the CL condition compared to the NL condition. These findings suggest that a concurrent WM task disrupts emotional processing even when participants are directing visual focus on emotionally relevant information. Copyright © 2010 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Effects of the cannabinoid 1 receptor peptide ligands hemopressin, (m)RVD-hemopressin(α) and (m)VD-hemopressin(α) on memory in novel object and object location recognition tasks in normal young and Aβ1-42-treated mice.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui-San; He, Zhen; Jin, Wei-Dong; Wang, Rui

2016-10-01

The cannabinoid system plays an important role in memory processes, many studies have indicated that cannabinoid receptor ligands have ability to modulate memory in rodents. A nonapeptide hemopressin (Hp) derived from rat brain, acts as a peptide antagonist or selective inverse peptide agonist of cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor. N-terminally extended forms of Hp isolated from mouse brain, (m)RVD-hemopressin(α) (RVD) and (m)VD-hemopressin(α) (VD) also bind CB1 receptor, however, as peptide agonists. Here, we investigated the roles of Hp, RVD, and VD on memory in mice using novel object recognition (NOR) and object location recognition (OLR) tasks. In normal young mice, intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of Hp before training not only improved memory formation, but also prolonged memory retention in the tasks, these effects could be inhibited by RVD or VD at the same dose and intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of a small molecule agonist of CB1 receptor WIN55, 212-2 15min before administration of Hp inhibited the memory-improving effect of Hp. In addition, under the same experimental conditions, i.c.v. RVD or VD displayed memory-impairing effects, which could be prevented by Hp (i.c.v.) or AM251 (i.p.), a small molecule antagonist of CB1 receptor. Infusion of amyloid-β (1-42) (Aβ1-42) 14days before training resulted in impairment of memory in mice which could be used as animal model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In these mice, RVD or VD (i.c.v.) reversed the memory impairment induced by Aβ1-42, and the effects of RVD and VD could be suppressed by Hp (i.c.v.) or AM251 (2mg/kg, i.p.). Separate administration of Hp had no effect in Aβ1-42-treated mice. The above results suggested that Hp, RVD and VD, as CB1 receptor peptide ligands, may be potential drugs to treatment of the memory deficit-involving disease, just as AD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long distance quantum communication using quantum error correction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gingrich, R. M.; Lee, H.; Dowling, J. P.

2004-01-01

We describe a quantum error correction scheme that can increase the effective absorption length of the communication channel. This device can play the role of a quantum transponder when placed in series, or a cyclic quantum memory when inserted in an optical loop.

Memory: Issues of Import to School Psychologists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Kirk R.

This document defines memory as a complex, interactive process that is a prerequisite for all higher learning. Without intact memory skills, a host of disorders may ensue ranging from mild learning problems to disorientation and helplessness (Lezak, 1983). Because of the pervasive and central role memory plays in people's lives, school…

Adaptive Constructive Processes and the Future of Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schacter, Daniel L.

2012-01-01

Memory serves critical functions in everyday life but is also prone to error. This article examines adaptive constructive processes, which play a functional role in memory and cognition but can also produce distortions, errors, and illusions. The article describes several types of memory errors that are produced by adaptive constructive processes…

Constitutive Models for Shape Memory Alloy Polycrystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Comstock, R. J., Jr.; Somerday, M.; Wert, J. A.

1996-01-01

Shape memory alloys (SMA) exhibiting the superelastic or one-way effects can produce large recoverable strains upon application of a stress. In single crystals this stress and resulting strain are very orientation dependent. We show experimental stress/strain curves for a Ni-Al single crystal for various loading orientations. Also shown are model predictions; the open and closed circles indicate recoverable strains obtained at various stages in the transformation process. Because of the strong orientation dependence of shape memory properties, crystallographic texture can be expected to play an important role in the mechanical behavior of polycrystalline SMA. It is desirable to formulate a constitutive model to better understand and exploit the unique properties of SMA.

Effects of medicinal plants on Alzheimer's disease and memory deficits

PubMed Central

Akram, Muhammad; Nawaz, Allah

2017-01-01

Alzheimer's disease is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory deficits. Various studies have been carried out to find therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease. However, the proper treatment option is still not available. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but symptomatic treatment may improve the memory and other dementia related problems. Traditional medicine is practiced worldwide as memory enhancer since ancient times. Natural therapy including herbs and medicinal plants has been used in the treatment of memory deficits such as dementia, amnesia, as well as Alzheimer's disease since a long time. Medicinal plants have been used in different systems of medicine, particularly Unani system of medicines and exhibited their powerful roles in the management and cure of memory disorders. Most of herbs and plants have been chemically evaluated and their efficacy has also been proven in clinical trials. However, the underlying mechanisms of actions are still on the way. In this paper, we have reviewed the role of different medicinal plants that play an important role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and memory deficits using conventional herbal therapy. PMID:28553349

The (lack of) effect of dynamic visual noise on the concreteness effect in short-term memory.

PubMed

Castellà, Judit; Campoy, Guillermo

2018-05-17

It has been suggested that the concreteness effect in short-term memory (STM) is a consequence of concrete words having more distinctive and richer semantic representations. The generation and storage of visual codes in STM could also play a crucial role on the effect because concrete words are more imaginable than abstract words. If this were the case, the introduction of a visual interference task would be expected to disrupt recall of concrete words. A Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) display, which has been proven to eliminate the concreteness effect on long-term memory (LTM), was presented along encoding of concrete and abstract words in a STM serial recall task. Results showed a main effect of word type, with more item errors in abstract words, a main effect of DVN, which impaired global performance due to more order errors, but no interaction, suggesting that DVN did not have any impact on the concreteness effect. These findings are discussed in terms of LTM participation through redintegration processes and in terms of the language-based models of verbal STM.

The importance of context: evidence that contextual representations increase intrusive memories.

PubMed

Pearson, David G; Ross, Fiona D C; Webster, Victoria L

2012-03-01

Intrusive memories appear to enter consciousness via involuntary rather than deliberate recollection. Some clinical accounts of PTSD seek to explain this phenomenon by making a clear distinction between the encoding of sensory-based and contextual representations. Contextual representations have been claimed to actively reduce intrusions by anchoring encoded perceptual data for an event in memory. The current analogue trauma study examined this hypothesis by manipulating contextual information independently from encoded sensory-perceptual information. Participants' viewed images selected from the International Affective Picture System that depicted scenes of violence and bodily injury. Images were viewed either under neutral conditions or paired with contextual information. Two experiments revealed a significant increase in memory intrusions for images paired with contextual information in comparison to the same images viewed under neutral conditions. In contrast to the observed increase in intrusion frequency there was no effect of contextual representations on voluntary memory for the images. The vividness and emotionality of memory intrusions were also unaffected. The analogue trauma paradigm may fail to replicate the effect of extreme stress on encoding postulated to occur during PTSD. These findings question the assertion that intrusive memories develop from a lack of integration between sensory-based and contextual representations in memory. Instead it is argued contextual representations play a causal role in increasing the frequency of intrusions by increasing the sensitivity of memory to involuntary retrieval by associated internal and external cues. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Galectin-3 Negatively Regulates Hippocampus-Dependent Memory Formation through Inhibition of Integrin Signaling and Galectin-3 Phosphorylation

PubMed Central

Chen, Yan-Chu; Ma, Yun-Li; Lin, Cheng-Hsiung; Cheng, Sin-Jhong; Hsu, Wei-Lun; Lee, Eminy H.-Y.

2017-01-01

Galectin-3, a member of the galectin protein family, has been found to regulate cell proliferation, inhibit apoptosis and promote inflammatory responses. Galectin-3 is also expressed in the adult rat hippocampus, but its role in learning and memory function is not known. Here, we found that contextual fear-conditioning training, spatial training or injection of NMDA into the rat CA1 area each dramatically decreased the level of endogenous galectin-3 expression. Overexpression of galectin-3 impaired fear memory, whereas galectin-3 knockout (KO) enhanced fear retention, spatial memory and hippocampal long-term potentiation. Galectin-3 was further found to associate with integrin α3, an association that was decreased after fear-conditioning training. Transfection of the rat CA1 area with small interfering RNA against galectin-3 facilitated fear memory and increased phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) levels, effects that were blocked by co-transfection of the FAK phosphorylation-defective mutant Flag-FAKY397F. Notably, levels of serine-phosphorylated galectin-3 were decreased by fear conditioning training. In addition, blockade of galectin-3 phosphorylation at Ser-6 facilitated fear memory, whereas constitutive activation of galectin-3 at Ser-6 impaired fear memory. Interestingly galectin-1 plays a role in fear-memory formation similar to that of galectin-3. Collectively, our data provide the first demonstration that galectin-3 is a novel negative regulator of memory formation that exerts its effects through both extracellular and intracellular mechanisms. PMID:28744198

The allocation of attention and working memory in visual crowding.

PubMed

Bacigalupo, Felix; Luck, Steven J

2015-06-01

When the distance between a visual target and nearby flankers falls below a critical distance, target discrimination declines precipitously. This is called "crowding." Many researchers have proposed that selective attention plays a role in crowding. However, although some research has examined the effects of directing attention toward versus away from the targets, no previous research has assessed how attentional allocation varies as a function of target-flanker distance in crowding. Here, we used ERPs to assess the operation of attention during crowding, focusing on the attention-related N2pc component. We used a typical crowding task in which participants were asked to report the category (vowel/consonant) of a lateralized target letter flanked by distractor letters at different distances. We tested the hypothesis that attention fails when the target-flanker distance becomes too small for attention to operate effectively. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that N2pc amplitude was maximal at intermediate target-flanker distances and decreased substantially when crowding became severe. In addition, we examined the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN), which reflects the amount of information being maintained in working memory. Unlike the N2pc component, the SPCN increased in amplitude at small target-flanker distances, suggesting that observers stored information about the target and flankers in working memory when attention failed to select the target. Together, the N2pc and SPCN results suggest that attention and working memory play distinctive roles in crowding: Attention operates to minimize interference from the flankers at intermediate target-flanker distances, whereas working memory may be recruited when attention fails to select the target at small target-flanker distances.

Recognition memory for low- and high-frequency-filtered emotional faces: Low spatial frequencies drive emotional memory enhancement, whereas high spatial frequencies drive the emotion-induced recognition bias.

PubMed

Rohr, Michaela; Tröger, Johannes; Michely, Nils; Uhde, Alarith; Wentura, Dirk

2017-07-01

This article deals with two well-documented phenomena regarding emotional stimuli: emotional memory enhancement-that is, better long-term memory for emotional than for neutral stimuli-and the emotion-induced recognition bias-that is, a more liberal response criterion for emotional than for neutral stimuli. Studies on visual emotion perception and attention suggest that emotion-related processes can be modulated by means of spatial-frequency filtering of the presented emotional stimuli. Specifically, low spatial frequencies are assumed to play a primary role for the influence of emotion on attention and judgment. Given this theoretical background, we investigated whether spatial-frequency filtering also impacts (1) the memory advantage for emotional faces and (2) the emotion-induced recognition bias, in a series of old/new recognition experiments. Participants completed incidental-learning tasks with high- (HSF) and low- (LSF) spatial-frequency-filtered emotional and neutral faces. The results of the surprise recognition tests showed a clear memory advantage for emotional stimuli. Most importantly, the emotional memory enhancement was significantly larger for face images containing only low-frequency information (LSF faces) than for HSF faces across all experiments, suggesting that LSF information plays a critical role in this effect, whereas the emotion-induced recognition bias was found only for HSF stimuli. We discuss our findings in terms of both the traditional account of different processing pathways for HSF and LSF information and a stimulus features account. The double dissociation in the results favors the latter account-that is, an explanation in terms of differences in the characteristics of HSF and LSF stimuli.

Effects of Trace Amine-associated Receptor 1 Agonists on the Expression, Reconsolidation, and Extinction of Cocaine Reward Memory.

PubMed

Liu, Jian-Feng; Thorn, David A; Zhang, Yanan; Li, Jun-Xu

2016-07-01

As a modulator of dopaminergic system, trace amine-associated receptor 1 has been shown to play a critical role in regulating the rewarding properties of additive drugs. It has been demonstrated that activation of trace amine-associated receptor 1 decreased the abuse-related behaviors of cocaine in rats. However, the role of trace amine-associated receptor 1 in specific stages of cocaine reward memory is still unclear. Here, using a cocaine-induced conditioned place preference model, we tested the effects of a selective trace amine-associated receptor 1 agonist RO5166017 on the expression, reconsolidation, and extinction of cocaine reward memory. We found that RO5166017 inhibited the expression but not retention of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference. RO5166017 had no effect on the reconsolidation of cocaine reward memory. Pretreatment with RO5166017 before extinction hindered the formation of extinction long-term memory. RO5166017 did not affect the movement during the conditioned place preference test, indicating the inhibitory effect of RO5166017 on the expression of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference was not caused by locomotion inhibition. Using a cocaine i.v. self-administration model, we found that the combined trace amine-associated receptor 1 partial agonist RO5263397 with extinction had no effect on the following cue- and drug-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Repeated administration of the trace amine-associated receptor 1 agonist during extinction showed a continually inhibitory effect on the expression of cocaine reward memory both in cocaine-induced conditioned place preference and cocaine self-administration models. Taken together, these results indicate that activation of trace amine-associated receptor 1 specifically inhibited the expression of cocaine reward memory. The inhibitory effect of trace amine-associated receptor 1 agonists on cocaine reward memory suggests that trace amine-associated receptor 1 agonists could be a promising agent to prevent cocaine relapse. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Role of hippocampal β-adrenergic and glucocorticoid receptors in the novelty-induced enhancement of fear extinction.

PubMed

Liu, Jian-Feng; Yang, Chang; Deng, Jia-Hui; Yan, Wei; Wang, Hui-Min; Luo, Yi-Xiao; Shi, Hai-Shui; Meng, Shi-Qiu; Chai, Bai-Sheng; Fang, Qin; Chai, Ning; Xue, Yan-Xue; Sun, Jia; Chen, Chen; Wang, Xue-Yi; Wang, Ji-Shi; Lu, Lin

2015-05-27

Fear extinction forms a new memory but does not erase the original fear memory. Exposure to novelty facilitates transfer of short-term extinction memory to long-lasting memory. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are still unclear. Using a classical contextual fear-conditioning model, we investigated the effect of novelty on long-lasting extinction memory in rats. We found that exposure to a novel environment but not familiar environment 1 h before or after extinction enhanced extinction long-term memory (LTM) and reduced fear reinstatement. However, exploring novelty 6 h before or after extinction had no such effect. Infusion of the β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) inhibitor propranolol and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) inhibitor RU486 into the CA1 area of the dorsal hippocampus before novelty exposure blocked the effect of novelty on extinction memory. Propranolol prevented activation of the hippocampal PKA-CREB pathway, and RU486 prevented activation of the hippocampal extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2)-CREB pathway induced by novelty exposure. These results indicate that the hippocampal βAR-PKA-CREB and GR-Erk1/2-CREB pathways mediate the extinction-enhancing effect of novelty exposure. Infusion of RU486 or the Erk1/2 inhibitor U0126, but not propranolol or the PKA inhibitor Rp-cAMPS, into the CA1 before extinction disrupted the formation of extinction LTM, suggesting that hippocampal GR and Erk1/2 but not βAR or PKA play critical roles in this process. These results indicate that novelty promotes extinction memory via hippocampal βAR- and GR-dependent pathways, and Erk1/2 may serve as a behavioral tag of extinction. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/358308-14$15.00/0.

The role of working memory in auditory selective attention.

PubMed

Dalton, Polly; Santangelo, Valerio; Spence, Charles

2009-11-01

A growing body of research now demonstrates that working memory plays an important role in controlling the extent to which irrelevant visual distractors are processed during visual selective attention tasks (e.g., Lavie, Hirst, De Fockert, & Viding, 2004). Recently, it has been shown that the successful selection of tactile information also depends on the availability of working memory (Dalton, Lavie, & Spence, 2009). Here, we investigate whether working memory plays a role in auditory selective attention. Participants focused their attention on short continuous bursts of white noise (targets) while attempting to ignore pulsed bursts of noise (distractors). Distractor interference in this auditory task, as measured in terms of the difference in performance between congruent and incongruent distractor trials, increased significantly under high (vs. low) load in a concurrent working-memory task. These results provide the first evidence demonstrating a causal role for working memory in reducing interference by irrelevant auditory distractors.

Influence of transactive memory on perceived performance, job satisfaction and identification in anaesthesia teams.

PubMed

Michinov, E; Olivier-Chiron, E; Rusch, E; Chiron, B

2008-03-01

There is an increasing awareness in the medical community that human factors are involved in effectiveness of anaesthesia teams. Communication and coordination between physicians and nurses seems to play a crucial role in maintaining a good level of performance under time pressure, particularly for anaesthesia teams, who are confronted with uncertainty, rapid changes in the environment, and multi-tasking. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between a specific form of implicit coordination--the transactive memory system--and perceptions of team effectiveness and work attitudes such as job satisfaction and team identification. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 nurse and physician anaesthetists from eight French public hospitals. The questionnaire included some measures of transactive memory system (coordination, specialization, and credibility components), perception of team effectiveness, and work attitudes (Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, team identification scale). The questionnaire was designed to be filled anonymously, asking only biographical data relating to sex, age, status, and tenure. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed as predicted that transactive memory system predicted members' perceptions of team effectiveness, and also affective outcomes such as job satisfaction and team identification. Moreover, the results demonstrated that transactive memory processes, and especially the coordination component, were a better predictor of teamwork perceptions than socio-demographic (i.e. gender or status) or contextual variables (i.e. tenure and size of team). These findings provided empirical evidence of the existence of a transactive memory system among real anaesthesia teams, and highlight the need to investigate whether transactive memory is actually linked with objective measures of performance.

Effects of Curculigoside on Memory Impairment and Bone Loss via Anti-Oxidative Character in APP/PS1 Mutated Transgenic Mice.

PubMed

Zhao, Lu; Liu, Sha; Wang, Yin; Zhang, Qiaoyan; Zhao, Wenjuan; Wang, Zejian; Yin, Ming

2015-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and osteoporosis are two closely related multifactorial progressively degenerative diseases that predominantly affect aged people. These two diseases share many common risk factors, including old age, being female, smoking, excessive drinking, low estrogen, and vitamin D3 levels. Additionally, oxidative damage and the dysfunction of the antioxidant system play important roles in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and AD. Aβ not only leads to impaired memory but also plays a crucial role in the demineralization process of bone tissues of older people and women with menopause. Curculigoside can promote calcium deposition and increase the levels of ALP and Runx2 in osteoblasts under oxidative stress via anti-oxidative character. Therefore, we investigated the effects of CUR on the spatial learning and memory by the Morris water maze and brain immunohistochemistry, and bone microstructure and material properties of femurs by micro-computed tomography and mechanical testing in APP/PS1 mutated transgenic mice. Oral administration of CUR can significantly enhance learning performance and ameliorate bone loss in APP/PS1 mutated transgenic mice, and the mechanism may be related to its antioxidant effect. Based on these results, CUR has real potential as a new natural resource for developing medicines or dietary supplements for the prevention and treatment of the two closely linked multifactorial progressive degenerative disorders, AD and osteoporosis.

Replaying the game: hypnagogic images in normals and amnesics.

PubMed

Stickgold, R; Malia, A; Maguire, D; Roddenberry, D; O'Connor, M

2000-10-13

Participants playing the computer game Tetris reported intrusive, stereotypical, visual images of the game at sleep onset. Three amnesic patients with extensive bilateral medial temporal lobe damage produced similar hypnagogic reports despite being unable to recall playing the game, suggesting that such imagery may arise without important contribution from the declarative memory system. In addition, control participants reported images from previously played versions of the game, demonstrating that remote memories can influence the images from recent waking experience.

Some Surprising Findings on the Involvement of the Parietal Lobe in Human Memory

PubMed Central

Olson, Ingrid R.; Berryhill, Marian

2009-01-01

The posterior parietal lobe is known to play some role in a far-flung list of mental processes: linking vision to action (saccadic eye movements, reaching, grasping), attending to visual space, numerical calculation, and mental rotation. Here we review findings from humans and monkeys that illuminate an untraditional function of this region: memory. Our review draws on neuroimaging findings that have repeatedly identified parietal lobe activations associated with short-term or working memory and episodic memory. We also discuss recent neuropsychological findings showing that individuals with parietal lobe damage exhibit both working memory and long-term memory deficits. These deficits are not ubiquitous; they are only evident under certain retrieval demands. Our review elaborates on these findings and evaluates various theories about the mechanistic role of the posterior parietal lobe in memory. The available data point towards the conclusion that the posterior parietal lobe plays an important role in memory retrieval irrespective of elapsed time. The two models that are best supported by existing data are the Attention to Memory Model and the Subjective Memory Model. We conclude by formalizing several open questions that are intended to encourage future research. PMID:18848635

A brief primer on the mediational role of BDNF in the exercise-memory link.

PubMed

Loprinzi, Paul D; Frith, Emily

2018-05-02

One of the most amazing aspects of the human brain is its ability to learn information and use it to change behaviour. A key neurotrophin that influences memory function is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This review briefly discusses the mechanistic role that BDNF may play in facilitating learning and memory. We also describe the role of exercise on this relationship. As discussed herein, BDNF may influence memory via BDNF-induced alterations in membrane receptor expression and translocation, as well as activating several pathways (PLC-y, PI3K, ERK) that act together to facilitate cellular effects that influence synaptic plasticity. Exercise may help to facilitate BDNF expression and its downstream cellular pathways from both direct and indirect mechanisms. © 2018 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sleep and cognition.

PubMed

Deak, Maryann C; Stickgold, Robert

2010-07-01

Sleep is a complex physiologic state, the importance of which has long been recognized. Lack of sleep is detrimental to humans and animals. Over the past decade, an important link between sleep and cognitive processing has been established. Sleep plays an important role in consolidation of different types of memory and contributes to insightful, inferential thinking. While the mechanism by which memories are processed in sleep remains unknown, several experimental models have been proposed. This article explores the link between sleep and cognition by reviewing (1) the effects of sleep deprivation on cognition, (2) the influence of sleep on consolidation of declarative and non-declarative memory, and (3) some proposed models of how sleep facilitates memory consolidation in sleep. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Pharmacological Analysis of an Associative Learning Task: 5-HT1 to 5-HT7 Receptor Subtypes Function on a Pavlovian/Instrumental Autoshaped Memory

PubMed Central

Meneses, Alfredo

2003-01-01

Recent studies using both invertebrates and mammals have revealed that endogenous serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) modulates plasticity processes, including learning and memory. However, little is currently known about the mechanisms, loci, or time window of the actions of 5-HT. The aim of this review is to discuss some recent results on the effects of systemic administration of selective agonists and antagonists of 5-HT on associative learning in a Pavlovian/instrumental autoshaping (P/I-A) task in rats. The results indicate that pharmacological manipulation of 5-HT1-7 receptors or 5-HT reuptake sites might modulate memory consolidation, which is consistent with the emerging notion that 5-HT plays a key role in memory formation. PMID:14557609

Fragmentation of Rapid Eye Movement and Nonrapid Eye Movement Sleep without Total Sleep Loss Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Fear Memory Consolidation.

PubMed

Lee, Michael L; Katsuyama, Ângela M; Duge, Leanne S; Sriram, Chaitra; Krushelnytskyy, Mykhaylo; Kim, Jeansok J; de la Iglesia, Horacio O

2016-11-01

Sleep is important for consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories. It is hypothesized that the temporal sequence of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the weakening of nonadaptive memories and the subsequent transfer of memories temporarily stored in the hippocampus to more permanent memories in the neocortex. A great body of evidence supporting this hypothesis relies on behavioral, pharmacological, neural, and/or genetic manipulations that induce sleep deprivation or stage-specific sleep deprivation. We exploit an experimental model of circadian desynchrony in which intact animals are not deprived of any sleep stage but show fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep within nonfragmented sleep bouts. We test the hypothesis that the shortening of NREM and REM sleep durations post-training will impair memory consolidation irrespective of total sleep duration. When circadian-desynchronized animals are trained in a hippocampus-dependent contextual fear-conditioning task they show normal short-term memory but impaired long-term memory consolidation. This impairment in memory consolidation is positively associated with the post-training fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep but is not significantly associated with the fragmentation of total sleep or the total amount of delta activity. We also show that the sleep stage fragmentation resulting from circadian desynchrony has no effect on hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and no effect on hippocampus-independent cued fear-conditioning memory. Our findings in an intact animal model, in which sleep deprivation is not a confounding factor, support the hypothesis that the stereotypic sequence and duration of sleep stages play a specific role in long-term hippocampus-dependent fear memory consolidation. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Plays a Role in Self-Initiated Elaborative Cognitive Processing during Episodic Memory Encoding: rTMS Evidence

PubMed Central

Hawco, Colin; Berlim, Marcelo T.; Lepage, Martin

2013-01-01

During episodic memory encoding, elaborative cognitive processing can improve later recall or recognition. While multiple studies examined the neural correlates of encoding strategies, few studies have explicitly focused on the self-initiation of elaborative encoding. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a method which can transiently disrupt neural activity, was administered during an associative encoding task. rTMS was either applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) or to the vertex (a control region not involved in memory encoding) during presentation of pairs of words. Pairs could be semantically related or not related. Two encoding instructions were given, either cueing participants to analyze semantic relationships (cued condition), or to memorize the pair without any specific strategy cues (the self-initiated condition). Participants filled out a questionnaire regarding their use of memory strategies and performed a cued-recall task. We hypothesized that if the DLPFC plays a role in the self-initiation of elaborative encoding we would observe a reduction in memory performance in the self-initiated condition, particularly for related. We found a significant correlation between the effects of rTMS and strategy use, only in the self-initiated condition with related pairs. High strategy users showed reduced performance following DLPFC stimulation, while low strategy users tended to show increased recall following DLPFC stimulation during encoding. These results suggest the left DLPFC may be involved in the self-initiation of memory strategy use, and individuals may utilize different neural networks depending on their use of encoding strategies. PMID:24040072

The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory

PubMed Central

Tyng, Chai M.; Amin, Hafeez U.; Saad, Mohamad N. M.; Malik, Aamir S.

2017-01-01

Emotion has a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in humans, including perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning, and problem solving. Emotion has a particularly strong influence on attention, especially modulating the selectivity of attention as well as motivating action and behavior. This attentional and executive control is intimately linked to learning processes, as intrinsically limited attentional capacities are better focused on relevant information. Emotion also facilitates encoding and helps retrieval of information efficiently. However, the effects of emotion on learning and memory are not always univalent, as studies have reported that emotion either enhances or impairs learning and long-term memory (LTM) retention, depending on a range of factors. Recent neuroimaging findings have indicated that the amygdala and prefrontal cortex cooperate with the medial temporal lobe in an integrated manner that affords (i) the amygdala modulating memory consolidation; (ii) the prefrontal cortex mediating memory encoding and formation; and (iii) the hippocampus for successful learning and LTM retention. We also review the nested hierarchies of circular emotional control and cognitive regulation (bottom-up and top-down influences) within the brain to achieve optimal integration of emotional and cognitive processing. This review highlights a basic evolutionary approach to emotion to understand the effects of emotion on learning and memory and the functional roles played by various brain regions and their mutual interactions in relation to emotional processing. We also summarize the current state of knowledge on the impact of emotion on memory and map implications for educational settings. In addition to elucidating the memory-enhancing effects of emotion, neuroimaging findings extend our understanding of emotional influences on learning and memory processes; this knowledge may be useful for the design of effective educational curricula to provide a conducive learning environment for both traditional “live” learning in classrooms and “virtual” learning through online-based educational technologies. PMID:28883804

Event-related rTMS at encoding affects differently deep and shallow memory traces.

PubMed

Innocenti, Iglis; Giovannelli, Fabio; Cincotta, Massimo; Feurra, Matteo; Polizzotto, Nicola R; Bianco, Giovanni; Cappa, Stefano F; Rossi, Simone

2010-10-15

The "level of processing" effect is a classical finding of the experimental psychology of memory. Actually, the depth of information processing at encoding predicts the accuracy of the subsequent episodic memory performance. When the incoming stimuli are analyzed in terms of their meaning (semantic, or deep, encoding), the memory performance is superior with respect to the case in which the same stimuli are analyzed in terms of their perceptual features (shallow encoding). As suggested by previous neuroimaging studies and by some preliminary findings with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the left prefrontal cortex may play a role in semantic processing requiring the allocation of working memory resources. However, it still remains unclear whether deep and shallow encoding share or not the same cortical networks, as well as how these networks contribute to the "level of processing" effect. To investigate the brain areas casually involved in this phenomenon, we applied event-related repetitive TMS (rTMS) during deep (semantic) and shallow (perceptual) encoding of words. Retrieval was subsequently tested without rTMS interference. RTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) abolished the beneficial effect of deep encoding on memory performance, both in terms of accuracy (decrease) and reaction times (increase). Neither accuracy nor reaction times were instead affected by rTMS to the right DLPFC or to an additional control site excluded by the memory process (vertex). The fact that online measures of semantic processing at encoding were unaffected suggests that the detrimental effect on memory performance for semantically encoded items took place in the subsequent consolidation phase. These results highlight the specific causal role of the left DLPFC among the wide left-lateralized cortical network engaged by long-term memory, suggesting that it probably represents a crucial node responsible for the improved memory performance induced by semantic processing. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Cognitive Capacity and Gaming Expertise on Attention and Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Y.-H.; Heeter, C.

2017-01-01

Educational video games can impose high cognitive demands on its users. Two studies were conducted to examine the cognitive process involved in playing an educational digital game. Study 1 examined the effects of users' working memory capacity and gaming expertise on attention and comprehension of the educational messages. The results showed that…

Effect of water table dynamics on land surface hydrologic memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, Min-Hui; Famiglietti, James S.

2010-11-01

The representation of groundwater dynamics in land surface models has received considerable attention in recent years. Most studies have found that soil moisture increases after adding a groundwater component because of the additional supply of water to the root zone. However, the effect of groundwater on land surface hydrologic memory (persistence) has not been explored thoroughly. In this study we investigate the effect of water table dynamics on National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Land Model hydrologic simulations in terms of land surface hydrologic memory. Unlike soil water or evapotranspiration, results show that land surface hydrologic memory does not always increase after adding a groundwater component. In regions where the water table level is intermediate, land surface hydrologic memory can even decrease, which occurs when soil moisture and capillary rise from groundwater are not in phase with each other. Further, we explore the hypothesis that in addition to atmospheric forcing, groundwater variations may also play an important role in affecting land surface hydrologic memory. Analyses show that feedbacks of groundwater on land surface hydrologic memory can be positive, negative, or neutral, depending on water table dynamics. In regions where the water table is shallow, the damping process of soil moisture variations by groundwater is not significant, and soil moisture variations are mostly controlled by random noise from atmospheric forcing. In contrast, in regions where the water table is very deep, capillary fluxes from groundwater are small, having limited potential to affect soil moisture variations. Therefore, a positive feedback of groundwater to land surface hydrologic memory is observed in a transition zone between deep and shallow water tables, where capillary fluxes act as a buffer by reducing high-frequency soil moisture variations resulting in longer land surface hydrologic memory.

Estradiol replacement enhances fear memory formation, impairs extinction and reduces COMT expression levels in the hippocampus of ovariectomized female mice.

PubMed

McDermott, Carmel M; Liu, Dan; Ade, Catherine; Schrader, Laura A

2015-02-01

Females experience depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders at approximately twice the rate of males, but the mechanisms underlying this difference remain undefined. The effect of sex hormones on neural substrates presents a possible mechanism. We investigated the effect of ovariectomy at two ages, before puberty and in adulthood, and 17β-estradiol (E2) replacement administered chronically in drinking water on anxiety level, fear memory formation, and extinction. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that estradiol replacement would impair fear memory formation and enhance extinction rate. Females, age 4 weeks and 10 weeks, were divided randomly into 4 groups; sham surgery, OVX, OVX+low E2 (200nM), and OVX+high E2 (1000nM). Chronic treatment with high levels of E2 significantly increased anxiety levels measured in the elevated plus maze. In both age groups, high levels of E2 significantly increased contextual fear memory but had no effect on cued fear memory. In addition, high E2 decreased the rate of extinction in both ages. Finally, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is important for regulation of catecholamine levels, which play a role in fear memory formation and extinction. COMT expression in the hippocampus was significantly reduced by high E2 replacement, implying increased catecholamine levels in the hippocampus of high E2 mice. These results suggest that estradiol enhanced fear memory formation, and inhibited fear memory extinction, possibly stabilizing the fear memory in female mice. This study has implications for a neurobiological mechanism for PTSD and anxiety disorders. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Episodic simulation and episodic memory can increase intentions to help others.

PubMed

Gaesser, Brendan; Schacter, Daniel L

2014-03-25

Empathy plays an important role in human social interaction. A multifaceted construct, empathy includes a prosocial motivation or intention to help others in need. Although humans are often willing to help others in need, at times (e.g., during intergroup conflict), empathic responses are diminished or absent. Research examining the cognitive mechanisms underlying prosocial tendencies has focused on the facilitating roles of perspective taking and emotion sharing but has not previously elucidated the contributions of episodic simulation and memory to facilitating prosocial intentions. Here, we investigated whether humans' ability to construct episodes by vividly imagining (episodic simulation) or remembering (episodic memory) specific events also supports a willingness to help others. Three experiments provide evidence that, when participants were presented with a situation depicting another person's plight, the act of imagining an event of helping the person or remembering a related past event of helping others increased prosocial intentions to help the present person in need, compared with various control conditions. We also report evidence suggesting that the vividness of constructed episodes--rather than simply heightened emotional reactions or degree of perspective taking--supports this effect. Our results shed light on a role that episodic simulation and memory can play in fostering empathy and begin to offer insight into the underlying mechanisms.

Working memory differences in long-distance dependency resolution

PubMed Central

Nicenboim, Bruno; Vasishth, Shravan; Gattei, Carolina; Sigman, Mariano; Kliegl, Reinhold

2015-01-01

There is a wealth of evidence showing that increasing the distance between an argument and its head leads to more processing effort, namely, locality effects; these are usually associated with constraints in working memory (DLT: Gibson, 2000; activation-based model: Lewis and Vasishth, 2005). In SOV languages, however, the opposite effect has been found: antilocality (see discussion in Levy et al., 2013). Antilocality effects can be explained by the expectation-based approach as proposed by Levy (2008) or by the activation-based model of sentence processing as proposed by Lewis and Vasishth (2005). We report an eye-tracking and a self-paced reading study with sentences in Spanish together with measures of individual differences to examine the distinction between expectation- and memory-based accounts, and within memory-based accounts the further distinction between DLT and the activation-based model. The experiments show that (i) antilocality effects as predicted by the expectation account appear only for high-capacity readers; (ii) increasing dependency length by interposing material that modifies the head of the dependency (the verb) produces stronger facilitation than increasing dependency length with material that does not modify the head; this is in agreement with the activation-based model but not with the expectation account; and (iii) a possible outcome of memory load on low-capacity readers is the increase in regressive saccades (locality effects as predicted by memory-based accounts) or, surprisingly, a speedup in the self-paced reading task; the latter consistent with good-enough parsing (Ferreira et al., 2002). In sum, the study suggests that individual differences in working memory capacity play a role in dependency resolution, and that some of the aspects of dependency resolution can be best explained with the activation-based model together with a prediction component. PMID:25852623

Working memory differences in long-distance dependency resolution.

PubMed

Nicenboim, Bruno; Vasishth, Shravan; Gattei, Carolina; Sigman, Mariano; Kliegl, Reinhold

2015-01-01

There is a wealth of evidence showing that increasing the distance between an argument and its head leads to more processing effort, namely, locality effects; these are usually associated with constraints in working memory (DLT: Gibson, 2000; activation-based model: Lewis and Vasishth, 2005). In SOV languages, however, the opposite effect has been found: antilocality (see discussion in Levy et al., 2013). Antilocality effects can be explained by the expectation-based approach as proposed by Levy (2008) or by the activation-based model of sentence processing as proposed by Lewis and Vasishth (2005). We report an eye-tracking and a self-paced reading study with sentences in Spanish together with measures of individual differences to examine the distinction between expectation- and memory-based accounts, and within memory-based accounts the further distinction between DLT and the activation-based model. The experiments show that (i) antilocality effects as predicted by the expectation account appear only for high-capacity readers; (ii) increasing dependency length by interposing material that modifies the head of the dependency (the verb) produces stronger facilitation than increasing dependency length with material that does not modify the head; this is in agreement with the activation-based model but not with the expectation account; and (iii) a possible outcome of memory load on low-capacity readers is the increase in regressive saccades (locality effects as predicted by memory-based accounts) or, surprisingly, a speedup in the self-paced reading task; the latter consistent with good-enough parsing (Ferreira et al., 2002). In sum, the study suggests that individual differences in working memory capacity play a role in dependency resolution, and that some of the aspects of dependency resolution can be best explained with the activation-based model together with a prediction component.

High User Control in Game Design Elements Increases Compliance and In-game Performance in a Memory Training Game.

PubMed

Nagle, Aniket; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

2015-01-01

Computer games are increasingly being used for training cognitive functions like working memory and attention among the growing population of older adults. While cognitive training games often include elements like difficulty adaptation, rewards, and visual themes to make the games more enjoyable and effective, the effect of different degrees of afforded user control in manipulating these elements has not been systematically studied. To address this issue, two distinct implementations of the three aforementioned game elements were tested among healthy older adults (N = 21, 69.9 ± 6.4 years old) playing a game-like version of the n-back task on a tablet at home for 3 weeks. Two modes were considered, differentiated by the afforded degree of user control of the three elements: user control of difficulty vs. automatic difficulty adaptation, difficulty-dependent rewards vs. automatic feedback messages, and user choice of visual theme vs. no choice. The two modes ("USER-CONTROL" and "AUTO") were compared for frequency of play, duration of play, and in-game performance. Participants were free to play the game whenever and for however long they wished. Participants in USER-CONTROL exhibited significantly higher frequency of playing, total play duration, and in-game performance than participants in AUTO. The results of the present study demonstrate the efficacy of providing user control in the three game elements, while validating a home-based study design in which participants were not bound by any training regimen, and could play the game whenever they wished. The results have implications for designing cognitive training games that elicit higher compliance and better in-game performance, with an emphasis on home-based training.

High User Control in Game Design Elements Increases Compliance and In-game Performance in a Memory Training Game

PubMed Central

Nagle, Aniket; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

2015-01-01

Computer games are increasingly being used for training cognitive functions like working memory and attention among the growing population of older adults. While cognitive training games often include elements like difficulty adaptation, rewards, and visual themes to make the games more enjoyable and effective, the effect of different degrees of afforded user control in manipulating these elements has not been systematically studied. To address this issue, two distinct implementations of the three aforementioned game elements were tested among healthy older adults (N = 21, 69.9 ± 6.4 years old) playing a game-like version of the n-back task on a tablet at home for 3 weeks. Two modes were considered, differentiated by the afforded degree of user control of the three elements: user control of difficulty vs. automatic difficulty adaptation, difficulty-dependent rewards vs. automatic feedback messages, and user choice of visual theme vs. no choice. The two modes (“USER-CONTROL” and “AUTO”) were compared for frequency of play, duration of play, and in-game performance. Participants were free to play the game whenever and for however long they wished. Participants in USER-CONTROL exhibited significantly higher frequency of playing, total play duration, and in-game performance than participants in AUTO. The results of the present study demonstrate the efficacy of providing user control in the three game elements, while validating a home-based study design in which participants were not bound by any training regimen, and could play the game whenever they wished. The results have implications for designing cognitive training games that elicit higher compliance and better in-game performance, with an emphasis on home-based training. PMID:26635681

Maintenance of memory for melodies: Articulation or attentional refreshing?

PubMed

Nees, Michael A; Corrini, Ellen; Leong, Peri; Harris, Joanna

2017-12-01

Past research on the effects of articulatory suppression on working memory for nonverbal sounds has been characterized by discrepant findings, which suggests that multiple mechanisms may be involved in the rehearsal of nonverbal sounds. In two experiments we examined the potential roles of two theoretical mechanisms of verbal working memory-articulatory rehearsal and attentional refreshing-in the maintenance of memory for short melodies. In both experiments, participants performed a same-different melody comparison task. During an 8-s retention interval, interference tasks were introduced to suppress articulatory rehearsal, attentional refreshing, or both. In Experiment 1, only the conditions that featured articulatory suppression resulted in worse memory performance than in a control condition, and the suppression of both attentional refreshing and articulatory rehearsal concurrently did not impair memory more than articulatory suppression alone. Experiment 2 reproduced these findings and also confirmed that the locus of interference was articulatory and not auditory (i.e., the interference was not attributable to the sound of participants' own voices during articulatory suppression). Both experiments suggested that articulatory rehearsal played a role in the maintenance of melodies in memory, whereas attentional refreshing did not. We discuss potential theoretical implications regarding the mechanisms used for the rehearsal of nonverbal sounds in working memory.

Action video game playing is associated with improved visual sensitivity, but not alterations in visual sensory memory.

PubMed

Appelbaum, L Gregory; Cain, Matthew S; Darling, Elise F; Mitroff, Stephen R

2013-08-01

Action video game playing has been experimentally linked to a number of perceptual and cognitive improvements. These benefits are captured through a wide range of psychometric tasks and have led to the proposition that action video game experience may promote the ability to extract statistical evidence from sensory stimuli. Such an advantage could arise from a number of possible mechanisms: improvements in visual sensitivity, enhancements in the capacity or duration for which information is retained in visual memory, or higher-level strategic use of information for decision making. The present study measured the capacity and time course of visual sensory memory using a partial report performance task as a means to distinguish between these three possible mechanisms. Sensitivity measures and parameter estimates that describe sensory memory capacity and the rate of memory decay were compared between individuals who reported high evels and low levels of action video game experience. Our results revealed a uniform increase in partial report accuracy at all stimulus-to-cue delays for action video game players but no difference in the rate or time course of the memory decay. The present findings suggest that action video game playing may be related to enhancements in the initial sensitivity to visual stimuli, but not to a greater retention of information in iconic memory buffers.

Episodic and Semantic Memory: Implications for the Role of Emotion in Advertising.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorson, Esther

In an examination of the way people store and retrieve information from advertising, this paper draws a distinction between "semantic" memory, which stores general knowledge about the world, and "episodic" memory, which stores information about specific events. It then argues that episodic memory plays a more significant role…

Is Working Memory Involved in the Transcribing and Editing of Texts?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, John R.; Chenoweth, N. Ann

2006-01-01

Generally, researchers agree that verbal working memory plays an important role in cognitive processes involved in writing. However, there is disagreement about which cognitive processes make use of working memory. Kellogg has proposed that verbal working memory is involved in translating but not in editing or producing (i.e., typing) text. In…

Content Analysis of Memory and Memory-Related Research Studies on Children with Hearing Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Murat; Hasanoglu, Gülcihan

2016-01-01

Memory plays a profound role in explaining language development, academic learning, and learning disabilities. Even though there is a large body of research on language development, literacy skills, other academic skills, and intellectual characteristics of children with hearing loss, there is no holistic study on their memory processes.…

Where do we store the memory representations that guide attention?

PubMed Central

Woodman, Geoffrey F.; Carlisle, Nancy B.; Reinhart, Robert M. G.

2013-01-01

During the last decade one of the most contentious and heavily studied topics in the attention literature has been the role that working memory representations play in controlling perceptual selection. The hypothesis has been advanced that to have attention select a certain perceptual input from the environment, we only need to represent that item in working memory. Here we summarize the work indicating that the relationship between what representations are maintained in working memory and what perceptual inputs are selected is not so simple. First, it appears that attentional selection is also determined by high-level task goals that mediate the relationship between working memory storage and attentional selection. Second, much of the recent work from our laboratory has focused on the role of long-term memory in controlling attentional selection. We review recent evidence supporting the proposal that working memory representations are critical during the initial configuration of attentional control settings, but that after those settings are established long-term memory representations play an important role in controlling which perceptual inputs are selected by mechanisms of attention. PMID:23444390

The Performance of a Lifetime

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burdette, Kimberly

2007-01-01

In this article, the author recalls and shares the first half of her college journey. Her memories do not play back to her in bursts of sounds or colors; friends or lovers; feelings, touches, tastes, or ideas. They play, rather, as silent images of herself that flicker disjointedly across her mind, the lens of her memory having recorded her…

Instrument Records And Plays Back Acceleration Signals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bozeman, Richard J.

1994-01-01

Small, battery-powered, hand-held instrument feeds power to accelerometer and records time-varying component of output for 15 seconds in analog form. No power needed to maintain content of memory; memory chip removed after recording and stored indefinitely. Recorded signal plays back at any time up to several years later. Principal advantages: compactness, portability, and low cost.

Cancer immunotherapy and immunological memory.

PubMed

Murata, Kenji; Tsukahara, Tomohide; Torigoe, Toshihiko

2016-01-01

Human immunological memory is the key distinguishing hallmark of the adaptive immune system and plays an important role in the prevention of morbidity and the severity of infection. The differentiation system of T cell memory has been clarified using mouse models. However, the human T cell memory system has great diversity induced by natural antigens derived from many pathogens and tumor cells throughout life, and profoundly differs from the mouse memory system constructed using artificial antigens and transgenic T cells. We believe that only human studies can elucidate the human immune system. The importance of immunological memory in cancer immunotherapy has been pointed out, and the trafficking properties and long-lasting anti-tumor capacity of memory T cells play a crucial role in the control of malignant tumors. Adoptive cell transfer of less differentiated T cells has consistently demonstrated superior anti-tumor capacity relative to more differentiated T cells. Therefore, a human T cell population with the characteristics of stem cell memory is thought to be attractive for peptide vaccination and adoptive cell transfer. A novel human memory T cell population that we have identified is closer to the naive state than previous memory T cells in the T cell differentiation lineage, and has the characteristics of stem-like chemoresistance. Here we introduce this novel population and describe the fundamentals of immunological memory in cancer immunotherapy.

Neural correlates of visuospatial working memory in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and healthy controls.

PubMed

van Ewijk, Hanneke; Weeda, Wouter D; Heslenfeld, Dirk J; Luman, Marjolein; Hartman, Catharina A; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Faraone, Stephen V; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2015-08-30

Impaired visuospatial working memory (VSWM) is suggested to be a core neurocognitive deficit in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), yet the underlying neural activation patterns are poorly understood. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent age and gender effects may play a role in VSWM-related brain abnormalities in ADHD. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected from 109 individuals with ADHD (60% male) and 103 controls (53% male), aged 8-25 years, during a spatial span working memory task. VSWM-related brain activation was found in a widespread network, which was more widespread compared with N-back tasks used in the previous literature. Higher brain activation was associated with higher age and male gender. In comparison with controls, individuals with ADHD showed greater activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the lateral frontal pole during memory load increase, effects explained by reduced activation on the low memory load in the IFG pars triangularis and increased activation during high load in the IFG pars opercularis. Age and gender effects did not differ between controls and individuals with ADHD. Results indicate that individuals with ADHD have difficulty in efficiently and sufficiently recruiting left inferior frontal brain regions with increasing task difficulty. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tetris and Word games lead to fewer intrusive memories when applied several days after analogue trauma.

PubMed

Hagenaars, Muriel A; Holmes, Emily A; Klaassen, Fayette; Elzinga, Bernet

2017-01-01

Background : Intrusive trauma memories are a key symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), so disrupting their recurrence is highly important. Intrusion development was hindered by visuospatial interventions administered up to 24 hours after analogue trauma. It is unknown whether interventions can be applied later, and whether modality or working-memory load are crucial factors. Objectives : This study tested: (1) whether a visuospatial task would lead to fewer intrusions compared to a reactivation-only group when applied after memory reactivation four days after analogue trauma exposure (extended replication), (2) whether both tasks (i.e. one aimed to be visuospatial, one more verbal) would lead to fewer intrusions than the reactivation-only group (intervention effect), and (3) whether supposed task modality (visuospatial or verbal) is a critical component (modality effect). Method : Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to reactivation+Tetris (visuospatial), reactivation+Word games (verbal), or reactivation-only (no task). They watched an aversive film (day 0) and recorded intrusive memories of the film in diary A. On day 4, memory was reactivated, after which participants played Tetris, Word games, or had no task for 10 minutes. They then kept a second diary (B). Informative hypotheses were evaluated using Bayes factors. Results : Reactivation+Tetris and reactivation+Word games resulted in relatively fewer intrusions from the last day of diary A to the first day of diary B than reactivation-only (objective 1 and 2). Thus, both tasks were effective even when applied days after analogue trauma. Reactivation-only was not effective. Reactivation+Word games appeared to result in fewer intrusions than reactivation+Tetris (objective 3; modality effect), but this evidence was weak. Explorative analyses showed that Word games were more difficult than Tetris. Conclusions : Applying a task four days after the trauma film (during memory reconsolidation) was effective. The modality versus working-memory load issue is inconclusive.

Unveiling the Switching Riddle of Silver Tetracyanoquinodimethane Towards Novel Planar Single-Crystalline Electrochemical Metallization Memories.

PubMed

Yang, Fangxu; Zhao, Qiang; Xu, Chunhui; Zou, Ye; Dong, Huanli; Zheng, Yonggang; Hu, Wenping

2016-09-01

The switching riddle of AgTCNQ is shown to be caused by the solid electrolyte mechanism. Both factors of bulk phase change and contact issue play key roles in the efficient work of the devices. An effective strategy is developed to locate the formation/disruption of Ag conductive filaments using the planar asymmetric configuration of Au/AgTCNQ/AlOx /Al. These novel electrochemical metallization memories demonstrate many promising properties. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Noradrenaline transporter blockade increases fronto-parietal functional connectivity relevant for working memory.

PubMed

Hernaus, Dennis; Casales Santa, Marta Ma; Offermann, Jan Stefan; Van Amelsvoort, Thérèse

2017-04-01

Experimental animal work has demonstrated that dopamine and noradrenaline play an essential role in modulating prefrontal cortex-mediated networks underlying working memory performance. Studies of functional connectivity have been instrumental in extending such notions to humans but, so far, have almost exclusively focussed on pharmacological agents with a predominant dopaminergic mechanism of action. Here, we investigate the effect of a single dose of atomoxetine 60mg, a noradrenaline transporter inhibitor, on working memory performance and associated functional connectivity during an n-back task in 19 healthy male volunteers. Atomoxetine increased functional connectivity between right anterior insula and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, posterior parietal cortex and precuneus during the high-working memory load condition of the n-back task. Increased atomoxetine-induced insula-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex functional connectivity during this condition correlated with decreased reaction time variability and was furthermore predicted by working memory capacity. These results show for the first time that noradrenaline transporter blockade-induced increases in cortical catecholamines accentuate fronto-parietal working memory-related network integrity. The observation of significant inter-subject variability in response to atomoxetine has implications for inverted-U frameworks of dopamine and noradrenaline function, which could be useful to predict drug effects in clinical disorders with variable treatment response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Effect of rat parental morphine exposure on passive avoidance memory and morphine conditioned place preference in male offspring.

PubMed

Akbarabadi, Ardeshir; Niknamfar, Saba; Vousooghi, Nasim; Sadat-Shirazi, Mitra-Sadat; Toolee, Heidar; Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza

2018-02-01

Drug addiction is a chronic disorder resulted from complex interaction of genetic, environmental, and developmental factors. Epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in the development and maintenance of addiction and also memory formation in the brain. We have examined passive avoidance memory and morphine conditioned place preference (CPP) in the offspring of male and/or female rats with a history of adulthood morphine consumption. Adult male and female animals received chronic oral morphine for 21days and then were maintained drug free for 10days. After that, they were let to mate with either an abstinent or control rat. Male offspring's memory was evaluated by step through test. Besides, rewarding effects of morphine were checked with CCP paradigm. Offspring of abstinent animals showed significant memory impairment compared to the control group which was more prominent in the offspring of abstinent females. Conditioning results showed that administration of a high dose of morphine (10mg/kg) that could significantly induce CPP in control rats, was not able to induce similar results in the offspring of morphine abstinent parents; and CPP was much more prominent when it was induced in the offspring of morphine exposed females compared to the progeny of morphine exposed males. It is concluded that parental morphine consumption in adulthood even before mating has destructive effects on memory state of the male offspring and also leads to tolerance to the rewarding effects of morphine. These effects are greater when the morphine consumer parent is the female one. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of a selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor 3-bromo 7-nitroindazole on spatial learning and memory in rats.

PubMed

Gocmez, Semil Selcen; Yazir, Yusufhan; Sahin, Deniz; Karadenizli, Sabriye; Utkan, Tijen

2015-04-01

Since the discovery of nitric oxide (NO) as a neuronal messenger, its way to modulate learning and memory functions is subject of intense research. NO is an intercellular messenger in the central nervous system and is formed on demand through the conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline via the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Neuronal form of nitric oxide synthase may play an important role in a wide range of physiological and pathological conditions. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic 3-bromo 7-nitroindazole (3-Br 7-NI), specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor, administration on spatial learning and memory performance in rats using the Morris water maze (MWM) paradigm. Male rats received either 3-Br 7-NI (20mg/kg/day) or saline via intraperitoneal injection for 5days. Daily administration of the specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor, 3-Br 7-NI impaired the acquisition of the MWM task. 3-Br 7-NI also impaired the probe trial. The MWM training was associated with a significant increase in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression in the hippocampus. BDNF mRNA expression in the hippocampus did not change after 3-Br 7-NI treatment. L-arginine significantly reversed behavioural parameters, and the effect of 3-Br 7-NI was found to be NO-dependent. There were no differences in locomotor activity and blood pressure in 3-Br 7-NI treated rats. Our results may suggest that nNOS plays a key role in spatial memory formation in rats. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rivastigmine but not vardenafil reverses cannabis-induced impairment of verbal memory in healthy humans.

PubMed

Theunissen, E L; Heckman, P; de Sousa Fernandes Perna, E B; Kuypers, K P C; Sambeth, A; Blokland, A; Prickaerts, J; Toennes, S W; Ramaekers, J G

2015-01-01

One of the most often reported cognitive deficits of acute cannabis administration is an impaired recall of previously learned information. The aim of the present study was to determine whether cannabis-induced memory impairment in humans is mediated via glutamatergic or cholinergic pathways. Fifteen occasional cannabis users participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, six-way cross-over study. On separate test days, subjects received combinations of pretreatment (placebo, vardenafil 20 mg or rivastigmine 3 mg) and treatment (placebo or 1,376 mg cannabis/kg body weight). Cognitive tests were administered immediately after inhalation of treatment was finished and included measures of memory (visual verbal learning task, prospective memory test, Sternberg memory test), perceptual-motor control (critical tracking task), attention (divided attention task) and motor impulsivity (stop signal task). The results of this study demonstrate that subjects under the influence of cannabis were impaired in all memory tasks, in critical tracking, divided attention and the stop signal task. Pretreatment with rivastigmine attenuated the effect of cannabis on delayed recall and showed a trend towards significance on immediate recall. When cannabis was given in combination with vardenafil, there were no significant interaction effects in any of the tasks. The present data therefore suggest that acetylcholine plays an important role in cannabis-induced memory impairment, whereas similar results for glutamate have not been demonstrated in this study.

Dopamine D1 receptors are responsible for stress-induced emotional memory deficit in mice.

PubMed

Wang, Yongfu; Wu, Jing; Zhu, Bi; Li, Chaocui; Cai, Jing-Xia

2012-03-01

It is established that stress impairs spatial learning and memory via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis response. Dopamine D1 receptors were also shown to be responsible for a stress-induced deficit of working memory. However, whether stress affects the subsequent emotional learning and memory is not elucidated yet. Here, we employed the well-established one-trial step-through task to study the effect of an acute psychological stress (induced by tail hanging for 5, 10, or 20 min) on emotional learning and memory, and the possible mechanisms as well. We demonstrated that tail hanging induced an obvious stress response. Either an acute tail-hanging stress or a single dose of intraperitoneally injected dopamine D1 receptor antagonist (SCH23390) significantly decreased the step-through latency in the one-trial step-through task. However, SCH23390 prevented the acute tail-hanging stress-induced decrease in the step-through latency. In addition, the effects of tail-hanging stress and/or SCH23390 on the changes in step-through latency were not through non-memory factors such as nociceptive perception and motor function. Our data indicate that the hyperactivation of dopamine D1 receptors mediated the stress-induced deficit of emotional learning and memory. This study may have clinical significance given that psychological stress is considered to play a role in susceptibility to some mental diseases such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Estimating Information Processing in a Memory System: The Utility of Meta-analytic Methods for Genetics.

PubMed

Yildizoglu, Tugce; Weislogel, Jan-Marek; Mohammad, Farhan; Chan, Edwin S-Y; Assam, Pryseley N; Claridge-Chang, Adam

2015-12-01

Genetic studies in Drosophila reveal that olfactory memory relies on a brain structure called the mushroom body. The mainstream view is that each of the three lobes of the mushroom body play specialized roles in short-term aversive olfactory memory, but a number of studies have made divergent conclusions based on their varying experimental findings. Like many fields, neurogenetics uses null hypothesis significance testing for data analysis. Critics of significance testing claim that this method promotes discrepancies by using arbitrary thresholds (α) to apply reject/accept dichotomies to continuous data, which is not reflective of the biological reality of quantitative phenotypes. We explored using estimation statistics, an alternative data analysis framework, to examine published fly short-term memory data. Systematic review was used to identify behavioral experiments examining the physiological basis of olfactory memory and meta-analytic approaches were applied to assess the role of lobular specialization. Multivariate meta-regression models revealed that short-term memory lobular specialization is not supported by the data; it identified the cellular extent of a transgenic driver as the major predictor of its effect on short-term memory. These findings demonstrate that effect sizes, meta-analysis, meta-regression, hierarchical models and estimation methods in general can be successfully harnessed to identify knowledge gaps, synthesize divergent results, accommodate heterogeneous experimental design and quantify genetic mechanisms.

True Memory, False Memory, and Subjective Recollection Deficits after Focal Parietal Lobe Lesions

PubMed Central

Drowos, David B.; Berryhill, Marian; André, Jessica M.; Olson, Ingrid R.

2010-01-01

Objective There is mounting evidence that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays an important role in episodic memory. We previously found that patients with PPC damage exhibit retrieval-related episodic memory deficits. Our objective was to assess whether parietal lobe damage affects episodic memory on a different task: the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) false-memory paradigm. Method Two patients with bilateral PPC damage and matched controls were tested. In Experiment 1, the task was to remember words; in Experiment 2 the task was to remember pictures of common objects. Prior studies have shown that normal participants have high levels of false memory to words, low levels to pictures. Results The patients exhibited significantly lower levels of false memory to words. The patients' false memories were accompanied by reduced levels of recollection, as tested by a Remember/Know procedure. It is unlikely that a failure of gist processing accounts for these results, as patients accurately remembered thematic elements of short vignettes, but failed to remember details. These results support the view that portions of the PPC play a critical role in objective and subjective aspects of recollection. PMID:20604621

Memory-guided attention in the anterior thalamus.

PubMed

Leszczyński, Marcin; Staudigl, Tobias

2016-07-01

The anterior thalamus is densely connected with both the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. It is known to play a role in learning and episodic memory. Given its connectivity profile with the prefrontal cortex, it may also be expected to contribute to executive functions. Recent studies in both rodents and humans add to our understanding of anterior thalamic function, suggesting that it is a key region for allocating attention. We discuss the convergence between studies in rodents and humans, both of which imply that the anterior thalamus may play a key role in memory-guided attention. We suggest that efficient allocation of attention to memory representations requires interaction between the memory-related hippocampal and the attention related fronto-parietal networks. We further propose that the anterior thalamus is a hub that connects and modulates both systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Engrampigenetics: Epigenetics of engram memory cells.

PubMed

Ripoli, Cristian

2017-05-15

For long time, the epidemiology of late-onset sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors has centered on adult life-style. Recent studies have, instead, focused on the role of early life experiences in progression of such disease especially in the context of prenatal and postnatal life. Although no single unfavorable environmental event has been shown to be neither necessary nor sufficient for AD development, it is possible that the sum of several environmentally induced effects, over time, contribute to its pathophysiology through epigenetic mechanisms. Indeed, epigenetic changes are influenced by environmental factors and have been proposed to play a role in multifactorial pathologies such as AD. At the same time, recent findings suggest that epigenetic mechanisms are one method that neurons use to translate transient stimuli into stable memories. Thus, the characteristics of epigenetics being a critical link between the environment and genes and playing a crucial role in memory formation make candidate epigenetic mechanisms a natural substrate for AD research. Indeed, independent groups have reported several epigenetically dysregulated genes in AD models; however, the role of epigenetic mechanisms in AD has remained elusive owing to contradictory results. Here, I propose that restricting the analysis of epigenetic changes specifically to subpopulations of neurons (namely, engram memory cells) might be helpful in understanding the role of the epigenetic process in the memory-related specific epigenetic code and might constitute a new template for therapeutic interventions against AD. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Wortmannin Attenuates Seizure-Induced Hyperactive PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling, Impaired Memory, and Spine Dysmorphology in Rats

PubMed Central

Carter, Angela N.; Born, Heather A.; Levine, Amber T.; Dao, An T.; Zhao, Amanda J.; Lee, Wai L.

2017-01-01

Numerous studies have shown epilepsy-associated cognitive deficits, but less is known about the effects of one single generalized seizure. Recent studies demonstrate that a single, self-limited seizure can result in memory deficits and induces hyperactive phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt (protein kinase B)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling. However, the effect of a single seizure on subcellular structures such as dendritic spines and the role of aberrant PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in these seizure-induced changes are unclear. Using the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) model, we induced a single generalized seizure in rats and: (1) further characterized short- and long-term hippocampal and amygdala-dependent memory deficits, (2) evaluated whether there are changes in dendritic spines, and (3) determined whether inhibiting hyperactive PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling rescued these alterations. Using the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin (Wort), we partially rescued short- and long-term memory deficits and altered spine morphology. These studies provide evidence that pathological PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling plays a role in seizure-induced memory deficits as well as aberrant spine morphology. PMID:28612047

Reconfigurable Photonic Crystals Enabled by Multistimuli-Responsive Shape Memory Polymers Possessing Room Temperature Shape Processability.

PubMed

Fang, Yin; Leo, Sin-Yen; Ni, Yongliang; Wang, Junyu; Wang, Bingchen; Yu, Long; Dong, Zhe; Dai, Yuqiong; Basile, Vito; Taylor, Curtis; Jiang, Peng

2017-02-15

Traditional shape memory polymers (SMPs) are mostly thermoresponsive, and their applications in nano-optics are hindered by heat-demanding programming and recovery processes. By integrating a polyurethane-based shape memory copolymer with templating nanofabrication, reconfigurable/rewritable macroporous photonic crystals have been demonstrated. This SMP coupled with the unique macroporous structure enables unusual all-room-temperature shape memory cycles. "Cold" programming involving microscopic order-disorder transitions of the templated macropores is achieved by mechanically deforming the macroporous SMP membranes. The rapid recovery of the permanent, highly ordered photonic crystal structure from the temporary, disordered configuration can be triggered by multiple stimuli including a large variety of vapors and solvents, heat, and microwave radiation. Importantly, the striking chromogenic effects associated with these athermal and thermal processes render a sensitive and noninvasive optical methodology for quantitatively characterizing the intriguing nanoscopic shape memory effects. Some critical parameters/mechanisms that could significantly affect the final performance of SMP-based reconfigurable photonic crystals including strain recovery ratio, dynamics and reversibility of shape recovery, as well as capillary condensation of vapors in macropores, which play a crucial role in vapor-triggered recovery, can be evaluated using this new optical technology.

Opiate exposure state controls dopamine D3 receptor and cdk5/calcineurin signaling in the basolateral amygdala during reward and withdrawal aversion memory formation.

PubMed

Rosen, Laura G; Rushlow, Walter J; Laviolette, Steven R

2017-10-03

The dopamine (DA) D3 receptor (D3R) is highly expressed in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), a neural region critical for processing opiate-related reward and withdrawal aversion-related memories. Functionally, D3R transmission is linked to downstream Cdk5 and calcineurin signaling, both of which regulate D3R activity states and play critical roles in memory-related synaptic plasticity. Previous evidence links D3R transmission to opiate-related memory processing, however little is known regarding how chronic opiate exposure may alter D3R-dependent memory mechanisms. Using conditioned place preference (CPP) and withdrawal aversion (conditioned place aversion; CPA) procedures in rats, combined with molecular analyses of BLA protein expression, we examined the effects of chronic opiate exposure on the functional role of intra-BLA D3R transmission during the acquisition of opiate reward or withdrawal aversion memories. Remarkably, we report that the state of opiate exposure during behavioural conditioning (opiate-naïve/non-dependent vs. chronically exposed and in withdrawal) controlled the functional role of intra-BLA D3R transmission during the acquisition of both opiate reward memories and withdrawal-aversion associative memories. Thus, whereas intra-BLA D3R blockade had no effect on opiate reward memory formation in the non-dependent state, blockade of intra-BLA D3R transmission prevented the formation of opiate reward and withdrawal aversion memory in the chronically exposed state. This switch in the functional role of D3R transmission corresponded to significant increases in Cdk5 phosphorylation and total expression levels of calcineurin, and a corresponding decrease in intra-BLA D3R expression. Inhibition of either intra-BLA Cdk5 or calcineurin reversed these effects, switching intra-BLA associative memory formation back to a D3R-independent mechanism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cooperation in memory-based prisoner's dilemma game on interdependent networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Chao; Zhang, Xiaolin; Liu, Hong; Shao, Rui

2016-05-01

Memory or so-called experience normally plays the important role to guide the human behaviors in real world, that is essential for rational decisions made by individuals. Hence, when the evolutionary behaviors of players with bounded rationality are investigated, it is reasonable to make an assumption that players in system are with limited memory. Besides, in order to unravel the intricate variability of complex systems in real world and make a highly integrative understanding of their dynamics, in recent years, interdependent networks as a comprehensive network structure have obtained more attention in this community. In this article, the evolution of cooperation in memory-based prisoner's dilemma game (PDG) on interdependent networks composed by two coupled square lattices is studied. Herein, all or part of players are endowed with finite memory ability, and we focus on the mutual influence of memory effect and interdependent network reciprocity on cooperation of spatial PDG. We show that the density of cooperation can be significantly promoted within an optimal region of memory length and interdependent strength. Furthermore, distinguished by whether having memory ability/external links or not, each kind of players on networks would have distinct evolutionary behaviors. Our work could be helpful to understand the emergence and maintenance of cooperation under the evolution of memory-based players on interdependent networks.

Weight and See: Loading Working Memory Improves Incidental Identification of Irrelevant Faces

PubMed Central

Carmel, David; Fairnie, Jake; Lavie, Nilli

2012-01-01

Are task-irrelevant stimuli processed to a level enabling individual identification? This question is central both for perceptual processing models and for applied settings (e.g., eye-witness testimony). Lavie’s load theory proposes that working memory actively maintains attentional prioritization of relevant over irrelevant information. Loading working memory thus impairs attentional prioritization, leading to increased processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. Previous research has shown that increased working memory load leads to greater interference effects from response-competing distractors. Here we test the novel prediction that increased processing of irrelevant stimuli under high working memory load should lead to a greater likelihood of incidental identification of entirely irrelevant stimuli. To test this, we asked participants to perform a word-categorization task while ignoring task-irrelevant images. The categorization task was performed during the retention interval of a working memory task with either low or high load (defined by memory set size). Following the final experimental trial, a surprise question assessed incidental identification of the irrelevant image. Loading working memory was found to improve identification of task-irrelevant faces, but not of building stimuli (shown in a separate experiment to be less distracting). These findings suggest that working memory plays a critical role in determining whether distracting stimuli will be subsequently identified. PMID:22912623

The cognitive effects of listening to background music on older adults: processing speed improves with upbeat music, while memory seems to benefit from both upbeat and downbeat music.

PubMed

Bottiroli, Sara; Rosi, Alessia; Russo, Riccardo; Vecchi, Tomaso; Cavallini, Elena

2014-01-01

Background music refers to any music played while the listener is performing another activity. Most studies on this effect have been conducted on young adults, while little attention has been paid to the presence of this effect in older adults. Hence, this study aimed to address this imbalance by assessing the impact of different types of background music on cognitive tasks tapping declarative memory and processing speed in older adults. Overall, background music tended to improve performance over no music and white noise, but not always in the same manner. The theoretical and practical implications of the empirical findings are discussed.

The cognitive effects of listening to background music on older adults: processing speed improves with upbeat music, while memory seems to benefit from both upbeat and downbeat music

PubMed Central

Bottiroli, Sara; Rosi, Alessia; Russo, Riccardo; Vecchi, Tomaso; Cavallini, Elena

2014-01-01

Background music refers to any music played while the listener is performing another activity. Most studies on this effect have been conducted on young adults, while little attention has been paid to the presence of this effect in older adults. Hence, this study aimed to address this imbalance by assessing the impact of different types of background music on cognitive tasks tapping declarative memory and processing speed in older adults. Overall, background music tended to improve performance over no music and white noise, but not always in the same manner. The theoretical and practical implications of the empirical findings are discussed. PMID:25360112

Working Memory and Learning: A Practical Guide for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gathercole, Susan E.; Alloway, Tracy Packiam

2008-01-01

A good working memory is crucial to becoming a successful leaner, yet there is very little material available in an easy-to-use format that explains the concept and offers practitioners ways to support children with poor working memory in the classroom. This book provides a coherent overview of the role played by working memory in learning during…

Is the Binding of Visual Features in Working Memory Resource-Demanding?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Richard J.; Baddeley, Alan D.; Hitch, Graham J.

2006-01-01

The episodic buffer component of working memory is assumed to play a role in the binding of features into chunks. A series of experiments compared memory for arrays of colors or shapes with memory for bound combinations of these features. Demanding concurrent verbal tasks were used to investigate the role of general attentional processes,…

Different Role of CA1 5HT3 Serotonin Receptors on Memory Acquisition Deficit Induced by Total (TSD) and REM Sleep Deprivation (RSD).

PubMed

Eydipour, Zainab; Vaezi, Gholamhassan; Nasehi, Mohammad; Haeri-Rouhani, Seyed-Ali; Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza

2017-09-01

Serotonin receptors such as 5-HT3 plays critical role in regulation of sleep, wake cycle and cognitive process. Thus, we investigated the role of CA1 5HT3 serotonin receptors in memory acquisition deficit induced by total sleep deprivation (TSD; for 24 hour) and REM sleep deprivation (RSD; for 24 hour). Pain perception and locomotor activity were also assessed as factors that may affect the memory process. Modified water box and multi-platform apparatus were used to induce TSD or RSD, respectively. Passive avoidance, hot plate and open field devices were used for assessment of memory acquisition, pain and locomotor activity, respectively. Totally, 152 male Wistar rats were used in the study. Pre-training, intra-CA1 injection of 5-HT3 receptor agonist Chlorophenylbiguanide (Mchl; 0.01 and 0.001 µg/rat; P < 0.001) and antagonist Y-25130 (0.1 µg/rat; P < 0.001) reduced memory acquisition and did not alter pain response, while higher dose of both drugs increased locomotor activity in normal rats. Both TSD and RSD reduced memory acquisition (P < 0.001) and did not alter locomotor activity, while TSD (P < 0.001) but not RSD induced analgesia effect. The amnesia induced by TSD was restored by subthreshold dose of Y25130 (0.001 µg/rat; P < 0.001) but not Mchl (0.0001 µg/rat), while both drugs reversed TSD-induced analgesia effect (P < 0.01 for Mchl and P < 0.05 for Y25130), and Y25130 increased locomotor activity in TSD rats (P < 0.05). In RSD rats, subthreshold dose of both drugs did not alter memory acquisition deficit and increased locomotor activity (P < 0.001 for Mchl and P < 0.01 for Y25130), while the Y25130 (P < 0.001), but not Mchl induced analgesia in the RSD rats. Based on the above data, CA1 5HT3 receptors seem to play a critical role in cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors induced by TSD and RSD.

Selective noradrenaline depletion impairs working memory and hippocampal neurogenesis.

PubMed

Coradazzi, Marino; Gulino, Rosario; Fieramosca, Francesco; Falzacappa, Lucia Verga; Riggi, Margherita; Leanza, Giampiero

2016-12-01

Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus play a role in learning and memory, and their loss is an early event in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. Moreover, noradrenaline may sustain hippocampal neurogenesis; however, whether are these events related is still unknown. Four to five weeks following the selective immunotoxic ablation of locus coeruleus neurons, young adult rats underwent reference and working memory tests, followed by postmortem quantitative morphological analyses to assess the extent of the lesion, as well as the effects on proliferation and/or survival of neural progenitors in the hippocampus. When tested in the Water Maze task, lesioned animals exhibited no reference memory deficit, whereas working memory abilities were seen significantly impaired, as compared with intact or sham-lesioned controls. Stereological analyses confirmed a dramatic noradrenergic neuron loss associated to reduced proliferation, but not survival or differentiation, of 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine-positive progenitors in the dentate gyrus. Thus, ascending noradrenergic afferents may be involved in more complex aspects of cognitive performance (i.e., working memory) possibly via newly generated progenitors in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of glucocorticoids in emotional memory reconsolidation.

PubMed

Meir Drexler, Shira; Wolf, Oliver T

2017-07-01

Glucocorticoids are secreted following exposure to stressful events. Their modulating role on memory reconsolidation, a post-retrieval process of re-stabilization, has been investigated only recently, at times with conflicting results. The goal of this review is twofold. First, to establish the modulating role of glucocorticoids on memory reconsolidation. Second, to point the potential factors and confounds that might explain the seemingly paradoxical findings. Here we review recent pharmacological studies, conducted in rodents and humans, which suggest a critical role of glucocorticoids in this post-retrieval process. In particular, the activation of glucocorticoid receptors in the amygdala and hippocampus is suggested to be involved in emotional memories reconsolidation, pointing to a similarity between post-retrieval reconsolidation and initial memory consolidation. In addition, based on the general reconsolidation literature, we suggest several factors that might play a role in determining the direction and strength of the reconsolidation effect following glucocorticoids treatment: memory-related factors, manipulation-related factors, and individual differences. We conclude that only when taking these additional factors into account can the paradox be resolved. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Encoding-related brain activity during deep processing of verbal materials: a PET study.

PubMed

Fujii, Toshikatsu; Okuda, Jiro; Tsukiura, Takashi; Ohtake, Hiroya; Suzuki, Maki; Kawashima, Ryuta; Itoh, Masatoshi; Fukuda, Hiroshi; Yamadori, Atsushi

2002-12-01

The recent advent of neuroimaging techniques provides an opportunity to examine brain regions related to a specific memory process such as episodic memory encoding. There is, however, a possibility that areas active during an assumed episodic memory encoding task, compared with a control task, involve not only areas directly relevant to episodic memory encoding processes but also areas associated with other cognitive processes for on-line information. We used positron emission tomography (PET) to differentiate these two kinds of regions. Normal volunteers were engaged in deep (semantic) or shallow (phonological) processing of new or repeated words during PET. Results showed that deep processing, compared with shallow processing, resulted in significantly better recognition performance and that this effect was associated with activation of various brain areas. Further analyses revealed that there were regions directly relevant to episodic memory encoding in the anterior part of the parahippocampal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and medial frontal lobe in the left hemisphere. Our results demonstrated that several regions, including the medial temporal lobe, play a role in episodic memory encoding.

Adaptive top-down suppression of hippocampal activity and the purging of intrusive memories from consciousness.

PubMed

Benoit, Roland G; Hulbert, Justin C; Huddleston, Ean; Anderson, Michael C

2015-01-01

When reminded of unwanted memories, people often attempt to suppress these experiences from awareness. Prior work indicates that control processes mediated by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) modulate hippocampal activity during such retrieval suppression. It remains unknown whether this modulation plays a role in purging an intrusive memory from consciousness. Here, we combined fMRI and effective connectivity analyses with phenomenological reports to scrutinize a role for adaptive top-down suppression of hippocampal retrieval processes in terminating mnemonic awareness of intrusive memories. Participants either suppressed or recalled memories of pictures depicting faces or places. After each trial, they reported their success at regulating awareness of the memory. DLPFC activation was greatest when unwanted memories intruded into consciousness and needed to be purged, and this increased engagement predicted superior control of intrusive memories over time. However, hippocampal activity was decreased during the suppression of place memories only. Importantly, the inhibitory influence of the DLPFC on the hippocampus was linked to the ensuing reduction in intrusions of the suppressed memories. Individuals who exhibited negative top-down coupling during early suppression attempts experienced fewer involuntary memory intrusions later on. Over repeated suppressions, the DLPFC-hippocampus connectivity grew less negative with the degree that they no longer had to purge unwanted memories from awareness. These findings support a role of DLPFC in countermanding the unfolding recollection of an unwanted memory via the suppression of hippocampal processing, a mechanism that may contribute to adaptation in the aftermath of traumatic experiences.

Collaborative remembering in older adults: age-invariant outcomes in the context of episodic recall deficits.

PubMed

Henkel, Linda A; Rajaram, Suparna

2011-09-01

Rapidly growing research reveals complex yet systematic consequences of collaboration on memory in young adults, but much less is known about this phenomenon in older adults. Young and older adults studied a list of categorized words and took three successive recall tests. Test 1 and 3 were always taken individually, and Test 2 was done either in triads or alone. Despite older adults recalling less overall than young adults, both age groups exhibited similar costs and benefits of collaboration: Collaboration reduced both correct and false recall during collaborative remembering, was associated with more positive beliefs about its value, and produced reminiscence, collective memory, and some forgetting in its cascading effects on postcollaborative recall. We examine the role of retrieval organization in these effects. As environmental support may play a substantial role in healthy aging, the relatively preserved effects of collaboration on memory in older adults hold promise for testing judicious uses of group remembering in aging.

Substance abuse, memory, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Tipps, Megan E; Raybuck, Jonathan D; Lattal, K Matthew

2014-07-01

A large body of literature demonstrates the effects of abused substances on memory. These effects differ depending on the drug, the pattern of delivery (acute or chronic), and the drug state at the time of learning or assessment. Substance use disorders involving these drugs are often comorbid with anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When the cognitive effects of these drugs are considered in the context of the treatment of these disorders, it becomes clear that these drugs may play a deleterious role in the development, maintenance, and treatment of PTSD. In this review, we examine the literature evaluating the cognitive effects of three commonly abused drugs: nicotine, cocaine, and alcohol. These three drugs operate through both common and distinct neurobiological mechanisms and alter learning and memory in multiple ways. We consider how the cognitive and affective effects of these drugs interact with the acquisition, consolidation, and extinction of learned fear, and we discuss the potential impediments that substance abuse creates for the treatment of PTSD. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Constructing versus Playing an Educational Game on Student Motivation and Deep Learning Strategy Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vos, Nienke; van der Meijden, Henny; Denessen, Eddie

2011-01-01

In this study the effects of two different interactive learning tasks, in which simple games were included were described with respect to student motivation and deep strategy use. The research involved 235 students from four elementary schools in The Netherlands. One group of students (N = 128) constructed their own memory "drag and…

The cognitive consequences of envy: attention, memory, and self-regulatory depletion.

PubMed

Hill, Sarah E; DelPriore, Danielle J; Vaughan, Phillip W

2011-10-01

In a series of 4 experiments, we provide evidence that--in addition to having an affective component--envy may also have important consequences for cognitive processing. Our first experiment (N = 69) demonstrated that individuals primed with envy better attended to and more accurately recalled information about fictitious peers than did a control group. Studies 2 (N = 187) and 3 (N = 65) conceptually replicated these results, demonstrating that envy elicited by targets predicts attention and later memory for information about them. We demonstrate that these effects cannot be accounted for by admiration or changes in negative affect or arousal elicited by the targets. Study 4 (N = 152) provides evidence that greater memory for envied--but not neutral--targets leads to diminished perseverance on a difficult anagram task. Findings demonstrate that envy may play an important role in attention and memory systems and deplete limited self-regulatory resources available for acts of volition. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

The neural basis of episodic memory: evidence from functional neuroimaging.

PubMed Central

Rugg, Michael D; Otten, Leun J; Henson, Richard N A

2002-01-01

We review some of our recent research using functional neuroimaging to investigate neural activity supporting the encoding and retrieval of episodic memories, that is, memories for unique events. Findings from studies of encoding indicate that, at the cortical level, the regions responsible for the effective encoding of a stimulus event as an episodic memory include some of the regions that are also engaged to process the event 'online'. Thus, it appears that there is no single cortical site or circuit responsible for episodic encoding. The results of retrieval studies indicate that successful recollection of episodic information is associated with activation of lateral parietal cortex, along with more variable patterns of activity in dorsolateral and anterior prefrontal cortex. Whereas parietal regions may play a part in the representation of retrieved information, prefrontal areas appear to support processes that act on the products of retrieval to align behaviour with the demands of the retrieval task. PMID:12217177

A synthetic neural cell adhesion molecule mimetic peptide promotes synaptogenesis, enhances presynaptic function, and facilitates memory consolidation.

PubMed

Cambon, Karine; Hansen, Stine M; Venero, Cesar; Herrero, A Isabel; Skibo, Galina; Berezin, Vladimir; Bock, Elisabeth; Sandi, Carmen

2004-04-28

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) plays a critical role in development and plasticity of the nervous system and is involved in the mechanisms of learning and memory. Here, we show that intracerebroventricular administration of the FG loop (FGL), a synthetic 15 amino acid peptide corresponding to the binding site of NCAM for the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), immediately after training rats in fear conditioning or water maze learning, induced a long-lasting improvement of memory. In primary cultures of hippocampal neurons, FGL enhanced the presynaptic function through activation of FGFR1 and promoted synapse formation. These results provide the first evidence for a memory-facilitating effect resulting from a treatment that mimics NCAM function. They suggest that increased efficacy of synaptic transmission and formation of new synapses probably mediate the cognition-enhancing properties displayed by the peptide.

Tianeptine: 5-HT uptake sites and 5-HT(1-7) receptors modulate memory formation in an autoshaping Pavlovian/instrumental task.

PubMed

Meneses, Alfredo

2002-05-01

Recent studies using invertebrate and mammal species have revealed that, endogenous serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) modulates cognitive processes, particularly learning and memory, though, at present, it is unclear the manner, where, and how long 5-HT systems are involved. Hence in this work, an attempt was made to study the effects of 5-HT endogenous on memory formation, using a 5-HT uptake facilitator (tianeptine) and, selective 5-HT(1-7) receptor antagonists to determine whether 5-HT uptake sites and which 5-HT receptors are involved, respectively. Results showed that post-training tianeptine injection enhanced memory consolidation in an autoshaping Pavlovian/instrumental learning task, which has been useful to detect changes on memory formation elicited by drugs or aging. On interaction experiments, ketanserin (5-HT(1D/2A/2C) antagonist) slightly enhanced tianeptine effects, while WAY 100635 (5-HT(1A) antagonist), SB-224289 (5-HT(1B) inverse agonist), SB-200646 (5-HT(2B/2C) antagonist), ondansetron (5-HT(3) antagonist), GR 127487 (5-HT(4) antagonist), Ro 04-6790 (5-HT(6) antagonist), DR 4004 (5-HT(7) antagonist), or fluoxetine (an inhibitor of 5-HT reuptake) blocked the facilitatory tianeptine effect. Notably, together tianeptine and Ro 04-6790 impaired learning consolidation. Moreover, 5-HT depletion completely reversed the tianeptine effect. Tianeptine also normalized an impaired memory elicited by scopolamine (an antimuscarinic) or dizocilpine (non-competitive glutamatergic antagonist), while partially reversed that induced by TFMPP (5-HT(1B/1D/2A-2C/7) agonist/antagonist). Finally, tianeptine-fluoxetine coadministration had no effect on learning consolidation; nevertheless, administration of an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, phenserine, potentiated subeffective tianeptine or fluoxetine doses. Collectively, these data confirmed that endogenously 5-HT modulates, via uptake sites and 5-HT(1-7) receptors, memory consolidation, and are consistent with the emerging notion that 5-HT plays a key role on memory formation.

Discovering Nature: The Benefits of Teaching Outside of the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobi-Vessels, Jill L.

2013-01-01

Nature play can be an effective teaching strategy across the curriculum and may provide children and teachers with lasting memories. Research shows that experiences in natural settings provide multiple benefits to young children, including increased physical activity, reduced obesity, improved concentration, and enhanced social skills. Early…

Prefrontal Cortex Contributions to Episodic Retrieval Monitoring and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruse, Damian; Wilding, Edward L.

2009-01-01

Although the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays roles in episodic memory judgments, the specific processes it supports are not understood fully. Event-related potential (ERP) studies of episodic retrieval have revealed an electrophysiological modulation--the right-frontal ERP old/new effect--which is thought to reflect activity in PFC. The functional…

Nonvolatile memory with graphene oxide as a charge storage node in nanowire field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baek, David J.; Seol, Myeong-Lok; Choi, Sung-Jin; Moon, Dong-Il; Choi, Yang-Kyu

2012-02-01

Through the structural modification of a three-dimensional silicon nanowire field-effect transistor, i.e., a double-gate FinFET, a structural platform was developed which allowed for us to utilize graphene oxide (GO) as a charge trapping layer in a nonvolatile memory device. By creating a nanogap between the gate and the channel, GO was embedded after the complete device fabrication. By applying a proper gate voltage, charge trapping, and de-trapping within the GO was enabled and resulted in large threshold voltage shifts. The employment of GO with FinFET in our work suggests that graphitic materials can potentially play a significant role for future nanoelectronic applications.

Sleep restores behavioral plasticity to Drosophila mutants

PubMed Central

Dissel, Stephane; Angadi, Veena; Kirszenblat, Leonie; Suzuki, Yasuko; Donlea, Jeff; Klose, Markus; Koch, Zachary; English, Denis; Winsky-Sommerer, Raphaelle; van Swinderen, Bruno; Shaw, Paul J.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Given the role that sleep plays in modulating plasticity, we hypothesized that increasing sleep would restore memory to canonical memory mutants without specifically rescuing the causal molecular-lesion. Sleep was increased using three independent strategies: activating the dorsal Fan Shaped Body (FB), increasing the expression of Fatty acid binding protein (dFabp) or by administering the GABA-A agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo-[5,4-c]pyridine-3-ol (THIP). Short-term memory (STM) or Long-term memory (LTM) was evaluated in rutabaga (rut) and dunce (dnc) mutants using Aversive Phototaxic Suppression (APS) and courtship conditioning. Each of the three independent strategies increased sleep and restored memory to rut and dnc mutants. Importantly, inducing sleep also reverses memory defects in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer’s disease. Together these data demonstrate that sleep plays a more fundamental role in modulating behavioral plasticity than previously appreciated and suggests that increasing sleep may benefit patients with certain neurological disorders. PMID:25913403

Astrocytic β2-adrenergic receptors mediate hippocampal long-term memory consolidation.

PubMed

Gao, Virginia; Suzuki, Akinobu; Magistretti, Pierre J; Lengacher, Sylvain; Pollonini, Gabriella; Steinman, Michael Q; Alberini, Cristina M

2016-07-26

Emotionally relevant experiences form strong and long-lasting memories by critically engaging the stress hormone/neurotransmitter noradrenaline, which mediates and modulates the consolidation of these memories. Noradrenaline acts through adrenergic receptors (ARs), of which β2-adrenergic receptors (βARs) are of particular importance. The differential anatomical and cellular distribution of βAR subtypes in the brain suggests that they play distinct roles in memory processing, although much about their specific contributions and mechanisms of action remains to be understood. Here we show that astrocytic rather than neuronal β2ARs in the hippocampus play a key role in the consolidation of a fear-based contextual memory. These hippocampal β2ARs, but not β1ARs, are coupled to the training-dependent release of lactate from astrocytes, which is necessary for long-term memory formation and for underlying molecular changes. This key metabolic role of astrocytic β2ARs may represent a novel target mechanism for stress-related psychopathologies and neurodegeneration.

The role of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in individual differences in long-term memory capacity.

PubMed

Montag, Christian; Felten, Andrea; Markett, Sebastian; Fischer, Luise; Winkel, Katja; Cooper, Andrew; Reuter, Martin

2014-12-01

The protein brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in diverse memory processes and is strongly expressed in the hippocampus. The hippocampus itself is a key structure involved in the processing of information from short-term to long-term memory. Due to the putative role of BDNF in memory consolidation, a prominent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the BDNF gene (BDNF Val66Met) was investigated in the context of long-term memory performance. N=138 students were presented with 40 words from 10 categories, each consisting of eight words such as 'fruits' or 'vehicles' in a memory recognition task (specifically the Deese-Roediger-McDermott Paradigm). Recognition performance was analyzed 25 min after the initial presentation of the word list and subsequently 1 week after the initial presentation. Overall, individual long-term memory performance immediately after learning the word list (T1) and performance 1 week later (T2) did not differ on the basis of the BDNF SNP, but an interaction effect of BDNF Val66Met by time-of-recall was found: Carriers of the Met66+ variant showed the strongest decline in hit rate performance over time.

Effects of medial prefrontal cortex lesions in rats on the what-where-when memory of a fear conditioning event.

PubMed

Li, Jay-Shake; Hsiao, Kun-Yuan; Chen, Wei-Min

2011-03-17

Previous animal studies have defined the ability to remember the details of what, where, and when of an event as an episodic-like memory to be used to model episodic memory in humans. Numerous findings indicate that the hippocampal-frontal cortical circuitry plays a major part in its neural mechanism. Researchers have intensively studied roles of diverse hippocampus sub-regions using animal models. By contrast, the impact of prefrontal cortex lesions on episodic-like memory in animals is still unknown. Here we show that Wistar rats with bilateral medial prefrontal cortex lesions failed to use the temporal-contextual information to retrieve memory of a fear-conditioning event, indicating impairments in their episodic-like memory. Subsequent experiments excluded alternative interpretations that the manipulation impaired the fear-conditioning per se, or interfered with the sensory preconditioning process. We concluded that damages in this area might impair temporal information processing, or interfere with integrating temporal and contextual elements of fear-conditioning events to form a conjunctive entity. These findings can help understand how the medial prefrontal cortex contributes to episodic-like memory. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Who's Who? Memory updating and character reference in children's narratives.

PubMed

Whitely, Cristy; Colozzo, Paola

2013-10-01

The capacity to update and monitor the contents of working memory is an executive function presumed to play a critical role in language processing. The current study used an individual differences approach to consider the relationship between memory updating and accurate reference to story characters in the narratives of typically developing children. English-speaking children from kindergarten to grade 2 ( N = 63; M age = 7.0 years) completed updating tasks, short-term memory tasks, and narrative productions. The authors used multiple regression to test whether updating accounted for independent variability in referential adequacy. The capacity to update working memory was related to adequate character reference beyond the effects of age and of short-term memory capacity, with the strongest relationship emerging for maintaining reference over multiple utterances. This individual differences study is the first to show a link between updating and performance in a discourse production task for young school-age children. The findings contribute to the growing body of research investigating the role of working memory in shaping language production. This study invites extension to children of different ages and language abilities as well as to other language production tasks.

Strain-dependent Effects of Acute, Chronic, and Withdrawal from Chronic Nicotine on Fear Conditioning

PubMed Central

Portugal, George S.; Wilkinson, Derek S.; Kenney, Justin W.; Sullivan, Colleen

2013-01-01

The effects of nicotine on cognitive processes such as learning and memory may play an important role in the addictive liability of tobacco. However, it remains unknown whether genetic variability modulates the effects of nicotine on learning and memory. The present study characterized the effects of acute, chronic, and withdrawal from chronic nicotine administration on fear conditioning, somatic signs, and the elevated plus maze in 8 strains of inbred mice. Strain-dependent effects of acute nicotine and nicotine withdrawal on contextual fear conditioning, somatic signs, and the elevated plus maze were observed, but no association between the effects of acute nicotine and nicotine withdrawal on contextual fear conditioning were observed, suggesting that different genetic substrates may mediate these effects. The identification of genetic factors that may alter the effects of nicotine on cognition may lead to more efficacious treatments for nicotine addiction. PMID:21822688

Attribute amnesia reflects a lack of memory consolidation for attended information.

PubMed

Chen, Hui; Wyble, Brad

2016-02-01

A recently reported phenomenon, termed attribute amnesia, challenged the commonly held belief that attention plays the determining role in controlling how information is remembered, by showing that participants fail to remember a specific attended attribute (e.g., the target-defining color), even when they had just used that attribute to perform a task (Chen & Wyble, 2015a). The main purpose of the present study sought to better understand the mechanism underlying this phenomenon. The results revealed that attribute amnesia was nearly eliminated once participants were forced to store and hold attended information for a brief time, suggesting that this amnesia effect most likely reflects a lack of memory consolidation for an attended attribute that had been processed to some certain level. In addition, we demonstrated that the effect is not particular to the use of location report or the repetition of targets. One additional finding is that amnesia was markedly absent for location memory, indicating an important difference between memories for locations and attributes such as color or identity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Is attention based on spatial contextual memory preferentially guided by low spatial frequency signals?

PubMed

Patai, Eva Zita; Buckley, Alice; Nobre, Anna Christina

2013-01-01

A popular model of visual perception states that coarse information (carried by low spatial frequencies) along the dorsal stream is rapidly transmitted to prefrontal and medial temporal areas, activating contextual information from memory, which can in turn constrain detailed input carried by high spatial frequencies arriving at a slower rate along the ventral visual stream, thus facilitating the processing of ambiguous visual stimuli. We were interested in testing whether this model contributes to memory-guided orienting of attention. In particular, we asked whether global, low-spatial frequency (LSF) inputs play a dominant role in triggering contextual memories in order to facilitate the processing of the upcoming target stimulus. We explored this question over four experiments. The first experiment replicated the LSF advantage reported in perceptual discrimination tasks by showing that participants were faster and more accurate at matching a low spatial frequency version of a scene, compared to a high spatial frequency version, to its original counterpart in a forced-choice task. The subsequent three experiments tested the relative contributions of low versus high spatial frequencies during memory-guided covert spatial attention orienting tasks. Replicating the effects of memory-guided attention, pre-exposure to scenes associated with specific spatial memories for target locations (memory cues) led to higher perceptual discrimination and faster response times to identify targets embedded in the scenes. However, either high or low spatial frequency cues were equally effective; LSF signals did not selectively or preferentially contribute to the memory-driven attention benefits to performance. Our results challenge a generalized model that LSFs activate contextual memories, which in turn bias attention and facilitate perception.

Is Attention Based on Spatial Contextual Memory Preferentially Guided by Low Spatial Frequency Signals?

PubMed Central

Patai, Eva Zita; Buckley, Alice; Nobre, Anna Christina

2013-01-01

A popular model of visual perception states that coarse information (carried by low spatial frequencies) along the dorsal stream is rapidly transmitted to prefrontal and medial temporal areas, activating contextual information from memory, which can in turn constrain detailed input carried by high spatial frequencies arriving at a slower rate along the ventral visual stream, thus facilitating the processing of ambiguous visual stimuli. We were interested in testing whether this model contributes to memory-guided orienting of attention. In particular, we asked whether global, low-spatial frequency (LSF) inputs play a dominant role in triggering contextual memories in order to facilitate the processing of the upcoming target stimulus. We explored this question over four experiments. The first experiment replicated the LSF advantage reported in perceptual discrimination tasks by showing that participants were faster and more accurate at matching a low spatial frequency version of a scene, compared to a high spatial frequency version, to its original counterpart in a forced-choice task. The subsequent three experiments tested the relative contributions of low versus high spatial frequencies during memory-guided covert spatial attention orienting tasks. Replicating the effects of memory-guided attention, pre-exposure to scenes associated with specific spatial memories for target locations (memory cues) led to higher perceptual discrimination and faster response times to identify targets embedded in the scenes. However, either high or low spatial frequency cues were equally effective; LSF signals did not selectively or preferentially contribute to the memory-driven attention benefits to performance. Our results challenge a generalized model that LSFs activate contextual memories, which in turn bias attention and facilitate perception. PMID:23776509

Does developmental timing of exposure to child maltreatment predict memory performance in adulthood? Results from a large, population-based sample.

PubMed

Dunn, Erin C; Busso, Daniel S; Raffeld, Miriam R; Smoller, Jordan W; Nelson, Charles A; Doyle, Alysa E; Luk, Gigi

2016-01-01

Although maltreatment is a known risk factor for multiple adverse outcomes across the lifespan, its effects on cognitive development, especially memory, are poorly understood. Using data from a large, nationally representative sample of young adults (Add Health), we examined the effects of physical and sexual abuse on working and short-term memory in adulthood. We examined the association between exposure to maltreatment as well as its timing of first onset after adjusting for covariates. Of our sample, 16.50% of respondents were exposed to physical abuse and 4.36% to sexual abuse by age 17. An analysis comparing unexposed respondents to those exposed to physical or sexual abuse did not yield any significant differences in adult memory performance. However, two developmental time periods emerged as important for shaping memory following exposure to sexual abuse, but in opposite ways. Relative to non-exposed respondents, those exposed to sexual abuse during early childhood (ages 3-5), had better number recall and those first exposed during adolescence (ages 14-17) had worse number recall. However, other variables, including socioeconomic status, played a larger role (than maltreatment) on working and short-term memory. We conclude that a simple examination of "exposed" versus "unexposed" respondents may obscure potentially important within-group differences that are revealed by examining the effects of age at onset to maltreatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A compensatory role for declarative memory in neurodevelopmental disorders.

PubMed

Ullman, Michael T; Pullman, Mariel Y

2015-04-01

Most research on neurodevelopmental disorders has focused on their abnormalities. However, what remains intact may also be important. Increasing evidence suggests that declarative memory, a critical learning and memory system in the brain, remains largely functional in a number of neurodevelopmental disorders. Because declarative memory remains functional in these disorders, and because it can learn and retain numerous types of information, functions, and tasks, this system should be able to play compensatory roles for multiple types of impairments across the disorders. Here, we examine this hypothesis for specific language impairment, dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, Tourette syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We lay out specific predictions for the hypothesis and review existing behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging evidence. Overall, the evidence suggests that declarative memory indeed plays compensatory roles for a range of impairments across all five disorders. Finally, we discuss diagnostic, therapeutic and other implications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A compensatory role for declarative memory in neurodevelopmental disorders

PubMed Central

Ullman, Michael T.; Pullman, Mariel Y.

2015-01-01

Most research on neurodevelopmental disorders has focused on their abnormalities. However, what remains intact may also be important. Increasing evidence suggests that declarative memory, a critical learning and memory system in the brain, remains largely functional in a number of neurodevelopmental disorders. Because declarative memory remains functional, and because this system can learn and retain numerous types of information, functions, and tasks, it should be able to play compensatory roles for multiple types of impairments across the disorders. Here, we examine this hypothesis for specific language impairment, dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, Tourette syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We lay out specific predictions for the hypothesis and review existing behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging evidence. Overall, the evidence suggests that declarative memory indeed plays compensatory roles for a range of impairments across all five disorders. Finally, we discuss diagnostic, therapeutic and other implications. PMID:25597655

NMDA and dopamine D1 receptors within NAc-shell regulate IEG proteins expression in reward circuit during cocaine memory reconsolidation.

PubMed

Li, Y; Ge, S; Li, N; Chen, L; Zhang, S; Wang, J; Wu, H; Wang, X; Wang, X

2016-02-19

Reactivation of consolidated memory initiates a memory reconsolidation process, during which the reactivated memory is susceptible to strengthening, weakening or updating. Therefore, effective interference with the memory reconsolidation process is expected to be an important treatment for drug addiction. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been well recognized as a pathway component that can prevent drug relapse, although the mechanism underlying this function is poorly understood. We aimed to clarify the regulatory role of the NAc in the cocaine memory reconsolidation process, by examining the effect of applying different pharmacological interventions to the NAc on Zif 268 and Fos B expression in the entire reward circuit after cocaine memory reactivation. Through the cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) model, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining for Zif 268 and Fos B were used to explore the functional activated brain nuclei after cocaine memory reactivation. Our results showed that the expression of Zif 268 and Fos B was commonly increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the infralimbic cortex (IL), the NAc-core, the NAc-shell, the hippocampus (CA1, CA2, and CA3 subregions), the amygdala, the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and the supramammillary nucleus (SuM) following memory reconsolidation, and Zif 268/Fos B co-expression was commonly observed (for Zif 268: 51-68%; for Fos B: 52-66%). Further, bilateral NAc-shell infusion of MK 801 and SCH 23390, but not raclopride or propranolol, prior to addictive memory reconsolidation, decreased Zif 268 and Fos B expression in the entire reward circuit, except for the amygdala, and effectively disturbed subsequent CPP-related behavior. In summary, N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and dopamine D1 receptors, but not dopamine D2 or β adrenergic receptors, within the NAc-shell, may regulate Zif 268 and Fos B expression in most brain nuclei of the reward circuit after cocaine memory reactivation. These findings indicated that the NAc played a key role in regulating addictive memory reconsolidation by influencing the function of the entire addictive memory network. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Hippocampal Arc (Arg3.1) expression is induced by memory recall and required for memory reconsolidation in trace fear conditioning.

PubMed

Chia, Chester; Otto, Tim

2013-11-01

Mounting evidence suggests that long-lasting, protein synthesis-dependent changes in synaptic strength accompany both the initial acquisition and subsequent recall of specific memories. Within brain areas thought to be important for learning and memory, including the hippocampus, learning-related plasticity is likely mediated in part by NMDA receptor activation and experience-dependent changes in gene expression. In the present study, we examined the role of activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1) expression in the acquisition, recall, and reconsolidation of memory in a trace fear conditioning paradigm. First, we show that the expression of Arc protein in ventral hippocampus (VH) is dramatically enhanced by memory recall 24h after the acquisition of trace fear conditioning, and that both memory recall and the associated recall-induced enhancement of Arc expression are blocked by pre-training administration of 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV). Next, we show that while infusion of Arc antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) into VH prior to testing had little effect on memory recall, it significantly reduced both Arc protein expression and freezing behavior during subsequent testing sessions. Collectively, these results suggest that Arc/Arg3.1 protein plays an important functional role in both the initial acquisition of hippocampal-dependent memory and the reconsolidation of these memories after recall. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

At the Intersection of Attention and Memory: The Mechanistic Role of the Posterior Parietal Lobe in Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berryhill, Marian E.; Chein, Jason; Olson, Ingrid R.

2011-01-01

Portions of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) play a role in working memory (WM) yet the precise mechanistic function of this region remains poorly understood. The "pure storage" hypothesis proposes that this region functions as a short-lived modality-specific memory store. Alternatively, the "internal attention" hypothesis proposes that the PPC…

Developmental Differences in the Influence of Distractors on Maintenance in Spatial Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schutte, Anne R.; Keiser, Brian A.; Beattie, Heidi L.

2017-01-01

This study examined whether attention to a location plays a role in the maintenance of locations in spatial working memory in young children as it does in adults. This study was the first to investigate whether distractors presented during the delay of a spatial working-memory task influenced young children's memory responses. Across 2…

Interaction between basal ganglia and limbic circuits in learning and memory processes.

PubMed

Calabresi, Paolo; Picconi, Barbara; Tozzi, Alessandro; Ghiglieri, Veronica

2016-01-01

Hippocampus and striatum play distinctive roles in memory processes since declarative and non-declarative memory systems may act independently. However, hippocampus and striatum can also be engaged to function in parallel as part of a dynamic system to integrate previous experience and adjust behavioral responses. In these structures the formation, storage, and retrieval of memory require a synaptic mechanism that is able to integrate multiple signals and to translate them into persistent molecular traces at both the corticostriatal and hippocampal/limbic synapses. The best cellular candidate for this complex synthesis is represented by long-term potentiation (LTP). A common feature of LTP expressed in these two memory systems is the critical requirement of convergence and coincidence of glutamatergic and dopaminergic inputs to the dendritic spines of the neurons expressing this form of synaptic plasticity. In experimental models of Parkinson's disease abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein affects these two memory systems by altering two major synaptic mechanisms underlying cognitive functions in cholinergic striatal neurons, likely implicated in basal ganglia dependent operative memory, and in the CA1 hippocampal region, playing a central function in episodic/declarative memory processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emotion impairs extrinsic source memory--An ERP study.

PubMed

Mao, Xinrui; You, Yuqi; Li, Wen; Guo, Chunyan

2015-09-01

Substantial advancements in understanding emotional modulation of item memory notwithstanding, controversies remain as to how emotion influences source memory. Using an emotional extrinsic source memory paradigm combined with remember/know judgments and two key event-related potentials (ERPs)-the FN400 (a frontal potential at 300-500 ms related to familiarity) and the LPC (a later parietal potential at 500-700 ms related to recollection), our research investigated the impact of emotion on extrinsic source memory and the underlying processes. We varied a semantic prompt (either "people" or "scene") preceding a study item to manipulate the extrinsic source. Behavioral data indicated a significant effect of emotion on "remember" responses to extrinsic source details, suggesting impaired recollection-based source memory in emotional (both positive and negative) relative to neutral conditions. In parallel, differential FN400 and LPC amplitudes (correctly remembered - incorrectly remembered sources) revealed emotion-related interference, suggesting impaired familiarity and recollection memory of extrinsic sources associated with positive or negative items. These findings thus lend support to the notion of emotion-induced memory trade off: while enhancing memory of central items and intrinsic/integral source details, emotion nevertheless disrupts memory of peripheral contextual details, potentially impairing both familiarity and recollection. Importantly, that positive and negative items result in comparable memory impairment suggests that arousal (vs. affective valence) plays a critical role in modulating dynamic interactions among automatic and elaborate processes involved in memory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Major Robert Lawrence Memorial Tribute

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

During an Astronauts Memorial Foundation tribute honoring U.S. Air Foce Maj. Robert Lawrence, The Winston Scott “Cosmic Jazz Ensemble” performed. Participants are, from the left, former NASA astronaut Winston Scott playing trumpet, Al Dodds on bass, Stan Soloko playing drums, vocalist Shyrl “Lady Tandy” Johnson, and Ron Teixeira playing piano. Selected in 1967 for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program, Lawrence was the first African-American astronaut. He lost his life in a training accident 50 years ago. The ceremony took place in the Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Apolipoprotein E expression and behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Higuchi, Yoshinori; Nelson, Gregory A.; Vazquez, Marcelo; Laskowitz, Daniel T.; Slater, James M.; Pearlstein, Robert D.

2002-01-01

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a lipid binding protein that plays an important role in tissue repair following brain injury. In the present studies, we have investigated whether apoE affects the behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation. METHODS: Sixteen male apoE knockout (KO) mice and sixteen genetically matched wild-type (WT) C57BL mice were used in this experiment. Half of the KO and half of the WT animals were irradiated with 600 MeV/amu iron particles (2 Gy whole body). The effect of irradiation on motor coordination and stamina (Rotarod test), exploratory behavior (open field test), and spatial working and reference memory (Morris water maze) was assessed. ROTAROD TEST: Performance was adversely affected by radiation exposure in both KO and WT groups at 30 d after irradiation. By 60 d after radiation, the radiation effect was lost in WT, but still apparent in irradiated KO mice. OPEN FIELD TEST: Radiation reduced open field exploratory activity 14, 28, 56, 84, and 168 d after irradiation of KO mice, but had no effect on WT mice. MORRIS WATER MAZE: Radiation adversely affected spatial working memory in the KO mice, but had no discernible effect in the WT mice as assessed 180 d after irradiation. In contrast, irradiated WT mice showed marked impairment of spatial reference memory in comparison to non-irradiated mice, while no effect of radiation was observed in KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: These studies show that apoE expression influences the behavioral toxicity of HZE particle radiation and suggest that apoE plays a role in the repair/recovery from radiation injury of the CNS. ApoE deficiency may exacerbate the previously reported effects of HZE particle radiation in accelerating the brain aging process.

Fragmentation of Rapid Eye Movement and Nonrapid Eye Movement Sleep without Total Sleep Loss Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Fear Memory Consolidation

PubMed Central

Lee, Michael L.; Katsuyama, Ângela M.; Duge, Leanne S.; Sriram, Chaitra; Krushelnytskyy, Mykhaylo; Kim, Jeansok J.; de la Iglesia, Horacio O.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleep is important for consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories. It is hypothesized that the temporal sequence of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the weakening of nonadaptive memories and the subsequent transfer of memories temporarily stored in the hippocampus to more permanent memories in the neocortex. A great body of evidence supporting this hypothesis relies on behavioral, pharmacological, neural, and/or genetic manipulations that induce sleep deprivation or stage-specific sleep deprivation. Methods: We exploit an experimental model of circadian desynchrony in which intact animals are not deprived of any sleep stage but show fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep within nonfragmented sleep bouts. We test the hypothesis that the shortening of NREM and REM sleep durations post-training will impair memory consolidation irrespective of total sleep duration. Results: When circadian-desynchronized animals are trained in a hippocampus-dependent contextual fear-conditioning task they show normal short-term memory but impaired long-term memory consolidation. This impairment in memory consolidation is positively associated with the post-training fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep but is not significantly associated with the fragmentation of total sleep or the total amount of delta activity. We also show that the sleep stage fragmentation resulting from circadian desynchrony has no effect on hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and no effect on hippocampus-independent cued fear-conditioning memory. Conclusions: Our findings in an intact animal model, in which sleep deprivation is not a confounding factor, support the hypothesis that the stereotypic sequence and duration of sleep stages play a specific role in long-term hippocampus-dependent fear memory consolidation. Citation: Lee ML, Katsuyama AM, Duge LS, Sriram C, Krushelnytskyy M, Kim JJ, de la Iglesia HO. Fragmentation of rapid eye movement and nonrapid eye movement sleep without total sleep loss impairs hippocampus-dependent fear memory consolidation. SLEEP 2016;39(11):2021–2031. PMID:27568801

Noninvasive stimulation of prefrontal cortex strengthens existing episodic memories and reduces forgetting in the elderly

PubMed Central

Sandrini, Marco; Brambilla, Michela; Manenti, Rosa; Rosini, Sandra; Cohen, Leonardo G.; Cotelli, Maria

2014-01-01

Memory consolidation is a dynamic process. Reactivation of consolidated memories by a reminder triggers reconsolidation, a time-limited period during which existing memories can be modified (i.e., weakened or strengthened). Episodic memory refers to our ability to recall specific past events about what happened, including where and when. Difficulties in this form of long-term memory commonly occur in healthy aging. Because episodic memory is critical for daily life functioning, the development of effective interventions to reduce memory loss in elderly individuals is of great importance. Previous studies in young adults showed that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plays a causal role in strengthening of verbal episodic memories through reconsolidation. The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which facilitatory transcranial direct current stimulation (anodal tDCS) over the left DLPFC would strengthen existing episodic memories through reconsolidation in elderly individuals. On Day 1, older adults learned a list of 20 words. On Day 2 (24 h later), they received a reminder or not, and after 10 min tDCS was applied over the left DLPFC. Memory recall was tested on Day 3 (48 h later) and Day 30 (1 month later). Surprisingly, anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC (i.e., with or without the reminder) strengthened existing verbal episodic memories and reduced forgetting compared to sham stimulation. These results provide a framework for testing the hypothesis that facilitatory tDCS of left DLPFC might strengthen existing episodic memories and reduce memory loss in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. PMID:25368577

The differential effects of emotional salience on direct associative and relational memory during a nap.

PubMed

Alger, Sara E; Payne, Jessica D

2016-12-01

Relational memories are formed from shared components between directly learned memory associations, flexibly linking learned information to better inform future judgments. Sleep has been found to facilitate both direct associative and relational memories. However, the impact of incorporating emotionally salient information into learned material and the interaction of emotional salience and sleep in facilitating both types of memory is unknown. Participants encoded two sets of picture pairs, with either emotionally negative or neutral objects paired with neutral faces. The same objects were present in both sets, paired with two different faces across the sets. Baseline memory for these directly paired associates was tested immediately after encoding, followed by either a 90-min nap opportunity or wakefulness. Five hours after learning, a surprise test assessed relational memory, the indirect association between two faces paired with the same object during encoding, followed by a retest of direct associative memory. Overall, negative information was remembered better than neutral for directly learned pairs. A nap facilitated both preservation of direct associative memories and formation of relational memories, compared to remaining awake. Interestingly, however, this sleep benefit was observed specifically for neutral directly paired associates, while both neutral and negative relational associations benefitted from a nap. Finally, REM sleep played opposing roles in neutral direct and relational associative memory formation, with more REM sleep leading to forgetting of direct associations but promoting relational associations, suggesting that, while not benefitting memory consolidation for directly learned details, REM sleep may foster the memory reorganization needed for relational memory.

SNAP-25 in hippocampal CA3 region is required for long-term memory formation

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

Hou Qiuling; Gao Xiang; Lu Qi

SNAP-25 is a synaptosomal protein of 25 kDa, a key component of synaptic vesicle-docking/fusion machinery, and plays a critical role in exocytosis and neurotransmitter release. We previously reported that SNAP-25 in the hippocampal CA1 region is involved in consolidation of contextual fear memory and water-maze spatial memory (Hou et al. European J Neuroscience, 20: 1593-1603, 2004). SNAP-25 is expressed not only in the CA1 region, but also in the CA3 region, and the SNAP-25 mRNA level in the CA3 region is higher than in the CA1 region. Here, we provide evidence that SNAP-25 in the CA3 region is also involvedmore » in learning/memory. Intra-CA3 infusion of SNAP-25 antisense oligonucleotide impaired both long-term contextual fear memory and water-maze spatial memory, with short-term memory intact. Furthermore, the SNAP-25 antisense oligonucleotide suppressed the long-term potentiation (LTP) of field excitatory post-synaptic potential (fEPSP) in the mossy-fiber pathway (DG-CA3 pathway), with no effect on paired-pulse facilitation of the fEPSP. These results are consistent with the notion that SNAP-25 in the hippocampal CA3 region is required for long-term memory formation.« less

Beyond perceptual load and dilution: a review of the role of working memory in selective attention

PubMed Central

de Fockert, Jan W.

2013-01-01

The perceptual load and dilution models differ fundamentally in terms of the proposed mechanism underlying variation in distractibility during different perceptual conditions. However, both models predict that distracting information can be processed beyond perceptual processing under certain conditions, a prediction that is well-supported by the literature. Load theory proposes that in such cases, where perceptual task aspects do not allow for sufficient attentional selectivity, the maintenance of task-relevant processing depends on cognitive control mechanisms, including working memory. The key prediction is that working memory plays a role in keeping clear processing priorities in the face of potential distraction, and the evidence reviewed and evaluated in a meta-analysis here supports this claim, by showing that the processing of distracting information tends to be enhanced when load on a concurrent task of working memory is high. Low working memory capacity is similarly associated with greater distractor processing in selective attention, again suggesting that the unavailability of working memory during selective attention leads to an increase in distractibility. Together, these findings suggest that selective attention against distractors that are processed beyond perception depends on the availability of working memory. Possible mechanisms for the effects of working memory on selective attention are discussed. PMID:23734139

Beyond perceptual load and dilution: a review of the role of working memory in selective attention.

PubMed

de Fockert, Jan W

2013-01-01

The perceptual load and dilution models differ fundamentally in terms of the proposed mechanism underlying variation in distractibility during different perceptual conditions. However, both models predict that distracting information can be processed beyond perceptual processing under certain conditions, a prediction that is well-supported by the literature. Load theory proposes that in such cases, where perceptual task aspects do not allow for sufficient attentional selectivity, the maintenance of task-relevant processing depends on cognitive control mechanisms, including working memory. The key prediction is that working memory plays a role in keeping clear processing priorities in the face of potential distraction, and the evidence reviewed and evaluated in a meta-analysis here supports this claim, by showing that the processing of distracting information tends to be enhanced when load on a concurrent task of working memory is high. Low working memory capacity is similarly associated with greater distractor processing in selective attention, again suggesting that the unavailability of working memory during selective attention leads to an increase in distractibility. Together, these findings suggest that selective attention against distractors that are processed beyond perception depends on the availability of working memory. Possible mechanisms for the effects of working memory on selective attention are discussed.

Effects of betaine on lipopolysaccharide-induced memory impairment in mice and the involvement of GABA transporter 2

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Betaine (glycine betaine or trimethylglycine) plays important roles as an osmolyte and a methyl donor in animals. While betaine is reported to suppress expression of proinflammatory molecules and reduce oxidative stress in aged rat kidney, the effects of betaine on the central nervous system are not well known. In this study, we investigated the effects of betaine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced memory impairment and on mRNA expression levels of proinflammatory molecules, glial markers, and GABA transporter 2 (GAT2), a betaine/GABA transporter. Methods Mice were continuously treated with betaine for 13 days starting 1 day before they were injected with LPS, or received subacute or acute administration of betaine shortly before or after LPS injection. Then, their memory function was evaluated using Y-maze and novel object recognition tests 7 and 10-12 days after LPS injection (30 μg/mouse, i.c.v.), respectively. In addition, mRNA expression levels in hippocampus were measured by real-time RT-PCR at different time points. Results Repeated administration of betaine (0.163 mmol/kg, s.c.) prevented LPS-induced memory impairment. GAT2 mRNA levels were significantly increased in hippocampus 24 hr after LPS injection, and administration of betaine blocked this increase. However, betaine did not affect LPS-induced increases in levels of mRNA related to inflammatory responses. Both subacute administration (1 hr before, and 1 and 24 hr after LPS injection) and acute administration (1 hr after LPS injection) of betaine also prevented LPS-induced memory impairment in the Y-maze test. Conclusions These data suggest that betaine has protective effects against LPS-induced memory impairment and that prevention of LPS-induced changes in GAT2 mRNA expression is crucial to this ameliorating effect. PMID:22053950

Intensive video gaming improves encoding speed to visual short-term memory in young male adults.

PubMed

Wilms, Inge L; Petersen, Anders; Vangkilde, Signe

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of action video gaming on central elements of visual attention using Bundesen's (1990) Theory of Visual Attention. To examine the cognitive impact of action video gaming, we tested basic functions of visual attention in 42 young male adults. Participants were divided into three groups depending on the amount of time spent playing action video games: non-players (<2h/month, N=12), casual players (4-8h/month, N=10), and experienced players (>15h/month, N=20). All participants were tested in three tasks which tap central functions of visual attention and short-term memory: a test based on the Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), an enumeration test and finally the Attentional Network Test (ANT). The results show that action video gaming does not seem to impact the capacity of visual short-term memory. However, playing action video games does seem to improve the encoding speed of visual information into visual short-term memory and the improvement does seem to depend on the time devoted to gaming. This suggests that intense action video gaming improves basic attentional functioning and that this improvement generalizes into other activities. The implications of these findings for cognitive rehabilitation training are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Does anesthetic regimen influence implicit memory during general anesthesia?

PubMed

Lequeux, Pierre-Yves; Hecquet, Fidelie; Bredas, Philippe

2014-11-01

Implicit learning of intraoperative auditory stimuli during general anesthesia is very difficult to quantify but may require the presence of noxious stimulation. We hypothesized that an anesthetic regimen with a low dose of opioid would enhance implicit memory, while a regimen with a high dose of opioid would not. One hundred-twenty patients were randomized into 3 groups. All patients were anesthetized with a target-controlled infusion of propofol and remifentanil, targeting a Bispectral Index (BIS) value of 50. The remifentanil effect-site concentration (in ng/mL) was always double that of propofol (in μg/mL) in the first group and half of that in the second group. Patients in these 2 groups were played a list of 20 words via headphones during surgery. The third group served as control for memory tests and was not played any word during anesthesia. BIS was recorded during word presentation. No statistical difference was found among the 3 groups regarding 3 different memory tests although 67.5% [50.7%; 80.9%] of the patients of the high-opioid group and 72.5% [55.9%; 84.9%] of the low-opioid group had at least 1 episode of BIS >60. We could not demonstrate the presence of implicit or explicit memorization under propofol-remifentanil anesthesia either with a low- or a high-dose opioid anesthetic regimen.

Component Neural Systems for the Creation of Emotional Memories during Free Viewing of a Complex, Real-World Event

PubMed Central

Botzung, Anne; LaBar, Kevin S.; Kragel, Philip; Miles, Amanda; Rubin, David C.

2010-01-01

To investigate the neural systems that contribute to the formation of complex, self-relevant emotional memories, dedicated fans of rival college basketball teams watched a competitive game while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During a subsequent recognition memory task, participants were shown video clips depicting plays of the game, stemming either from previously-viewed game segments (targets) or from non-viewed portions of the same game (foils). After an old–new judgment, participants provided emotional valence and intensity ratings of the clips. A data driven approach was first used to decompose the fMRI signal acquired during free viewing of the game into spatially independent components. Correlations were then calculated between the identified components and post-scanning emotion ratings for successfully encoded targets. Two components were correlated with intensity ratings, including temporal lobe regions implicated in memory and emotional functions, such as the hippocampus and amygdala, as well as a midline fronto-cingulo-parietal network implicated in social cognition and self-relevant processing. These data were supported by a general linear model analysis, which revealed additional valence effects in fronto-striatal-insular regions when plays were divided into positive and negative events according to the fan's perspective. Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of how emotional factors impact distributed neural systems to successfully encode dynamic, personally-relevant event sequences. PMID:20508750

Potential roles of cholinergic modulation in the neural coding of location and movement speed

PubMed Central

Dannenberg, Holger; Hinman, James R.; Hasselmo, Michael E.

2016-01-01

Behavioral data suggest that cholinergic modulation may play a role in certain aspects of spatial memory, and neurophysiological data demonstrate neurons that fire in response to spatial dimensions, including grid cells and place cells that respond on the basis of location and running speed. These neurons show firing responses that depend upon the visual configuration of the environment, due to coding in visually-responsive regions of the neocortex. This review focuses on the physiological effects of acetylcholine that may influence the sensory coding of spatial dimensions relevant to behavior. In particular, the local circuit effects of acetylcholine within the cortex regulate the influence of sensory input relative to internal memory representations, via presynaptic inhibition of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, and the modulation of intrinsic currents in cortical excitatory and inhibitory neurons. In addition, circuit effects of acetylcholine regulate the dynamics of cortical circuits including oscillations at theta and gamma frequencies. These effects of acetylcholine on local circuits and network dynamics could underlie the role of acetylcholine in coding of spatial information for the performance of spatial memory tasks. PMID:27677935

Using Imagery Rescripting to Treat Major Depression: Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheatley, Jon; Hackmann, Ann

2011-01-01

This paper considers the role that intrusive memories may play in maintaining depression and the rationale for using imagery rescripting in order to target these memories. Potential mechanisms of change underlying imagery rescripting are discussed. The relationship between depressive rumination and memories is considered, as well as potential…

Memory Attributions for Choices: How Beliefs Shape Our Memories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henkel, Linda A.; Mather, Mara

2007-01-01

When remembering past choices, people tend to attribute positive features to chosen options and negative features to rejected options. The present experiments reveal the important role beliefs play in memory reconstruction of choices. In Experiment 1, participants who misremembered which option they chose favored their believed choice in their…

(Un)Disturbing Exhibitions: Indigenous Historical Memory at the NMAI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpio, Myla Vicenti

2006-01-01

Museums in particular are educational tools used to create and perpetuate specific ideologies and historical memories. They have played a prominent role in defining the visibility of Indigenous peoples and cultures in America historical memory by creating exhibits of Indigenous peoples based on perceptions and views that benefit and justify…

Neuroimaging in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Other Stress-related Disorders

PubMed Central

Bremner, J. Douglas

2009-01-01

Synopsis Traumatic stress has a broad range of effects on the brain. Brain areas implicated in the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Studies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric disorders related to stress have replicated findings in animal studies by finding alterations in these brain areas. Brain regions implicated in PTSD also play an important role in memory function, highlighting the important interplay between memory and the traumatic stress response. Abnormalities in these brain areas are hypothesized to underlie symptoms of PTSD and other stress-related psychiatric disorders. PMID:17983968

Ginkobiloba extract improves working memory performance in middle-aged women: role of asymmetry of prefrontal cortex activity during a working memory task.

PubMed

Sakatani, Kaoru; Tanida, Masahiro; Hirao, Naoyasu; Takemura, Naohiro

2014-01-01

In order to clarify the mechanism through which extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves (EGb) improves cognitive function, we examined the effects of EGb on cerebral blood oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and on performance during a working memory task, using near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS). First, we evaluated differences in behavioral performance of the Sternberg working memory test (ST) and in the activation pattern of the PFC during ST between 15 young and 19 middle-aged healthy women. Then, we examined the effect of EGb (120 mg/day for 6 weeks) on ST performance and PFC activation pattern in the middle-aged group. The middle-aged group exhibited a longer reaction time (RT) in ST than the young group and showed a different PFC activation pattern during ST, i.e., the middle-aged group showed bilateral activation while the young group showed right-dominant activation. In the middle-aged group, administration of EGb for 6 weeks shortened the RT of ST and changed the PFC activation pattern to right-dominant, like that in the young group. The results indicate the PFC plays a role in the physiological cognitive function-enhancing effect of EGb. EGb might improve working memory function in middle-aged individuals by counteracting the occurrence of aging-related hemispheric asymmetry reduction.

Dopaminergic and cholinergic modulations of visual-spatial attention and working memory: insights from molecular genetic research and implications for adult cognitive development.

PubMed

Störmer, Viola S; Passow, Susanne; Biesenack, Julia; Li, Shu-Chen

2012-05-01

Attention and working memory are fundamental for selecting and maintaining behaviorally relevant information. Not only do both processes closely intertwine at the cognitive level, but they implicate similar functional brain circuitries, namely the frontoparietal and the frontostriatal networks, which are innervated by cholinergic and dopaminergic pathways. Here we review the literature on cholinergic and dopaminergic modulations of visual-spatial attention and visual working memory processes to gain insights on aging-related changes in these processes. Some extant findings have suggested that the cholinergic system plays a role in the orienting of attention to enable the detection and discrimination of visual information, whereas the dopaminergic system has mainly been associated with working memory processes such as updating and stabilizing representations. However, since visual-spatial attention and working memory processes are not fully dissociable, there is also evidence of interacting cholinergic and dopaminergic modulations of both processes. We further review gene-cognition association studies that have shown that individual differences in visual-spatial attention and visual working memory are associated with acetylcholine- and dopamine-relevant genes. The efficiency of these 2 transmitter systems declines substantially during healthy aging. These declines, in part, contribute to age-related deficits in attention and working memory functions. We report novel data showing an effect of dopamine COMT gene on spatial updating processes in older but not in younger adults, indicating potential magnification of genetic effects in old age.

Novel Organic Phototransistor-Based Nonvolatile Memory Integrated with UV-Sensing/Green-Emissive Aggregation Enhanced Emission (AEE)-Active Aromatic Polyamide Electret Layer.

PubMed

Cheng, Shun-Wen; Han, Ting; Huang, Teng-Yung; Chang Chien, Yu-Hsin; Liu, Cheng-Liang; Tang, Ben Zhong; Liou, Guey-Sheng

2018-05-30

A novel aggregation enhanced emission (AEE)-active polyamide TPA-CN-TPE with a high photoluminesence characteristic was successfully synthesized by the direct polymerization of 4-cyanotriphenyl diamine (TPA-CN) and tetraphenylethene (TPE)-containing dicarboxylic acid. The obtained luminescent polyamide plays a significant role as the polymer electret layer in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs)-type memory. The strong green emission of TPA-CN-TPE under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation can be directly absorbed by the pentacene channel, displaying a light-induced programming and voltage-driven erasing organic phototransistor-based nonvolatile memory. Memory window can be effectively manipulated between the programming and erasing states by applying UV light illumination and electrical field, respectively. The photoinduced memory behavior can be maintained for over 10 4 s between these two states with an on/off ratio of 10 4 , and the memory switching can be steadily operated for many cycles. With high photoresponsivity ( R) and photosensitivity ( S), this organic phototransistor integrated with AEE-active polyamide electret layer could serve as an excellent candidate for UV photodetectors in optical applications. For comparison, an AEE-inactive aromatic polyimide TPA-PIS electret with much weaker solid-state emission was also applied in the same OFETs device architecture, but this device did not show any UV-sensitive and UV-induced memory characteristics, which further confirmed the significance of the light-emitting capability of the electret layer.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor treatment restores memory-related gene expression and learning ability in neonicotinoid-treated Apis mellifera.

PubMed

Hu, Y-T; Tang, C-K; Wu, C-P; Wu, P-C; Yang, E-C; Tai, C-C; Wu, Y-L

2018-04-25

Apis mellifera plays crucial roles in maintaining the balance of global ecosystems and stability of agricultural systems by helping pollination of flowering plants, including many crops. In recent years, this balance has been disrupted greatly by some pesticides, which results in great losses of honeybees worldwide. Previous studies have found that pesticide-caused memory loss might be one of the major reasons for colony loss. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are chemical compounds that inhibit the activity of histone deacetylases and are known to cause hyperacetylation of histone cores and influence gene expression. In our study, the HDACi sodium butyrate was applied to honeybees as a dietary supplement. The effect of sodium butyrate on the expression profiles of memory-related genes was analysed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The results revealed that this HDACi had up-regulation effects on most of the memory-related genes in bees, even in bees treated with imidacloprid. In addition, using the proboscis extension reflex to evaluate olfactory learning in bees, we found that this HDACi boosted the memory formation of bees after impairment owing to imidacloprid exposure. This study investigated the association between gene expression and memory formation from an epigenetic perspective. Additionally, we further demonstrate the possibility of enhancing bee learning using HDACis and provide initial data for future research. © 2018 The Royal Entomological Society.

Effect with high density nano dot type storage layer structure on 20 nm planar NAND flash memory characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Takeshi; Muraguchi, Masakazu; Seo, Moon-Sik; Park, Sung-kye; Endoh, Tetsuo

2014-01-01

The merits, concerns and design principle for the future nano dot (ND) type NAND flash memory cell are clarified, by considering the effect of storage layer structure on NAND flash memory characteristics. The characteristics of the ND cell for a NAND flash memory in comparison with the floating gate type (FG) is comprehensively studied through the read, erase, program operation, and the cell to cell interference with device simulation. Although the degradation of the read throughput (0.7% reduction of the cell current) and slower program time (26% smaller programmed threshold voltage shift) with high density (10 × 1012 cm-2) ND NAND are still concerned, the suppress of the cell to cell interference with high density (10 × 1012 cm-2) plays the most important part for scaling and multi-level cell (MLC) operation in comparison with the FG NAND. From these results, the design knowledge is shown to require the control of the number of nano dots rather than the higher nano dot density, from the viewpoint of increasing its memory capacity by MLC operation and suppressing threshold voltage variability caused by the number of dots in the storage layer. Moreover, in order to increase its memory capacity, it is shown the tunnel oxide thickness with ND should be designed thicker (>3 nm) than conventional designed ND cell for programming/erasing with direct tunneling mechanism.

Increased attention and memory for beloved-related information during infatuation: behavioral and electrophysiological data.

PubMed

Langeslag, Sandra J E; Olivier, Jamie R; Köhlen, Martine E; Nijs, Ilse M; Van Strien, Jan W

2015-01-01

Emotionally salient information is well attended and remembered. It has been shown that infatuated individuals have increased attention for their beloved. It is unknown whether this attention bias generalizes to information related to the beloved. Moreover, infatuated individuals report to remember trivial things about their beloved, but this has not yet been tested empirically. In two studies, we tested whether infatuated individuals have increased attention and memory for beloved-related information. In a passive viewing task (Study 1), the late positive potential, an event-related potential (ERP) component reflecting motivated attention, was enhanced for beloved-related vs friend-related words/phrases. In a recognition task (Study 2), memory performance and the frontal and parietal ERP old/new effects, reflecting familiarity and recollection, respectively, were not enhanced for beloved-related compared with friend-related words/phrases. In free recall tasks in both studies, memory was better for beloved-related than friend-related words/phrases. This research reveals that attention and memory are enhanced for beloved-related information. These attention and memory biases for beloved-related information were not due to valence, semantic relatedness, or experience, but to arousal. To conclude, romantic love has profound effects on cognition that play a clear role in daily life. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Amnesia induced by morphine in spatial memory retrieval inhibited in morphine-sensitized rats.

PubMed

Farahmandfar, Maryam; Naghdi, Nasser; Karimian, Seyed Morteza; Kadivar, Mehdi; Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza

2012-05-15

The present study investigated the effect of morphine sensitization on the impairment of spatial memory retrieval induced by acute morphine in adult male rats. Spatial memory was assessed by 2-day Morris water maze task which included training and test day. On the training day, rats were trained by a single training session of 8 trials. On the test day, a probe trial consisting of 60s free swim period without a platform and the visible test were administered. Morphine sensitization was induced by subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of morphine, once daily for 3 days followed by 5 days without drug treatment before training. The results indicated that acute administration of morphine (7.5mg/kg, s.c.) before testing impaired spatial memory on the test day. Pre-test morphine-induced amnesia decreased in morphine-sensitized (15 and 20mg/kg, s.c.) rats. Improvement in spatial memory retrieval in morphine-sensitized rats was inhibited by once daily administration of naloxone (1 and 2mg/kg, s.c.) 30 min prior to the injection of morphine for three days. The results suggest that morphine sensitization reverses the impairment of spatial memory retrieval induced by acute morphine and it is implied that mu-opioid receptors may play an important role in this effect. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NMDA Signaling in CA1 Mediates Selectively the Spatial Component of Episodic Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Place, Ryan; Lykken, Christy; Beer, Zachery; Suh, Junghyup; McHugh, Thomas J.; Tonegawa, Susumu; Eichenbaum, Howard; Sauvage, Magdalena M.

2012-01-01

Recent studies focusing on the memory for temporal order have reported that CA1 plays a critical role in the memory for the sequences of events, in addition to its well-described role in spatial navigation. In contrast, CA3 was found to principally contribute to the memory for the association of items with spatial or contextual information in…

Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Induces Odor Preference Memory Extension and Maintains Enhanced AMPA Receptor Expression in the Rat Pup Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhattacharya, Sriya; Mukherjee, Bandhan; Doré, Jules J. E.; Yuan, Qi; Harley, Carolyn W.; McLean, John H.

2017-01-01

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) plays a role in synaptic plasticity and long-term memory formation. We hypothesized that trichostatin-A (TSA), an HDAC inhibitor, would promote long-term odor preference memory and maintain enhanced GluA1 receptor levels that have been hypothesized to support memory. We used an early odor preference learning model in…

Lack of the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Subtype 7 Selectively Modulates Theta Rhythm and Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holscher, Christian; Schmid, Susanne; Pilz, Peter K. D.; Sansig, Gilles; van der Putten, Herman; Plappert, Claudia F.

2005-01-01

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are known to play a role in synaptic plasticity and learning. We have previously shown that mGluR7 deletion in mice produces a selective working memory (WM) impairment, while other types of memory such as reference memory remain unaffected. Since WM has been associated with Theta activity (6-12 Hz) in…

Working memory for braille is shaped by experience.

PubMed

Cohen, Henri; Scherzer, Peter; Viau, Robert; Voss, Patrice; Lepore, Franco

2011-03-01

Tactile working memory was found to be more developed in completely blind (congenital and acquired) than in semi-sighted subjects, indicating that experience plays a crucial role in shaping working memory. A model of working memory, adapted from the classical model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch1 and Baddeley2 is presented where the connection strengths of a highly cross-modal network are altered through experience.

Memory retrieval by activating engram cells in mouse models of early Alzheimer’s disease

PubMed Central

Roy, Dheeraj S.; Arons, Autumn; Mitchell, Teryn I.; Pignatelli, Michele; Ryan, Tomás J.; Tonegawa, Susumu

2016-01-01

Summary Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory decline and subsequent loss of broader cognitive functions1. Memory decline in early stages of Alzheimer’s is mostly limited to episodic memory, for which the hippocampus (HPC) plays a crucial role2. However, it has been uncertain whether the observed amnesia in early stages of Alzheimer’s is due to disrupted encoding and consolidation of episodic information, or an impairment in the retrieval of stored memory information. Here we show that in transgenic mouse models of early Alzheimer’s, direct optogenetic activation of hippocampal memory engram cells results in memory retrieval despite the fact that these mice are amnesic in long-term memory tests when natural recall cues are utilized, revealing a retrieval, rather than a storage impairment. Prior to amyloid plaque deposition, the amnesia in these mice is age-dependent3–5, which correlates with a progressive reduction of spine density of hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) engram cells. We show that optogenetic induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) at perforant path (PP) synapses of DG engram cells restores both spine density and long-term memory. We also demonstrate that an ablation of DG engram cells containing restored spine density prevents the rescue of long-term memory. Thus, selective rescue of spine density in engram cells may lead to an effective strategy for treating memory loss in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. PMID:26982728

CCR7 Plays No Appreciable Role in Trafficking of Central Memory CD4 T Cells to Lymph Nodes

PubMed Central

Lugt, Bryan Vander; Tubo, Noah J.; Nizza, Suzanne T.; Boes, Marianne; Malissen, Bernard; Fuhlbrigge, Robert C.; Kupper, Thomas S.; Campbell, James J.

2013-01-01

CCR7−/− mice exhibit profound anomalies in LN and spleen architecture, which complicates the study of CCR7-mediated T cell trafficking in vivo. To circumvent this problem, we established in vivo models in which WT and CCR7−/− populations coexist within mice possessing normal lymphoid organs, and must compete for developmental niches within the tissues of these mice. Under the conditions we have created in vivo, we find the entry of memory CD4 T cells into LN from the blood to be independent of CCR7. Thus, the central memory CD4 T cells that traffic though LN, which are often defined by their expression of CCR7, do not appear to gain any competitive homing advantage by expressing this receptor. Furthermore, in contrast to cutaneous DC populations, we found that CCR7 deficiency had no appreciable effect on the exit of CD4 T cells from inflamed skin. Finally, we found that WT and CCR7−/− precursors were equally represented within the major thymic subpopulations, despite previous findings that CCR7 plays a role in seeding the thymus from bone marrow-derived T cell precursors. PMID:23935190

Dietary 2’-Fucosyllactose Enhances Operant Conditioning and Long-Term Potentiation via Gut-Brain Communication through the Vagus Nerve in Rodents

PubMed Central

Vazquez, Enrique; Barranco, Alejandro; Ramirez, Maria; Gruart, Agnes; Delgado-Garcia, Jose M.; Jimenez, Maria L.; Buck, Rachael; Rueda, Ricardo

2016-01-01

2´-fucosyllactose (2´-FL) is an abundant human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) in human milk with diverse biological effects. We recently reported ingested 2´-FL stimulates central nervous system (CNS) function, such as hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP) and learning and memory in rats. Conceivably the effect of 2´-FL on CNS function may be via the gut-brain axis (GBA), specifically the vagus nerve, and L-fucose (Fuc) may play a role. This study had two aims: (1) determine if the effect of ingested 2´-FL on the modulation of CNS function is dependent on the integrity of the molecule; and (2) confirm if oral 2´-FL modified hippocampal LTP and associative learning related skills in rats submitted to bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy. Results showed that 2´-FL but not Fuc enhanced LTP, and vagotomy inhibited the effects of oral 2´-FL on LTP and associative learning related paradigms. Taken together, the data show that dietary 2´-FL but not its Fuc moiety affects cognitive domains and improves learning and memory in rats. This effect is dependent on vagus nerve integrity, suggesting GBA plays a role in 2´-FL-mediated cognitive benefits. PMID:27851789

Hippocampal-targeted Theta-burst Stimulation Enhances Associative Memory Formation.

PubMed

Tambini, Arielle; Nee, Derek Evan; D'Esposito, Mark

2018-06-19

The hippocampus plays a critical role in episodic memory, among other cognitive functions. However, few tools exist to causally manipulate hippocampal function in healthy human participants. Recent work has targeted hippocampal-cortical networks by performing TMS to a region interconnected with the hippocampus, posterior inferior parietal cortex (pIPC). Such hippocampal-targeted TMS enhances associative memory and influences hippocampal functional connectivity. However, it is currently unknown which stages of mnemonic processing (encoding or retrieval) are affected by hippocampal-targeted TMS. Here, we examined whether hippocampal-targeted TMS influences the initial encoding of associations (vs. items) into memory. To selectively influence encoding and not retrieval, we performed continuous theta-burst TMS before participants encoded object-location associations and assessed memory after the direct effect of stimulation dissipated. Relative to control TMS and baseline memory, pIPC TMS enhanced associative memory success and confidence. Item memory was unaffected, demonstrating a selective influence on associative versus item memory. The strength of hippocampal-pIPC functional connectivity predicted TMS-related memory benefits, which was mediated by parahippocampal and retrosplenial cortices. Our findings indicate that hippocampal-targeted TMS can specifically modulate the encoding of new associations into memory without directly influencing retrieval processes and suggest that the ability to influence associative memory may be related to the fidelity of hippocampal TMS targeting. Our results support the notion that pIPC TMS may serve as a potential tool for manipulating hippocampal function in healthy participants. Nonetheless, future work combining hippocampal-targeted continuous theta-burst TMS with neuroimaging is needed to better understand the neural basis of TMS-induced memory changes.

The influence of autonomic arousal and semantic relatedness on memory for emotional words.

PubMed

Buchanan, Tony W; Etzel, Joset A; Adolphs, Ralph; Tranel, Daniel

2006-07-01

Increased memory for emotional stimuli is a well-documented phenomenon. Emotional arousal during the encoding of a stimulus is one mediator of this memory enhancement. Other variables such as semantic relatedness also play a role in the enhanced memory for emotional stimuli, especially for verbal stimuli. Research has not addressed the contributions of emotional arousal, indexed by self-report and autonomic measures, and semantic relatedness on memory performance. Twenty young adults (10 women) were presented neutral-unrelated words, school-related words, moderately arousing emotional words, and highly arousing taboo words while heart rate and skin conductance were measured. Memory was tested with free recall and recognition tests. Results showed that taboo words, which were both semantically related and high arousal were remembered best. School-related words, which were high on semantic relatedness but low on arousal, were remembered better than the moderately arousing emotional words and semantically unrelated neutral words. Psychophysiological responses showed that within the moderately arousing emotional and neutral word groups, those words eliciting greater autonomic activity were better remembered than words that did not elicit such activity. These results demonstrate additive effects of semantic relatedness and emotional arousal on memory. Relatedness confers an advantage to memory (as in the school-words), but the combination of relatedness and arousal (as in the taboo words) results in the best memory performance.

Novel conformal organic antireflective coatings for advanced I-line lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, Shreeram V.; Nowak, Kelly A.; Fowler, Shelly; Williams, Paul; Arjona, Mikko

2001-08-01

Flash memory chips are playing a critical role in semiconductor devices due to increased popularity of hand held electronic communication devices such as cell phones and PDAs (personal Digital Assistants). Flash memory offers two primary advantages in semiconductor devices. First, it offers flexibility of in-circuit programming capability to reduce the loss from programming errors and to significantly reduce commercialization time to market for new devices. Second, flash memory has a double density memory capability through stacked gate structures which increases the memory capability and thus saves significantly on chip real estate. However, due to stacked gate structures the requirements for manufacturing of flash memory devices are significantly different from traditional memory devices. Stacked gate structures also offer unique challenges to lithographic patterning materials such as Bottom Anti-Reflective Coating (BARC) compositions used to achieve CD control and to minimize standing wave effect in photolithography. To be applicable in flash memory manufacturing a BARC should form a conformal coating on high topography of stacked gate features as well as provide the normal anti-reflection properties for CD control. In this paper we report on a new highly conformal advanced i-line BARC for use in design and manufacture of flash memory devices. Conformal BARCs being significantly thinner in trenches than the planarizing BARCs offer the advantage of reducing BARC overetch and thus minimizing resist thickness loss.

Neural Basis of Working Memory Enhancement after Acute Aerobic Exercise: fMRI Study of Preadolescent Children.

PubMed

Chen, Ai-Guo; Zhu, Li-Na; Yan, Jun; Yin, Heng-Chan

2016-01-01

Working memory lies at the core of cognitive function and plays a crucial role in children's learning, reasoning, problem solving, and intellectual activity. Behavioral findings have suggested that acute aerobic exercise improves children's working memory; however, there is still very little knowledge about whether a single session of aerobic exercise can alter working memory's brain activation patterns, as assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Therefore, we investigated the effect of acute moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on working memory and its brain activation patterns in preadolescent children, and further explored the neural basis of acute aerobic exercise on working memory in these children. We used a within-subjects design with a counterbalanced order. Nine healthy, right-handed children were scanned with a Siemens MAGNETOM Trio 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner while they performed a working memory task (N-back task), following a baseline session and a 30-min, moderate-intensity exercise session. Compared with the baseline session, acute moderate-intensity aerobic exercise benefitted performance in the N-back task, increasing brain activities of bilateral parietal cortices, left hippocampus, and the bilateral cerebellum. These data extend the current knowledge by indicating that acute aerobic exercise enhances children's working memory, and the neural basis may be related to changes in the working memory's brain activation patterns elicited by acute aerobic exercise.

Supramodal Enhancement of Auditory Perceptual and Cognitive Learning by Video Game Playing.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu-Xuan; Tang, Ding-Lan; Moore, David R; Amitay, Sygal

2017-01-01

Medical rehabilitation involving behavioral training can produce highly successful outcomes, but those successes are obtained at the cost of long periods of often tedious training, reducing compliance. By contrast, arcade-style video games can be entertaining and highly motivating. We examine here the impact of video game play on contiguous perceptual training. We alternated several periods of auditory pure-tone frequency discrimination (FD) with the popular spatial visual-motor game Tetris played in silence. Tetris play alone did not produce any auditory or cognitive benefits. However, when alternated with FD training it enhanced learning of FD and auditory working memory. The learning-enhancing effects of Tetris play cannot be explained simply by the visual-spatial training involved, as the effects were gone when Tetris play was replaced with another visual-spatial task using Tetris-like stimuli but not incorporated into a game environment. The results indicate that game play enhances learning and transfer of the contiguous auditory experiences, pointing to a promising approach for increasing the efficiency and applicability of rehabilitative training.

Role of the amygdala GABA-A receptors in ACPA-induced deficits during conditioned fear learning.

PubMed

Nasehi, Mohammad; Roghani, Farnaz; Ebrahimi-Ghiri, Mohaddeseh; Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza

2017-05-01

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key structure for the emotional processing and storage of memories associated with emotional events, especially fear. On the other hand, endocannabinoids and CB1 receptors play a key role in learning and memory partly through long-term synaptic depression of GABAergic synapses in the BLA. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of GABA-A receptor agonist and antagonist in the fear-related memory acquisition deficits induced by ACPA (a selective CB1 cannabinoid receptor agonist). This study used context and tone fear conditioning paradigms to assess fear-related memory in male NMRI mice. Our results showed that the pre-training intraperitoneal administration of ACPA (0.5mg/kg) or (0.1 and 0.5mg/kg) decreased the percentage of freezing time in the contextual and tone fear conditioning, respectively. This indicated an impaired context- or tone-dependent fear memory acquisition. Moreover, the pre-training intra-BLA microinjection of GABA-A receptor agonist, muscimol, at 0.05 and 0.5μg/mouse impaired context-dependent fear memory, while the same doses of GABA-A antagonist, bicuculline, impaired tone-dependent fear memory. However, a subthreshold dose of muscimol or bicuculline increased the effect of ACPA at 0.1 and 0.5 or 0.05mg/kg on context- or tone-dependent fear memory, respectively. In addition, bicuculline at the lower dose increased the ACPA response on locomotor activity compared to its respective group. Such findings highlighted an interaction between BLA GABAergic and cannabinoidergic systems during the acquisition phase of conditioned fear memories. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Significance of the Centrally Expressed TRP Channel "Painless" in "Drosophila" Courtship Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sakai, Takaomi; Sato, Shoma; Ishimoto, Hiroshi; Kitamoto, Toshihiro

2013-01-01

Considerable evidence has demonstrated that transient receptor potential (TRP) channels play vital roles in sensory neurons, mediating responses to various environmental stimuli. In contrast, relatively little is known about how TRP channels exert their effects in the central nervous system to control complex behaviors. This is also true for the…

Frontal Deficits in Alcoholism: An ERP Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George, Mary Reeni M.; Potts, Geoffrey; Kothman, Delia; Martin, Laura; Mukundan, C. R.

2004-01-01

Alcoholism is a major health problem afflicting people all over the world. Understanding the neural substrates of this addictive disorder may provide the basis for effective interventions. So-called ''executive processes'' play a role in cognitive functions like attention and working memory, and appear to be disrupted in alcoholism (Noel et al.,…

Why two heads apart are better than two heads together: multiple mechanisms underlie the collaborative inhibition effect in memory.

PubMed

Barber, Sarah J; Harris, Celia B; Rajaram, Suparna

2015-03-01

Although a group of people working together remembers more than any one individual, they recall less than their predicted potential. This finding is known as collaborative inhibition and is generally thought to arise due to retrieval disruption. However, there is growing evidence that is inconsistent with the retrieval disruption account, suggesting that additional mechanisms also contribute to collaborative inhibition. In the current studies, we examined 2 alternate mechanisms: retrieval inhibition and retrieval blocking. To identify the contributions of retrieval disruption, retrieval inhibition, and retrieval blocking, we tested how collaborative recall of entirely unshared information influences subsequent individual recall and individual recognition memory. If collaborative inhibition is due solely to retrieval disruption, then there should be a release from the negative effects of collaboration on subsequent individual recall and recognition tests. If it is due to retrieval inhibition, then the negative effects of collaboration should persist on both individual recall and recognition memory tests. Finally, if it is due to retrieval blocking, then the impairment should persist on subsequent individual free recall, but not recognition, tests. Novel to the current study, results suggest that retrieval inhibition plays a role in the collaborative inhibition effect. The negative effects of collaboration persisted on a subsequent, always-individual, free-recall test (Experiment 1) and also on a subsequent, always-individual, recognition test (Experiment 2). However, consistent with the retrieval disruption account, this deficit was attenuated (Experiment 1). Together, these results suggest that, in addition to retrieval disruption, multiple mechanisms play a role in collaborative inhibition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The effect of working memory load on semantic illusions: what the phonological loop and central executive have to contribute.

PubMed

Büttner, Anke Caroline

2012-01-01

When asked how many animals of each kind Moses took on the Ark, most people respond with "two" despite the substituted name (Moses for Noah) in the question. Possible explanations for semantic illusions appear to be related to processing limitations such as those of working memory. Indeed, individual working memory capacity has an impact upon how sentences containing substitutions are processed. This experiment examined further the role of working memory in the occurrence of semantic illusions using a dual-task working memory load approach. Participants verified statements while engaging in either articulatory suppression or random number generation. Secondary task type had a significant effect on semantic illusion rate, but only when comparing the control condition to the two dual-task conditions. Furthermore, secondary task performance in the random number generation condition declined, suggesting a tradeoff between tasks. Response time analyses also showed a different pattern of processing across the conditions. The findings suggest that the phonological loop plays a role in representing semantic illusion sentences coherently and in monitoring for details, while the role of the central executive is to assist gist-processing of sentences. This usually efficient strategy leads to error in the case of semantic illusions.

Glucocorticoids for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias: a novel therapeutic approach.

PubMed

de Quervain, Dominique J-F; Margraf, Jürgen

2008-04-07

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias belong to the most common anxiety disorders and to the most common psychiatric illnesses in general. In both disorders, aversive memories are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis and symptomatology. Previously, we have reported that elevated glucocorticoid levels inhibit memory retrieval in animals and healthy humans. We therefore hypothesized that the administration of glucocorticoids might also inhibit the retrieval of aversive memory, thereby reducing symptoms in patients with PTSD and phobias. In recent clinical studies, we found first evidence to support this hypothesis. In patients with PTSD, low-dose cortisol treatment for one month reduced symptoms of traumatic memories without causing adverse side effects. Furthermore, we found evidence for a prolonged effect of the cortisol treatment. Persistent retrieval and reconsolidation of traumatic memories is a process that keeps these memories vivid and thereby the disorder alive. By inhibiting memory retrieval, cortisol may weaken the traumatic memory trace, and thus reduce symptoms even beyond the treatment period. In patients with social phobia, we found that a single oral administration of cortisone 1 h before a socio-evaluative stressor significantly reduced self-reported fear during the anticipation-, exposure-, and recovery phase of the stressor. In subjects with spider phobia, repeated oral administration of cortisol 1 h before exposure to a spider photograph induced a progressive reduction of stimulus-induced fear. This effect was maintained when subjects were exposed to the stimulus again two days after the last cortisol administration, indicating that cortisol facilitated the extinction of phobic fear. In conclusion, by a common mechanism of reducing the retrieval of aversive memories, glucocorticoids may be suited for the treatment of PTSD as well as phobias. More studies are needed to further evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of glucocorticoids in the treatment of anxiety disorders and to explore the potential of combining glucocorticoid treatment with psychotherapy.

The Hippocampus Supports High-Resolution Binding in the Service of Perception, Working Memory and Long-Term Memory

PubMed Central

Yonelinas, Andrew P.

2013-01-01

It is well established that the hippocampus plays a critical role in our ability to recollect past events. A number of recent studies have indicated that the hippocampus may also play a critical role in working memory and perception, but these results have been highly controversial because other similar studies have failed to find evidence for hippocampal involvement. Thus, the precise role that the hippocampus plays in cognition is still debated. In the current paper, I propose that the hippocampus supports the generation and utilization of complex high-resolution bindings that link together the qualitative aspects that make up an event; these bindings are essential for recollection, and they can also contribute to performance across a variety of tasks including perception and working memory. An examination of the existing patient literature provides support for this proposal by showing that hippocampal damage leads to impairments on perception and working memory tasks that require complex high-resolution bindings. Conversely, hippocampal damage is much less likely to lead to impairments on tasks that require only low-resolution or simple associations/relations. The current proposal can be distinguished from earlier accounts of hippocampal function, and it generates a number of novel predictions that can be tested in future studies. PMID:23721964

Extinction of Contextual Fear with Timed Exposure to Enriched Environment: A Differential Effect

PubMed Central

Hegde, Preethi; O'Mara, Shane; Laxmi, Thenkanidiyoor Rao

2017-01-01

Background Extinction of fear memory depends on the environmental and emotional cues. Furthermore, consolidation of extinction is also dependent on the environmental exposure. But, the relationship of the time of the exposure to a variety of environmental cues is not well known. The important region involved in facilitation of extinction of fear memory is through diversion of the flow of information leaving the lateral nucleus of amygdala. Purpose The study aimed to address a question to explain how these brain regions react to environmental stimulation during the retention and extinction of fear memory. Methods An enriched environment (EE) is assumed to mediate extinction of fear memory, we examined the apparent discrepancy between the effects of defensive response, the freezing behavior induced by Pavlovian classical fear conditioning by subjecting them to variance in the timing to EE. The different timing of EE exposure was 10 days of EE either before fear conditioning and/or after extinction training to the rats. The local field potentials was recorded from CA1 hippocampus, lateral nucleus of amygdala and infralimbic region of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during the fear learning and extinction from the control rats and rats exposed to EE before and after fear conditioning. Results Exposure to EE before the fear conditioning and after extinction training was more effective in the extinction fear memory. In addition, we also found switching from exploratory locomotion to freezing during retention of contextual fear memory which was associated with decreased theta power and reduced synchronized theta oscillations in CA1-hippocampus, lateral nucleus of amygdala, and infralimbic region of mPFC. Conclusion Thus, we propose that the timing of exposure to EE play a key role in the extinction of fear memory. PMID:28588364

Monoterpenoid-based preparations in beehives affect learning, memory, and gene expression in the bee brain.

PubMed

Bonnafé, Elsa; Alayrangues, Julie; Hotier, Lucie; Massou, Isabelle; Renom, Allan; Souesme, Guillaume; Marty, Pierre; Allaoua, Marion; Treilhou, Michel; Armengaud, Catherine

2017-02-01

Bees are exposed in their environment to contaminants that can weaken the colony and contribute to bee declines. Monoterpenoid-based preparations can be introduced into hives to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. The long-term effects of monoterpenoids are poorly investigated. Olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex (PER) has been used to evaluate the impact of stressors on cognitive functions of the honeybee such as learning and memory. The authors tested the PER to odorants on bees after exposure to monoterpenoids in hives. Octopamine receptors, transient receptor potential-like (TRPL), and γ-aminobutyric acid channels are thought to play a critical role in the memory of food experience. Gene expression levels of Amoa1, Rdl, and trpl were evaluated in parallel in the bee brain because these genes code for the cellular targets of monoterpenoids and some pesticides and neural circuits of memory require their expression. The miticide impaired the PER to odors in the 3 wk following treatment. Short-term and long-term olfactory memories were improved months after introduction of the monoterpenoids into the beehives. Chronic exposure to the miticide had significant effects on Amoa1, Rdl, and trpl gene expressions and modified seasonal changes in the expression of these genes in the brain. The decrease of expression of these genes in winter could partly explain the improvement of memory. The present study has led to new insights into alternative treatments, especially on their effects on memory and expression of selected genes involved in this cognitive function. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:337-345. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

More than a filter: Feature-based attention regulates the distribution of visual working memory resources.

PubMed

Dube, Blaire; Emrich, Stephen M; Al-Aidroos, Naseem

2017-10-01

Across 2 experiments we revisited the filter account of how feature-based attention regulates visual working memory (VWM). Originally drawing from discrete-capacity ("slot") models, the filter account proposes that attention operates like the "bouncer in the brain," preventing distracting information from being encoded so that VWM resources are reserved for relevant information. Given recent challenges to the assumptions of discrete-capacity models, we investigated whether feature-based attention plays a broader role in regulating memory. Both experiments used partial report tasks in which participants memorized the colors of circle and square stimuli, and we provided a feature-based goal by manipulating the likelihood that 1 shape would be probed over the other across a range of probabilities. By decomposing participants' responses using mixture and variable-precision models, we estimated the contributions of guesses, nontarget responses, and imprecise memory representations to their errors. Consistent with the filter account, participants were less likely to guess when the probed memory item matched the feature-based goal. Interestingly, this effect varied with goal strength, even across high probabilities where goal-matching information should always be prioritized, demonstrating strategic control over filter strength. Beyond this effect of attention on which stimuli were encoded, we also observed effects on how they were encoded: Estimates of both memory precision and nontarget errors varied continuously with feature-based attention. The results offer support for an extension to the filter account, where feature-based attention dynamically regulates the distribution of resources within working memory so that the most relevant items are encoded with the greatest precision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Dentate Gyrus Contributes to Retrieval as well as Encoding: Evidence from Context Fear Conditioning, Recall, and Extinction

PubMed Central

Krasne, Franklin B.

2017-01-01

Dentate gyrus (DG) is widely thought to provide a teaching signal that enables hippocampal encoding of memories, but its role during retrieval is poorly understood. Some data and models suggest that DG plays no role in retrieval; others encourage the opposite conclusion. To resolve this controversy, we evaluated the effects of optogenetic inhibition of dorsal DG during context fear conditioning, recall, generalization, and extinction in male mice. We found that (1) inhibition during training impaired context fear acquisition; (2) inhibition during recall did not impair fear expression in the training context, unless mice had to distinguish between similar feared and neutral contexts; (3) inhibition increased generalization of fear to an unfamiliar context that was similar to a feared one and impaired fear expression in the conditioned context when it was similar to a neutral one; and (4) inhibition impaired fear extinction. These effects, as well as several seemingly contradictory published findings, could be reproduced by BACON (Bayesian Context Fear Algorithm), a physiologically realistic hippocampal model positing that acquisition and retrieval both involve coordinated activity in DG and CA3. Our findings thus suggest that DG contributes to retrieval and extinction, as well as to the initial establishment of context fear. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite abundant evidence that the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) plays a critical role in memory, it remains unclear whether the role of DG relates to memory acquisition or retrieval. Using contextual fear conditioning and optogenetic inhibition, we show that DG contributes to both of these processes. Using computational simulations, we identify specific mechanisms through which the suppression of DG affects memory performance. Finally, we show that DG contributes to fear extinction learning, a process in which learned fear is attenuated through exposures to a fearful context in the absence of threat. Our data resolve a long-standing question about the role of DG in memory and provide insight into how disorders affecting DG, including aging, stress, and depression, influence cognitive processes. PMID:28546308

Oscillatory power decreases and long-term memory: the information via desynchronization hypothesis

PubMed Central

Hanslmayr, Simon; Staudigl, Tobias; Fellner, Marie-Christin

2012-01-01

The traditional belief is that brain oscillations are important for human long-term memory, because they induce synchronized firing between cell assemblies which shapes synaptic plasticity. Therefore, most prior studies focused on the role of synchronization for episodic memory, as reflected in theta (∼5 Hz) and gamma (>40 Hz) power increases. These studies, however, neglect the role that is played by neural desynchronization, which is usually reflected in power decreases in the alpha and beta frequency band (8–30 Hz). In this paper we present a first idea, derived from information theory that gives a mechanistic explanation of how neural desynchronization aids human memory encoding and retrieval. Thereby we will review current studies investigating the role of alpha and beta power decreases during long-term memory tasks and show that alpha and beta power decreases play an important and active role for human memory. Applying mathematical models of information theory, we demonstrate that neural desynchronization is positively related to the richness of information represented in the brain, thereby enabling encoding and retrieval of long-term memories. This information via desynchronization hypothesis makes several predictions, which can be tested in future experiments. PMID:22514527

Oscillatory power decreases and long-term memory: the information via desynchronization hypothesis.

PubMed

Hanslmayr, Simon; Staudigl, Tobias; Fellner, Marie-Christin

2012-01-01

The traditional belief is that brain oscillations are important for human long-term memory, because they induce synchronized firing between cell assemblies which shapes synaptic plasticity. Therefore, most prior studies focused on the role of synchronization for episodic memory, as reflected in theta (∼5 Hz) and gamma (>40 Hz) power increases. These studies, however, neglect the role that is played by neural desynchronization, which is usually reflected in power decreases in the alpha and beta frequency band (8-30 Hz). In this paper we present a first idea, derived from information theory that gives a mechanistic explanation of how neural desynchronization aids human memory encoding and retrieval. Thereby we will review current studies investigating the role of alpha and beta power decreases during long-term memory tasks and show that alpha and beta power decreases play an important and active role for human memory. Applying mathematical models of information theory, we demonstrate that neural desynchronization is positively related to the richness of information represented in the brain, thereby enabling encoding and retrieval of long-term memories. This information via desynchronization hypothesis makes several predictions, which can be tested in future experiments.

Defining the cognitive enhancing properties of video games: Steps Towards Standardization and Translation.

PubMed

Goodwin, Shikha Jain; Dziobek, Derek

2016-09-01

Ever since video games were available to the general public, they have intrigued brain researchers for many reasons. There is an enormous amount of diversity in the video game research, ranging from types of video games used, the amount of time spent playing video games, the definition of video gamer versus non-gamer to the results obtained after playing video games. In this paper, our goal is to provide a critical discussion of these issues, along with some steps towards generalization using the discussion of an article published by Clemenson and Stark (2005) as the starting point. The authors used a distinction between 2D versus 3D video games to compare their effects on the learning and memory in humans. The primary hypothesis of the authors is that the exploration of virtual environments while playing video games is a human correlate of environment enrichment. Authors found that video gamers performed better than the non-video gamers, and if non-gamers are trained on playing video gamers, 3D games provide better environment enrichment compared to 2D video games, as indicated by better memory scores. The end goal of standardization in video games is to be able to translate the field so that the results can be used for greater good.

Defining the cognitive enhancing properties of video games: Steps Towards Standardization and Translation

PubMed Central

Goodwin, Shikha Jain; Dziobek, Derek

2016-01-01

Ever since video games were available to the general public, they have intrigued brain researchers for many reasons. There is an enormous amount of diversity in the video game research, ranging from types of video games used, the amount of time spent playing video games, the definition of video gamer versus non-gamer to the results obtained after playing video games. In this paper, our goal is to provide a critical discussion of these issues, along with some steps towards generalization using the discussion of an article published by Clemenson and Stark (2005) as the starting point. The authors used a distinction between 2D versus 3D video games to compare their effects on the learning and memory in humans. The primary hypothesis of the authors is that the exploration of virtual environments while playing video games is a human correlate of environment enrichment. Authors found that video gamers performed better than the non-video gamers, and if non-gamers are trained on playing video gamers, 3D games provide better environment enrichment compared to 2D video games, as indicated by better memory scores. The end goal of standardization in video games is to be able to translate the field so that the results can be used for greater good. PMID:27747256

Linear Optics Simulation of Quantum Non-Markovian Dynamics

PubMed Central

Chiuri, Andrea; Greganti, Chiara; Mazzola, Laura; Paternostro, Mauro; Mataloni, Paolo

2012-01-01

The simulation of open quantum dynamics has recently allowed the direct investigation of the features of system-environment interaction and of their consequences on the evolution of a quantum system. Such interaction threatens the quantum properties of the system, spoiling them and causing the phenomenon of decoherence. Sometimes however a coherent exchange of information takes place between system and environment, memory effects arise and the dynamics of the system becomes non-Markovian. Here we report the experimental realisation of a non-Markovian process where system and environment are coupled through a simulated transverse Ising model. By engineering the evolution in a photonic quantum simulator, we demonstrate the role played by system-environment correlations in the emergence of memory effects. PMID:23236588

Imagery Rescripting of Early Traumatic Memories in Social Phobia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wild, Jennifer; Clark, David M.

2011-01-01

Negative self-images appear to play a role in the maintenance of social phobia and research suggests they are often linked to earlier memories of socially traumatic events. Imagery rescripting is a clinical intervention that aims to update such unpleasant or traumatic memories, and is increasingly being incorporated in cognitive behavioral therapy…

Insulin Receptor Signaling in Long-Term Memory Consolidation Following Spatial Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dou, Jing-Tao; Chen, Min; Dufour, Franck; Alkon, Daniel L.; Zhao, Wei-Qin

2005-01-01

Evidence has shown that the insulin and insulin receptor (IR) play a role in cognitive function. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying insulin's action on learning and memory are not yet understood. Here we investigated changes in long-term memory-associated expression of the IR and downstream molecules in the rat hippocampus. After…

Cooperation between the Hippocampus and the Striatum during Episodic Encoding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadeh, Talya; Shohamy, Daphna; Levy, Dana Rubi; Reggev, Niv; Maril, Anat

2011-01-01

The hippocampus and the striatum are thought to play distinct roles in learning and memory, each supporting an independent memory system. A fundamental question is whether, and how, these systems interact to jointly contribute to learning and memory. In particular, it remains unknown whether the striatum contributes selectively to implicit,…

Region-Specific Involvement of Actin Rearrangement-Related Synaptic Structure Alterations in Conditioned Taste Aversion Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bi, Ai-Ling; Wang, Yue; Li, Bo-Qin; Wang, Qian-Qian; Ma, Ling; Yu, Hui; Zhao, Ling; Chen, Zhe-Yu

2010-01-01

Actin rearrangement plays an essential role in learning and memory; however, the spatial and temporal regulation of actin dynamics in different phases of associative memory has not been fully understood. Here, using the conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm, we investigated the region-specific involvement of actin rearrangement-related…

Reading Comprehension and Working Memory's Executive Processes: An Intervention Study in Primary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia-Madruga, Juan A.; Elosua, Maria Rosa; Gil, Laura; Gomez-Veiga, Isabel; Vila, Jose Oscar; Orjales, Isabel; Contreras, Antonio; Rodriguez, Raquel; Melero, Maria Angeles; Duque, Gonzalo

2013-01-01

Reading comprehension is a highly demanding task that involves the simultaneous process of extracting and constructing meaning in which working memory's executive processes play a crucial role. In this article, a training program on working memory's executive processes to improve reading comprehension is presented and empirically tested in two…

Parental Behaviors in a Memory Relevant Setting: How Parents "Teach" Children to Remember.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Justice, Elaine M.; Coley, Denise D.

The behavior of mothers interacting with their preschoolers in a memory-relevant situation was examined. Ten 3-year-olds and their mothers were videotaped playing a game requiring memory for the location of hidden pictures. Frequency of nine categories of parental behavior was scored: naming, verbal orienting, physical orienting, physical…

Transient Relay Function of Midline Thalamic Nuclei during Long-Term Memory Consolidation in Humans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thielen, Jan-Willem; Takashima, Atsuko; Rutters, Femke; Tendolkar, Indira; Fernández, Guillén

2015-01-01

To test the hypothesis that thalamic midline nuclei play a transient role in memory consolidation, we reanalyzed a prospective functional MRI study, contrasting recent and progressively more remote memory retrieval. We revealed a transient thalamic connectivity increase with the hippocampus, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and a…

How Does Working Memory Work in the Classroom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alloway, Tracy Packiam

2006-01-01

Working memory plays a key role in supporting children's learning over the school years, and beyond this into adulthood. It is proposed here that working memory is crucially required to store information while other material is being mentally manipulated during the classroom learning activities that form the foundations for the acquisition of…

Working memory for braille is shaped by experience

PubMed Central

Scherzer, Peter; Viau, Robert; Voss, Patrice; Lepore, Franco

2011-01-01

Tactile working memory was found to be more developed in completely blind (congenital and acquired) than in semi-sighted subjects, indicating that experience plays a crucial role in shaping working memory. A model of working memory, adapted from the classical model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch1 and Baddeley2 is presented where the connection strengths of a highly cross-modal network are altered through experience. PMID:21655448

Telomerase Is Involved in IL-7-Mediated Differential Survival of Naive and Memory CD4+ T Cells1

PubMed Central

Yang, Yinhua; An, Jie; Weng, Nan-ping

2008-01-01

IL-7 plays an essential role in T cell maintenance and survival. The survival effect of IL-7 is thought to be mediated through regulation of Bcl2 family proteins. After a comparative analysis of IL-7-induced growth and cell death of human naive and memory CD4+ T cells, we observed that more memory CD4+ T cells underwent cell division and proceeded to apoptosis than naive cells in response to IL-7. However, IL-7-induced expressions of Bcl2 family members (Bcl2, Bcl-xL, Bax, and Bad) were similar between naive and memory cells. Instead, we found that IL-7 induced higher levels of telomerase activity in naive cells than in memory cells, and the levels of IL-7-induced telomerase activity had a significant inverse correlation with cell death in CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, we showed that reducing expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase and telomerase activity significantly increased cell death of IL-7-cultured CD4+ T cells. Together, these findings demonstrate that telomerase is involved in IL-7-mediated differential survival of naive and memory CD4+ T cells. PMID:18322183

Effects of 5-HT and insulin on learning and memory formation in food-deprived snails.

PubMed

Aonuma, Hitoshi; Totani, Yuki; Kaneda, Mugiho; Nakamura, Ryota; Watanabe, Takayuki; Hatakeyama, Dai; Dyakonova, Varvara E; Lukowiak, Ken; Ito, Etsuro

2018-02-01

The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis learns conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and consolidates it into long-term memory (LTM). How well they learn and form memory depends on the degree of food deprivation. Serotonin (5-HT) plays an important role in mediating feeding, and insulin enhances the memory consolidation process following CTA training. However, the relationship between these two signaling pathways has not been addressed. We measured the 5-HT content in the central nervous system (CNS) of snails subjected to different durations of food deprivation. One-day food-deprived snails, which exhibit the best learning and memory, had the lowest 5-HT content in the CNS, whereas 5-day food-deprived snails, which do not learn, had a high 5-HT content. Immersing 1-day food-deprived snails in 5-HT impaired learning and memory by causing an increase in 5-HT content, and that the injection of insulin into these snails reversed this impairment. We conclude that insulin rescues the CTA deficit and this may be due to a decrease in the 5-HT content in the CNS of Lymnaea. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simulating Memory Impairment for Child Sexual Abuse.

PubMed

Newton, Jeremy W; Hobbs, Sue D

2015-08-01

The current study investigated effects of simulated memory impairment on recall of child sexual abuse (CSA) information. A total of 144 adults were tested for memory of a written CSA scenario in which they role-played as the victim. There were four experimental groups and two testing sessions. During Session 1, participants read a CSA story and recalled it truthfully (Genuine group), omitted CSA information (Omission group), exaggerated CSA information (Commission group), or did not recall the story at all (No Rehearsal group). One week later, at Session 2, all participants were told to recount the scenario truthfully, and their memory was then tested using free recall and cued recall questions. The Session 1 manipulation affected memory accuracy during Session 2. Specifically, compared with the Genuine group's performance, the Omission, Commission, or No Rehearsal groups' performance was characterized by increased omission and commission errors and decreased reporting of correct details. Victim blame ratings (i.e., victim responsibility and provocativeness) and participant gender predicted increased error and decreased accuracy, whereas perpetrator blame ratings predicted decreased error and increased accuracy. Findings are discussed in relation to factors that may affect memory for CSA information. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The role of the central histaminergic receptors in the exercise-induced improvements of the spatial learning and memory in rats.

PubMed

Taati, Majid; Moghaddasi, Mehrnoush; Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Pourkhodadad, Soheila; Nayebzadeh, Hassan

2014-10-31

While it is well known that exercise can improve cognitive performance, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. There is now evidence that histamine can modulate learning and memory in different types of behavioral tasks. The present study was designed to examine the possible role of central histamine H1 and H2 receptors in forced treadmill running-induced enhancement of learning and memory in rats. For this purpose the animals received intracerebroventricularly chlorpheniramine (H1 receptor blocker) and cimetidine (H2 receptor blocker) before each day of fifteen consecutive days of exercise. Then their learning and memory were tested on the water maze task using a four-trial-per-day for 4 consecutive days. A probe trial was performed after the last training day. Our data showed that cimetidine reversed the exercise-induced improvement in learning and memory in rats; however, this was not the case regarding chlorpheniramine. Our findings indicate that central histamine H2 receptors play an important role in mediating the beneficial effects of forced exercise on learning and memory. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pharmacological inhibition of 2-arachidonoilglycerol hydrolysis enhances memory consolidation in rats through CB2 receptor activation and mTOR signaling modulation.

PubMed

Ratano, Patrizia; Petrella, Carla; Forti, Fabrizio; Passeri, Pamela Petrocchi; Morena, Maria; Palmery, Maura; Trezza, Viviana; Severini, Cinzia; Campolongo, Patrizia

2018-05-26

The endocannabinoid system is a key modulator of memory consolidation for aversive experiences. We recently found that the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597, which increases anandamide levels by inhibiting its hydrolysis, facilitates memory consolidation through a concurrent activation of both cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and 2 (CB2). Here, we investigated the role played on memory consolidation by the other major endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). To this aim, we tested the effects of pharmacological inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) through systemic administration of the MAGL inhibitor JZL184 to rats immediately after training of the inhibitory avoidance task. Pharmacological enhancement of 2-AG tone facilitated memory consolidation through activation of CB2 receptor signaling. Moreover, we found that increased 2-AG signaling prevented the activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in the hippocampus through a CB2-dependent mechanism. Our results identify a fundamental role for 2-AG and CB2 receptors in the modulation of memory consolidation for aversive experiences. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved Digit Span in Children after a 6-Week Intervention of Playing a Musical Instrument: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Guo, Xia; Ohsawa, Chie; Suzuki, Akiko; Sekiyama, Kaoru

2018-01-01

Previous studies have reported that music training not only improves children's musical skills, but also enhances their cognitive functions. However, there is a disagreement about what domain(s) might be affected. Moreover, effects of short-term (

Improved Digit Span in Children after a 6-Week Intervention of Playing a Musical Instrument: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Guo, Xia; Ohsawa, Chie; Suzuki, Akiko; Sekiyama, Kaoru

2017-01-01

Previous studies have reported that music training not only improves children's musical skills, but also enhances their cognitive functions. However, there is a disagreement about what domain(s) might be affected. Moreover, effects of short-term (

Effects of sublethal doses of thiacloprid and its formulation Calypso® on the learning and memory performance of honey bees.

PubMed

Tison, Léa; Holtz, Sophie; Adeoye, Amy; Kalkan, Önder; Irmisch, Nina S; Lehmann, Nadja; Menzel, Randolf

2017-10-15

Learning and memory play a central role in the behavior and communication of foraging bees. We have previously shown that chronic uptake of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid affects the behavior of honey bees in the field. Foraging behavior, homing success, navigation performance and social communication were impaired. Thiacloprid collected at a feeding site at low doses accumulates in foragers over time. Here, we applied a laboratory standard procedure (the proboscis-extension response conditioning) in order to assess which processes, acquisition, memory consolidation and/or memory retrieval were compromised after bees were fed either with thiacloprid or the formulation of thiacloprid named Calypso ® at different sublethal doses. Extinction and generalization tests allowed us to investigate whether bees respond to a learned stimulus, and how selectively. We showed that thiacloprid, as active substance and as formulation, poses a substantial risk to honey bees by disrupting learning and memory functions. These data support and specify the data collected in the field. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Mechanisms of hippocampal long-term depression are required for memory enhancement by novelty exploration.

PubMed

Dong, Zhifang; Gong, Bo; Li, Hongjie; Bai, Yanrui; Wu, Xiaoyan; Huang, Yan; He, Wenting; Li, Tingyu; Wang, Yu Tian

2012-08-29

It is well known that novel environments can enhance learning and memory. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report that, in freely moving rats, novelty exploration facilitates the production of hippocampal CA1 long-term depression (LTD), a well characterized form of synaptic plasticity believed to be a cellular substrate of spatial learning, and thereby converts short-term memory (STM) into long-term memory (LTM) in an inhibitory avoidance learning procedure. Blocking the induction or the expression of CA1 LTD with two mechanistically and structurally distinct inhibitors prevents not only novelty acquisition but also the novelty exploration-promoted conversion of STM into LTM. Moreover, production of LTD with a strong electrical stimulation induction protocol or facilitation of hippocampal LTD by pharmacological inhibition of glutamate transporter activity mimics the behavioral effects of novelty exploration, sufficiently promoting the conversion of STM into LTM. Together, our findings suggest that induction of LTD may play an essential role not only in novelty acquisition but also in novelty-mediated memory enhancement.

Reconsolidation and update of morphine-associated contextual memory in mice.

PubMed

Escosteguy-Neto, Joao Carlos; Varela, Patricia; Correa-Neto, Nelson Francisco; Coelho, Laura Segismundo; Onaivi, Emmanuel S; Santos-Junior, Jair Guilherme

2016-04-01

Drug addiction can be viewed as a pathological memory that is constantly retrieved and reconsolidated. Since drug abuse takes place in different contexts, it could be considered that reconsolidation plays a role in memory updating. There is consistent evidence supporting the role of reconsolidation in the strength and maintenance of contextual memories induced by drugs of abuse. However, this role is not well established in memory update. The purpose of the current study was to assess the reconsolidation process over memory update. C57BL6 mice were subjected to a morphine-induced, conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Based on CPP results, animals were divided into distinct experimental groups, according to the contextual characteristics of the re-exposure and a second CPP Test. Re-exposure in the original context was important for memory maintenance and re-exposure under discrete contextual changes resulted in memory updating, although original memory was maintained. Interestingly, cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, had different outcomes in our protocol. When the re-exposure was done under discrete contextual changes, cycloheximide treatment just after re-exposure blocked memory updating, without changes in memory maintenance. When re-exposure was done under the original context, only two subsequent cycloheximide injections (3 and 6h) disrupted later CPP expression. Considering the temporal window of protein synthesis in consolidation and reconsolidation, these findings suggest that re-exposure, according to the contextual characteristics in our protocol, could trigger both phenomena. Furthermore, when new information is present on retrieval, reconsolidation plays a pivotal role in memory updating. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sarcosine attenuates toluene-induced motor incoordination, memory impairment, and hypothermia but not brain stimulation reward enhancement in mice

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

Chan, Ming-Huan; Institute of Neuroscience, National Changchi University, Taipei, Taiwan; Chung, Shiang-Sheng

Toluene, a widely used and commonly abused organic solvent, produces various behavioral disturbances, including motor incoordination and cognitive impairment. Toluene alters the function of a large number of receptors and ion channels. Blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has been suggested to play a critical role in toluene-induced behavioral manifestations. The present study determined the effects of various toluene doses on motor coordination, recognition memory, body temperature, and intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) thresholds in mice. Additionally, the effects of sarcosine on the behavioral and physiological effects induced by toluene were evaluated. Sarcosine may reverse toluene-induced behavioral manifestations by acting as an NMDAmore » receptor co-agonist and by inhibiting the effects of the type I glycine transporter (GlyT1). Mice were treated with toluene alone or combined with sarcosine pretreatment and assessed for rotarod performance, object recognition memory, rectal temperature, and ICSS thresholds. Toluene dose-dependently induced motor incoordination, recognition memory impairment, and hypothermia and lowered ICSS thresholds. Sarcosine pretreatment reversed toluene-induced changes in rotarod performance, novel object recognition, and rectal temperature but not ICSS thresholds. These findings suggest that the sarcosine-induced potentiation of NMDA receptors may reverse motor incoordination, memory impairment, and hypothermia but not the enhancement of brain stimulation reward function associated with toluene exposure. Sarcosine may be a promising compound to prevent acute toluene intoxications by occupational or intentional exposure. -- Highlights: ► Toluene induces impairments in Rotarod test and novel object recognition test. ► Toluene lowers rectal temperature and ICSS thresholds in mice. ► Sarcosine reverses toluene-induced changes in motor, memory and body temperature. ► Sarcosine pretreatment does not affect toluene-induced reward enhancement.« less

Sex-Dependent Effects of Prenatal Stress on Social Memory in Rats: A Role for Differential Expression of Central Vasopressin-1a Receptors.

PubMed

Grundwald, N J; Benítez, D P; Brunton, P J

2016-04-01

Prenatal stress (PNS) affects a number of traits in the offspring, including stress axis regulation, emotionality and cognition; however, much less is known about the effects of PNS on social memory and the underlying central mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated social preference, social memory under basal and stress conditions and olfactory memory for social and nonsocial odours in the adult offspring of dams exposed to social stress during late pregnancy. Given the key roles that the central oxytocin and vasopressin systems play in facilitating social memory, we further investigated the effects of PNS on the central expression of mRNA for oxytocin (Oxtr) and vasopressin-1a (Avpr1a) receptors. PNS did not affect social preference in either sex; however, social memory was impaired under basal conditions in PNS females but not PNS males. Accordingly, Avpr1a mRNA expression in the lateral septum and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) was unaltered in males but was significantly lower in PNS females compared to controls. No differences in Oxtr mRNA expression were detected between control and PNS offspring in either sex in any of the brain regions examined. Social memory deficits in PNS females persisted when social odours were used; however, this does not appear to be a result of impaired olfaction because memory for nonsocial odours was similar in control and PNS females. Under acute stress conditions, deficits in social memory were observed in both male and female control offspring; however, PNS males were unaffected. Moreover, acute stress facilitated social memory in PNS females and this was associated with an up-regulation of Avpr1a mRNA in the lateral septum and BNST. Our data support a role for altered signalling via central Avpr1a in PNS-induced sex-dependent changes in social memory and may have implications for understanding the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders characterised by social behaviour deficits in humans. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Neuroendocrinology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

Attention and implicit memory: priming-induced benefits and costs have distinct attentional requirements.

PubMed

Keane, Margaret M; Cruz, Matt E; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-02-01

Attention at encoding plays a critical and ubiquitous role in explicit memory performance, but its role in implicit memory performance (i.e., priming) is more variable: some, but not all, priming effects are reduced by division of attention at encoding. A wealth of empirical and theoretical work has aimed to define the critical features of priming effects that do or do not require attention at encoding. This work, however, has focused exclusively on priming effects that are beneficial in nature (wherein performance is enhanced by prior exposure to task stimuli), and has overlooked priming effects that are costly in nature (wherein performance is harmed by prior exposure to task stimuli). The present study takes up this question by examining the effect of divided attention on priming-induced costs and benefits in a speeded picture-naming task. Experiment 1 shows that the costs, but not the benefits, are eliminated by division of attention at encoding. Experiment 2 shows that the costs (as well as the benefits) in this task are intact in amnesic participants, demonstrating that the elimination of the cost in the divided attention condition in Experiment 1 was not an artifact of the reduced availability of explicit memory in that condition. We suggest that the differential role of attention in priming-induced performance costs and benefits is linked to differences in response competition associated with these effects. This interpretation situates the present findings within a theoretical framework that has been applied to a broad range of facilitatory priming effects.

The relation between receptive grammar and procedural, declarative, and working memory in specific language impairment.

PubMed

Conti-Ramsden, Gina; Ullman, Michael T; Lum, Jarrad A G

2015-01-01

What memory systems underlie grammar in children, and do these differ between typically developing (TD) children and children with specific language impairment (SLI)? Whilst there is substantial evidence linking certain memory deficits to the language problems in children with SLI, few studies have investigated multiple memory systems simultaneously, examining not only possible memory deficits but also memory abilities that may play a compensatory role. This study examined the extent to which procedural, declarative, and working memory abilities predict receptive grammar in 45 primary school aged children with SLI (30 males, 15 females) and 46 TD children (30 males, 16 females), both on average 9;10 years of age. Regression analyses probed measures of all three memory systems simultaneously as potential predictors of receptive grammar. The model was significant, explaining 51.6% of the variance. There was a significant main effect of learning in procedural memory and a significant group × procedural learning interaction. Further investigation of the interaction revealed that procedural learning predicted grammar in TD but not in children with SLI. Indeed, procedural learning was the only predictor of grammar in TD. In contrast, only learning in declarative memory significantly predicted grammar in SLI. Thus, different memory systems are associated with receptive grammar abilities in children with SLI and their TD peers. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate a significant group by memory system interaction in predicting grammar in children with SLI and their TD peers. In line with Ullman's Declarative/Procedural model of language and procedural deficit hypothesis of SLI, variability in understanding sentences of varying grammatical complexity appears to be associated with variability in procedural memory abilities in TD children, but with declarative memory, as an apparent compensatory mechanism, in children with SLI.

Entrainment of prefrontal beta oscillations induces an endogenous echo and impairs memory formation.

PubMed

Hanslmayr, Simon; Matuschek, Jonas; Fellner, Marie-Christin

2014-04-14

Brain oscillations across all frequency bands play a key role for memory formation. Specifically, desynchronization of local neuronal assemblies in the left inferior prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the beta frequency (∼18 Hz) has been shown to be central for encoding of verbal memories. However, it remains elusive whether prefrontal beta desynchronization is causally relevant for memory formation and whether these endogenous beta oscillations can be entrained by external stimulation. By using combined EEG-TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), we here address these fundamental questions in human participants performing a word-list learning task. Confirming our predictions, memory encoding was selectively impaired when the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was driven at beta (18.7 Hz) compared to stimulation at other frequencies (6.8 Hz and 10.7 Hz) and to ineffective sham stimulation (18.7 Hz). Furthermore, a sustained oscillatory "echo" in the left IFG, which outlasted the stimulation period by approximately 1.5 s, was observed solely after beta stimulation. The strength of this beta echo was related to memory impairment on a between-subjects level. These results show endogenous oscillatory entrainment effects and behavioral impairment selectively in beta frequency for stimulation of the left IFG, demonstrating an intimate causal relationship between prefrontal beta desynchronization and memory formation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of environmental harshness on neurogenesis: a large-scale comparison.

PubMed

Chancellor, Leia V; Roth, Timothy C; LaDage, Lara D; Pravosudov, Vladimir V

2011-03-01

Harsh environmental conditions may produce strong selection pressure on traits, such as memory, that may enhance fitness. Enhanced memory may be crucial for survival in animals that use memory to find food and, thus, particularly important in environments where food sources may be unpredictable. For example, animals that cache and later retrieve their food may exhibit enhanced spatial memory in harsh environments compared with those in mild environments. One way that selection may enhance memory is via the hippocampus, a brain region involved in spatial memory. In a previous study, we established a positive relationship between environmental severity and hippocampal morphology in food-caching black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Here, we expanded upon this previous work to investigate the relationship between environmental harshness and neurogenesis, a process that may support hippocampal cytoarchitecture. We report a significant and positive relationship between the degree of environmental harshness across several populations over a large geographic area and (1) the total number of immature hippocampal neurons, (2) the number of immature neurons relative to the hippocampal volume, and (3) the number of immature neurons relative to the total number of hippocampal neurons. Our results suggest that hippocampal neurogenesis may play an important role in environments where increased reliance on memory for cache recovery is critical. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Visual attention and emotional memory: recall of aversive pictures is partially mediated by concurrent task performance.

PubMed

Pottage, Claire L; Schaefer, Alexandre

2012-02-01

The emotional enhancement of memory is often thought to be determined by attention. However, recent evidence using divided attention paradigms suggests that attention does not play a significant role in the formation of memories for aversive pictures. We report a study that investigated this question using a paradigm in which participants had to encode lists of randomly intermixed negative and neutral pictures under conditions of full attention and divided attention followed by a free recall test. Attention was divided by a highly demanding concurrent task tapping visual processing resources. Results showed that the advantage in recall for aversive pictures was still present in the DA condition. However, mediation analyses also revealed that concurrent task performance significantly mediated the emotional enhancement of memory under divided attention. This finding suggests that visual attentional processes play a significant role in the formation of emotional memories. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Paradoxical effects of testing: retrieval enhances both accurate recall and suggestibility in eyewitnesses.

PubMed

Chan, Jason C K; Langley, Moses M

2011-01-01

Although retrieval practice typically enhances memory retention, it can also impair subsequent eyewitness memory accuracy (Chan, Thomas, & Bulevich, 2009). Specifically, participants who had taken an initial test about a witnessed event were more likely than nontested participants to recall subsequently encountered misinformation—an effect we called retrieval-enhanced suggestibility (RES). Here, we sought to test the generality of RES and to further elucidate its underlying mechanisms. To that end, we tested a dual mechanism account, which suggests that RES occurs because initial testing (a) enhances learning of the later misinformation by reducing proactive interference and (b) causes the reactivated memory trace to be more susceptible to later interference (i.e., a reconsolidation account). Three major findings emerged. First, RES was found after a 1-week delay, where a robust testing benefit occurred for event details that were not contradicted by later misinformation. Second, blockage of reconsolidation was unnecessary for RES to occur. Third, initial testing enhanced learning of the misinformation even when proactive interference played a minimal role.

Cannabinoids and glucocorticoids modulate emotional memory after stress.

PubMed

Akirav, Irit

2013-12-01

Bidirectional and functional relationships between glucocorticoids and the endocannabinoid system have been demonstrated. Here, I review the interaction between the endocannabinoid and glucocorticoid/stress systems. Specifically, stress is known to produce rapid changes in endocannabinoid signaling in stress-responsive brain regions. In turn, the endocannabinoid system plays an important role in the downregulation and habituation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity in response to stress. Glucocorticoids also recruit the endocannabinoid system to exert rapid negative feedback control of the HPA axis during stress. It became increasingly clear, however, that cannabinoid CB1 receptors are also abundantly expressed in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and other limbic regions where they modulate emotional arousal effects on memory. Enhancing cannabinoids signaling using exogenous CB1 receptor agonists prevent the effects of acute stress on emotional memory. I propose a model suggesting that the ameliorating effects of exogenously administered cannabinoids on emotional learning after acute stress are mediated by the decrease in the activity of the HPA axis via GABAergic mechanisms in the amygdala. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential association of left and right hippocampal volumes with verbal episodic and spatial memory in older adults.

PubMed

Ezzati, Ali; Katz, Mindy J; Zammit, Andrea R; Lipton, Michael L; Zimmerman, Molly E; Sliwinski, Martin J; Lipton, Richard B

2016-12-01

The hippocampus plays a critical role in verbal and spatial memory, thus any pathological damage to this formation may lead to cognitive impairment. It is suggested that right and left hippocampi are affected differentially in healthy or pathologic aging. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that verbal episodic memory performance is associated with left hippocampal volume (HV) while spatial memory is associated with right HV. 115 non-demented adults over age 70 were drawn from the Einstein Aging Study. Verbal memory was measured using the free recall score from the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test - immediate recall (FCSRT-IR), logical memory immediate and delayed subtests (LM-I and LM-II) from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R). Spatial Memory was measured using a computerized dot memory paradigm that has been validated for use in older adults. All participants underwent 3T MRI with subsequent automatized measurement of the volume of each hippocampus. The sample had a mean age of 78.7 years (SD=5.0); 57% were women, and 52% were white. Participants had a mean of 14.3 years (SD=3.5) of education. In regression models, two tests of verbal memory (FCSRT-IR free recall and LM-II) were positively associated with left HV, but not with right HV. Performance on the spatial memory task was associated with right HV, but not left HV. Our findings support the hypothesis that the left hippocampus plays a critical role in episodic verbal memory, while right hippocampus might be more important for spatial memory processing among non-demented older adults. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene Val66Met polymorphism affects memory performance in older adults.

PubMed

Azeredo, Lucas A de; De Nardi, Tatiana; Levandowski, Mateus L; Tractenberg, Saulo G; Kommers-Molina, Julia; Wieck, Andrea; Irigaray, Tatiana Q; Silva, Irênio G da; Grassi-Oliveira, Rodrigo

2017-01-01

Memory impairment is an important contributor to the reduction in quality of life experienced by older adults, and genetic risk factors seem to contribute to variance in age-related cognitive decline. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an important nerve growth factor linked with development and neural plasticity. The Val66Met polymorphism in the BDNF gene has been associated with impaired episodic memory in adults, but whether this functional variant plays a role in cognitive aging remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on memory performance in a sample of elderly adults. Eighty-seven subjects aged > 55 years were recruited using a community-based convenience sampling strategy in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The logical memory subset of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised was used to assess immediate verbal recall (IVR), delayed verbal recall (DVR), and memory retention rate. BDNF Met allele carriers had lower DVR scores (p = 0.004) and a decline in memory retention (p = 0.017) when compared to Val/Val homozygotes. However, we found no significant differences in IVR between the two groups (p = 0.088). These results support the hypothesis of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism as a risk factor associated with cognitive impairment, corroborating previous findings in young and older adults.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide erases the fear memory and facilitates long-term potentiation in the central nucleus of the amygdala in rats.

PubMed

Wu, Xin; Zhang, Jie-Ting; Liu, Jue; Yang, Si; Chen, Tao; Chen, Jian-Guo; Wang, Fang

2015-11-01

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37 amino acid neuropeptide, which plays a critical role in the central nervous system. CGRP binds to G protein-coupled receptors, including CGRP1, which couples positively to adenylyl cyclase (AC) and protein kinase A (PKA) activation. CGRP and CGRP1 receptors are enriched in central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), the main part of the amygdala, which regulates conditioned fear memories. Here, we reported the importance of CGRP and CGRP1 receptor for synaptic plasticity in the CeA and the extinction of fear memory in rats. Our electrophysiological and behavioral in vitro and in vivo results showed exogenous application of CGRP induced an immediate and lasting long-term potentiation in the basolateral nucleus of amygdala-CeA pathway, but not in the lateral nucleus of amygdala-CeA pathway, while bilateral intra-CeA infusion CGRP (0, 5, 13 and 21 μM/side) dose dependently enhanced fear memory extinction. The effects were blocked by CGRP1 receptor antagonist (CGRP8-37 ), N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors antagonist MK801 and PKA inhibitor H89. These results demonstrate that CGRP can lead to long-term potentiation of basolateral nucleus of amygdala-CeA pathway through a PKA-dependent postsynaptic mechanism that involved N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and enhance the extinction of fear memory in rats. Together, the results strongly support a pivotal role of CGRP in the synaptic plasticity of CeA and extinction of fear memory. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays an essential role in synaptic plasticity in the amygdala and fear memory. We found that CGRP-induced chemical long-term potentiation (LTP) in a dose-dependent way in the BLA-CeA (basolateral and central nucleus of amygdala, respectively) pathway and enhanced fear memory extinction in rats through a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent postsynaptic mechanism that involved NMDA receptors. These results support a pivotal role of CGRP in amygdala. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Skin-resident memory CD4+ T cells enhance protection against Leishmania major infection.

PubMed

Glennie, Nelson D; Yeramilli, Venkata A; Beiting, Daniel P; Volk, Susan W; Weaver, Casey T; Scott, Phillip

2015-08-24

Leishmaniasis causes a significant disease burden worldwide. Although Leishmania-infected patients become refractory to reinfection after disease resolution, effective immune protection has not yet been achieved by human vaccines. Although circulating Leishmania-specific T cells are known to play a critical role in immunity, the role of memory T cells present in peripheral tissues has not been explored. Here, we identify a population of skin-resident Leishmania-specific memory CD4+ T cells. These cells produce IFN-γ and remain resident in the skin when transplanted by skin graft onto naive mice. They function to recruit circulating T cells to the skin in a CXCR3-dependent manner, resulting in better control of the parasites. Our findings are the first to demonstrate that CD4+ TRM cells form in response to a parasitic infection, and indicate that optimal protective immunity to Leishmania, and thus the success of a vaccine, may depend on generating both circulating and skin-resident memory T cells. © 2015 Glennie et al.

Skin-resident memory CD4+ T cells enhance protection against Leishmania major infection

PubMed Central

Glennie, Nelson D.; Yeramilli, Venkata A.; Beiting, Daniel P.; Volk, Susan W.; Weaver, Casey T.

2015-01-01

Leishmaniasis causes a significant disease burden worldwide. Although Leishmania-infected patients become refractory to reinfection after disease resolution, effective immune protection has not yet been achieved by human vaccines. Although circulating Leishmania-specific T cells are known to play a critical role in immunity, the role of memory T cells present in peripheral tissues has not been explored. Here, we identify a population of skin-resident Leishmania-specific memory CD4+ T cells. These cells produce IFN-γ and remain resident in the skin when transplanted by skin graft onto naive mice. They function to recruit circulating T cells to the skin in a CXCR3-dependent manner, resulting in better control of the parasites. Our findings are the first to demonstrate that CD4+ TRM cells form in response to a parasitic infection, and indicate that optimal protective immunity to Leishmania, and thus the success of a vaccine, may depend on generating both circulating and skin-resident memory T cells. PMID:26216123

Calmodulin shuttling mediates cytonuclear signaling to trigger experience-dependent transcription and memory.

PubMed

Cohen, Samuel M; Suutari, Benjamin; He, Xingzhi; Wang, Yang; Sanchez, Sandrine; Tirko, Natasha N; Mandelberg, Nataniel J; Mullins, Caitlin; Zhou, Guangjun; Wang, Shuqi; Kats, Ilona; Salah, Alejandro; Tsien, Richard W; Ma, Huan

2018-06-22

Learning and memory depend on neuronal plasticity originating at the synapse and requiring nuclear gene expression to persist. However, how synapse-to-nucleus communication supports long-term plasticity and behavior has remained elusive. Among cytonuclear signaling proteins, γCaMKII stands out in its ability to rapidly shuttle Ca 2+ /CaM to the nucleus and thus activate CREB-dependent transcription. Here we show that elimination of γCaMKII prevents activity-dependent expression of key genes (BDNF, c-Fos, Arc), inhibits persistent synaptic strengthening, and impairs spatial memory in vivo. Deletion of γCaMKII in adult excitatory neurons exerts similar effects. A point mutation in γCaMKII, previously uncovered in a case of intellectual disability, selectively disrupts CaM sequestration and CaM shuttling. Remarkably, this mutation is sufficient to disrupt gene expression and spatial learning in vivo. Thus, this specific form of cytonuclear signaling plays a key role in learning and memory and contributes to neuropsychiatric disease.

Music and Video Gaming during Breaks: Influence on Habitual versus Goal-Directed Decision Making.

PubMed

Liu, Shuyan; Schad, Daniel J; Kuschpel, Maxim S; Rapp, Michael A; Heinz, Andreas

2016-01-01

Different systems for habitual versus goal-directed control are thought to underlie human decision-making. Working memory is known to shape these decision-making systems and their interplay, and is known to support goal-directed decision making even under stress. Here, we investigated if and how decision systems are differentially influenced by breaks filled with diverse everyday life activities known to modulate working memory performance. We used a within-subject design where young adults listened to music and played a video game during breaks interleaved with trials of a sequential two-step Markov decision task, designed to assess habitual as well as goal-directed decision making. Based on a neurocomputational model of task performance, we observed that for individuals with a rather limited working memory capacity video gaming as compared to music reduced reliance on the goal-directed decision-making system, while a rather large working memory capacity prevented such a decline. Our findings suggest differential effects of everyday activities on key decision-making processes.

Music and Video Gaming during Breaks: Influence on Habitual versus Goal-Directed Decision Making

PubMed Central

Kuschpel, Maxim S.; Rapp, Michael A.; Heinz, Andreas

2016-01-01

Different systems for habitual versus goal-directed control are thought to underlie human decision-making. Working memory is known to shape these decision-making systems and their interplay, and is known to support goal-directed decision making even under stress. Here, we investigated if and how decision systems are differentially influenced by breaks filled with diverse everyday life activities known to modulate working memory performance. We used a within-subject design where young adults listened to music and played a video game during breaks interleaved with trials of a sequential two-step Markov decision task, designed to assess habitual as well as goal-directed decision making. Based on a neurocomputational model of task performance, we observed that for individuals with a rather limited working memory capacity video gaming as compared to music reduced reliance on the goal-directed decision-making system, while a rather large working memory capacity prevented such a decline. Our findings suggest differential effects of everyday activities on key decision-making processes. PMID:26982326

Optimisation of readout performance of phase-change probe memory in terms of capping layer and probe tip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lei; Wright, C. David; Aziz, Mustafa. M.; Yang, Ci Hui; Yang, Guo Wei

2014-11-01

The capping layer and the probe tip that serve as the protective layer and the recording tool, respectively, for phase-change probe memory play an important role on the writing performance of phase-change probe memory, thus receiving considerable attention. On the other hand, their influence on the readout performance of phasechange probe memory has rarely been reported before. A three-dimensional parametric study based on the Laplace equation was therefore conducted to investigate the effect of the capping layer and the probe tip on the resulting reading contrast for the two cases of reading a crystalline bit from an amorphous matrix and reading an amorphous bit from a crystalline matrix. The results indicated that a capping layer with a thickness of 2 nm and an electrical conductivity of 50 Ω-1m-1 is able to provide an appropriate reading contrast for both the cases, while satisfying the previous writing requirement, particularly with the assistance of a platinum silicide probe tip.

Effects of body mass index and education on verbal and nonverbal memory.

PubMed

De Wit, Liselotte; Kirton, Joshua W; O'Shea, Deirdre M; Szymkowicz, Sarah M; McLaren, Molly E; Dotson, Vonetta M

2017-05-01

We previously reported that higher education protects against executive dysfunction related to higher body mass index (BMI) in younger, but not older, adults. We now extend the previous analyses to verbal and nonverbal memory. Fifty-nine healthy, dementia-free community-dwelling adults ranging in age from 18 to 81 years completed the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised (HVLT-R) and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised (BVMT-R). Self-reported years of education served as a proxy for cognitive reserve. We found that more highly educated individuals maintained their BVMT-R immediate recall performance across the range of BMI, but in less educated individuals, higher BMI was associated with worse performance. Our findings suggest that education may play a protective role against BMI-related nonverbal learning deficits, similar to previous reports for verbal memory and executive functioning. Results highlight the importance of considering educational background when determining the risk for BMI-related cognitive impairment in clinical settings.

Memory: Organization and Control

PubMed Central

Eichenbaum, Howard

2017-01-01

A major goal of memory research is to understand how cognitive processes in memory are supported at the level of brain systems and network representations. Especially promising in this direction are new findings in humans and animals that converge in indicating a key role for the hippocampus in the systematic organization of memories. New findings also indicate that the prefrontal cortex may play an equally important role in the active control of memory organization during both encoding and retrieval. Observations about the dialog between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex provide new insights into the operation of the larger brain system that serves memory. PMID:27687117

Semantic and Syntactic Interference in Sentence Comprehension: A Comparison of Working Memory Models

PubMed Central

Tan, Yingying; Martin, Randi C.; Van Dyke, Julie A.

2017-01-01

This study investigated the nature of the underlying working memory system supporting sentence processing through examining individual differences in sensitivity to retrieval interference effects during sentence comprehension. Interference effects occur when readers incorrectly retrieve sentence constituents which are similar to those required during integrative processes. We examined interference arising from a partial match between distracting constituents and syntactic and semantic cues, and related these interference effects to performance on working memory, short-term memory (STM), vocabulary, and executive function tasks. For online sentence comprehension, as measured by self-paced reading, the magnitude of individuals' syntactic interference effects was predicted by general WM capacity and the relation remained significant when partialling out vocabulary, indicating that the effects were not due to verbal knowledge. For offline sentence comprehension, as measured by responses to comprehension questions, both general WM capacity and vocabulary knowledge interacted with semantic interference for comprehension accuracy, suggesting that both general WM capacity and the quality of semantic representations played a role in determining how well interference was resolved offline. For comprehension question reaction times, a measure of semantic STM capacity interacted with semantic but not syntactic interference. However, a measure of phonological capacity (digit span) and a general measure of resistance to response interference (Stroop effect) did not predict individuals' interference resolution abilities in either online or offline sentence comprehension. The results are discussed in relation to the multiple capacities account of working memory (e.g., Martin and Romani, 1994; Martin and He, 2004), and the cue-based retrieval parsing approach (e.g., Lewis et al., 2006; Van Dyke et al., 2014). While neither approach was fully supported, a possible means of reconciling the two approaches and directions for future research are proposed. PMID:28261133

Involvement of Working Memory in Longitudinal Development of Number-Magnitude Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolkman, Meijke E.; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H.; Leseman, Paul P. M.

2014-01-01

The ability to connect numbers and magnitudes is an important prerequisite for math learning, here referred to as number-magnitude skills. It has been proposed that working memory plays an important role in constructing these connections. The aim of the current study was to examine if working memory accounts for constructing these connections by…

Eyewitness Recall: Regulation of Grain Size and the Role of Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Nathan; Brewer, Neil

2008-01-01

Eyewitness testimony plays a critical role in Western legal systems. Three experiments extended M. Goldsmith, A. Koriat, and A. Weinberg-Eliezer's (2002) framework of the regulation of grain size (precision vs. coarseness) of memory reports to eyewitness memory. In 2 experiments, the grain size of responses had a large impact on memory accuracy.…

Subregion-Specific p300 Conditional Knock-Out Mice Exhibit Long-Term Memory Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliveira, Ana M. M.; Estevez, Marcel A.; Hawk, Joshua D.; Grimes, Shannon; Brindle, Paul K.; Abel, Ted

2011-01-01

Histone acetylation plays a critical role during long-term memory formation. Several studies have demonstrated that the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) CBP is required during long-term memory formation, but the involvement of other HAT proteins has not been extensively investigated. The HATs CBP and p300 have at least 400 described interacting…

Who's Who? Memory Updating and Character Reference in Children's Narratives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitely, Cristy; Colozzo, Paola

2013-01-01

Purpose: The capacity to update and monitor the contents of working memory is an executive function presumed to play a critical role in language processing. The current study used an individual differences approach to consider the relationship between memory updating and accurate reference to story characters in the narratives of typically…

Multiple Memory Stores and Operant Conditioning: A Rationale for Memory's Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeter, Martijn; Veldkamp, Rob; Jin, Yaochu

2009-01-01

Why does the brain contain more than one memory system? Genetic algorithms can play a role in elucidating this question. Here, model animals were constructed containing a dorsal striatal layer that controlled actions, and a ventral striatal layer that controlled a dopaminergic learning signal. Both layers could gain access to three modeled memory…

AMPA Receptor Endocytosis in Rat Perirhinal Cortex Underlies Retrieval of Object Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cazakoff, Brittany N.; Howland, John G.

2011-01-01

Mechanisms consistent with long-term depression in the perirhinal cortex (PRh) play a fundamental role in object recognition memory; however, whether AMPA receptor endocytosis is involved in distinct phases of recognition memory is not known. To address this question, we used local PRh infusions of the cell membrane-permeable Tat-GluA2[subscript…

Region-specific role of Rac in nucleus accumbens core and basolateral amygdala in consolidation and reconsolidation of cocaine-associated cue memory in rats.

PubMed

Ding, Zeng-Bo; Wu, Ping; Luo, Yi-Xiao; Shi, Hai-Shui; Shen, Hao-Wei; Wang, Shen-Jun; Lu, Lin

2013-08-01

Drug reinforcement and the reinstatement of drug seeking are associated with the pathological processing of drug-associated cue memories that can be disrupted by manipulating memory consolidation and reconsolidation. Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate (Rac) is involved in memory processing by regulating actin dynamics and neural structure plasticity. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) and amygdala have been implicated in the consolidation and reconsolidation of emotional memories. Therefore, we hypothesized that Rac in the NAc and amygdala plays a role in the consolidation and reconsolidation of cocaine-associated cue memory. Conditioned place preference (CPP) and microinjection of Rac inhibitor NSC23766 were used to determine the role of Rac in the NAc and amygdala in the consolidation and reconsolidation of cocaine-associated cue memory in rats. Microinjections of NSC23766 into the NAc core but not shell, basolateral (BLA), or central amygdala (CeA) after each cocaine-conditioning session inhibited the consolidation of cocaine-induced CPP. A microinjection of NSC23766 into the BLA but not CeA, NAc core, or NAc shell immediately after memory reactivation induced by exposure to a previously cocaine-paired context disrupted the reconsolidation of cocaine-induced CPP. The effect of memory disruption on cocaine reconsolidation was specific to reactivated memory, persisted at least 2 weeks, and was not reinstated by a cocaine-priming injection. Our findings indicate that Rac in the NAc core and BLA are required for the consolidation and reconsolidation of cocaine-associated cue memory, respectively.

Blocking Glycolytic Metabolism Increases Memory T Cells and Antitumor Function | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

CD8+ T cells are a major component of the cellular immune response, which is necessary to control a variety of bacterial and viral infections. CD8+ T cells also play a major role in the cell-mediated antitumor immune response. After encountering antigen, naïve CD8+ T cells undergo an extensive period of proliferation and expansion, and differentiate into effector cells and distinct memory T cell subsets. Preclinical studies using adoptive transfer of purified CD8+ T cells have shown that the ability of T cells to proliferate and survive for a long time after transfer is associated with effective antitumor and antiviral responses. Understanding how the formation of long-lived memory T cell subsets is controlled may enable development of more potent immunotherapies against cancer and infectious diseases.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphisms modulate working memory in individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls.

PubMed

Matsuzaka, Camila T; Christofolini, Denise; Ota, Vanessa K; Gadelha, Ary; Berberian, Arthur A; Noto, Cristiano; Mazzotti, Diego R; Spindola, Leticia M; Moretti, Patricia N; Smith, Marilia A C; Melaragno, Maria I; Belangero, Sintia I; Bressan, Rodrigo A

2017-01-01

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia, related to dopaminergic dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It is hypothesized that functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4680 of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene could mediate the relationship between cognition and dopamine activity in the PFC. Other COMT SNPs could also play a role. We evaluated the role of three COMT SNPs (rs737865, rs165599, and rs4680) in schizophrenia and their impact on three working memory tasks. For genetic association analyses, 212 individuals with schizophrenia and 257 healthy controls (HCs) were selected. The Visual Working Memory (VWM) Task, Keep Track Task, and Letter Memory Task were administered to 133 schizophrenics and 93 HCs. We found a significant association of rs737865, with the GG genotype exerting a protective effect and the GA haplotype (rs4680/rs165599) exerting a risk effect for schizophrenia. COMT rs4680 AA carriers and rs737865 AA carriers scored lowest on the Keep Track Task. When the genotype*group interaction effect was evaluated, rs165599 exerted opposite effects for VWM and Keep Track task performance in patients and controls, with AA carriers scoring lowest on both tests among controls, but highest among patients. These data support the hypothesis that COMT polymorphisms may be associated with schizophrenia and modulate cognition in patients and controls.

Contextual consistency facilitates long-term memory of perceptual detail in barely seen images.

PubMed

Gronau, Nurit; Shachar, Meytal

2015-08-01

It is long known that contextual information affects memory for an object's identity (e.g., its basic level category), yet it is unclear whether schematic knowledge additionally enhances memory for the precise visual appearance of an item. Here we investigated memory for visual detail of merely glimpsed objects. Participants viewed pairs of contextually related and unrelated stimuli, presented for an extremely brief duration (24 ms, masked). They then performed a forced-choice memory-recognition test for the precise perceptual appearance of 1 of 2 objects within each pair (i.e., the "memory-target" item). In 3 experiments, we show that memory-target stimuli originally appearing within contextually related pairs are remembered better than targets appearing within unrelated pairs. These effects are obtained whether the target is presented at test with its counterpart pair object (i.e., when reiterating the original context at encoding) or whether the target is presented alone, implying that the contextual consistency effects are mediated predominantly by processes occurring during stimulus encoding, rather than during stimulus retrieval. Furthermore, visual detail encoding is improved whether object relations involve implied action or not, suggesting that, contrary to some prior suggestions, action is not a necessary component for object-to-object associative "grouping" processes. Our findings suggest that during a brief glimpse, but not under long viewing conditions, contextual associations may play a critical role in reducing stimulus competition for attention selection and in facilitating rapid encoding of sensory details. Theoretical implications with respect to classic frame theories are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

TDCS over the right inferior frontal gyrus disrupts control of interference in memory: A retrieval-induced forgetting study.

PubMed

Stramaccia, Davide F; Penolazzi, Barbara; Altoè, Gianmarco; Galfano, Giovanni

2017-10-01

Retrieving information from episodic memory may result in later inaccessibility of related but task-irrelevant information. This phenomenon, known as retrieval-induced forgetting, is thought to represent a specific instance of broader cognitive control mechanisms, that would come into play during memory retrieval, whenever non-target competing memories interfere with recall of target items. Recent neuroimaging studies have shown an association between these mechanisms and the activity of the right Prefrontal Cortex. However, so far, few studies have attempted at establishing a causal relationship between this brain region and behavioural measures of cognitive control over memory. To address this missing link, we delivered transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the right Inferior Frontal Gyrus (rIFG) during a standard retrieval-practice paradigm with category-exemplar word pairs. Across two experiments, tDCS abolished retrieval-induced forgetting to different degrees, compared to the sham control group whereas no effects of stimulation emerged in an ancillary measure of motor stopping ability. Moreover, influence analyses on specific subsets of the experimental material revealed diverging patterns of results, which depended upon the different categories employed in the retrieval-practice paradigm. Overall, the results support the view that rIFG has a causal role in the control of interference in memory retrieval and highlight the often underestimated role of stimulus material in affecting the effects. The present findings are therefore relevant in enriching our knowledge about memory functions from both a theoretical and methodological perspective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Depressed patients in remission show an interaction between variance in the mineralocorticoid receptor NR3C2 gene and childhood trauma on negative memory bias.

PubMed

Vrijsen, Janna N; Vogel, Susanne; Arias-Vásquez, Alejandro; Franke, Barbara; Fernández, Guillén; Becker, Eni S; Speckens, Anne; van Oostrom, Iris

2015-06-01

Genetic, environmental, and cognitive factors play a role in the development and recurrence of depression. More specifically, cognitive biases have been associated with depression risk genes and life events. Recently, the mineralocorticoid receptor NR3C2 gene, and in particular the rs5534 polymorphism, has been associated with negative memory bias, at least in healthy individuals who experienced severe life adversity. The current study examined the interaction between the rs5534 genotype and different types of adverse life events in a sample of depressed patients in remission. A total of 298 depressed patients in remission performed an incidental emotional memory task (negative and positive words). Life adversity, childhood trauma, and recent adversity were measured using a self-report questionnaire. NR3C2 rs5534 by life adversity, as well as childhood trauma and recent adversity interactions were analyzed for negative and positive memory bias using analyses of covariance. The significant interaction between rs5534 and childhood trauma on negative memory bias (P=0.046) indicated that risk 'A' allele carriers with childhood trauma tended to show more negative memory bias compared to individuals homozygous for the G allele who had experienced childhood trauma and A allele carriers without childhood trauma. No interaction effects with life adversity or recent adversity were found. Also, no main effect of rs5534 on memory bias was found, although we had insufficient power for this analysis. An association of the NR3C2 gene and childhood trauma with negative memory bias was found in depressed patients in remission, which extends previous findings in a healthy population.

Emerging Directions in Emotional Episodic Memory.

PubMed

Dolcos, Florin; Katsumi, Yuta; Weymar, Mathias; Moore, Matthew; Tsukiura, Takashi; Dolcos, Sanda

2017-01-01

Building upon the existing literature on emotional memory, the present review examines emerging evidence from brain imaging investigations regarding four research directions: (1) Social Emotional Memory , (2) The Role of Emotion Regulation in the Impact of Emotion on Memory , (3) The Impact of Emotion on Associative or Relational Memory , and (4) The Role of Individual Differences in Emotional Memory . Across these four domains, available evidence demonstrates that emotion- and memory-related medial temporal lobe brain regions (amygdala and hippocampus, respectively), together with prefrontal cortical regions, play a pivotal role during both encoding and retrieval of emotional episodic memories. This evidence sheds light on the neural mechanisms of emotional memories in healthy functioning, and has important implications for understanding clinical conditions that are associated with negative affective biases in encoding and retrieving emotional memories.

Emerging Directions in Emotional Episodic Memory

PubMed Central

Dolcos, Florin; Katsumi, Yuta; Weymar, Mathias; Moore, Matthew; Tsukiura, Takashi; Dolcos, Sanda

2017-01-01

Building upon the existing literature on emotional memory, the present review examines emerging evidence from brain imaging investigations regarding four research directions: (1) Social Emotional Memory, (2) The Role of Emotion Regulation in the Impact of Emotion on Memory, (3) The Impact of Emotion on Associative or Relational Memory, and (4) The Role of Individual Differences in Emotional Memory. Across these four domains, available evidence demonstrates that emotion- and memory-related medial temporal lobe brain regions (amygdala and hippocampus, respectively), together with prefrontal cortical regions, play a pivotal role during both encoding and retrieval of emotional episodic memories. This evidence sheds light on the neural mechanisms of emotional memories in healthy functioning, and has important implications for understanding clinical conditions that are associated with negative affective biases in encoding and retrieving emotional memories. PMID:29255432

Skilled Memory and Expertise: Mechanisms of Exceptional Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-31

information relevant to events integral to the baseball game . If the scored recall is restricted to relevant information, then similar superiority of experts...moves on a CRT and instructed to play out the game mentally. After about 40 plies into a game , Ericsson and Oliver evaluated PS’s memory for the V _9...another experiment, rather than mentally playing through 30 to 40 moves to reach a middle- game chess position, PS memorized two middle- game chess

N-acetyl-L-tryptophan, a substance-P receptor antagonist attenuates aluminum-induced spatial memory deficit in rats.

PubMed

Fernandes, Joylee; Mudgal, Jayesh; Rao, Chamallamudi Mallikarjuna; Arora, Devinder; Basu Mallik, Sanchari; Pai, K S R; Nampoothiri, Madhavan

2018-06-01

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. Neurokinin substance P is a key mediator which modulates neuroinflammation through neurokinin receptor. Involvement of substance P in Alzheimer's disease is still plausible and various controversies exist in this hypothesis. Preventing the deleterious effects of substance P using N-acetyl-L-tryptophan, a substance P antagonist could be a promising therapeutic strategy. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan on aluminum induced spatial memory alterations in rats. Memory impairment was induced using aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ) at a dose of 10 mg/kg for 42 d. After induction of dementia, rats were exposed to 30 and 50 mg/kg of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan for 28 d. Spatial memory alterations were measured using Morris water maze. Acetylcholinesterase activity and antioxidant enzyme glutathione level were assessed in hippocampus, frontal cortex and striatum. The higher dose of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan (50 mg/kg) significantly improved the aluminum induced memory alterations. N-acetyl-L-tryptophan exposure resulted in significant increase in acetylcholinesterase activity and glutathione level in hippocampus. The neuroprotective effect of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan could be due to its ability to block substance P mediated neuroinflammation, reduction in oxidative stress and anti-apoptotic properties. To conclude, N-acetyl-L-tryptophan may be considered as a novel neuroprotective therapy in Alzheimer's disease.

Ketogenic diet improves the spatial memory impairment caused by exposure to hypobaric hypoxia through increased acetylation of histones in rats.

PubMed

Zhao, Ming; Huang, Xin; Cheng, Xiang; Lin, Xiao; Zhao, Tong; Wu, Liying; Yu, Xiaodan; Wu, Kuiwu; Fan, Ming; Zhu, Lingling

2017-01-01

Exposure to hypobaric hypoxia causes neuron cell damage, resulting in impaired cognitive function. Effective interventions to antagonize hypobaric hypoxia-induced memory impairment are in urgent need. Ketogenic diet (KD) has been successfully used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy and improves cognitive behaviors in epilepsy patients and other pathophysiological animal models. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential beneficial effects of a KD on memory impairment caused by hypobaric hypoxia and the underlying possible mechanisms. We showed that the KD recipe used was ketogenic and increased plasma levels of ketone bodies, especially β-hydroxybutyrate. The results of the behavior tests showed that the KD did not affect general locomotor activity but obviously promoted spatial learning. Moreover, the KD significantly improved the spatial memory impairment caused by hypobaric hypoxia (simulated altitude of 6000 m, 24 h). In addition, the improving-effect of KD was mimicked by intraperitoneal injection of BHB. The western blot and immunohistochemistry results showed that KD treatment not only increased the acetylated levels of histone H3 and histone H4 compared to that of the control group but also antagonized the decrease in the acetylated histone H3 and H4 when exposed to hypobaric hypoxia. Furthermore, KD-hypoxia treatment also promoted PKA/CREB activation and BDNF protein expression compared to the effects of hypoxia alone. These results demonstrated that KD is a promising strategy to improve spatial memory impairment caused by hypobaric hypoxia, in which increased modification of histone acetylation plays an important role.

Key steps in developing a cognitive vaccine against traumatic flashbacks: visuospatial Tetris versus verbal Pub Quiz.

PubMed

Holmes, Emily A; James, Ella L; Kilford, Emma J; Deeprose, Catherine

2010-11-10

Flashbacks (intrusive memories of a traumatic event) are the hallmark feature of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, however preventative interventions are lacking. Tetris may offer a 'cognitive vaccine' [1] against flashback development after trauma exposure. We previously reported that playing the computer game Tetris soon after viewing traumatic material reduced flashbacks compared to no-task [1]. However, two criticisms need to be addressed for clinical translation: (1) Would all games have this effect via distraction/enjoyment, or might some games even be harmful? (2) Would effects be found if administered several hours post-trauma? Accordingly, we tested Tetris versus an alternative computer game--Pub Quiz--which we hypothesized not to be helpful (Experiments 1 and 2), and extended the intervention interval to 4 hours (Experiment 2). The trauma film paradigm was used as an experimental analog for flashback development in healthy volunteers. In both experiments, participants viewed traumatic film footage of death and injury before completing one of the following: (1) no-task control condition (2) Tetris or (3) Pub Quiz. Flashbacks were monitored for 1 week. Experiment 1: 30 min after the traumatic film, playing Tetris led to a significant reduction in flashbacks compared to no-task control, whereas Pub Quiz led to a significant increase in flashbacks. Experiment 2: 4 hours post-film, playing Tetris led to a significant reduction in flashbacks compared to no-task control, whereas Pub Quiz did not. First, computer games can have differential effects post-trauma, as predicted by a cognitive science formulation of trauma memory. In both Experiments, playing Tetris post-trauma film reduced flashbacks. Pub Quiz did not have this effect, even increasing flashbacks in Experiment 1. Thus not all computer games are beneficial or merely distracting post-trauma - some may be harmful. Second, the beneficial effects of Tetris are retained at 4 hours post-trauma. Clinically, this delivers a feasible time-window to administer a post-trauma "cognitive vaccine".

Serotonergic mechanisms in addiction-related memories.

PubMed

Nic Dhonnchadha, Bríd A; Cunningham, Kathryn A

2008-12-16

Drug-associated memories are a hallmark of addiction and a contributing factor in the continued use and relapse to drugs of abuse. Repeated association of drugs of abuse with conditioned stimuli leads to long-lasting behavioral responses that reflect reward-controlled learning and participate in the establishment of addiction. A greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of drug-associated memories may shed light on potential therapeutic approaches to effectively intervene with drug use-associated memory. There is evidence to support the involvement of serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission in learning and memory formation through the families of the 5-HT(1) receptor (5-HT(1)R) and 5-HT(2)R which have also been shown to play a modulatory role in the behavioral effects induced by many psychostimulants. While there is a paucity of studies examining the effects of selective 5-HT(1A)R ligands, the available dataset suggests that 5-HT(1B)R agonists may inhibit retrieval of cocaine-associated memories. The 5-HT(2A)R and 5-HT(2C)R appear to be integral in the strong conditioned associations made between cocaine and environmental cues with 5-HT(2A)R antagonists and 5-HT(2C)R agonists possessing potency in blocking retrieval of cocaine-associated memories following cocaine self-administration procedures. The complex anatomical connectivity between 5-HT neurons and other neuronal phenotypes in limbic-corticostriatal brain structures, the heterogeneity of 5-HT receptors (5-HT(X)R) and the conflicting results of behavioral experiments which employ non-specific 5-HT(X)R ligands contribute to the complexity of interpreting the involvement of 5-HT systems in addictive-related memory processes. This review briefly traces the history of 5-HT involvement in retrieval of drug-cue associations and future targets of serotonergic manipulation that may reduce the impact that drug cues have on addictive behavior and relapse.

Serotonergic Mechanisms in Addiction-Related Memories

PubMed Central

Nic Dhonnchadha, Bríd Á; Cunningham, Kathryn A.

2008-01-01

Drug-associated memories are a hallmark of addiction and a contributing factor in the continued use and relapse to drugs of abuse. Repeated association of drugs of abuse with conditioned stimuli leads to long-lasting behavioral responses that reflect reward-controlled learning and participate in the establishment of addiction. A greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of drug-associated memories may shed light on potential therapeutic approaches to effectively intervene with drug use-associated memory. There is evidence to support the involvement of serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission in learning and memory formation through the families of the 5-HT1 receptor (5-HT1R) and 5-HT2R which have also been shown to play a modulatory role in the behavioral effects induced by many psychostimulants. While there is a paucity of studies examining the effects of selective 5-HT1AR ligands, the available dataset suggests that 5-HT1BR agonists may inhibit retrieval of cocaine-associated memories. The 5-HT2AR and 5-HT2CR appear to be integral in the strong conditioned associations made between cocaine and environmental cues with 5-HT2AR antagonists and 5-HT2CR agonists possessing potency in blocking retrieval of cocaine-associated memories following cocaine self-administration procedures. The complex anatomical connectivity between 5-HT neurons and other neuronal phenotypes in limbic-corticostriatal brain structures, the heterogeneity of 5-HT receptors (5-HTXR) and the conflicting results of behavioral experiments which employ non-specific 5-HTXR ligands contribute to the complexity of interpreting the involvement of 5-HT systems in addictive-related memory processes. This review briefly traces the history of 5-HT involvement in retrieval of drug-cue associations and future targets of serotonergic manipulation that may reduce the impact that drug cues have on addictive behavior and relapse. PMID:18639587

Inhibition of local estrogen synthesis in the hippocampus impairs hippocampal memory consolidation in ovariectomized female mice

PubMed Central

Tuscher, Jennifer J.; Szinte, Julia S.; Starrett, Joseph R.; Krentzel, Amanda A.; Fortress, Ashley M.; Remage-Healey, Luke; Frick, Karyn M.

2016-01-01

The potent estrogen 17β-Estradiol (E2) plays a critical role in mediating hippocampal function, yet the precise mechanisms through which E2 enhances hippocampal memory remain unclear. In young adult female rodents, the beneficial effects of E2 on memory are generally attributed to ovarian-synthesized E2. However, E2 is also synthesized in the adult brain in numerous species, where it regulates synaptic plasticity and is synthesized in response to experiences such as exposure to females or conspecific song. Although de novo E2 synthesis has been demonstrated in rodent hippocampal cultures, little is known about the functional role of local E2 synthesis in mediating hippocampal memory function. Therefore, the present study examined the role of hippocampal E2 synthesis in hippocampal memory consolidation. Using bilateral dorsal hippocampal infusions of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, we first found that blockade of dorsal hippocampal E2 synthesis impaired hippocampal memory consolidation. We next found that elevated levels of E2 in dorsal hippocampus observed 30 min after object training were blocked by dorsal hippocampal infusion of letrozole, suggesting that behavioral experience increases acute and local E2 synthesis. Finally, aromatase inhibition did not prevent exogenous E2 from enhancing hippocampal memory consolidation, indicating that hippocampal E2 synthesis is not necessary for exogenous E2 to enhance hippocampal memory. Combined, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that hippocampally-synthesized E2 is necessary for hippocampus-dependent memory consolidation in rodents. PMID:27178577

Astrocyte glycogen and lactate: New insights into learning and memory mechanisms.

PubMed

Alberini, Cristina M; Cruz, Emmanuel; Descalzi, Giannina; Bessières, Benjamin; Gao, Virginia

2018-06-01

Memory, the ability to retain learned information, is necessary for survival. Thus far, molecular and cellular investigations of memory formation and storage have mainly focused on neuronal mechanisms. In addition to neurons, however, the brain comprises other types of cells and systems, including glia and vasculature. Accordingly, recent experimental work has begun to ask questions about the roles of non-neuronal cells in memory formation. These studies provide evidence that all types of glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia) make important contributions to the processing of encoded information and storing memories. In this review, we summarize and discuss recent findings on the critical role of astrocytes as providers of energy for the long-lasting neuronal changes that are necessary for long-term memory formation. We focus on three main findings: first, the role of glucose metabolism and the learning- and activity-dependent metabolic coupling between astrocytes and neurons in the service of long-term memory formation; second, the role of astrocytic glucose metabolism in arousal, a state that contributes to the formation of very long-lasting and detailed memories; and finally, in light of the high energy demands of the brain during early development, we will discuss the possible role of astrocytic and neuronal glucose metabolisms in the formation of early-life memories. We conclude by proposing future directions and discussing the implications of these findings for brain health and disease. Astrocyte glycogenolysis and lactate play a critical role in memory formation. Emotionally salient experiences form strong memories by recruiting astrocytic β2 adrenergic receptors and astrocyte-generated lactate. Glycogenolysis and astrocyte-neuron metabolic coupling may also play critical roles in memory formation during development, when the energy requirements of brain metabolism are at their peak. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MK-801 and memantine act differently on short-term memory tested with different time-intervals in the Morris water maze test.

PubMed

Duda, Weronika; Wesierska, Malgorzata; Ostaszewski, Pawel; Vales, Karel; Nekovarova, Tereza; Stuchlik, Ales

2016-09-15

N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play a crucial role in spatial memory formation. In neuropharmacological studies their functioning strongly depends on testing conditions and the dosage of NMDAR antagonists. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate effects of NMDAR block by (+)MK-801 or memantine on short-term allothetic memory. Memory was tested in a working memory version of the Morris water maze test. In our version of the test, rats underwent one day of training with 8 trials, and then three experimental days when rats were injected intraperitoneally with low- 5 (MeL), high - 20 (MeH) mg/kg memantine, 0.1mg/kg MK-801 or 1ml/kg saline (SAL) 30min before testing, for three consecutive days. On each experimental day there was just one acquisition and one test trial, with an inter-trial interval of 5 or 15min. During training the hidden platform was relocated after each trial and during the experiment after each day. The follow-up effect was assessed on day 9. Intact rats improved their spatial memory across the one training day. With a 5min interval MeH rats had longer latency then all rats during retrieval. With a 15min interval the MeH rats presented worse working memory measured as retrieval minus acquisition trial for path than SAL and MeL and for latency than MeL rats. MK-801 rats had longer latency than SAL during retrieval. Thus, the high dose of memantine, contrary to low dose of MK-801 disrupts short-term memory independent on the time interval between acquisition and retrieval. This shows that short-term memory tested in a working memory version of water maze is sensitive to several parameters: i.e., NMDA receptor antagonist type, dosage and the time interval between learning and testing. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Introduction to the special issue on visual working memory.

PubMed

Wolfe, Jeremy M

2014-10-01

Visual working memory is a volatile, limited-capacity memory that appears to play an important role in our impression of a visual world that is continuous in time. It also mediates between the contents of the mind and the contents of that visual world. Research on visual working memory has become increasingly prominent in recent years. The articles in this special issue of Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics describe new empirical findings and theoretical understandings of the topic.

Robust hippocampal responsivity during retrieval of consolidated associative memory.

PubMed

Hattori, Shoai; Chen, Lillian; Weiss, Craig; Disterhoft, John F

2015-05-01

A contentious point in memory research is whether or not the hippocampus plays a time-limited role in the consolidation of declarative memories. A widely held view is that declarative memories are initially encoded in the hippocampus, then transferred to the neocortex for long-term storage. Alternate views argue instead that the hippocampus continues to play a role in remote memory recall. These competing theories are largely based on human amnesic and animal lesion/inactivation studies. However, in vivo electrophysiological evidence supporting these views is scarce. Given that other studies examining the role of the hippocampus in remote memory retrieval using lesion and imaging techniques in human and animal models have provided mixed results, it would be particularly useful to gain insight at the in vivo electrophysiological level. Here we report hippocampal single-neuron and theta activity recorded longitudinally during acquisition and remote retrieval of trace eyeblink conditioning. Results from conditioned rabbits were compared to those obtained from yoked pseudo-conditioned control rabbits. Results reveal continued learning-specific hippocampal activity one month after initial acquisition of the task. Our findings yield insight into the normal physiological responses of the hippocampus during memory processes and provide compelling in vivo electrophysiological evidence that the hippocampus is involved in both acquisition and retrieval of consolidated memories. © 2014 The Authors Hippocampus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Working memory deficits in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: neuropsychological and neuroimaging correlates.

PubMed

Barendse, Evelien M; Hendriks, Marc Ph; Jansen, Jacobus Fa; Backes, Walter H; Hofman, Paul Am; Thoonen, Geert; Kessels, Roy Pc; Aldenkamp, Albert P

2013-06-04

Working memory is a temporary storage system under attentional control. It is believed to play a central role in online processing of complex cognitive information and may also play a role in social cognition and interpersonal interactions. Adolescents with a disorder on the autism spectrum display problems in precisely these domains. Social impairments, communication difficulties, and repetitive interests and activities are core domains of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and executive function problems are often seen throughout the spectrum. As the main cognitive theories of ASD, including the theory of mind deficit hypotheses, weak central coherence account, and the executive dysfunction theory, still fail to explain the broad spectrum of symptoms, a new perspective on the etiology of ASD is needed. Deficits in working memory are central to many theories of psychopathology, and are generally linked to frontal-lobe dysfunction. This article will review neuropsychological and (functional) brain imaging studies on working memory in adolescents with ASD. Although still disputed, it is concluded that within the working memory system specific problems of spatial working memory are often seen in adolescents with ASD. These problems increase when information is more complex and greater demands on working memory are made. Neuroimaging studies indicate a more global working memory processing or connectivity deficiency, rather than a focused deficit in the prefrontal cortex. More research is needed to relate these working memory difficulties and neuroimaging results in ASD to the behavioral difficulties as seen in individuals with a disorder on the autism spectrum.

A dynamic evolution model of human opinion as affected by advertising

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Gui-Xun; Liu, Yun; Zeng, Qing-An; Diao, Su-Meng; Xiong, Fei

2014-11-01

We propose a new model to investigate the dynamics of human opinion as affected by advertising, based on the main idea of the CODA model and taking into account two practical factors: one is that the marginal influence of an additional friend will decrease with an increasing number of friends; the other is the decline of memory over time. Simulations show several significant conclusions for both advertising agencies and the general public. A small difference of advertising’s influence on individuals or advertising coverage will result in significantly different advertising effectiveness within a certain interval of value. Compared to the value of advertising’s influence on individuals, the advertising coverage plays a more important role due to the exponential decay of memory. Meanwhile, some of the obtained results are in accordance with people’s daily cognition about advertising. The real key factor in determining the success of advertising is the intensity of exchanging opinions, and people’s external actions always follow their internal opinions. Negative opinions also play an important role.

Understanding the Function of Visual Short-Term Memory: Transsaccadic Memory, Object Correspondence, and Gaze Correction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollingworth, Andrew; Richard, Ashleigh M.; Luck, Steven J.

2008-01-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) has received intensive study over the past decade, with research focused on VSTM capacity and representational format. Yet, the function of VSTM in human cognition is not well understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that VSTM plays an important role in the control of saccadic eye movements. Intelligent human…

The distinctive germinal center phase of IgE+ B lymphocytes limits their contribution to the classical memory response

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The mechanisms involved in the maintenance of memory IgE responses are poorly understood, and the role played by germinal center (GC) IgE+ cells in memory responses is particularly unclear. IgE B cell differentiation is characterized by a transient GC phase, a bias towards the plasma cell (PC) fate,...

On the Role of Hippocampal Protein Synthesis in the Consolidation and Reconsolidation of Object Recognition Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rossato, Janine I.; Bevilaqua, Lia R. M.; Myskiw, Jociane C.; Medina, Jorge H.; Izquierdo, Ivan; Cammarota, Martin

2007-01-01

Upon retrieval, consolidated memories are again rendered vulnerable to the action of metabolic blockers, notably protein synthesis inhibitors. This has led to the hypothesis that memories are reconsolidated at the time of retrieval, and that this depends on protein synthesis. Ample evidence indicates that the hippocampus plays a key role both in…

Characteristics of positive autobiographical memories in adulthood.

PubMed

Bluck, Susan; Alea, Nicole

2009-01-01

The characteristics of positive autobiographical memory narratives were examined in younger and older adults. Narratives were content-coded for the extent to which they contained indicators of affect, sensory imagery, and cognition. Affect was additionally assessed through self-report. Young adults expressed more positive affect and less sensory imagery in their memory narratives than did older adults. Age differences in cognitive characteristics also appeared: younger adults showed greater causation-insight, and greater tentativeness in retelling their autobiographical memories. Controlling for episodic memory ability eliminated age differences in positive affect but did not affect age differences on other memory characteristics. Results are discussed in terms of the role that positive autobiographical memories play in daily emotional life across adulthood.

Cues, context, and long-term memory: the role of the retrosplenial cortex in spatial cognition

PubMed Central

Miller, Adam M. P.; Vedder, Lindsey C.; Law, L. Matthew; Smith, David M.

2014-01-01

Spatial navigation requires memory representations of landmarks and other navigation cues. The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is anatomically positioned between limbic areas important for memory formation, such as the hippocampus (HPC) and the anterior thalamus, and cortical regions along the dorsal stream known to contribute importantly to long-term spatial representation, such as the posterior parietal cortex. Damage to the RSC severely impairs allocentric representations of the environment, including the ability to derive navigational information from landmarks. The specific deficits seen in tests of human and rodent navigation suggest that the RSC supports allocentric representation by processing the stable features of the environment and the spatial relationships among them. In addition to spatial cognition, the RSC plays a key role in contextual and episodic memory. The RSC also contributes importantly to the acquisition and consolidation of long-term spatial and contextual memory through its interactions with the HPC. Within this framework, the RSC plays a dual role as part of the feedforward network providing sensory and mnemonic input to the HPC and as a target of the hippocampal-dependent systems consolidation of long-term memory. PMID:25140141

Understanding the function of visual short-term memory: transsaccadic memory, object correspondence, and gaze correction.

PubMed

Hollingworth, Andrew; Richard, Ashleigh M; Luck, Steven J

2008-02-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) has received intensive study over the past decade, with research focused on VSTM capacity and representational format. Yet, the function of VSTM in human cognition is not well understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that VSTM plays an important role in the control of saccadic eye movements. Intelligent human behavior depends on directing the eyes to goal-relevant objects in the world, yet saccades are very often inaccurate and require correction. The authors hypothesized that VSTM is used to remember the features of the current saccade target so that it can be rapidly reacquired after an errant saccade, a task faced by the visual system thousands of times each day. In 4 experiments, memory-based gaze correction was accurate, fast, automatic, and largely unconscious. In addition, a concurrent VSTM load interfered with memory-based gaze correction, but a verbal short-term memory load did not. These findings demonstrate that VSTM plays a direct role in a fundamentally important aspect of visually guided behavior, and they suggest the existence of previously unknown links between VSTM representations and the occulomotor system. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

Sleep quality and duration in relation to memory in the elderly: Initial results from the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet.

PubMed

Tsapanou, A; Gu, Y; O'Shea, D M; Yannakoulia, M; Kosmidis, M; Dardiotis, E; Hadjigeorgiou, G; Sakka, P; Stern, Y; Scarmeas, N

2017-05-01

Sleep is crucial for cognition, particularly for memory, given its complex association with neurodegenerative processes. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between sleep quality as well as sleep duration and memory performance in a Greek elderly population. Cross-sectional design in the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet (HELIAD), a population representative study of Greek elderly (65years or older). Data from 1589 participants free of sleep medication were included. Sleep quality was estimated by using the Sleep Scale from the Medical Outcomes Study. An extensive neuropsychological assessment examining memory was administered to each participant. Linear regression analyses were used to examine whether sleep quality (higher score, poor quality) and/or sleep duration were associated with memory expressed in the form of a z-score. Age, sex, education, and body mass index were included as covariates. The main analyses were conducted first on the total sample, then with the exclusion of demented participants, and finally with the exclusion of both demented and participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). We then conducted further analyses on the non-demented, non-MCI group, initially stratified by Apolipoprotein E-ε4 gene. We further examined the role of co-morbidities, as well as the association between sleep duration groups and memory. We also explored any interaction effect between sex and sleep quality/duration on memory. We then examined the associations between components of sleep measures and memory scores. Lastly, we examined the associations between sleep quality/duration and verbal/non-verbal memory separately. In the total sample, we noted significant associations between sleep duration and memory (B=-0.001, p≤0.0001), but not for sleep quality and memory (B=-0.038, p=0.121). After excluding the demented participants, the associations were significant for: sleep quality and memory (B=-0.054, p=0.023), and sleep duration and memory (B=-0.001, p≤0.0001). After excluding both the MCI and the demented subjects, the associations between sleep quality and memory (B=-0.065, p=0.006), and sleep duration and memory (B=-0.001, p=0.003) were still significant. The association between the sleep duration groups and memory function was also significant, such that poor memory performance was associated with the longer sleep duration group. The results remained significant even after controlling for the co-morbidities, as well as after adding in the model anxiety and depression as covariates. Associations between sleep quality and memory, and sleep duration and memory were present in the ApoE-ε4 non-carriers. The individual sleep questions that were probably shown to be driving the associations between sleep and memory were: time to fall asleep, sleep not quiet, getting enough sleep to feel rested upon waking in the morning, and getting the amount of sleep needed. Sleep duration was associated with both verbal and non-verbal memory, while sleep quality was only associated with verbal memory. Poor sleep quality and longer sleep duration were linked to low memory performance, independent of demographic and clinical factors, in a large sample of cognitively healthy older Greek adults. Other parameters than sleep and memory measurements could play an important role on the association. Levels of melatonin, or circadian rhythms dysregulation might play a crucial role in the above associations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BT-11 improves stress-induced memory impairments through increment of glucose utilization and total neural cell adhesion molecule levels in rat brains.

PubMed

Shin, Ki Young; Won, Beom Young; Heo, Chaejeong; Kim, Hee Jin; Jang, Dong-Pyo; Park, Cheol Hyoung; Kim, Seonghan; Kim, Hye-Sun; Kim, Young-Bo; Lee, Hyung Gun; Lee, Sang Hyung; Cho, Zang-Hee; Suh, Yoo-Hun

2009-01-01

In Oriental medicine, roots of Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow have been known to be an important herb that exhibits sedative effects in insomnia, palpitation with anxiety, restlessness, and disorientation in humans. We previously reported that BT-11, extracted from those roots, improved scopolamine-induced amnesia in rats and inhibited acetylcholinesterase activities in vitro. Therefore, we proposed that BT-11 could remedy stress-induced memory deficits in rats. In this study, the stress-induced memory impairments in rats were significantly reversed almost to the control level by BT-11 treatment. To seek an active component of BT-11 that plays an important role in antipsychotic effects, we compared BT-11 with 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid (TMCA), which is a constituent of those root extracts. However, the effects of TMCA were less or were not consistent with those of BT-11 in some of tests. In particular, BT-11 reversed the stress-induced reduction of glucose utilization by [(18)fluorodeoxyglucose]FDG-PET and the levels of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) in rat brains to the control levels, whereas TMCA did not. Therefore, BT-11 improved stress-induced memory impairments through increment of glucose utilization and total NCAM levels in rat brains. In conclusion, BT-11 may be strongly effective against stress-induced amnesia in rats, through the combined effects of TMCA and other active components of BT-11. 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Inhibition of MDMA-induced increase in cortisol does not prevent acute impairment of verbal memory

PubMed Central

Kuypers, KPC; Torre, R; Farre, M; Pujadas, M; Ramaekers, JG

2013-01-01

Background Ecstasy use is commonly linked with memory deficits in abstinent ecstasy users. Similar impairments are being found during ecstasy intoxication after single doses of ± 3,4 metylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The concordance of memory impairments during intoxication and abstinence suggests a similar neuropharmacological mechanism underlying acute and chronic memory impairments. The mechanism underlying this impairment is to date not known. We hypothesized that cortisol might play an important role in this mechanism as cortisol, implicated in the regulation of memory performance, can be brought out of balance by stressors like MDMA. Methods In the present study, we aimed to block the MDMA-induced acute memory defect by giving participants a cortisol synthesis inhibitor (metyrapone) together with a single dose of MDMA. Seventeen polydrug MDMA users entered this placebo-controlled within subject study with four treatment conditions. The treatments consisted of MDMA (75 mg) and metyrapone (750 mg), alone and in combination, and double placebo. Pre-treatment with metyrapone or Placebo occurred 1 h prior to MDMA or Placebo administration. Memory performance was tested at peak drug concentrations by means of several memory tests. Cortisol levels were determined in blood and oral fluid; this served as a control measure to see whether manipulations were effective. Results Main findings indicated that whereas treatment with metyrapone blocked the expected MDMA-induced increase in cortisol levels in blood, it did not prevent the MDMA-induced memory deficit from happening. Conclusion We therefore conclude that MDMA-induced increments in cortisol concentrations are not related to MDMA-induced memory impairments. PMID:22946487

Remembering pain after surgery: a longitudinal examination of the role of pain catastrophizing in children's and parents' recall.

PubMed

Noel, Melanie; Rabbitts, Jennifer A; Tai, Gabrielle G; Palermo, Tonya M

2015-05-01

Children's memories for pain play a powerful role in their pain experiences. Parents' memories may also influence children's pain experiences, by influencing parent-child interactions about pain and children's cognitions and behaviors. Pain catastrophizing of children and parents has been implicated as a factor underlying memory biases; however, this has not been empirically examined. The current longitudinal study is the first to examine the role of pain catastrophizing of children and parents in the development of their pain memories after surgery. Participants were 49 youth (32 girls) aged 10 to 18 years undergoing major surgery and their parents. One week before surgery, children and parents completed measures of pain catastrophizing. Two weeks after surgery (the acute recovery period), children and parents completed measures of child pain intensity and affect. Two to 4 months after surgery, children's and parents' memories of child pain intensity and affect were elicited. Hierarchical linear regression models revealed that over and above covariates, parent catastrophizing about their child's pain (magnification, rumination) accounted for a significant portion of variance in children's affective and parents' sensory pain memories. Although parent catastrophizing had a direct effect on pain memories, mediation analyses revealed that child catastrophizing (helplessness) indirectly influenced children's and parents' pain memories through the child's postoperative pain experience. Findings highlight that aspects of catastrophic thinking about child pain before surgery are linked to distressing pain memories several months later. Although both child and parent catastrophizing influence pain memory development, parent catastrophizing is most influential to both children's and parents' evolving cognitions about child pain.

Slow-Wave Sleep-Imposed Replay Modulates Both Strength and Precision of Memory

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Odor perception is hypothesized to be an experience-dependent process involving the encoding of odor objects by distributed olfactory cortical ensembles. Olfactory cortical neurons coactivated by a specific pattern of odorant evoked input become linked through association fiber synaptic plasticity, creating a template of the familiar odor. In this way, experience and memory play an important role in odor perception and discrimination. In other systems, memory consolidation occurs partially via slow-wave sleep (SWS)-dependent replay of activity patterns originally evoked during waking. SWS is ideal for replay given hyporesponsive sensory systems, and thus reduced interference. Here, using artificial patterns of olfactory bulb stimulation in a fear conditioning procedure in the rat, we tested the effects of imposed post-training replay during SWS and waking on strength and precision of pattern memory. The results show that imposed replay during post-training SWS enhanced the subsequent strength of memory, whereas the identical replay during waking induced extinction. The magnitude of this enhancement was dependent on the timing of imposed replay relative to cortical sharp-waves. Imposed SWS replay of stimuli, which differed from the conditioned stimulus, did not affect conditioned stimulus memory strength but induced generalization of the fear memory to novel artificial patterns. Finally, post-training disruption of piriform cortex intracortical association fiber synapses, hypothesized to be critical for experience-dependent odor coding, also impaired subsequent memory precision but not strength. These results suggest that SWS replay in the olfactory cortex enhances memory consolidation, and that memory precision is dependent on the fidelity of that replay. PMID:24719093

Recoding between two types of STM representation revealed by the dynamics of memory search.

PubMed

Leszczyński, Marcin; Myers, Nicholas E; Akyürek, Elkan G; Schubö, Anna

2012-03-01

Visual STM (VSTM) is thought to be related to visual attention in several ways. Attention controls access to VSTM during memory encoding and plays a role in the maintenance of stored information by strengthening memorized content. We investigated the involvement of visual attention in recall from VSTM. In two experiments, we measured electrophysiological markers of attention in a memory search task with varying intervals between VSTM encoding and recall, and so we were able to track recoding of representations in memory. Results confirmed the involvement of attention in VSTM recall. However, the amplitude of the N2pc and N3rs components, which mark orienting of attention and search within VSTM, decreased as a function of delay. Conversely, the amplitude of the P3 and sustained posterior contralateral negativity components increased as a function of delay, effectively the opposite of the N2pc and N3rs modulations. These effects were only observed when verbal memory was not taxed. Thus, the results suggested that gradual recoding from visuospatial orienting of attention into verbal recall mechanisms takes place from short to long retention intervals. Interestingly, recall at longer delays was faster than at short delays, indicating that verbal representation is coupled with faster responses. These results extend the orienting-of-attention hypothesis by including an account of representational recoding during short-term consolidation and its consequences for recall from VSTM.

Atomic theory of viscoelastic response and memory effects in metallic glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Bingyu; Yang, Jie; Qiao, Jichao; Jiang, Minqiang; Dai, Lanhong; Wang, Yun-Jiang; Zaccone, Alessio

2017-09-01

An atomic-scale theory of the viscoelastic response of metallic glasses is derived from first principles, using a Zwanzig-Caldeira-Leggett system-bath Hamiltonian as a starting point within the framework of nonaffine linear response to mechanical deformation. This approach provides a generalized Langevin equation (GLE) as the average equation of motion for an atom or ion in the material, from which non-Markovian nonaffine viscoelastic moduli are extracted. These can be evaluated using the vibrational density of states (DOS) as input, where the boson peak plays a prominent role in the mechanics. To compare with experimental data for binary ZrCu alloys, a numerical DOS was obtained from simulations of this system, which also take electronic degrees of freedom into account via the embedded-atom method for the interatomic potential. It is shown that the viscoelastic α -relaxation, including the α -wing asymmetry in the loss modulus, can be very well described by the theory if the memory kernel (the non-Markovian friction) in the GLE is taken to be a stretched-exponential decaying function of time. This finding directly implies strong memory effects in the atomic-scale dynamics and suggests that the α -relaxation time is related to the characteristic time scale over which atoms retain memory of their previous collision history. This memory time grows dramatically below the glass transition.

Updating schematic emotional facial expressions in working memory: Response bias and sensitivity.

PubMed

Tamm, Gerly; Kreegipuu, Kairi; Harro, Jaanus; Cowan, Nelson

2017-01-01

It is unclear if positive, negative, or neutral emotional expressions have an advantage in short-term recognition. Moreover, it is unclear from previous studies of working memory for emotional faces whether effects of emotions comprise response bias or sensitivity. The aim of this study was to compare how schematic emotional expressions (sad, angry, scheming, happy, and neutral) are discriminated and recognized in an updating task (2-back recognition) in a representative sample of birth cohort of young adults. Schematic facial expressions allow control of identity processing, which is separate from expression processing, and have been used extensively in attention research but not much, until now, in working memory research. We found that expressions with a U-curved mouth (i.e., upwardly curved), namely happy and scheming expressions, favoured a bias towards recognition (i.e., towards indicating that the probe and the stimulus in working memory are the same). Other effects of emotional expression were considerably smaller (1-2% of the variance explained)) compared to a large proportion of variance that was explained by the physical similarity of items being compared. We suggest that the nature of the stimuli plays a role in this. The present application of signal detection methodology with emotional, schematic faces in a working memory procedure requiring fast comparisons helps to resolve important contradictions that have emerged in the emotional perception literature. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Remembrance of Things Past

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heckel, Robert V.; Heckel, Nancy W.

1976-01-01

An attempt was undertaken to demonstrate a relationship between earliest memories and a perception of significant future events. Relevance here was in the role that early memories play in the theoretical bases and treatment processes of all dynamically oriented therapies. (Author/RK)

Amyloid-β Peptide Exacerbates the Memory Deficit Caused by Amyloid Precursor Protein Loss-of-Function in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Bourdet, Isabelle; Lampin-Saint-Amaux, Aurélie; Preat, Thomas; Goguel, Valérie

2015-01-01

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) plays a central role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). APP can undergo two exclusive proteolytic pathways: cleavage by the α-secretase initiates the non-amyloidogenic pathway while cleavage by the β-secretase initiates the amyloidogenic pathway that leads, after a second cleavage by the γ-secretase, to amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides that can form toxic extracellular deposits, a hallmark of AD. The initial events leading to AD are still unknown. Importantly, aside from Aβ toxicity whose molecular mechanisms remain elusive, several studies have shown that APP plays a positive role in memory, raising the possibility that APP loss-of-function may participate to AD. We previously showed that APPL, the Drosophila APP ortholog, is required for associative memory in young flies. In the present report, we provide the first analysis of the amyloidogenic pathway’s influence on memory in the adult. We show that transient overexpression of the β-secretase in the mushroom bodies, the center for olfactory memory, did not alter memory. In sharp contrast, β-secretase overexpression affected memory when associated with APPL partial loss-of-function. Interestingly, similar results were observed with Drosophila Aβ peptide. Because Aβ overexpression impaired memory only when combined to APPL partial loss-of-function, the data suggest that Aβ affects memory through the APPL pathway. Thus, memory is altered by two connected mechanisms—APPL loss-of-function and amyloid peptide toxicity—revealing in Drosophila a functional interaction between APPL and amyloid peptide. PMID:26274614

Dentate gyrus supports slope recognition memory, shades of grey-context pattern separation and recognition memory, and CA3 supports pattern completion for object memory.

PubMed

Kesner, Raymond P; Kirk, Ryan A; Yu, Zhenghui; Polansky, Caitlin; Musso, Nick D

2016-03-01

In order to examine the role of the dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG) in slope (vertical space) recognition and possible pattern separation, various slope (vertical space) degrees were used in a novel exploratory paradigm to measure novelty detection for changes in slope (vertical space) recognition memory and slope memory pattern separation in Experiment 1. The results of the experiment indicate that control rats displayed a slope recognition memory function with a pattern separation process for slope memory that is dependent upon the magnitude of change in slope between study and test phases. In contrast, the dDG lesioned rats displayed an impairment in slope recognition memory, though because there was no significant interaction between the two groups and slope memory, a reliable pattern separation impairment for slope could not be firmly established in the DG lesioned rats. In Experiment 2, in order to determine whether, the dDG plays a role in shades of grey spatial context recognition and possible pattern separation, shades of grey were used in a novel exploratory paradigm to measure novelty detection for changes in the shades of grey context environment. The results of the experiment indicate that control rats displayed a shades of grey-context pattern separation effect across levels of separation of context (shades of grey). In contrast, the DG lesioned rats displayed a significant interaction between the two groups and levels of shades of grey suggesting impairment in a pattern separation function for levels of shades of grey. In Experiment 3 in order to determine whether the dorsal CA3 (dCA3) plays a role in object pattern completion, a new task requiring less training and using a choice that was based on choosing the correct set of objects on a two-choice discrimination task was used. The results indicated that control rats displayed a pattern completion function based on the availability of one, two, three or four cues. In contrast, the dCA3 lesioned rats displayed a significant interaction between the two groups and the number of available objects suggesting impairment in a pattern completion function for object cues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Modeling of Video Game Player User Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohil, Corey J.; Biocca, Frank A.

2010-01-01

This paper argues for the use of cognitive modeling to gain a detailed and dynamic look into user experience during game play. Applying cognitive models to game play data can help researchers understand a player's attentional focus, memory status, learning state, and decision strategies (among other things) as these cognitive processes occurred throughout game play. This is a stark contrast to the common approach of trying to assess the long-term impact of games on cognitive functioning after game play has ended. We describe what cognitive models are, what they can be used for and how game researchers could benefit by adopting these methods. We also provide details of a single model - based on decision field theory - that has been successfUlly applied to data sets from memory, perception, and decision making experiments, and has recently found application in real world scenarios. We examine possibilities for applying this model to game-play data.

On the functional significance of retrieval mode: Task switching disrupts the recollection of conceptual stimulus information from episodic memory.

PubMed

Küper, Kristina

2018-01-01

Episodic memory retrieval is assumed to be associated with the tonic cognitive state of retrieval mode. Despite extensive research into the neurophysiological correlates of retrieval mode, as of yet, relatively little is known about its functional significance. The present event-related potential (ERP) study was aimed at examining the impact of retrieval mode on the specificity of memory content retrieved in the course of familiarity and recollection processes. In two experiments, participants performed a recognition memory inclusion task in which they had to distinguish identically repeated and re-colored versions of study items from new items. In Experiment 1, participants had to alternate between the episodic memory task and a semantic task requiring a natural/artificial decision. In Experiment 2, the two tasks were instead performed in separate blocks. ERPs locked to the preparatory cues in the test phases indicated that participants did not establish retrieval mode on switch trials in Experiment 1. In the absence of retrieval mode, neither type of studied item elicited ERP correlates of familiarity-based retrieval (FN400). Recollection-related late positive complex (LPC) old/new effects emerged only for identically repeated but not for conceptually identical but perceptually changed versions of study items. With blocked retrieval in Experiment 2, both types of old items instead elicited equivalent FN400 and LPC old/new effects. The LPC data indicate that retrieval mode may play an important role in the successful recollection of conceptual stimulus information. The FN400 results additionally suggest that task switching may have a detrimental effect on familiarity-based memory retrieval. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Antidepressant Agomelatine Improves Memory Deterioration and Upregulates CREB and BDNF Gene Expression Levels in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress (UCMS)-Exposed Mice

PubMed Central

Gumuslu, Esen; Mutlu, Oguz; Sunnetci, Deniz; Ulak, Guner; Celikyurt, Ipek K.; Cine, Naci; Akar, Furuzan; Savlı, Hakan; Erden, Faruk

2014-01-01

Agomelatine, a novel antidepressant with established clinical efficacy, acts as an agonist of melatonergic MT1 and MT2 receptors and as an antagonist of 5-HT2C receptors. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether chronic treatment with agomelatine would block unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS)-induced cognitive deterioration in mice in passive avoidance (PA), modified elevated plus maze (mEPM), novel object recognition (NOR), and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. Moreover, the effects of stress and agomelatine on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels in the hippocampus was also determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Male inbred BALB/c mice were treated with agomelatine (10 mg/kg, i.p.), melatonin (10 mg/kg), or vehicle daily for five weeks. The results of this study revealed that UCMS-exposed animals exhibited memory deterioration in the PA, mEPM, NOR, and MWM tests. The chronic administration of melatonin had a positive effect in the PA and +mEPM tests, whereas agomelatine had a partial effect. Both agomelatine and melatonin blocked stress-induced impairment in visual memory in the NOR test and reversed spatial learning and memory impairment in the stressed group in the MWM test. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that CREB and BDNF gene expression levels were downregulated in UCMS-exposed mice, and these alterations were reversed by chronic agomelatine or melatonin treatment. Thus, agomelatine plays an important role in blocking stress-induced hippocampal memory deterioration and activates molecular mechanisms of memory storage in response to a learning experience. PMID:24634580

Attention and Implicit Memory: Priming-Induced Benefits and Costs Have Distinct Attentional Requirements

PubMed Central

Keane, Margaret M.; Cruz, Matt E.; Verfaellie, Mieke

2014-01-01

Attention at encoding plays a critical and ubiquitous role in explicit memory performance, but its role in implicit memory performance (i.e., priming) is more variable: Some, but not all, priming effects are reduced by division of attention at encoding. A wealth of empirical and theoretical work has aimed to define the critical features of priming effects that do or do not require attention at encoding. This work, however, has focused exclusively on priming effects that are beneficial in nature (wherein performance is enhanced by prior exposure to task stimuli), and has overlooked priming effects that are costly in nature (wherein performance is harmed by prior exposure to task stimuli). The present study takes up this question by examining the effect of divided attention on priming-induced costs and benefits in a speeded picture-naming task. Experiment 1 shows that the costs, but not the benefits, are eliminated by division of attention at encoding. Experiment 2 shows that the costs (as well as the benefits) in this task are intact in amnesic participants, demonstrating that the elimination of the cost in the divided attention condition in Experiment 1 was not an artifact of the reduced availability of explicit memory in that condition. We suggest that the differential role of attention in priming-induced performance costs and benefits is linked to differences in response competition associated with these effects. This interpretation situates the present findings within a theoretical framework that has been applied to a broad range of facilitatory priming effects. PMID:25257650

Dorsal hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors underlie spatial working memory performance during non-matching to place testing on the T-maze.

PubMed

McHugh, Stephen B; Niewoehner, Burkhard; Rawlins, J N P; Bannerman, David M

2008-01-10

Previous lesion studies have suggested a functional dissociation along the septotemporal axis of the hippocampus. Whereas the dorsal hippocampus has been implicated in spatial memory processes, the ventral hippocampus may play a role in anxiety. However, these lesion studies are potentially confounded by demyelination of fibres passing through the lesion site, and the possibility of secondary, downstream changes in associated brain structures as a consequence of their chronic denervation following the lesion. In the present study, we have used the microinfusion of muscimol to temporarily inactivate either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus in order to re-examine the contribution of the hippocampal sub-regions to spatial memory. Microinfusion studies spare fibres of passage and offer fewer opportunities for compensatory changes because the effects are transient and short-lasting. Rats were infused prior to spatial working memory testing on a non-matching to place T-maze alternation task. Spatial working memory was impaired by dorsal but not ventral hippocampal inactivation. In a second experiment, infusion of the NMDAR antagonist, D-AP5, into dorsal hippocampus also impaired spatial working memory performance, suggesting that NMDAR function within the dorsal hippocampus makes an essential contribution to this aspect of hippocampal information processing.

Semantic memory for contextual regularities within and across scene categories: evidence from eye movements.

PubMed

Brockmole, James R; Le-Hoa Võ, Melissa

2010-10-01

When encountering familiar scenes, observers can use item-specific memory to facilitate the guidance of attention to objects appearing in known locations or configurations. Here, we investigated how memory for relational contingencies that emerge across different scenes can be exploited to guide attention. Participants searched for letter targets embedded in pictures of bedrooms. In a between-subjects manipulation, targets were either always on a bed pillow or randomly positioned. When targets were systematically located within scenes, search for targets became more efficient. Importantly, this learning transferred to bedrooms without pillows, ruling out learning that is based on perceptual contingencies. Learning also transferred to living room scenes, but it did not transfer to kitchen scenes, even though both scene types contained pillows. These results suggest that statistical regularities abstracted across a range of stimuli are governed by semantic expectations regarding the presence of target-predicting local landmarks. Moreover, explicit awareness of these contingencies led to a central tendency bias in recall memory for precise target positions that is similar to the spatial category effects observed in landmark memory. These results broaden the scope of conditions under which contextual cuing operates and demonstrate how semantic memory plays a causal and independent role in the learning of associations between objects in real-world scenes.

Dietary self-control influences top-down guidance of attention to food cues.

PubMed

Higgs, Suzanne; Dolmans, Dirk; Humphreys, Glyn W; Rutters, Femke

2015-01-01

Motivational objects attract attention due to their rewarding properties, but less is known about the role that top-down cognitive processes play in the attention paid to motivationally relevant objects and how this is affected by relevant behavioral traits. Here we assess how thinking about food affects attentional guidance to food items and how this is modulated by traits relating to dietary self-control. Participants completed two tasks in which they were presented with an initial cue (food or non-food) to either hold in working memory (memory task) or to merely attend to (priming task). Holding food items in working memory strongly affected attention when the memorized cue re-appeared in the search display. Tendency towards disinhibited eating was associated with greater attention to food versus non-food pictures in both the priming and working memory tasks, consistent with greater attention to food cues per se. Successful dieters, defined as those high in dietary restraint and low in tendency to disinhibition, showed reduced attention to food when holding food-related information in working memory. These data suggest a strong top-down effect of thinking about food on attention to food items and indicate that the suppression of food items in working memory could be a marker of dieting success.

Seeing Colors: Cultural and Environmental Influences on Episodic Memory.

PubMed

Persaud, Kimele; Hemmer, Pernille; Kidd, Celeste; Piantadosi, Steven

2017-01-01

Expectations learned from our perceptual experiences, culture, and language can shape how we perceive, interact with, and remember features of the past. Here, we questioned whether environment also plays a role. We tested recognition memory for color in Bolivia's indigenous Tsimanè people, who experience a different color environment than standard U.S. We found that memory regressed differently between the groups, lending credence to the idea that environmental variations engender differences in expectations, and in turn perceptual memory for color.

Mushroom Bodies of the Honeybee Brain Show Cell Population-Specific Plasticity in Expression of Amine-Receptor Genes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McQuillan, H. James; Nakagawa, Shinichi; Mercer, Alison R.

2012-01-01

Dopamine and octopamine released in the mushroom bodies of the insect brain play a critical role in the formation of aversive and appetitive memories, respectively. As recent evidence suggests a complex relationship between the effects of these two amines on the output of mushroom body circuits, we compared the expression of dopamine- and…

Distinct Consolidation Outcomes in a Visuomotor Adaptation Task: Off-Line Leaning and Persistent After-Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trempe, Maxime; Proteau, Luc

2010-01-01

Consolidation is a time-dependent process responsible for the storage of information in long-term memory. As such, it plays a crucial role in motor learning. In two experiments, we sought to determine whether one's performance influences the outcome of the consolidation process. We used a visuomotor adaptation task in which the cursor moved by the…

All in its proper time: monitoring the emergence of a memory bias for novel, arousing-negative words in individuals with high and low trait anxiety.

PubMed

Eden, Annuschka Salima; Zwitserlood, Pienie; Keuper, Katharina; Junghöfer, Markus; Laeger, Inga; Zwanzger, Peter; Dobel, Christian

2014-01-01

The well-established memory bias for arousing-negative stimuli seems to be enhanced in high trait-anxious persons and persons suffering from anxiety disorders. We monitored the emergence and development of such a bias during and after learning, in high and low trait anxious participants. A word-learning paradigm was applied, consisting of spoken pseudowords paired either with arousing-negative or neutral pictures. Learning performance during training evidenced a short-lived advantage for arousing-negative associated words, which was not present at the end of training. Cued recall and valence ratings revealed a memory bias for pseudowords that had been paired with arousing-negative pictures, immediately after learning and two weeks later. This held even for items that were not explicitly remembered. High anxious individuals evidenced a stronger memory bias in the cued-recall test, and their ratings were also more negative overall compared to low anxious persons. Both effects were evident, even when explicit recall was controlled for. Regarding the memory bias in anxiety prone persons, explicit memory seems to play a more crucial role than implicit memory. The study stresses the need for several time points of bias measurement during the course of learning and retrieval, as well as the employment of different measures for learning success.

Music improves verbal memory encoding while decreasing prefrontal cortex activity: an fNIRS study.

PubMed

Ferreri, Laura; Aucouturier, Jean-Julien; Muthalib, Makii; Bigand, Emmanuel; Bugaiska, Aurelia

2013-01-01

Listening to music engages the whole brain, thus stimulating cognitive performance in a range of non-purely musical activities such as language and memory tasks. This article addresses an ongoing debate on the link between music and memory for words. While evidence on healthy and clinical populations suggests that music listening can improve verbal memory in a variety of situations, it is still unclear what specific memory process is affected and how. This study was designed to explore the hypothesis that music specifically benefits the encoding part of verbal memory tasks, by providing a richer context for encoding and therefore less demand on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty-two healthy young adults were subjected to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) imaging of their bilateral DLPFC while encoding words in the presence of either a music or a silent background. Behavioral data confirmed the facilitating effect of music background during encoding on subsequent item recognition. fNIRS results revealed significantly greater activation of the left hemisphere during encoding (in line with the HERA model of memory lateralization) and a sustained, bilateral decrease of activity in the DLPFC in the music condition compared to silence. These findings suggest that music modulates the role played by the DLPFC during verbal encoding, and open perspectives for applications to clinical populations with prefrontal impairments, such as elderly adults or Alzheimer's patients.

Music improves verbal memory encoding while decreasing prefrontal cortex activity: an fNIRS study

PubMed Central

Ferreri, Laura; Aucouturier, Jean-Julien; Muthalib, Makii; Bigand, Emmanuel; Bugaiska, Aurelia

2013-01-01

Listening to music engages the whole brain, thus stimulating cognitive performance in a range of non-purely musical activities such as language and memory tasks. This article addresses an ongoing debate on the link between music and memory for words. While evidence on healthy and clinical populations suggests that music listening can improve verbal memory in a variety of situations, it is still unclear what specific memory process is affected and how. This study was designed to explore the hypothesis that music specifically benefits the encoding part of verbal memory tasks, by providing a richer context for encoding and therefore less demand on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty-two healthy young adults were subjected to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) imaging of their bilateral DLPFC while encoding words in the presence of either a music or a silent background. Behavioral data confirmed the facilitating effect of music background during encoding on subsequent item recognition. fNIRS results revealed significantly greater activation of the left hemisphere during encoding (in line with the HERA model of memory lateralization) and a sustained, bilateral decrease of activity in the DLPFC in the music condition compared to silence. These findings suggest that music modulates the role played by the DLPFC during verbal encoding, and open perspectives for applications to clinical populations with prefrontal impairments, such as elderly adults or Alzheimer’s patients. PMID:24339807

Caloric restriction preserves memory and reduces anxiety of aging mice with early enhancement of neurovascular functions.

PubMed

Parikh, Ishita; Guo, Janet; Chuang, Kai-Hsiang; Zhong, Yu; Rempe, Ralf G; Hoffman, Jared D; Armstrong, Rachel; Bauer, Björn; Hartz, Anika M S; Lin, Ai-Ling

2016-11-08

Neurovascular integrity plays an important role in protecting cognitive and mental health in aging. Lifestyle interventions that sustain neurovascular integrity may thus be critical on preserving brain functions in aging and reducing the risk for age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Here we show that caloric restriction (CR) had an early effect on neurovascular enhancements, and played a critical role in preserving vascular, cognitive and mental health in aging. In particular, we found that CR significantly enhanced cerebral blood flow (CBF) and blood-brain barrier function in young mice at 5-6 months of age. The neurovascular enhancements were associated with reduced mammalian target of rapamycin expression, elevated endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling, and increased ketone bodies utilization. With age, CR decelerated the rate of decline in CBF. The preserved CBF in hippocampus and frontal cortex were highly correlated with preserved memory and learning, and reduced anxiety, of the aging mice treated with CR (18-20 months of age). Our results suggest that dietary intervention started in the early stage (e.g., young adults) may benefit cognitive and mental reserve in aging. Understanding nutritional effects on neurovascular functions may have profound implications in human brain aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders.

Working Memory From the Psychological and Neurosciences Perspectives: A Review.

PubMed

Chai, Wen Jia; Abd Hamid, Aini Ismafairus; Abdullah, Jafri Malin

2018-01-01

Since the concept of working memory was introduced over 50 years ago, different schools of thought have offered different definitions for working memory based on the various cognitive domains that it encompasses. The general consensus regarding working memory supports the idea that working memory is extensively involved in goal-directed behaviors in which information must be retained and manipulated to ensure successful task execution. Before the emergence of other competing models, the concept of working memory was described by the multicomponent working memory model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch. In the present article, the authors provide an overview of several working memory-relevant studies in order to harmonize the findings of working memory from the neurosciences and psychological standpoints, especially after citing evidence from past studies of healthy, aging, diseased, and/or lesioned brains. In particular, the theoretical framework behind working memory, in which the related domains that are considered to play a part in different frameworks (such as memory's capacity limit and temporary storage) are presented and discussed. From the neuroscience perspective, it has been established that working memory activates the fronto-parietal brain regions, including the prefrontal, cingulate, and parietal cortices. Recent studies have subsequently implicated the roles of subcortical regions (such as the midbrain and cerebellum) in working memory. Aging also appears to have modulatory effects on working memory; age interactions with emotion, caffeine and hormones appear to affect working memory performances at the neurobiological level. Moreover, working memory deficits are apparent in older individuals, who are susceptible to cognitive deterioration. Another younger population with working memory impairment consists of those with mental, developmental, and/or neurological disorders such as major depressive disorder and others. A less coherent and organized neural pattern has been consistently reported in these disadvantaged groups. Working memory of patients with traumatic brain injury was similarly affected and shown to have unusual neural activity (hyper- or hypoactivation) as a general observation. Decoding the underlying neural mechanisms of working memory helps support the current theoretical understandings concerning working memory, and at the same time provides insights into rehabilitation programs that target working memory impairments from neurophysiological or psychological aspects.

Examination of mechanisms underlying enhanced memory performance in action video game players: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Li, Xianchun; Cheng, Xiaojun; Li, Jiaying; Pan, Yafeng; Hu, Yi; Ku, Yixuan

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown enhanced memory performance resulting from extensive action video game playing. The mechanisms underlying the cognitive benefit were investigated in the current study. We presented two types of retro-cues, with variable intervals to memory array (Task 1) or test array (Task 2), during the retention interval in a change detection task. In Task 1, action video game players demonstrated steady performance while non-action video game players showed decreased performance as cues occurred later, indicating their performance difference increased as the cue-to-memory-array intervals became longer. In Task 2, both participant groups increased their performance at similar rates as cues presented later, implying the performance difference in two groups were irrespective of the test-array-to-cue intervals. These findings suggested that memory benefit from game plays is not attributable to the higher ability of overcoming interference from the test array, but to the interactions between the two processes of protection from decay and resistance from interference, or from alternative hypotheses. Implications for future studies were discussed. PMID:26136720

Examination of mechanisms underlying enhanced memory performance in action video game players: a pilot study.

PubMed

Li, Xianchun; Cheng, Xiaojun; Li, Jiaying; Pan, Yafeng; Hu, Yi; Ku, Yixuan

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown enhanced memory performance resulting from extensive action video game playing. The mechanisms underlying the cognitive benefit were investigated in the current study. We presented two types of retro-cues, with variable intervals to memory array (Task 1) or test array (Task 2), during the retention interval in a change detection task. In Task 1, action video game players demonstrated steady performance while non-action video game players showed decreased performance as cues occurred later, indicating their performance difference increased as the cue-to-memory-array intervals became longer. In Task 2, both participant groups increased their performance at similar rates as cues presented later, implying the performance difference in two groups were irrespective of the test-array-to-cue intervals. These findings suggested that memory benefit from game plays is not attributable to the higher ability of overcoming interference from the test array, but to the interactions between the two processes of protection from decay and resistance from interference, or from alternative hypotheses. Implications for future studies were discussed.

Single-trial Phase Entrainment of Theta Oscillations in Sensory Regions Predicts Human Associative Memory Performance.

PubMed

Wang, Danying; Clouter, Andrew; Chen, Qiaoyu; Shapiro, Kimron L; Hanslmayr, Simon

2018-06-13

Episodic memories are rich in sensory information and often contain integrated information from different sensory modalities. For instance, we can store memories of a recent concert with visual and auditory impressions being integrated in one episode. Theta oscillations have recently been implicated in playing a causal role synchronizing and effectively binding the different modalities together in memory. However, an open question is whether momentary fluctuations in theta synchronization predict the likelihood of associative memory formation for multisensory events. To address this question we entrained the visual and auditory cortex at theta frequency (4 Hz) and in a synchronous or asynchronous manner by modulating the luminance and volume of movies and sounds at 4 Hz, with a phase offset at 0° or 180°. EEG activity from human subjects (both sexes) was recorded while they memorized the association between a movie and a sound. Associative memory performance was significantly enhanced in the 0° compared to the 180° condition. Source-level analysis demonstrated that the physical stimuli effectively entrained their respective cortical areas with a corresponding phase offset. The findings suggested a successful replication of a previous study (Clouter et al., 2017). Importantly, the strength of entrainment during encoding correlated with the efficacy of associative memory such that small phase differences between visual and auditory cortex predicted a high likelihood of correct retrieval in a later recall test. These findings suggest that theta oscillations serve a specific function in the episodic memory system: Binding the contents of different modalities into coherent memory episodes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How multi-sensory experiences are bound to form a coherent episodic memory representation is one of the fundamental questions in human episodic memory research. Evidence from animal literature suggests that the relative timing between an input and theta oscillations in the hippocampus is crucial for memory formation. We precisely controlled the timing between visual and auditory stimuli and the neural oscillations at 4 Hz using a multisensory entrainment paradigm. Human associative memory formation depends on coincident timing between sensory streams processed by the corresponding brain regions. We provide evidence for a significant role of relative timing of neural theta activity in human episodic memory on a single trial level, which reveals a crucial mechanism underlying human episodic memory. Copyright © 2018 the authors.

Stimulation of the noradrenergic system during memory formation impairs extinction learning but not the disruption of reconsolidation.

PubMed

Soeter, Marieke; Kindt, Merel

2012-04-01

The noradrenergic system plays a critical role in the 'consolidation' of emotional memory. If we are to target 'reconsolidation' in patients with anxiety disorders, the noradrenergic strengthening of fear memory should not impair the disruption of reconsolidation. In Experiment I, we addressed this issue using a differential fear conditioning procedure allowing selective reactivation of one of two fear associations. First, we strengthened fear memory by administering an α(2)-adrenergic receptor antagonist (ie, yohimbine HCl; double-blind placebo-controlled study) 30 min before acquisition (time for peak value yohimbine HCl <1 h). Next, the reconsolidation of one of the fear associations was manipulated by administering a β-adrenergic receptor antagonist (ie, propranolol HCl) 90 min before its selective reactivation (time for peak value propranolol HCl <2 h). In Experiment II, we administered propranolol HCl after reactivation of the memory to rule out a possible effect of the pharmacological manipulation on the memory retrieval itself. The excessive release of noradrenaline during memory formation not only delayed the process of extinction 48 h later, but also triggered broader fear generalization. Yet, the β-adrenergic receptor blocker during reconsolidation selectively 'neutralized' the fear-arousing aspects of the noradrenergic-strengthened memory and undermined the generalization of fear. We observed a similar reduction in fear responding when propranolol HCl was administered after reactivation of the memory. The present findings demonstrate the involvement of noradrenergic modulation in the formation as well as generalization of human fear memory. Given that the noradrenergic strengthening of fear memory impaired extinction learning but not the disruption of reconsolidation, our findings may have implications for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Annealing effects on the structural and magnetic properties of off-stoichiometric Fe-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yan; Bei, Hongbin; Dela Cruz, Clarina R; ...

2016-05-07

Annealing plays an important role in modifying structures and properties of ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs). The annealing effect on the structures and magnetic properties of off-stoichiometric Fe 45Mn 26Ga 29 FSMA has been investigated at different elevated temperatures. Rietveld refinements of neutron diffraction patterns display that the formation of the γ phase in Fe 45Mn 26Ga 29 annealed at 1073 K increases the martensitic transformation temperature and reduces the thermal hysteresis in comparison to the homogenized sample. The phase segregation of a Fe-rich cubic phase and a Ga-rich cubic phase occurs at the annealing temperature of 773 K. Themore » atomic occupancies of the alloys are determined thanks to the neutron's capability of differentiating transition metals. The annealing effects at different temperatures introduce a different magnetic characteristic that is associated with distinctive structural changes in the crystal.« less

Dynamics of social contagions with memory of nonredundant information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Tang, Ming; Zhang, Hai-Feng; Lai, Ying-Cheng

2015-07-01

A key ingredient in social contagion dynamics is reinforcement, as adopting a certain social behavior requires verification of its credibility and legitimacy. Memory of nonredundant information plays an important role in reinforcement, which so far has eluded theoretical analysis. We first propose a general social contagion model with reinforcement derived from nonredundant information memory. Then, we develop a unified edge-based compartmental theory to analyze this model, and a remarkable agreement with numerics is obtained on some specific models. We use a spreading threshold model as a specific example to understand the memory effect, in which each individual adopts a social behavior only when the cumulative pieces of information that the individual received from his or her neighbors exceeds an adoption threshold. Through analysis and numerical simulations, we find that the memory characteristic markedly affects the dynamics as quantified by the final adoption size. Strikingly, we uncover a transition phenomenon in which the dependence of the final adoption size on some key parameters, such as the transmission probability, can change from being discontinuous to being continuous. The transition can be triggered by proper parameters and structural perturbations to the system, such as decreasing individuals' adoption threshold, increasing initial seed size, or enhancing the network heterogeneity.

Cordyceps militaris extract attenuates D-galactose-induced memory impairment in mice.

PubMed

Li, Zaixin; Zhang, Zhi; Zhang, Jinshan; Jia, Jing; Ding, Jie; Luo, Rongzhen; Liu, Zhangqin

2012-12-01

Memory impairment is one of main clinical symptoms of brain senescence. To address the effects of Cordyceps militaris Link extract (CE) on memory impairment, a D-galactose (D-Gal)-induced aging mouse model was employed. Mice injected with D-Gal showed a significant learning and memory impairment that was rescued by CE treatment. The mechanism was further investigated by analyzing the protein level and activity of oxidant and antioxidant molecules, including malondialdehyde (MDA), monoamine oxidase (MAO), total super-oxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), which played critical roles in the development of brain senescence. The results showed that CE treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the oxidative activity of MAO and the level of MDA, and significantly increased the antioxidant activities of T-SOD and T-AOC in the cerebral cortices. Moreover, the level of GSH and the activity of antioxidant enzymes GSH-px in serum were significantly upregulated after CE treatment. Taken together, our results suggest that Cordyceps militaris extract could ameliorate experimental memory impairment in mice with D-Gal-induced aging through its potent antioxidant activities.

Spontaneous strategy use protects against visual working memory deficits in older adults infected with HIV.

PubMed

Woods, Steven Paul; Weber, Erica; Cameron, Marizela V; Dawson, Matthew S; Delano-Wood, Lisa; Bondi, Mark W; Grant, Igor

2010-12-01

Recent studies suggest that older human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults are at particular risk for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), including dementia. Deficits in attention/working memory are posited to play a central role in the development of HAND among older adults. The aim of the present study was to examine the possible protective benefits of spontaneous strategy use during a visual working memory task in 46 older and 42 younger adults infected with HIV. Results revealed a significant interaction between age and strategy use, with older adults who used a meta-cognitive strategy demonstrating superior working memory performance versus non-strategy users. This effect was not observed in the younger HIV-infected sample and was not better explained by possible confounding factors, such as education, comorbid medical conditions, or HIV disease severity. Within the older group, strategy use was associated with better executive functions and higher estimated verbal intelligence. Findings from this study suggest that working memory declines in older HIV-infected adults are moderated by the use of higher-level mnemonic strategies and may inform cognitive neurorehabilitation efforts to improve cognitive and everyday functioning outcomes in older persons living with HIV infection.

Active counter electrode in a-SiC electrochemical metallization memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, K. A.; Fan, J.; Huang, R.; Zhong, L.; Gowers, R.; Ou, J. Y.; Jiang, L.; De Groot, C. H.

2017-08-01

Cu/amorphous-SiC (a-SiC) electrochemical metallization memory cells have been fabricated with two different counter electrode (CE) materials, W and Au, in order to investigate the role of CEs in a non-oxide semiconductor switching matrix. In a positive bipolar regime with Cu filaments forming and rupturing, the CE influences the OFF state resistance and minimum current compliance. Nevertheless, a similarity in SET kinetics is seen for both CEs, which differs from previously published SiO2 memories, confirming that CE effects are dependent on the switching layer material or type. Both a-SiC memories are able to switch in the negative bipolar regime, indicating Au and W filaments. This confirms that CEs can play an active role in a non-oxide semiconducting switching matrix, such as a-SiC. By comparing both Au and W CEs, this work shows that W is superior in terms of a higher R OFF/R ON ratio, along with the ability to switch at lower current compliances making it a favourable material for future low energy applications. With its CMOS compatibility, a-SiC/W is an excellent choice for future resistive memory applications.

Involvement of hippocampal NMDA receptors in encoding and consolidation, but not retrieval, processes of spontaneous object location memory in rats.

PubMed

Yamada, Kazuo; Arai, Misaki; Suenaga, Toshiko; Ichitani, Yukio

2017-07-28

The hippocampus is thought to be involved in object location recognition memory, yet the contribution of hippocampal NMDA receptors to the memory processes, such as encoding, retention and retrieval, is unknown. First, we confirmed that hippocampal infusion of a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, AP5 (2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid, 20-40nmol), impaired performance of spontaneous object location recognition test but not that of novel object recognition test in Wistar rats. Next, the effects of hippocampal AP5 treatment on each process of object location recognition memory were examined with three different injection times using a 120min delay-interposed test: 15min before the sample phase (Time I), immediately after the sample phase (Time II), and 15min before the test phase (Time III). The blockade of hippocampal NMDA receptors before and immediately after the sample phase, but not before the test phase, markedly impaired performance of object location recognition test, suggesting that hippocampal NMDA receptors play an important role in encoding and consolidation/retention, but not retrieval, of spontaneous object location memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Verbal Working Memory Is Related to the Acquisition of Cross-Linguistic Phonological Regularities.

PubMed

Bosma, Evelyn; Heeringa, Wilbert; Hoekstra, Eric; Versloot, Arjen; Blom, Elma

2017-01-01

Closely related languages share cross-linguistic phonological regularities, such as Frisian -âld [ͻ:t] and Dutch -oud [ʱut], as in the cognate pairs kâld [kͻ:t] - koud [kʱut] 'cold' and wâld [wͻ:t] - woud [wʱut] 'forest'. Within Bybee's (1995, 2001, 2008, 2010) network model, these regularities are, just like grammatical rules within a language, generalizations that emerge from schemas of phonologically and semantically related words. Previous research has shown that verbal working memory is related to the acquisition of grammar, but not vocabulary. This suggests that verbal working memory supports the acquisition of linguistic regularities. In order to test this hypothesis we investigated whether verbal working memory is also related to the acquisition of cross-linguistic phonological regularities. For three consecutive years, 5- to 8-year-old Frisian-Dutch bilingual children ( n = 120) were tested annually on verbal working memory and a Frisian receptive vocabulary task that comprised four cognate categories: (1) identical cognates, (2) non-identical cognates that either do or (3) do not exhibit a phonological regularity between Frisian and Dutch, and (4) non-cognates. The results showed that verbal working memory had a significantly stronger effect on cognate category (2) than on the other three cognate categories. This suggests that verbal working memory is related to the acquisition of cross-linguistic phonological regularities. More generally, it confirms the hypothesis that verbal working memory plays a role in the acquisition of linguistic regularities.

Angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas axis modulates fear memory and extinction in mice.

PubMed

Lazaroni, Thiago Luiz do Nascimento; Bastos, Cristiane Perácio; Moraes, Márcio Flávio Dutra; Santos, Robson Souza; Pereira, Grace Schenatto

2016-01-01

Inappropriate defense-alerting reaction to fear is a common feature of neuropsychiatric diseases. Therefore, impairments in brain circuits, as well as in molecular pathways underlying the neurovegetative adjustments to fear may play an essential role on developing neuropsychiatric disorders. Here we tested the hypothesis that interfering with angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)]/Mas receptor axis homeostasis, which appears to be essential to arterial pressure control, would affect fear memory and extinction. Mas knockout (MasKO) mice, in FVB/N background, showed normal cued fear memory and extinction, but increased freezing in response to context. Next, as FVB/N has poor performance in contextual fear memory, we tested MasKO in mixed 129xC57BL/6 background. MasKO mice behaved similarly to wild-type (WT), but memory extinction was slower in contextual fear conditioning to a weak protocol (1CS/US). In addition, delayed extinction in MasKO mice was even more pronounced after a stronger protocol (3CS/US). We showed previously that Angiotensin II receptor AT1 antagonist, losantan, rescued object recognition memory deficit in MasKO mice. Here, losartan was also effective. Memory extinction was accelerated in MasKO mice after treatment with losartan. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis may modulate fear memory extinction. Furthermore, we suggest MasKO mice as an animal model to study post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Activation of beta2-Adrenoceptor Enhances Synaptic Potentiation and Behavioral Memory via cAMP-PKA Signaling in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex of Rats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Hou-Cheng; Sun, Yan-Yan; Cai, Wei; He, Xiao-Ting; Yi, Feng; Li, Bao-Ming; Zhang, Xue-Han

2013-01-01

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a critical role in cognitive functions, including working memory, attention regulation, behavioral inhibition, as well as memory storage. The functions of PFC are very sensitive to norepinephrine (NE), and even low levels of endogenously released NE exert a dramatic influence on the functioning of the PFC.…

Preservation of musical memory in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Crystal, H A; Grober, E; Masur, D

1989-12-01

An 82 year old musician with Alzheimer's disease (AD) showed a preserved ability to play previously learned piano compositions from memory while being unable to identify the composer or titles of each work. He also showed a preserved ability to learn the new skill of mirror reading while being unable to recall or recognise new information. Both anterograde and retrograde procedural memory may be relatively spared in AD.

Different Phases of Long-Term Memory Require Distinct Temporal Patterns of PKA Activity after Single-Trial Classical Conditioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michel, Maximilian; Kemenes, Ildiko; Muller, Uli; Kemenes, Gyorgy

2008-01-01

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is known to play a critical role in both transcription-independent short-term or intermediate-term memory and transcription-dependent long-term memory (LTM). Although distinct phases of LTM already have been demonstrated in some systems, it is not known whether these phases require distinct temporal patterns…