scholarly journals Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impairs visual working memory performance: A randomized crossover trial

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten C. S. Adam ◽  
Manoj K. Doss ◽  
Elisa Pabon ◽  
Edward K. Vogel ◽  
Harriet de Wit
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Metacognitive Accuracy

AbstractWith the increasing prevalence of legal cannabis use and availability, there is an urgent need to identify cognitive impairments related to its use. It is widely believed that cannabis, or its main psychoactive component Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), impairs working memory, i.e., the ability to temporarily hold information in mind. However, our review of the literature yielded surprisingly little empirical support for an effect of THC or cannabis on working memory. We thus conducted a study with 3 main goals: (1) quantify the effect of THC on visual working memory in a well-powered sample (2) test the potential role of cognitive effects (mind wandering and metacognition) in disrupting working memory, and (3) demonstrate how insufficient sample size and task duration reduce the likelihood of detecting a drug effect. We conducted two double-blind, randomized crossover experiments in which healthy adults (N=23, 23) performed a reliable and validated visual working memory task (the “Discrete Whole-Report task”, 90 trials) after administration of THC (7.5 and/or 15 mg oral) or placebo. We also assessed self-reported ‘mind wandering’ (Exp 1) and metacognitive accuracy about ongoing task performance (Exp 2). THC impaired working memory performance (d = .65), increased mind wandering (Exp 1), and decreased metacognitive accuracy about task performance (Exp 2). Thus, our findings indicate that THC does impair visual working memory, and that this impairment may be related to both increased mind-wandering and decreased monitoring of task performance. Finally, we used a down-sampling procedure to illustrate the effects of task length and sample size on power to detect the acute effect of THC on working memory.

scholarly journals Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 935
Author(s):  
Ying Xing Feng ◽  
Masashi Kiguchi ◽  
Wei Chun Ung ◽  
Sarat Chandra Dass ◽  
Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Haemodynamic Activity

The effect of stress on task performance is complex, too much or too little stress negatively affects performance and there exists an optimal level of stress to drive optimal performance. Task difficulty and external affective factors are distinct stressors that impact cognitive performance. Neuroimaging studies showed that mood affects working memory performance and the correlates are changes in haemodynamic activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We investigate the interactive effects of affective states and working memory load (WML) on working memory task performance and haemodynamic activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging on the PFC of healthy participants. We seek to understand if haemodynamic responses could tell apart workload-related stress from situational stress arising from external affective distraction. We found that the haemodynamic changes towards affective stressor- and workload-related stress were more dominant in the medial and lateral PFC, respectively. Our study reveals distinct affective state-dependent modulations of haemodynamic activity with increasing WML in n-back tasks, which correlate with decreasing performance. The influence of a negative effect on performance is greater at higher WML, and haemodynamic activity showed evident changes in temporal, and both spatial and strength of activation differently with WML.

Effects of Acceleration-Induced Reductions in Retinal and Cerebral Oxygenation on Human Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-82
Author(s):  
Rodney J. Croft ◽  
Roger Kölegård ◽  
Arne Tribukait ◽  
Nigel A. S. Taylor ◽  
Ola Eiken
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Visual Perception ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Cerebral Oxygenation ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Blood Oxygenation

BACKGROUND: Ischemic hypoxia induced by suprathreshold G-force loading can adversely affect vision, cognition, and lead to loss of consciousness (LOC). The purpose of this study was to determine whether reductions in cerebral oxygenation, caused by subthreshold G-forces (up to 4 Gz and of limited durations that do not lead to LOC), would affect visual perception and working memory performance.METHODS: Sixteen subjects performed visual perception and working memory tasks both before and during Gz exposures (1, 2.2, 3, 4 with leg pressurization, 4 with leg and abdomen pressurization) within a human-use centrifuge.RESULTS: As measured using near-infrared spectroscopy, blood oxygenation over medial prefrontal cortex was similar in the 1 and 2.2 Gz conditions, but was reduced to a similar extent in the 3 and 4 Gz conditions. In parallel, visual perception accuracy was reduced in the 3 and 4 Gz conditions, with no difference between the 3 and 4 Gz conditions. No change in reaction time was seen. Conversely, neither accuracy nor reaction time changes were observed for the visual working memory task.DISCUSSION: These results indicate that although visual working memory is not affected, the ability to visually discriminate between stimuli is reduced at G-forces as low as 3 and 4 Gz. This may have important ramifications for pilots who are routinely subjected to such forces.Croft RJ, Klegrd R, Tribukait A, Taylor NAS, Eiken O. Effects of acceleration-induced reductions in retinal and cerebral oxygenation on human performance. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(2):7582.

Neurophysiological Correlates of Motor and Working Memory Performance following Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Selzler ◽  
Michelle Burack ◽  
Ryan Bender ◽  
Mark Mapstone
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Motor Disability ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation ◽  
Motor Effects ◽  
Stn Dbs

Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become an accepted treatment for the motor manifestations of Parkinson disease (PD). The beneficial motor effects of STN DBS are likely due to modulation of BG output to frontal cortical regions associated with motor control, but the underlying neurophysiology of STN DBS effects, especially at the level of the cortex, is not well understood. In this study, we examined the effects of STN DBS on motor disability and visual working memory, a cognitive process supported by pFC. We tested 10 PD participants off medications, ON and OFF stimulation, along with 20 normal controls on a visual working memory task while simultaneously recording cortical EEG. In the OFF state, PD patients had poor motor function, were slower and less accurate in performing the working memory task, and had greater amplitudes and shorter latencies of the N200 ERP response. DBS improved clinical motor function, reduced N200 amplitudes, and increased N200 latencies but had little effect on working memory performance. We conclude that STN DBS normalizes neurophysiological activity in fronto striatal circuits and this may independently affect motor and cognitive function.

scholarly journals A between-task consequence of temporal expectations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Gresch ◽  
Sage Boettcher ◽  
Anna C. Nobre ◽  
Freek van Ede
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Delay Period ◽  
Temporal Expectation ◽  
Memory Probe ◽  
Temporal Predictability ◽  
Memory Contents

In everyday life, we often anticipate the timing of one upcoming task or event while actively engaging in another. Here, we investigated temporal expectations within such a multi-task scenario. In a visual working-memory task, we manipulated whether the onset of a working-memory probe could be predicted in time, while also embedding a simple intervening task within the delay period. We first show that working-memory performance benefitted from temporal predictability, even though an intervening task had to be completed in the interim. Moreover, temporal expectations regarding the upcoming working-memory probe additionally affected performance on the intervening task, resulting in faster responses when the memory probe was anticipated early, and slower responses when the memory probe was expected late, as compared to when it was temporally unpredictable. Because the intervening task always occurred at the same time during the memory delay, differences in performance on this intervening task are attributed to a between-task consequence of temporal expectation. Thus, we show that within multi-task settings, knowing when working-memory contents will be required for an upcoming task not only facilitates performance on the associated working-memory task, but can also influence the performance of other, intervening tasks.

scholarly journals Modulation of Peak Alpha Frequency Oscillations During Working Memory Is Greater in Females Than Males

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara R. Ghazi ◽  
Kara J. Blacker ◽  
Thomas T. Hinault ◽  
Susan M. Courtney
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Alpha Frequency ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Visual Spatial Working Memory

Peak alpha frequency is known to vary not just between individuals, but also within an individual over time. While variance in this metric between individuals has been tied to working memory performance, less understood are how short timescale modulations of peak alpha frequency during task performance may facilitate behavior. This gap in understanding may be bridged by consideration of a key difference between individuals: sex. Inconsistent findings in the literature regarding the relationship between peak alpha frequency and cognitive performance, as well as known sex-related-differences in peak alpha frequency and its modulation motivated our hypothesis that cognitive and neural processes underlying working memory—modulation of peak alpha frequency in particular—may differ based upon sex. Targeting sex as a predictive factor, we analyzed the EEG data of participants recorded while they performed four versions of a visual spatial working memory task. A significant difference between groups was present: females modulated peak alpha frequency more than males. Task performance did not differ by sex, yet a relationship between accuracy and peak alpha frequency was present in males, but not in females. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex as a factor in the study of oscillatory activity, particularly to further understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie working memory.

Mindfulness Training as Cognitive Training in High-Demand Cohorts: An Initial Study in Elite Military Servicemembers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Paul Zanesco ◽  
Ekaterina Denkova ◽  
Scott L. Rogers ◽  
William K. MacNulty ◽  
Amishi P. Jha
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Selection Criterion ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Training Tool ◽  
Cognitive Failures

Cognitive ability is a key selection criterion for entry into many elite professions. Herein, we investigate whether mindfulness training (MT) can enhance cognitive performance in elite military forces. The cognitive effects of a short-form 8-hour MT program contextualized for military cohorts, referred to as Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT), were assessed. Servicemembers received either a 2-week (n = 40) or 4-week (n = 36) version of MBAT, or no training (NTC, n = 44). Sustained attention and working memory task performance along with self-reported cognitive failures were assessed at study onset (T1) and 8-weeks later (T2). In contrast to both the NTC and 2-week MT groups, the 4-week MT group significantly improved over time on attention and working memory outcome measures. Among the 4-week more so than the 2-week MBAT participants, working memory performance improvements were correlated with their amount of out-of-class MT practice. In addition to these group-wise effects, all participants receiving MBAT decreased in their self-reported cognitive failures from T1 to T2. Importantly, none of these improvements were related to self-reported task motivation. Together, these results suggest that short-form MT, when delivered over a 4-week delivery schedule, may be an effective cognitive training tool in elite military cohorts.

scholarly journals Are visual working memory and episodic memory distinct processes? Insight from stroke patients by lesion-symptom mapping

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selma Lugtmeijer ◽  
◽  
Linda Geerligs ◽  
Frank Erik de Leeuw ◽  
Edward H. F. de Haan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Lesion Symptom Mapping ◽  
Criterion Setting ◽  
The Right

AbstractWorking memory and episodic memory are two different processes, although the nature of their interrelationship is debated. As these processes are predominantly studied in isolation, it is unclear whether they crucially rely on different neural substrates. To obtain more insight in this, 81 adults with sub-acute ischemic stroke and 29 elderly controls were assessed on a visual working memory task, followed by a surprise subsequent memory test for the same stimuli. Multivariate, atlas- and track-based lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) analyses were performed to identify anatomical correlates of visual memory. Behavioral results gave moderate evidence for independence between discriminability in working memory and subsequent memory, and strong evidence for a correlation in response bias on the two tasks in stroke patients. LSM analyses suggested there might be independent regions associated with working memory and episodic memory. Lesions in the right arcuate fasciculus were more strongly associated with discriminability in working memory than in subsequent memory, while lesions in the frontal operculum in the right hemisphere were more strongly associated with criterion setting in subsequent memory. These findings support the view that some processes involved in working memory and episodic memory rely on separate mechanisms, while acknowledging that there might also be shared processes.

EXPRESS: Bored, distracted and forgetful – The impact of mind wandering and boredom on memory encoding

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110263
Author(s):  
Philippe Blondé ◽  
Marco Sperduti ◽  
Dominique Makowski ◽  
Pascale Piolino
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Thought Probes ◽  
The Impact

Mind wandering, defined as focusing attention toward task unrelated thoughts, is a common mental state known to impair memory encoding. This phenomenon is closely linked to boredom. Very few studies, however, have tested the potential impact of boredom on memory encoding. Thus, the present study aimed at manipulating mind wandering and boredom during an incidental memory encoding task, to test their differential impact on memory encoding. Thirty-two participants performed a variant of the n-back task in which they had to indicate if the current on-screen object was the same as the previous one (1-back; low working memory load) or the one presented three trials before (3-back; high working memory load). Moreover, thought probes assessing either mind wandering or boredom were randomly presented. Afterward, a surprise recognition task was delivered. Results showed that mind wandering and boredom were highly correlated, and both decreased in the high working memory load condition, while memory performance increased. Although both boredom and mind wandering predicted memory performance taken separately, we found that mind wandering was the only reliable predictor of memory performance when controlling for boredom and working memory load. Model comparisons also revealed that a model with boredom only was outperformed by a model with mind wandering only and a model with both mind wandering and boredom, suggesting that the predictive contribution of boredom in the complete model is minimal. The present results confirm the high correlation between mind wandering and boredom and suggest that the hindering effect of boredom on memory is subordinate to the effect of mind wandering.

Visuospatial Working Memory Deficits and Visual Pursuit Impairments are Not Directly Related in Schizophrenia

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 766-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Cocchi ◽  
Francesca Bosisio ◽  
Olivia Carter ◽  
Stephen J. Wood ◽  
André Berchtold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Correct Choice ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Visual Pursuit ◽  
Scanning Time ◽  
Time Scanning ◽  
Correct Path

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia show deficits in visuospatial working memory and visual pursuit processes. It is currently unclear, however, whether both impairments are related to a common neuropathological origin. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine the possible relations between the encoding and the discrimination of dynamic visuospatial stimuli in schizophrenia. Method: Sixteen outpatients with schizophrenia and 16 control subjects were asked to encode complex disc displacements presented on a screen. After a delay, participants had to identify the previously presented disc trajectory from a choice of six static linear paths, among which were five incorrect paths. The precision of visual pursuit eye movements during the initial presentation of the dynamic stimulus was assessed. The fixations and scanning time in definite regions of the six paths presented during the discrimination phase were investigated. Results: In comparison with controls, patients showed poorer task performance, reduced pursuit accuracy during incorrect trials and less time scanning the correct stimulus or the incorrect paths approximating its global structure. Patients also spent less time scanning the leftmost portion of the correct path even when making a correct choice. The accuracy of visual pursuit and head movements, however, was not correlated with task performance. Conclusions: The present study provides direct support for the hypothesis that active integration of visuospatial information within working memory is deficient in schizophrenia. In contrast, a general impairment of oculomotor mechanisms involved in smooth pursuit did not appear to be directly related to lower visuospatial working memory performance in schizophrenia.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document