Verbal Short-term Memory Research Articles

Investigating the Disturbance Impact of Background Speech on Verbal and Visual-Spatial Short-Term Memory: On the Differential Contributions of Changing-State and Phonology to the Irrelevant Sound Effect

ABSTRACT The empirically robust phenomenon of impaired verbal short-term memory due to task-irrelevant background speech is known as the Irrelevant Sound Effect (ISE). Yet, the underlying cognitive mechanisms are still not fully resolved, like whether phonology-based interference contributes to the disruptive effect of speech on verbal serial recall. Thus, we tested the ISE for such a speech-specific aspect by varying the phonological content of the irrelevant speech and the verbal nature of the task. Furthermore, we also varied the changing-state characteristic of irrelevant speech. Therefore, visual-verbal and visual-spatial serial recall of 70 participants each was measured during silence and syllable series varying in phonological (unaltered speech vs. sinewave speech) and in changing-state content (one repeatedly presented vs. successively changing syllables). Both phonology and changing-state characteristic had significant and independent impacts on each of the two serial recall tasks, and both effects were unrelated to participants’ working memory capacity. Changing-state sequences were more disturbing than steady-state sounds for both serial recall tasks, but the effect of phonological content was not in the same direction for the two tasks. Whereas unaltered speech sounds impaired verbal serial recall more than their phonologically reduced sinewave versions, this was the opposite for visual-spatial serial recall. In the latter task, however, only changing-state sinewave speech reduced performance significantly compared to silence condition. In summary, our results indicate that there is a speech-specific, disruptive effect of phonological content, which is an attention-independent interference effect and presumably restricted to verbal short-term memory.

Transcranial direct current stimulation in combination with cognitive training in individuals with mild cognitive impairment: a controlled 3-parallel-arm study.

Several studies showed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhances cognition in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), however, whether tDCS leads to additional gains when combined with cognitive training remains unclear. This study aims to compare the effects of a concurrent tDCS-cognitive training intervention with either tDCS or cognitive training alone on a group of patients with MCI. The study was a 3-parallel-arm study. The intervention consisted of 20 daily sessions of 20minutes each. Patients (n=62) received anodal tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cognitive training on 5 cognitive domains (orientation, attention, memory, language, and executive functions), or both. To examine intervention gains, we examined global cognitive functioning, verbal short-term memory, visuospatial memory, and verbal fluency pre- and post-intervention. All outcome measures improved after the intervention in the 3 groups. The improvement in global cognitive functioning and verbal fluency was significantly larger in patients who received the combined intervention. Instead, the intervention gain in verbal short-term memory and visuospatial memory was similar across the 3 groups. tDCS, regardless of the practicalities, could be an efficacious treatment in combination with cognitive training given the increased effectiveness of the combined treatment. Future studies will need to consider individual differences at baseline, including genetic factors and anatomical differences that impact the electric field generated by tDCS and should also consider the feasibility of at-home treatments consisting of the application of tDCS with cognitive training.

Factors of increasing mental efficiency and reducing social anxiety in primary schoolchildren

Introduction. The article presents a theoretical review and an experimental study of children’s cognitive and emotional development in the current information and communication situation. Moreover, the study focuses on the possibilities of using a neuro-educational approach for improving mental efficiency and reducing social anxiety in primary schoolchildren. The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the effectiveness of a set of neuro-educational techniques as factors for improving mental performance and reducing social anxiety in primary schoolchildren. Materials and Methods. The study adopts a neuro-educational approach and its basic principles. The data were collected via the following methods: (1) E.F. Zambatsevichene’s test for studying verbal and logical thinking, (2) L.A. Yasyukova’s inventory for evaluating the development of short-term verbal and visual memory, (3) the Toulouse-Pieron test for the assessment of selective/sustained attention, (4) Phillips' School Anxiety Test. 63 primary school students took part in the study. To detect the randomness of the results and track the dynamics, the experimental data were subjected to mathematical processing (Wilcoxon's T-test, which ensures the validity and reliability of the research findings). Results. The authors propose and theoretically substantiate the neuro-educational approach as a strategy for cognitive and emotional development. Relying on psycho-educational experimentation based on the psychophysiological developmental characteristics of primary schoolchildren, the authors implemented neuro-educational techniques for increasing mental performance and reducing social anxiety in primary schoolchildren. The research findings show that the use of respiratory gymnastics, psychogymnastics, games for the development of hemispheric interaction, for the development of phonemic perception, for the development of afferent and efferent praxis, neuroarticulatory gymnastics, bioenergy calisthenics, and kinesiological exercises, have a significant impact on the indicators of students’ cognitive and emotional development. The study confirms the assumption that achieving a high level of development of cognitive functions and social emotions is possible if the set of neuro-educational techniques and technologies is utilized in primary education. Conclusions. The article concludes about the effectiveness of the set of neuro-educational techniques as a factor for increasing mental performance and reducing social anxiety in primary schoolchildren. The authors emphasize that the application of the set of psycho-educational techniques increases children’s emotional well-being, which improves quality of children’s cognitive and emotional development and helps to avoid the risks of school maladaptation.

Phonological processing skills in children with speech sound disorder: A multiple case study approach.

Children with speech sound disorder (SSD) are at increased risk of reading difficulties due to poor phonological processing skills. However, the extent to which children with SSD demonstrate weaknesses on specific or all phonological processing tasks is not well understood. To examine the phonological processing abilities of a clinically identified sample of children with SSD, with and without reading difficulties. To determine the extent to which the proportion of children with concomitant SSD and reading difficulties exhibited weaknesses in specific areas of phonological processing, or a more general phonological deficit. Data were obtained from 157 school-aged children (Mage = 77 months, SD = 7.01) in receipt of school-based speech therapy. Approximately 25% of the sample was identified as poor readers, based on a standardized measure of word decoding. We compared the proportion of children who scored at or below 1 SD below the mean, or the bottom 16th percentile, on measures of phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming and verbal short-term memory among those identified as poor readers and good readers. Children with SSD demonstrated a range of phonological processing difficulties, particularly on the measure of verbal short-term memory. No specific skill differentiated groups of children with SSD with and without reading difficulties; however, those classified as poor readers on the word-decoding measure exhibited more widespread difficulties, even after controlling for language ability. Results support a cumulative risk model such that children with SSD and reading difficulties are likely to demonstrate generally poor phonological processing abilities. What is already known on the subject Children with SSD are at heightened risk of reading difficulties, particularly if their SSD persists into school age. However, not all children with SSD experience reading problems. Research aimed at determining which children are at the highest risk is mixed as to how best to identify which children with SSD are most likely to experience reading difficulties. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The study used a multiple case study approach to determine if performance on phonological processing skills might differentiate children with SSD who were poor readers from those who were good readers. As a group, children with SSD exhibited poor verbal short-term memory but relatively intact rapid automatized naming skills. No one phonological processing skill differentiated children who were poor readers from good readers. However, children with reading difficulties appeared to experience more general difficulties across phonological processing tasks, even after controlling for language abilities. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? A single deficit (i.e., speech sound production) is not sufficient data to make a complete diagnosis or treatment decisions. Multiple sources of data, including several aspects of phonological processing, should be obtained to understand reading risk in children with SSD.

Effects of age on the hippocampus and verbal memory in adults with autism spectrum disorder: Longitudinal versus cross-sectional findings.

Research studying aging in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is growing, but longitudinal work is needed. Autistic adults have increased risk of dementia, altered hippocampal volumes and fornix integrity, and verbal memory difficulties compared with neurotypical (NT) adults. This study examined longitudinal aging in middle-age adults with ASD versus a matched NT group, and compared findings with cross-sectional age effects across a broad adult age range. Participants were 194 adults with (n=106; 74 male) and without (n=88; 52 male) ASD, ages 18-71. Participants (n=45; 40-70 age range) with two visits (2-3 years apart) were included in a longitudinal analysis. Hippocampal volume, fornix fractional anisotropy (FA), and verbal memory were measured via T1-weighted MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, respectively. Longitudinal mixed models were used for hippocampal system variables and reliable change index categories were used for Auditory Verbal Learning Test analyses. Multivariate regression was used for cross-sectional analyses. Middle-age adults with ASD had greater longitudinal hippocampal volume loss and were more likely to show clinically meaningful decline in short-term memory, compared with NT. In contrast, cross-sectional associations between increasing age and worsening short-term memory were identified in NT, but not autistic adults. Reduced fornix FA and long-term memory in ASD were found across the broad cross-sectional age range. These preliminary longitudinal findings suggest accelerated hippocampal volume loss in ASD and slightly higher rates of clinically-meaningful decline in verbal short-term memory. Contradictory cross-sectional and longitudinal results underscore the importance of longitudinal aging research in autistic adults. LAY SUMMARY: Autistic adults have increased risk of dementia, differences in brain memory structures, and difficulty with memory compared with neurotypical (NT) adults. However, there are no publications that follow the same middle-age autistic adults over time to see how their brain and memory change. Our preliminary findings in a small middle-age autism sample suggest a key memory brain structure, the hippocampus, may shrink faster over 2-3 years compared with NT, and short-term memory may become more challenging for some. Across a broad adult range, autistic adults also had reduced integrity of connections to the hippocampus and greater challenges with long-term memory. In our larger sample across a broad age range, the results did not hint at this aforementioned pattern of accelerated aging. This underscores the importance of more aging research in autism, and especially research where people are followed over time.

Linking fine motor skills with theory of mind in school-age children

Motor skills have been linked to language and social development with implications for theory of mind. This study examined theory of mind (attribution of intentions task) in school-age children (N = 62, mean age 8 years; 2 months, standard deviation [SD] = 1;3) in relation to fine motor skills (grooved pegboard), receptive vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test), receptive grammar (Test for the Reception of Grammar), reading comprehension (Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests), verbal short-term (nonword repetition), and visual-spatial working memory (one-shape array memory). All variables except verbal short-term memory correlated with accuracy on theory of mind. In regression models, fine motor skills accounted for variance in theory of mind after controlling for age, language, and working memory. The results add to research linking fine motor skills with faux pas understanding, indicating the potentially broad impact of motor skills on social cognition. Given the cross-sectional study design, longitudinal research is warranted to address causality.

Convenient Auditory-Based Language and Executive Function Test for Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Study.

About 30%-50% of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) show cognitive impairment ranging from mild dysexecutive syndrome to frontotemporal dementia. We aimed to develop a brief cognitive test, convenient auditory-based language and executive function test (CABLET), for rapid detection of cognitive impairment in ALS, with reduced load on motor function. The CABLET comprises two tests using auditory verbal stimuli: Test 1, assessing word repetition and lexical judgment, and Test 2, evaluating verbal short-term memory and semantics knowledge. The administration time of Test 1 and Test 2 was 1 and 3-5min, respectively. Overall, 61 patients with ALS and 46 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls participated in this study. All participants underwent existing neuropsychological tests and the CABLET. We investigated the applicability of the CABLET to detect ALS with cognitive impairment (ALSci) from normal cognition. Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed that both the CABLET total and Test 2 had good diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve [AUC]: total = 0.894, Test 2 = 0.893). Test 2 had the highest sensitivity (100% sensitivity and 71.4% specificity). No significant difference existed in the AUC between the analyses with and without age, education, and disease severity as covariates. Correlations were observed between the CABLET and established neuropsychological tests, supporting its good convergent validity. Our findings indicated that the CABLET could be useful in identifying ALSci quickly without adjusting for confounding factors. Further validation is required to evaluate it in larger groups and compare with ALS-specific cognitive screen.

Genome-wide meta-analyses reveal novel loci for verbal short-term memory and learning

Understanding the genomic basis of memory processes may help in combating neurodegenerative disorders. Hence, we examined the associations of common genetic variants with verbal short-term memory and verbal learning in adults without dementia or stroke (N = 53,637). We identified novel loci in the intronic region of CDH18, and at 13q21 and 3p21.1, as well as an expected signal in the APOE/APOC1/TOMM40 region. These results replicated in an independent sample. Functional and bioinformatic analyses supported many of these loci and further implicated POC1. We showed that polygenic score for verbal learning associated with brain activation in right parieto-occipital region during working memory task. Finally, we showed genetic correlations of these memory traits with several neurocognitive and health outcomes. Our findings suggest a role of several genomic loci in verbal memory processes.

The Role of Phonological Awareness, Pinyin Letter Knowledge, and Visual Perception Skills in Kindergarteners' Chinese Character Reading.

Word identification models assume that words are identified by at least two sources of information and analysis; one is phonological, and the other is visual. The present study investigated the influence of phonological awareness, Pinyin letter knowledge, and visual perception skills on Chinese character recognition after controlling for vocabulary, rapid naming, and verbal short-term memory in 80 Mandarin-speaking kindergarten children. Children were tested on phonological awareness (syllable awareness, onset-end rhyme awareness, and tone awareness), Pinyin letter naming, and visual perception (visual discrimination and visual-spatial relationships). The results showed that variance in Chinese character recognition could be explained by syllable awareness and tone awareness, but not by visual perception skills or Pinyin letter knowledge. Analyses further indicated that Pinyin letter knowledge moderated the relationship between tone awareness and Chinese character recognition. A focus on tone awareness and syllable awareness in the kindergarten may help Chinese children to accomplish the transition from phonological awareness to early literacy, while Pinyin letter knowledge can help children to make the connection between Chinese speech and writing.

The Role of Working Memory, Short-Term Memory, Speed of Processing, Education, and Locality in Verb-Related Morphosyntactic Production: Evidence From Greek.

This study investigates the relationship between verb-related morphosyntactic production (VRMP) and locality (i.e., critical cue being adjacent to the target or not), verbal Working Memory (vWM), nonverbal/visuospatial WM (nvWM), verbal short-term memory (vSTM), nonverbal/visuospatial STM (nvSTM), speed of processing, and education. Eighty healthy middle-aged and older Greek-speaking participants were administered a sentence completion task tapping into production of subject–verb Agreement, Time Reference/Tense, and grammatical Aspect in local and nonlocal configurations, and cognitive tasks tapping into vSTM, nvSTM, vWM, nvWM, and speed of processing. Aspect elicited worse performance than Time Reference and Agreement, and Time Reference elicited worse performance than Agreement. There were main effects of vSTM, vWM, education, and locality: the greater the participants’ vSTM/vWM capacity, and the higher their educational level, the better their VRMP; nonlocal configurations elicited worse performance on VRMP than local configurations. Moreover, vWM affected Aspect and Time Reference/Tense more than Agreement, and education affected VRMP more in local than in nonlocal configurations. Lastly, locality affected Agreement and Aspect (with nonlocal configurations eliciting more agreement and aspect errors than local configurations) but not Time Reference. That vSTM/vWM (but not nvSTM/nvWM) were found to subserve VRMP suggests that VRMP is predominantly supported by domain-specific, not by domain-general, memory resources. The main effects of vWM and vSTM suggest that both the processing and storage components of WM are relevant to VRMP. That vWM (but not vSTM) interacts with production of Aspect, Time Reference, and Agreement suggests that Aspect and Time Reference are computationally more demanding than Agreement. These findings are consistent with earlier findings that, in individuals with aphasia, vWM interacts with production of Aspect, Time Reference, and Agreement. The differential effect of education on VRMP in local vs. nonlocal configurations could be accounted for by assuming that education is a proxy for an assumed procedural memory system that is sensitive to frequency patterns in language and better supports VRMP in more frequent than in less frequent configurations. In the same vein, the interaction between locality and the three morphosyntactic categories might reflect the statistical distribution of local vs. nonlocal Aspect, Agreement, and Time Reference/Tense in Greek.

Auditory Verb Generation Performance Patterns Dissociate Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome in which patients progressively lose speech and language abilities. Three variants are recognized: logopenic (lvPPA), associated with phonology and/or short-term verbal memory deficits accompanied by left temporo-parietal atrophy; semantic (svPPA), associated with semantic deficits and anterior temporal lobe (ATL) atrophy; non-fluent (nfvPPA) associated with grammar and/or speech-motor deficits and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) atrophy. Here, we set out to investigate whether the three variants of PPA can be dissociated based on error patterns in a single language task. We recruited 21 lvPPA, 28 svPPA, and 24 nfvPPA patients, together with 31 healthy controls, and analyzed their performance on an auditory noun-to-verb generation task, which requires auditory analysis of the input, access to and selection of relevant lexical and semantic knowledge, as well as preparation and execution of speech. Task accuracy differed across the three variants and controls, with lvPPA and nfvPPA having the lowest and highest accuracy, respectively. Critically, machine learning analysis of the different error types yielded above-chance classification of patients into their corresponding group. An analysis of the error types revealed clear variant-specific effects: lvPPA patients produced the highest percentage of “not-a-verb” responses and the highest number of semantically related nouns (production of baseball instead of throw to noun ball); in contrast, svPPA patients produced the highest percentage of “unrelated verb” responses and the highest number of light verbs (production of take instead of throw to noun ball). Taken together, our findings indicate that error patterns in an auditory verb generation task are associated with the breakdown of different neurocognitive mechanisms across PPA variants. Specifically, they corroborate the link between temporo-parietal regions with lexical processing, as well as ATL with semantic processes. These findings illustrate how the analysis of pattern of responses can help PPA phenotyping and heighten diagnostic sensitivity, while providing insights on the neural correlates of different components of language.

Defining Expressive Language Benchmarks for Children with Down Syndrome.

Establishing expressive language benchmarks (ELBs) for children with Down syndrome (DS), as developed by Tager-Flusberg et al. for children with autism, is critically needed to inform the development of novel treatments, identify individualized treatment targets, and promote accurate monitoring of progress. In the present study, we assessed ELB assignments in three language domains (phonology, vocabulary, and grammar) for 53 young children with DS (CA range: 2.50–7.99 years) using standardized assessments. The participants were classified into one of four ELB levels (preverbal, first words, word combinations, and sentences) in each language domain. Associations with additional measures of language, chronological age, nonverbal cognition, and verbal short-term memory were considered. Analyses of individual ELB profiles indicated substantial variability across the three language domains, with six different patterns of variation across domains emerging. At the same time, the ELB categories were significantly associated with independent language measures and broader developmental domains. Moreover, ELB changes were observed in a small sample of children with DS reassessed 18–24 months after the initial visit. Results from the present study suggest the procedures outlined by Tager-Flusberg et al. for defining ELBs are a potentially useful tool for describing the language abilities of children with DS.

Neuroplasticity Mechanisms in Frontal Brain Gliomas: A Preliminary Study.

BackgroundPathological brain processes may induce adaptive cortical reorganization, however, the mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity that occurs in the presence of lesions in eloquent areas are not fully explained. The aim of this study was to evaluate functional compensatory cortical activations in patients with frontal brain gliomas during a phonemic fluency task and to explore correlations with cognitive performance, white matter tracts microstructural alterations, and tumor histopathological and molecular characterization.MethodsFifteen patients with frontal glioma were preoperatively investigated with an MRI study on a 3T scanner and a subgroup underwent an extensive neuropsychological assessment. The hemispheric laterality index (LI) was calculated through phonemic fluency task functional MRI (fMRI) activations in the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobe parcellations. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired for all patients and for a group of 24 matched healthy volunteers. Arcuate Fasciculus (AF) and Frontal Aslant Tract (FAT) tractography was performed using constrained spherical deconvolution diffusivity modeling and probabilistic fiber tracking. All patients were operated on with a resective aim and underwent adjuvant therapies, depending on the final diagnosis.ResultsAll patients during the phonemic fluency task fMRI showed left hemispheric dominance in temporal and parietal regions. Regarding frontal regions (i.e., frontal operculum) we found right hemispheric dominance that increases when considering only those patients with tumors located on the left side. These latter activations positively correlate with verbal and visuo-spatial short-term memory, and executive functions. No correlations were found between the left frontal operculum and cognitive performance. Furthermore, patients with IDH-1 mutation and without TERT mutation, showed higher rightward frontal operculum fMRI activations and better cognitive performance in tests measuring general cognitive abilities, semantic fluency, verbal short-term memory, and executive functions. As for white matter tracts, we found left and right AF and FAT microstructural alterations in patients with, respectively, left-sided and right-side glioma compared to controls.ConclusionsCompensatory cortical activation of the corresponding region in the non-dominant hemisphere and its association with better cognitive performance and more favorable histopathological and molecular tumor characteristics shed light on the neuroplasticity mechanisms that occur in the presence of a tumor, helping to predict the rate of post-operative deficit, with the final goal of improving patients'quality of life.

QOL-04. Histology, treatment, and extent of pretreatment hydrocephalus are major determents of neurocognitive outcome for survivors of pediatric posterior fossa tumors - report from the German HIT-studies

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairments following pediatric brain tumors are generally attributed to tumor site, surgical intervention, complications as well as to nonsurgical treatment. We investigated impairments for patients with medulloblastoma (MB), ependymoma (EP) and low-grade glioma (LGG) of the cerebellum treated within the German pediatric brain tumor network to compare and rank major determents. PATIENTS+METHODS: Following protocol treatment, 245 patients with MB (n=106), EP (n=32), and cerebellar LGG (n=107, surgery only) were examined 2 + 5 years after diagnosis using the German “Neuropsychological-Basic-Diagnostic” (NBD) tool based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model for intelligence. Within this retrospective study, multiple linear regression models were applied. RESULTS: The MB+EP vs. LGG-cohort differed slightly in median age at diagnosis (8.7/6.1 years) and location (cerebellar hemispheres: 8%MB+EP/49.5%LGG), while sex-ratio, grade of resection, extent of pre-operative hydrocephalus were comparable. With smaller median tumor-volume in the MB+EP vs. LGG-cohort (34.1/44.1cm3), ranges broadly overlapped. Median scores of age-appropriate tests were in the lower normal range for all patients for fluid and crystallized intelligence, selective attention, visual-spatial processing (VSP) and verbal short-term memory (median=93-103), but distinctly below for processing speed (PS), and psychomotor speed abilities (PMS) (median=65-84). Higher doses of craniospinal irradiation (>23.4Gy/23.4Gy) resulted in lower scores for most domains for MB-patients compared to LGG-patients (e.g., PS-estimate: >23.4Gy:-27.71, p=0.026/23.4Gy:-9.93, p=0.286). EP-patients (surgery+54Gy local radiation) scored better than LGG-patients except for PS (estimate:-15.65, p=0.111). Impairments were accentuated with higher degrees of hydrocephalus (estimate:-7.64, p=0.103) in patients with incomplete resection (estimate:12.23, p=0.006) for PMS both hands. CONCLUSION: Following age-adapted comprehensive treatment, survivors of a cerebellar tumor show significant impairments of PMS abilities in our trials. Our data suggest that slow growing LGG impair neurocognitive development more than local radiotherapy for ependymoma, while craniospinal irradiation compromises VSP and PS in MB. Initial symptomatic intracranial pressure remains a strong predictor for general neuropsychological impairment.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cognitive decline in older adults in Germany – results from a population-based cohort

BackgroundA large body of evidence supports a link between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cognitive function, including dementia. However, longitudinal studies on the association between T2DM and decline of cognitive function are scarce and reported mixed results, and we hence set out to investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between T2DM and global as well as domain-specific cognitive performance.MethodsWe used multivariable regression models to assess associations of T2DM with cognitive performance and cognitive decline in a subsample of a population-based prospective cohort study (ESTHER). This subsample (n = 732) was aged 70 years and older and had participated in telephone-based cognitive function assessment (COGTEL) measuring global and domain-specific cognitive performance during the 5- and 8-year follow-up.ResultsTotal COGTEL scores of patients with prevalent T2DM were 27.4 ± 8.3 and 29.4 ± 8.7 at the 5- and 8-year measurements, respectively, and were roughly two points lower than those of T2DM-free participants after adjustment for age and sex. In cross-sectional models, after adjustment for several potential confounders, performance in verbal short-term and long-term memory tasks was statistically significantly lower in participants with T2DM, but the association was attenuated after further adjustment for vascular risk factors. The difference in total COGTEL scores reflecting global cognitive function by T2DM status after full adjustment for confounders and vascular risk factors was equivalent to a decrement in global cognitive function associated with a four-year age difference. In longitudinal models, a statistically significantly stronger cognitive decline in patients with T2DM was observed for working memory.ConclusionsIn this sample of older individuals, T2DM was associated with worse performance and stronger decline in a cognitive function test. Memory-related domains were found to be particularly sensitive to T2DM. Further large-scale prospective studies are needed to clarify potential T2DM-related predictors of cognitive decline and possible consequences on the abilities to perform patient self-management tasks in diabetes care.

The significance of nonverbal performance in children with developmental language disorder

ABSTRACT Nonverbal deficits are frequently reported in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). In the new diagnostic criteria of DLD, the previous requirement of normal nonverbal performance has been removed and children with below average and even weak nonverbal skills now fit under the DLD definition. However, the significance of the nonverbal cognitive level, and the connection between nonverbal and verbal skills in these children diagnosed according to the new DLD classification is unclear. In the present study, the significance of nonverbal cognitive level on verbal performance was investigated among preschool-aged children with remarkable deficits in language development. Verbal skills were compared between average, below average, and weak nonverbal cognitive level groups. The connection between nonverbal and verbal skills was evaluated with Pearson correlations, and the covariance structure of the subtests used was modeled with Structural Modelling. The connection between nonverbal cognitive level and verbal skills was clear; weaker nonverbal cognitive levels were associated with lower verbal skills. While receptive language skills and verbal short-term-memory (STM) were the most profound weaknesses, relative strengths emerged for each nonverbal cognitive level group in fluid intelligence, especially in nonverbal reasoning tasks without time limits. In addition, fluid intelligence was strongly linked to verbal understanding and reasoning. These results suggest that the relative strength in nonverbal fluid intelligence with specific weaknesses in receptive language, verbal understanding, and verbal STM could be used as basic factors differentiating children with DLD from those with intellectual disability.

Perks of blindness: Enhanced verbal memory span in blind over sighted adults

Blind individuals commonly use verbal encoding (i.e. text-to-speech) and memory-based strategies (i.e. serial recall) for situations in which sighted individuals use vision (i.e. finding items). These strategies may serve to train cognitive systems responsible for maintaining and manipulating verbal information. To test this hypothesis, we investigate whether early visual deprivation is linked to improved verbal short-term and working memory abilities, and thus might illustrate experience-dependent plasticity in memory systems. We also test whether the sensory modality for encoding information influences performance. Our data show that blind adults recalled more items on a verbal short-term memory span task than sighted participants. Furthermore, blind individuals performed equally well on auditory forward and backward conditions despite the fact that recalling items in reverse order is more difficult for the general population. However, the benefits of recalling items in reverse order did not extend to the tactile domain, specifically, a braille version of the short-term memory digit span task in blind individuals. Furthermore, we observed no differences between blind and sighted individuals on a more demanding auditory n-back task evaluating more complex working memory processes. We conclude that the memory benefits associated with blindness might be restricted to auditory-verbal short-term memory and likely reflect strategy use and practice.

Chronic pain in osteoarthritis of the hip is associated with selective cognitive impairment

IntroductionChronic pain of various origin is known to be associated with selective cognitive impairment. Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip is one of the leading causes of chronic pain in the adult population, but its association with cognitive performance has not been evaluated. Here, we investigate the effect of chronic pain due to unilateral OA of one hip and no further source of chronic pain on cognitive performance.Materials and methodsA neuropsychological test battery, consisting of the Mini-Mental State Examination, Rey–Osterrieth complex figure test, Rivermead behavioural memory test, d2 test of attention, and F-A-S test was applied in 148 patients and 82 healthy pain-free control individuals. The influence of potentially confounding factors such as depression and anxiety was examined.ResultsPatients with OA of the hip showed decreased performance in specific neuropsychological tests. Performance in verbal and visual short-term and long-term memory and selective attention tests was significantly poorer compared to healthy controls. Whereas the executive functions “updating”, “set shifting”, “response inhibition” and “reflection” appear intact, “problem solving” and “planning” were impaired. None of the confounders showed any influence on cognitive performance in both study groups.ConclusionWe conclude that chronic pain secondary to end-stage hip OA is associated with selective cognitive impairment. Future studies are required to investigate the effect of total hip arthroplasty on cognitive performance.

Effectiveness of Computerized Working Memory Training on Sustained Attention and Working Memory of Male School Students

Background and Aims Sustained attention and working memory are the intertwined executive functions of the brain. Studies have shown that working memory training induce no far transfer effect to executive functions. Considering the importance of sustained attention in academic and occupational performance, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of computerized working memory (WM) training on sustained attention and WM of male students. Methods Participants were 32 male middle-school students in the eighth grade, who were selected by a cluster random sampling method and assigned randomly to two groups of the training (n=16) and control (n=16). The computerized dual n-back task was used for WM training for 4 weeks at 12 sessions, each for 40 minutes. The computerized continuous performance test and the digit span test (forward and backward) were used for evaluating sustained attention and WM, respectively. The pre-test evaluation was performed one week before and the post-test evaluation was executed one week after the training course. Results After the WM training, the sustained attention (P=0.043) and the backward digit span test score (P=0.033) in the training group were improved significantly compared to the control group, but no significant change was reported in the forward digit span test score (P=0.236). Conclusion Improved sustained attention following WM training indicates the far transfer of the training effect to the sustained attention, and confirms the involvement of sustained attention in the central executive part of WM. On the other hand, no change in short-term verbal memory after training indicates that the mechanism of WM training effect is through strengthening the central executive, not through improving the phonological loop of WM.

The relationships between language, working memory and rapid naming in children with mild to moderate hearing loss

ObjectiveHearing loss is associated with reduced quality and quantity of auditory input, and difficulty in cognitive and language skills. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between language, working memory, and rapid naming skills in children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (MMHL). MethodsTwenty children with MMHL with the same auditory experience and demographical conditions using bilateral hearing aids were included. Verbal memory subscale of the Working Memory Scale (WMS), consisting of verbal short-term memory (V-STM) and verbal working memory (V-WM) subtests, was administered to all participants. They also completed rapid automatized naming tasks and standardized language measures. ResultsThe language score showed a moderate and significant correlation with verbal memory (VM) score (p = 0.03, r = 0.48) and a moderate and negative correlation with rapid automatized naming (RAN) duration (p = 0.06, r = −0.61). The VM score showed a moderate and significant negative correlation with RAN duration (p = 0.01, r = −0.67). The language level has a strong and significant positive correlation with V-STM (p = 0.007, r = 0.60), V-WM (p = 0.009, r = 0.58), and VM level (p = 0.003, r = 0.65). VM subtests levels have a strong and significant positive correlation with each other (p = 0.017, r = 0.53). RAN level has a strong and significant negative correlation with VM (p = 0.001, r = −0.70), V-WM (p = 0.001, r = −0.76), V-STM (p = 0.001, r = −0.69), and language level (p = 0.001, r = −0.77). ConclusionThe results suggest that the language, verbal working memory, and rapid naming skills of children with MMHL are closely related. It is recommended that the relationship between verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, rapid naming skills, and language skills should be considered in therapeutic and educational settings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationships between verbal-short-term -working memory, duration of rapid automatized naming, and language skills in children with MMHL.