Working memory is a fundamental component of human cognition, essential for performing complex tasks that require holding and manipulating information. Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) enables the temporary retention of visual and spatial information, with its neural correlates, such as contralateral delay activity (CDA, a component of event-related potentials), providing insights into memory load dynamics. This study aimed to investigate how sequentially presented items are maintained and integrated into VSWM. Twenty-three participants performed a task where three visual items were presented sequentially, followed by a retro-cue and a test array, while accuracy and CDA were measured. Behavioral results showed significant differences in accuracy across item positions, with the third item yielding the lowest accuracy. Electrophysiological findings revealed that CDA amplitude was more negative for the second item, suggesting greater cognitive resources were allocated to it compared to the first and third items. Correlations between working memory capacity, task performance, and CDA amplitudes suggest that individuals with higher working memory capacity can better adapt resource distribution to handle sequential information processing, particularly under conditions of increased cognitive load. These results suggest that VSWM management involves dynamic, nonuniform allocation of cognitive resources influenced by the serial position of items. These insights expand our understanding of how VSWM processes sequential inputs and may inform future studies on optimizing cognitive strategies for tasks involving complex visual and spatial information.

A comparison of simple and complex working memory in children with and without central auditory processing disorders.

Longitudinal associations between resting-state, interregional theta-beta phase-amplitude coupling and cognition in 12-15-year-old adolescents.

Explainable artificial intelligence in cognitive learning psychology: A psychometric meta-analysis.

Recent studies suggest that attended task-irrelevant features can be actively inhibited during the encoding phase of visual working memory. However, it remains unclear whether a similar filtering mechanism for task-irrelevant information operates during the maintenance phase of visual working memory and whether this mechanism requires the involvement of internal attention. In this study, we combined retro cues with two paradigms designed to measure the memory traces of task-irrelevant features to address this question. Across three experiments, we found that directing internal attention to the object representation in visual working memory leads to weaker memory traces of task-irrelevant features compared with baseline conditions. This effect takes longer to emerge compared with the classic retro-cue effect. The results suggest that internal and external attention may play similar roles in filtering task-irrelevant information, further challenging the traditional view that attention determines working memory and highlights a potential dissociation between attention and working memory in the mechanism of information selection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Research has shown that children born preterm may exhibit poorer performance in higher-order cognitive domains, such as executive function. In particular, visuospatial working memory is a critical domain of cognition during childhood, as it may predict future educational and occupational/socioeconomic achievement. Studies have shown that children born preterm tend to have inferior visuospatial working memory performance compared to children born at term.1 Additionally, children born preterm may also demonstrate inferior motor skills (e.g. hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, balance) relative to their term-born counterparts. This is a concern given the close developmental link between motor skills and visuospatial working memory capacity.2 Under this context, the study by Ludyga et al. provides remarkable insights into the complex relations across preterm birth, visuospatial working memory, and motor skills.3 In their case–control matching study, Ludyga et al. demonstrated that very preterm birth (<32 weeks of gestation) is associated with poorer visuospatial working memory performance during preadolescence, and this relation is fully mediated by individual differences in motor skills. Further, using the contralateral delay activity component from electroencephalography (a marker of working memory capacity during encoding and attention filtering), the authors further confirmed the fully mediating role of motor skills in the association between preterm birth and reduced visuospatial working memory capacity. These findings substantiate the role of motor skills in the developmental trajectory of visuospatial working memory in children born preterm. Despite these valuable insights, several outstanding challenges should be acknowledged. First, the cross-sectional design limits the ability to explore long-term trajectories between motor skills and development of visuospatial abilities. Analysing a single time point of data provides limited implications for long-term adaptations. More longitudinal studies on this topic are necessary. Second, the sample size (n = 106) and recruitment strategy (i.e. dichotomize participants by term vs very preterm) limited the possibility to examine whether a linear or curvilinear relation between gestational age and visuospatial working memory ability exists, as well as whether this relation is mediated by motor skills. Studies with larger sample size and employ subgroup analyses involving children with varied gestational ages are necessary to address this challenge. Third, the data analysis did not consider neurodevelopmental conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, developmental coordination disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. Research has shown that children with neurodevelopmental conditions tend to have poorer motor skills and executive function than their neurotypical counterparts.4, 5 Inclusion or exclusion of these groups of children may have altered the results. Sensitivity analyses that consider the presence of neurodevelopmental conditions could further clarify these complex relations. Findings from the Ludyga et al. study have important implications for practice and future research. From a practice perspective, interventions targeting motor skill development may be essential in mitigating the adverse effects of preterm birth on executive function (visuospatial working memory in particular) during preadolescence. Their study also opens new avenues for future research. For example, the interrelation between motor skills and visuospatial working memory may be influenced by abnormalities in the encoding and retrieval of information that is not captured by the contralateral delay activity component from electroencephalography. It would also be relevant to refine the mediation model, for instance, by identifying which domains of motor skills may exert stronger mediation effect and/or by examining whether the mediation model differs across different groups of children (e.g. based on gestational age or neurodevelopmental conditions). These efforts would lead to better tailored intervention strategies for children born preterm. To close, I applaud Ludyga et al. for their incredible efforts and hope this commentary will stimulate further discussions in this important topic. Not required.

Mental cost of simple(st) physical exertion.

The unity and diversity of functional brain connectivity underlying executive function tasks.

Clinical and cognitive profile of nigral iron content in children with ADHD.

Ensemble perception refers to the ability to extract summary statistics (e.g., mean, variance) from groups of similar objects. In some ensemble perception tasks, participants must select specific items from a set before calculating a summary statistic (e.g., the average size of red circles among blue ones). It is generally assumed that this selection process does not alter the ability being measured. However, research in working memory suggests that introducing selection into tasks can shift the focus of what is measured-from working memory capacity to attention control. In this study, we examined whether selection alters ensemble perception's role in mean discrimination tasks using a latent variable approach. We found that ensemble perception and attention control are correlated at a construct level and that both contribute approximately equally to performance in mean discrimination tasks, irrespective of task format. We found no support for the idea that selective ensemble perception tasks are more strongly predicted by attention control than nonselective ensemble tasks. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We find that ensemble perception-the ability to gauge collective properties of a group of objects-relies on attention control, even in tasks designed to measure ensemble perception alone. This suggests that when people assess group characteristics, like the average size or color of items, they also use mental resources to focus selectively on specific items. Understanding interactions between perception and attention could improve the design of tasks that measure cognitive abilities, helping researchers better distinguish between different types of mental skills.

Flexibly choosing a language in bilingual contexts lets bilingual children use all their linguistic resources, potentially enabling richer expression than single language contexts permit. This study aims to (1) assess whether bilingual children benefit from using all their languages, (2) explore how language balance and executive functioning relate to dual language management, and (3) examine the link between language mixing in an experimental task and daily life. To address these aims, bilingual children (English-Dutch, Polish-Dutch, Turkish-Dutch; n=49) aged 4-7years participated in a semantic verbal fluency task under three conditions: an either-language condition (free use of both languages) and two single-language conditions (restricted to children's dominant or non-dominant language). Language balance was based on children's proficiency in both languages. Executive functioning measures comprised selective attention and working memory. Results revealed a small, non-significant increase in word production in the either-language condition versus the single-language conditions. Children with stronger attention produced more words overall. In the either-language condition, balanced children with high attention skills benefited most. In contrast, balanced children with more limited attention skills struggled in the single-language conditions. Children switched more in the either-language condition. Switching in the task did not correlate meaningfully with daily language mixing. In summary, the either-language condition provided only minor benefits, with attention playing a key role and interacting with contextual requirements and language balance. The findings highlight the complexity of bilingual language use and caution against overgeneralizing experimental results to settings in daily life.

The rapid aging of the global population is contributing to a sharp increase in dementia cases, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) accounting for the majority of diagnoses. The most widely accepted theory explaining AD pathogenesis is the amyloid cascade hypothesis, which implicates the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides, particularly the Aβ1-42 isoform, as a key pathogenic event. Oligomeric forms of Aβ1-42 act as bioactive neurotoxic peptides, disrupting synaptic function and neuronal homeostasis. Despite its frequent use in animal models, Aβ1-42 presents challenges due to its high cost and complex handling. In this study, we applied bioinformatic and structural approaches to identify a minimal peptide motif within Aβ1-42 capable of reproducing its neurobiological effects. We designed and evaluated the peptide fragment Aβ16-21 (KLVFFA), which corresponds to the hydropHobic core of Aβ1-42 and is a critical determinant of peptide aggregation and bioactivity. We assessed the cognitive and biochemical effects of intracerebroventricular administration of Aβ16-21 in mice and compared its impact to that of Aβ1-42. Behavioral testing revealed significant deficits in both working and reference memory in animals treated with either Aβ1-42 or Aβ16-21, with no clear dose-dependent effects. Biochemical evaluation demonstrated increased levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the cortex and hippocampus after Aβ16-21 administration, while TNF-α levels remained unchanged, indicating peptide-dependent modulation of neuroimmune responses. Notably, Aβ16-21 consistently formed neurotoxic oligomeric assemblies despite its reduced length. These findings demonstrate that Aβ16-21 retains key neurotoxic and immunomodulatory properties of full-length Aβ1-42, supporting its use as a biologically relevant minimal neuroactive peptide. Due to its structural simplicity, reproducibility, lower cost, and experimental accessibility, Aβ16-21 represents a valuable peptide-based tool for modeling AD-related neuropeptide dysfunction in preclinical research.

Tracking fraction knowledge development using grade-appropriate assessments.

Netrin-3 rectifies diabetes-induced cognitive impairment by counteracting hippocampal oxidative stress and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

To investigate the association of very preterm birth with visuospatial working memory in preadolescents and its mediation via motor skills and a neural index of working memory capacity. Case-control matching based on sex and age resulted in 53 participants born before 32 weeks of gestation and 53 participants (24 males, 29 females) born at term. All participants performed a change detection task that assessed working memory capacity from their k-score. The contralateral delay activity (CDA) elicited by the task was recorded using electroencephalography. Additionally, participants completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2). Participants born very preterm showed lower k-scores on the change detection task, lower negativity of the CDA as well as lower manual dexterity and balance on the MABC-2. Based on structural equation modelling with bias-corrected bootstrapping, poor motor skills fully mediated the association of very preterm birth with lower k-scores. Similarly, very preterm birth had an indirect effect on CDA via motor skills. Children born very preterm face difficulties in maintaining visuospatial information because of a lower working memory capacity compared to peers born at term. Given the mediating role of motor skills, poor balance and manual dexterity in particular might serve as predictors of increased risk for prolonged impairments.

Effects of 16-week aerobic exercise and whole-body vibration on myokines and neurocognitive indices in postmenopausal women: A randomized control study.

The influence of phonotactic probability and phonological similarity on serial nonword recall in adults who do and do not stutter.

Do carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds and atmospheric pressure affect the cognitive performance of occupants in indoor environments? Results of a large-scale experiment with simulated flights.

Altered brain activity and connectivity in adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder and their correlations with perceived parental rearing patterns: A resting-state fMRI study.

Age-related differences in the structure of executive function across childhood: evidence from behavioral ratings.