Articles tagged with Working Memory
A new tool assesses working memory capacity in classrooms, helping teachers identify and address the issue early on. The tool's development aims to improve learning outcomes for children with poor working memory.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have discovered a brain region that can be stimulated to reduce cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. The study used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to improve working memory performance in young adults after extended sleep deprivation.
Research suggests that computerized working memory training can improve executive functioning and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. This innovative approach offers a promising therapeutic strategy for alleviating the condition's impact on daily functioning.
Researchers found that alcohol can both increase and decrease aggression depending on where attention is focused. Drunk individuals were less aggressive when their attention was divided between tasks, while sober individuals exhibited low-level aggression due to natural attention towards provocations.
A study found that recovering alcoholics who smoked showed lower improvement in tests of memory, reasoning, judgment, and visual/spatial coordination compared to non-smokers. Smokers demonstrated inferior performance in auditory/verbal learning and memory, cognitive efficiency, executive skills, processing speed, and working memory.
Scientists have discovered a mechanism that can organize the activity of cells involved in short-term recall known as working memory. The study found that inhibitory neurons play a key role in coordinating this process, which could lead to improved treatment options for individuals with schizophrenia.
A new study from Columbia University Medical Center suggests that too much memory can be detrimental to cognitive function. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that suppressing neurogenesis in the hippocampus improves working memory. This implies that a balance between memory growth and...
Research by Sian Beilock found that highly accomplished individuals with larger working memories are disadvantaged when under pressure, switching to less accurate problem-solving strategies. Those with limited working memory adapt better to stress, performing similarly under pressure as they do without it.
Researchers found that high-normal uric acid levels are linked to lower scores in tests of mental processing speed, verbal memory, and working memory. Older adults with high-normal uric acid levels may experience slow information processing and failures in verbal and working memory.
A study by the University of Pittsburgh found that dopamine levels remain elevated for an hour after neurons are stimulated, suggesting new mechanisms for sustained dopamine availability. This could have important implications for treating neurological disorders related to dopamine imbalance.
Researchers found that people who use memorization techniques to shorten the number of syllables in prices have better recall. Consumers also store information both verbally and visually, leading to better recall of unusual looking prices.
Researchers found that visual details are retained in working memory despite distractions, contradicting the idea of information loss. The study suggests a specialized system for processing real scenes, with implications for understanding development, aging, and attention disorders.
The study proposes a novel model of neural circuitry that fine-tunes behavior through feedback inhibition, potentially explaining regulatory mechanisms like temperature control and satiety. This framework provides a new tool for exploring working memory complexities and understanding mental health and disease.
Researchers found that caffeine consumption improved short-term memory skills and reaction times in a working memory task. Caffeine showed increased activity in brain regions responsible for attention and working memory, leading to enhanced cognitive performance.
Researchers find that people with high visual working memory capacity excel at dismissing irrelevant information, while those with low capacity hold all items in mind. This discovery challenges the popular concept of memory capacity being solely dependent on storage space.
A team led by Carnegie Mellon University scientist C. Giovanni Galán has found evidence of a living memory trace in honeybees, which lasts several minutes after initial exposure to an odor. The discovery supports Hebb's theory of learning and could provide new insights into how short-term memory works.
A recent study found that prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to slower processing speed and efficiency, particularly in tasks requiring working memory. Children exposed prenatally to moderate-to-heavy levels of alcohol may struggle with complex cognition and social interactions as they age.
A new study reveals that neurons in a bird's brain region, analogous to the mammalian prefrontal cortex, selectively fire when birds are told to remember and stop firing when they are told to forget. This suggests that the avian brain may be capable of executive control, similar to humans.
Researchers developed a mathematical model that explains how the brain carries out working memory tasks, including loading, holding, and comparing information. The model makes predictions about the neurological basis of working memory.
A study of 93 Michigan State University undergraduates found that those who perform well under high-pressure conditions tend to do poorly in standardized tests. The researchers argue that this suggests that high-stakes tests may not be effective predictors of future academic success.
Adolescent smokers showed impairments in accuracy of working memory performance, with males more affected. Those trying to quit smoking also experienced further disruption of working memory.
Researchers found that alcohol impairs brain areas controlling motor functions, leading to increased speeding and crashing. Brain regions involved in decision-making and working memory were not affected until drivers reached a blood alcohol level of 0.08.
Working memory develops and improves with maturity, allowing voluntary control over behavior. Adults rely on a third brain area for optimal performance, whereas children and adolescents use different regions of the brain. This study informs understanding of thinking processes and may lead to new treatments for psychiatric illnesses.
Researchers have discovered that a brain electrical signal can predict an individual's visual working memory capacity, which varies from 1.5 to 5 objects. The study found that the signal levels off when the number of objects exceeds the subject's capacity, while those with higher capacity show large increases in brain activity.
Researchers found that odor working memory is impaired by aging, while semantic memory remains relatively intact. The study suggests that different brain regions handle working and semantic memory, which may explain why odors are more vulnerable to age-related decline.
Research reveals that sleep deprivation impairs certain brain areas, including the cerebral cortex, but also activates others, such as the cerebellum. This study sheds light on the complex role of sleep in cellular function and suggests new possibilities for treating sleep disorders.
Researchers found that memory-enhancing drugs increase PKA activity in the prefrontal cortex, impairing dynamic working memory in older animals. This suggests that these compounds may exacerbate age-dependent decline in working memory.
A study found that a specific gene variant affects prefrontal brain function and response to amphetamine. People with the val/val variant had reduced prefrontal dopamine activity and less efficient information processing, while those with met/met had more efficient function but also faced cognitive decline when challenged.
Visuospatial abilities and working memory are strongly correlated with executive function, a central cognitive command and control. This finding ties these skills to general intelligence, suggesting that traditional IQ tests may overlook important aspects of human cognition. The study aims to contribute to more fair and comprehensive t...
A study found that lead exposure on the job can cause progressive declines in memory and learning abilities nearly two decades later. The effects of lead were seen even after exposure had stopped, suggesting a progressive impact on the brain.
Researchers have successfully synthesized a highly potent memory-enhancing compound by joining two fragments of the Huperzine A molecule with a molecular tether. This simplified fragment can be easily produced from cheap, commercially available chemicals and has been shown to improve memory in animal tests.
Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered that the growth-associated protein GAP-43 enhances learning and memory in the mammalian brain when overexpressed in a phosphorylatable form. This finding could lead to new treatments for memory loss and learning disorders.
Researchers found that hamsters use day length information to anticipate winter, and this memory is retained for a season. The study suggests that the hamsters' brain processes seasonal changes in daylight to adjust reproductive cycles.
People with AIDS-defining illnesses are at higher risk of developing memory loss and cognitive problems, including dementia. This poses a challenge for treatment adherence and overall public health.
Researchers found that a short-term drug regimen can reverse working memory loss in monkeys treated with antipsychotic medications. The study suggests improved treatment strategies for people with schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, or age-related memory loss.
A University of Michigan study found that older adults tend to use the left front side of the brain, specifically the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, when performing concurrent tasks. This is a difference from younger adults who rely more on visual cortices for task switching.
Researchers found that Ritalin reduces activation in the cerebellum and basal ganglia while increasing activation in novel areas of the brain, improving working memory in ADHD patients. This study provides new clues for developing more specific drug treatment for individuals with ADHD.
Scientists have identified a specific area in the human brain that temporarily stores information about spatial locations, solving a decade-long puzzle. The discovery sheds light on how our brains process spatial working memory and its connection to other cognitive abilities.
Researchers discover that dopamine levels can enhance or impair working memory, with a low dose of the drug bromocriptine improving scores in low-capacity subjects but worsening performance in high-capacity individuals. The study suggests an optimal level of dopamine for short-term memory to function properly.
Research at Emory University Health Sciences Center found that individuals with ADHD tend to integrate information in more visual and less auditory ways, which may explain their everyday difficulties. The study used PET scans to evaluate working memory in ADHD patients and normal control subjects.
Researchers used non-invasive functional magnetic resonance imaging to test the theory that the prefrontal cortex stores information in working memory. The study found sustained activity in the prefrontal cortex, suggesting it plays a key role in maintaining information.