Articles tagged with Working Memory
Researchers investigated the neural mechanisms of verbal working memory processing in healthy aging adults using magnetoencephalography. Age-related increases in theta activity were detected during encoding, and alpha and beta oscillations were stronger in older participants during maintenance and retrieval phases.
Researchers investigated cognitive fatigue across multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and controls using two tasks, finding that fatigue was consistent across participants regardless of task. Cognitive fatigue correlated with longer response times and activation in the caudate nucleus and thalamus.
A new study published in Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence found that training in Interlingual Respeaking, a new practice combining human collaboration with speech recognition software, can improve language professionals' cognitive abilities. The research, conducted by the University of Surrey, showed significant enhancements in wor...
Researchers found apes recognize photos of friends they haven't seen in over 25 years and respond more enthusiastically. The study demonstrates the longest-lasting social memory outside humans, suggesting a common ancestor link and potential for great ape culture evolution.
A two-week yoga nidra intervention increased sleep efficiency and percentage of delta-waves in deep sleep, leading to improved cognitive abilities such as decision-making and abstraction. Cognitive tests revealed faster responses with no loss in accuracy.
The study used various tests to analyze the memory performance of jackdaws, finding that their performance decreased when working memory demands increased. The researchers found that corvids, like humans, show reduced accuracy and biased representations when working memory demands are high.
A new study found that traumatic memories in people with PTSD are represented in the brain in a distinct way, deviating from regular memory processing. The hippocampus and posterior cingulate cortex regions showed different neural responses to traumatic and sad autobiographical memories.
A study from the University of Ottawa found that sleep deprivation significantly impacts decision-making processes, reducing neural responses to winning and losing outcomes. This can lead to diminished positive emotions in response to winning and negative emotions when faced with losses.
A longitudinal study found that nine-to-10-year-old children who drink daily caffeinated soda are twice as likely to try alcohol within a year. Daily caffeine intake is associated with low working memory and high impulsivity, recognized risk factors for substance use disorders.
A virtual, home-based exercise program using cognitively enriched tai ji quan improved global cognition and reduced walking interference associated with dual tasking in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. The intervention also showed favorable improvements in cognition, function, executive function, and working memory.
Research from the University of East Anglia found that children who are too short for their age can suffer reduced cognitive ability due to differences in brain function as early as six months. The study discovered a link between stunted growth and disrupted visual working memory, making them more easily distracted.
Researchers found that working memory was the most significant predictor of writing ability among English learner students. Cognitive functions such as phonological awareness and oral language development were also important, but only working memory consistently predicted higher scores in writing.
Researchers found that longer nights of better sleep correlate with improved mood, motivation, and reduced sleepiness. Irregular sleep patterns had a negative effect on mental well-being, while daytime naps may alleviate inadequate nocturnal sleep's effects.
A new study published in PLOS ONE found that exposure to night shift work and rotating shift work is associated with higher rates of cognitive impairment among middle-aged and older adults. Cognitive function tests revealed impairment in memory and executive function, suggesting a potential link between shift work and neurodegeneration.
A team of researchers identified neural dynamics that our visual system uses to transform what we see into what we do, demonstrating that working memory relies on both what one is storing and why. This new understanding challenges traditional theories of working memory, which state that storage codes are stable over time.
A breakthrough in photonic memory has been achieved, enabling fast volatile modulation and nonvolatile weight storage for rapid training of optical neural networks. The 5-bit photonic memory utilizes a low-loss PCM antimonite to achieve rapid response times and energy-efficient processing.
Researchers found that Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) can restore spatial working memory and reduce withdrawal symptoms in mice exposed to alcohol. KRG suppresses the PKA-CREB signaling pathway and inhibits neuroinflammation, suggesting its potential as a novel therapeutic intervention for treating alcohol use disorder.
Researchers found that people who imagined planning a heist had better memory the next day compared to those who imagined executing it. Curiosity supercharges memory for paintings seen while pretending to be an art thief.
A study led by Dartmouth College researchers found that participants' color memory improved when stimuli were meaningful and part of real-world objects. The results demonstrate that the capacity for visual working memory of colors is more continuous and flexible than previously thought, with better recall of colors in meaningful contexts.
New research shows that electric fields drive neural activity and coordinate memory across two key brain regions. The findings could lead to improved brain-controlled prosthetics for people with paralysis.
Research suggests that brain's electrical activity tunes sub-cellular components to optimize network stability and efficiency. This 'Cytoelectric Coupling' hypothesis proposes that electric fields influence neurons' physical configuration to fine-tune information processing.
A study by University of California, Riverside found that older adults are less likely to ignore distractors in their surroundings while engaging in a cognitive task and an effortful physical task. This decline is greater when simultaneously performing a physical task, such as driving or carrying grocery bags.
A virtual yoga program led by Sean Mullen reduced stress and anxiety in full-time working adults, improving short-term memory. The study used moderate-intensity yoga sequences to investigate its benefits for executive functioning and adherence to exercise programs.
New research shows that rhythmic brain activity helps organize transient bursts of activity in the brain to maintain short-term connections. Brain rhythms coordinate overlapping populations of neurons to store different pieces of information at the same time.
A study found that practicing music and active listening can alter cognitive decline in healthy seniors by promoting brain plasticity. The researchers discovered an increase in grey matter volume in four brain regions involved in high-level cognitive functioning.
Researchers at Salk Institute discover that dysfunctional mitochondria at synapses fail to meet energetic demand, supplying either too much or too little power and potentially causing working memory impairment with age. Adherence to the ultrastructural size principle is essential for avoiding cognitive decline in aging brains.
Scientists have identified distinct mechanisms by which people remove information from their working memory and found that forgetting requires much effort. They also discovered four brain networks that activate when memories are maintained or purged through different mechanisms.
Two early-career cognitive neuroscientists, Anna Schapiro and Freek van Ede, have been awarded the prestigious Young Investigator Award by the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. Their research focuses on understanding human learning and working memory.
A new national US study suggests that young children who are taught by a teacher of the same ethnicity as themselves develop better learning and problem-solving skills by the age of seven. The effect was most pronounced in Black and Latinx children, with improved working memory and reading achievement scores.
A new MIT study explains how the brain manages general and specific components of working memory, enabling flexibility in task demands. Spatial Computing theory proposes that distinct spaces in the cortex govern rule-based control, allowing for dynamic reshaping of memory representations.
Researchers from Dartmouth and University Medicine Essen found that strong links between brain measures and traits can be obtained when machine learning algorithms are utilized. This approach allows for high-powered results from moderate sample sizes, opening up studies of many traits and clinical conditions previously inaccessible.
A new study suggests that childhood mental health problems resulting from early-life adversity drive poorer cognitive performance in adolescence. Researchers found that addressing mental health difficulties when children are young can alleviate the effects of early-life adversity on later cognition.
A study of 13,287 children found that early-life adversity was strongly associated with poorer mental health across all ages from 3 to 14 years. Adversity also predicted poorer working memory at age 11 and vocabulary at age 14.
Research found that experiencing three or more concussions is linked with worsened brain function in later life. Participants who reported multiple concussions showed significant cognitive decline, particularly in attention and complex task completion.
Research published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health found that daily moderate and vigorous physical activity is positively associated with mid-life brain power. However, replacing these activities with just 6-7 minutes of sedentary behavior negatively impacts cognitive performance. The study analyzed data from over 4,4...
Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute found that the brain stores information in working memory by making short-lived changes in neural connections, contradicting the traditional idea of sustained neuronal activity. This new insight sheds light on the sophisticated flexibility of thought and its dynamic nature.
A study published in Science Advances shows that tPBM can improve working memory in people with conditions like ADHD. The therapy, applied to the right prefrontal cortex, showed significant improvements in memory performance and brain activity.
A new study found that low to moderate levels of stress improve working memory and brain function, allowing individuals to optimize cognitive performance. In contrast, chronic high-stress levels can lead to changes in brain structure and increased susceptibility to illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure.
A team of scientists developed a computer model predicting the role of cortical glial cells in cognition. The study reveals that astrocytes can modify brain circuits and influence behavior.
A new approach combining online therapeutic games with non-invasive brain stimulation techniques has shown significant benefits in improving working memory capacity in older adults. The technology, COGNISANT, was found to be particularly effective in those with lower initial working memory capacity.
A study published in the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research found that children with dyslexia often perform well on simple phonological tests, but struggle with more complex tasks. The researchers suggest that these more complex tests better predict a child's risk of dyslexia.
Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute found that bursts of gamma frequency rhythms in the prefrontal cortex coordinate neural representation of information held in mind, reducing variability with focused thinking. This challenges a long-held orthodoxy on how neurons maintain working memory information.
Researchers discovered that communication between two brain regions, parietal cortex and premotor cortex, is co-dependent on instantaneous timescales to represent and maintain working memory. This finding challenges previous understanding of working memory representation in the brain.
Indiana University researchers are using a mouse model to study the effects of cannabis use during adolescence, which could impair working memory and increase the risk of psychosis later in life. The $2M NIH grant aims to develop therapies to treat adverse effects.
A joint UC Riverside and UC Irvine study found that people who show near transfer in brain training are more likely to experience far transfer, meaning improved focus and problem-solving skills. The research suggests that working memory training can be effective for certain individuals, but its impact on fluid intelligence remains deba...
A study published in PLOS Medicine found that children exposed to road traffic noise in schools have slower attention and working memory development compared to those in quieter environments. The research suggests potential implications for environmental noise policies protecting school environments.
A new study by the University of Birmingham found that dopamine levels can affect emotion recognition in people with neurological disorders. Those with low baseline dopamine levels improved their ability to recognize emotions after receiving a dopamine boost, while those with higher baseline levels became worse at emotion recognition.
Researchers identified a key brain circuit in the anterior thalamus that helps us hold information in mind. In a study of mice, enhancing this circuit's activity improved their ability to navigate a maze and reversed memory loss with artificial stimulation.
Researchers discovered that the brain formats working memory representations into a shared, line-like shape. This finding suggests that the brain selectively stores relevant information while discarding irrelevant content, and has implications for our understanding of psychiatric and neurologic symptoms such as schizophrenia.
Researchers at MIT and University of London found that collective electric fields produced by neurons provide a stable and consistent signal of information in working memory. This allows the brain to function even if individual neurons die or change.
A University of South Florida study suggests targeting kappa-opioid receptors may alleviate working memory deficits and improve executive function in individuals with severe alcohol use disorder. A compound blocking these receptors alleviated working memory deficits and restored normal executive function.
A pooled data analysis of 18 studies found that shift workers performed significantly worse than non-shift workers in five cognitive outcomes. The results suggest that shift work may increase the risk of workplace injuries and errors due to impaired brain function, particularly in impulse control and situational response.
Researchers at UC San Diego's Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind discovered that fruit flies possess more sophisticated cognitive abilities than previously known. Using virtual reality and real-time brain imaging, they found attention, working memory, and conscious awareness-like capabilities in flies.
Researchers found that repetitive exposure to environmental hypoxia prevented memory loss and reversed impairments in nerve-to-nerve communication. Adult offspring also inherited this protection against dementia.
Researchers found that brain waves travel in rotating patterns across the prefrontal cortex during working memory tasks, potentially aiding information storage. These waves provide a regularly recurring stimulation with precise timing, promoting strengthening connections between neurons and possibly facilitating predictions.
Researchers have successfully demonstrated ULTRARAM¼trade mark computer memory on silicon wafers for the first time, combining non-volatility with speed and energy-efficiency. The technology outperforms previous incarnations, offering data storage times of at least 1000 years and fast switching speeds.
Researchers found that distributed codes among larger populations of neurons in the prefrontal cortex make information more reliable and robust. This discovery could support advanced cognitive abilities and potentially treat disorders of memory and cognition.
Researchers from Ruhr-University Bochum investigated bird brains to understand working memory limitations. They found that birds and monkeys share the same central mechanisms and limits of working memory, with a capacity of about four items of information simultaneously.
Researchers have found that stimulating the anterior thalamus can increase memory-related brain activity and restore memory function in rats with MTT lesions. The study suggests that therapies targeting this region could help recover memory in patients with brain injury, challenging previous notions of memory recovery.
A large study comparing the brains of left-handers and right-handers found significant differences in brain asymmetry across ten regions. The research also discovered a link between genetic influences on handedness and brain asymmetries in language-related regions.