N -back Working Memory Task: Meta-analysis of Normative fMRI Studies With Children

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 2010-2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Yaple ◽  
Marie Arsalidou
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Memory Task

scholarly journals Meta-analytic evidence for downregulation of the amygdala during working memory maintenance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lycia D. de Voogd ◽  
Erno J. Hermans
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Amygdala Activity ◽  
Regulation Of Emotion

The amygdala is a region critically implicated in affective processes. Downregulation of the amygdala is therefore one of the hallmarks of successful emotion regulation. Downregulation is thought to be established through top-down control of the executive control network over the amygdala. Such a reciprocal relationship, however, is not exclusive to cognitive regulation of emotion. It has recently been noted that any cognitively demanding task may downregulate the amygdala, including a standard working memory task. Here, using a coordinate-based meta-analysis based on an activation likelihood estimation (ALE), we examined whether a standard working memory task (i.e., a 2-back task) downregulates the amygdala similarly to a cognitive reappraisal task. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we included a total of 66 studies using a 2-back working memory task and 65 studies using a cognitive reappraisal task. We found that a standard 2-back working memory task indeed systematically downregulates the amygdala, and that deactivated clusters strongly overlap with those observed during a cognitive reappraisal task. This finding has important consequences for the interpretation of the underlying mechanism of the effects of cognitive reappraisal on amygdala activity: downregulation of amygdala during cognitive reappraisal might be due to the cognitively demanding nature of the task and not per se by the act of the reappraisal itself. Moreover, it raises the possibility of applying working memory tasks in a clinical setting as an alternative emotion regulation strategy.

scholarly journals The association between socioeconomic disadvantage and children’s working memory abilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260788
Author(s):  
Kate E. Mooney ◽  
Stephanie L. Prady ◽  
Mary M. Barker ◽  
Kate E. Pickett ◽  
Amanda H. Waterman
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Socioeconomic Position ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Socioeconomic Disadvantage ◽  
Synthesis Methods ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Harvest Plot

Background and objective Working memory is an essential cognitive skill for storing and processing limited amounts of information over short time periods. Researchers disagree about the extent to which socioeconomic position affects children’s working memory, yet no study has systematically synthesised the literature regarding this topic. The current review therefore aimed to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic position and working memory in children, regarding both the magnitude and the variability of the association. Methods The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO and the PRISMA checklist was followed. Embase, Psycinfo and MEDLINE were comprehensively searched via Ovid from database inception until 3rd June 2021. Studies were screened by two reviewers at all stages. Studies were eligible if they included typically developing children aged 0–18 years old, with a quantitative association reported between any indicator of socioeconomic position and children’s working memory task performance. Studies were synthesised using two data-synthesis methods: random effects meta-analyses and a Harvest plot. Key findings The systematic review included 64 eligible studies with 37,737 individual children (aged 2 months to 18 years). Meta-analyses of 36 of these studies indicated that socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with significantly lower scores working memory measures; a finding that held across different working memory tasks, including those that predominantly tap into storage (d = 0.45; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.62) as well as those that require processing of information (d = 0.52; 0.31 to 0.72). A Harvest plot of 28 studies ineligible for meta-analyses further confirmed these findings. Finally, meta-regression analyses revealed that the association between socioeconomic position and working memory was not moderated by task modality, risk of bias, socioeconomic indicator, mean age in years, or the type of effect size. Conclusion This is the first systematic review to investigate the association between socioeconomic position and working memory in children. Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with lower working memory ability in children, and that this association was similar across different working memory tasks. Given the strong association between working memory, learning, and academic attainment, there is a clear need to share these findings with practitioners working with children, and investigate ways to support children with difficulties in working memory.

Articulatory Suppression Increases Proactive and Semantic Interference in a Working Memory Task

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra S. Atkins ◽  
Marc G. Berman ◽  
John Jonides ◽  
Patricia A. Reuterlorenz
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Articulatory Suppression ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Semantic Interference

Task- and age-effects in functional neuroimaging studies of working memory – a quantitative meta-analysis

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Rottschy ◽  
S Eickhoff ◽  
I Dogan ◽  
A Laird ◽  
P Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Effects
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