Following instructions in a dual-task paradigm: Evidence for a temporary motor store in working memory.

Evidence from dual-task studies suggests that working memory supports the retention and implementation of verbal instructions. One key finding that is not readily accommodated by existing models of working memory is that participants are consistently more accurate at physically performing rather than verbally repeating a sequence of commands. This action advantage has no obvious source within the multi-component model of working memory and has been proposed to be driven by an as yet undetected limited-capacity store dedicated to the temporary maintenance of spatial, motoric, and temporal features of intended movements. To test this hypothesis, we sought to selectively disrupt the action advantage with concurrent motor suppression. In three dual-task experiments, young adults' immediate memory for sequences of spoken instructions was assessed by both action-based and spoken recall. In addition to classic interference tasks known to tax the phonological loop and central executive, motor suppression tasks designed to impair the encoding and retention of motoric representations were included. These required participants to produce repetitive sequences of either fine motor gestures (Experiment 1, N = 16) or more basic ones (Experiments 2, N = 16, and 3, N = 16). The benefit of action-based recall was reduced following the production of basic gestures but remained intact under all other interference conditions. These results suggest that the mnemonic advantage of enacted recall depends on a cognitive system dedicated to the temporary maintenance of motoric representations of planned action sequences

An integrative view of mammalian seasonal neuroendocrinology

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Dardente, H., Wood, S.H., Ebling, F. & Sáenz de Miera, C. (2019). An integrative view of mammalian seasonal neuroendocrinology. Journal of neuroendocrinology. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 31(5), e12729, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jne.12729. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Seasonal neuroendocrine cycles that govern annual changes in reproductive activity, energy metabolism and hair growth are almost ubiquitous in mammals that have evolved at temperate and polar latitudes. Changes in nocturnal melatonin secretion regulating gene expression in the pars tuberalis (PT) of the pituitary stalk are a critical common feature in seasonal mammals. The PT sends signal(s) to the pars distalis of the pituitary to regulate prolactin secretion and thus the annual moult cycle. The PT also signals in a retrograde manner via thyroid‐stimulating hormone to tanycytes, which line the ventral wall of the third ventricle in the hypothalamus. Tanycytes show seasonal plasticity in gene expression and play a pivotal role in regulating local thyroid hormone (TH) availability. Within the mediobasal hypothalamus, the cellular and molecular targets of TH remain elusive. However, two populations of hypothalamic neurones, which produce the RF‐amide neuropeptides kisspeptin and RFRP3 (RF‐amide related peptide 3), are plausible relays between TH and the gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone‐pituitary‐gonadal axis. By contrast, the ways by which TH also impinges on hypothalamic systems regulating energy intake and expenditure remain unknown. Here, we review the neuroendocrine underpinnings of seasonality and identify several areas that warrant further research

Following instructions from working memory: Why does action at encoding and recall help?

Two experiments investigated the consequences of action at encoding and recall on the ability to follow sequences of instructions. Children ages 7-9 years recalled sequences of spoken action commands under presentation and recall conditions that either did or did not involve their physical performance. In both experiments, recall was enhanced by carrying out the instructions as they were being initially presented and also by performing them at recall. In contrast, the accuracy of instruction-following did not improve above spoken presentation alone, either when the instructions were silently read or heard by the child (Experiment 1), or when the child repeated the spoken instructions as they were presented (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that the enactment advantage at presentation does not simply reflect a general benefit of a dual exposure to instructions, and that it is not a result of their self-production at presentation. The benefits of action-based recall were reduced following enactment during presentation, suggesting that the positive effects of action at encoding and recall may have a common origin. It is proposed that the benefits of physical movement arise from the existence of a short-term motor store that maintains the temporal, spatial, and motoric features of either planned or already executed actions

Following instructions in a virtual school:Does working memory play a role?

Accumulating evidence that working memory supports the ability to follow instructions has so far been restricted to experimental paradigms that have greatly simplified the practical demands of performing actions to instructions in everyday tasks. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether working memory is involved in maintaining information over the longer periods of time that are more typical of everyday situations that require performing instructions to command. Forty-two children 7–11 years of age completed assessments of working memory, a real-world following-instructions task employing 3-D objects, and two new computerized instruction-following tasks involving navigation around a virtual school to complete a sequence of practical spoken commands. One task involved performing actions in a single classroom, and the other, performing actions in multiple locations in a virtual school building. Verbal working memory was closely linked with all three following-instructions paradigms, but with greater association to the virtual than to the real-world tasks. These results indicate that verbal working memory plays a key role in following instructions over extended periods of activity

From Brexit to Biden : what responses to national outcomes tell us about the nature of relief

Recent claims contrast relief experienced because a period of unpleasant uncertainty has ended and an outcome has materialized (temporal relief)—regardless of whether it is one’s preferred outcome—with relief experienced because a particular outcome has occurred, when the alternative was unpalatable (counterfactual relief). Two studies (N = 993), one run the day after the United Kingdom left the European Union and one the day after Joe Biden’s inauguration, confirmed these claims. “Leavers” and Biden voters experienced high levels of relief, and less regret and disappointment than “Remainers” and Trump voters. “Remainers” and Trump voters showed an effect of precursor, experiencing little relief about the outcome that had occurred but stronger relief that a decision had been implemented. Only Trump voters who believed the election was over showed this precursor effect. Results suggest at least two different triggering conditions for relief and indicate a role for anticipated relief in voting behavior

Cognitive Offloading: Structuring the Environment to Improve Children's Working Memory Task Performance

Research has shown that adults can engage in cognitive offloading, whereby internal processes are offloaded onto the environment to help task performance. Here, we investigate an application of this approach with children, in particular children with poor working memory. Participants were required to remember and recall sequences of colors by placing colored blocks in the correct serial order. In one condition the blocks were arranged to facilitate cognitive offloading (i.e., grouped by color), whereas in the other condition they were arranged randomly. Across two experiments (total N = 166) the ordered condition improved task performance for children with low working memory ability. In addition, participants in Experiment 2 rated the difficulty of the two arrangements and performed a further condition in which they were given an opportunity to freely arrange the blocks before completing the task. Despite performing better in the ordered condition, children with low working memory ability did not rate the ordered arrangement as easier, nor did they choose an ordered arrangement when given the opportunity to do so. This research shows that cognitive offloading can also be a useful process in populations other than typical adults, and the implications of this work for supporting children with poor working memory are discussed

Stabilizacja emulsji olejowych antyoksydantami naturalnymi

Porównano aktywność przeciwutleniającą naturalnych związków polifenolowych z tarczycy bajkalkiej, głogu oraz sosny z właściwościami przeciwutleniającymi α-tokoferolu, ß-karotenu, kwasu askorbinowego oraz kwasu cytrynowego w emulsji olejowej. Stwierdzono, że preparaty pochodzenia roślinnego wуkazują większą zdolność do hamowania niekorzystnych przemian w roztworach emulsyjnych niż użyte witaminy oraz kwas cytrynowy.The antioxidant activities of selected compounds added to oil emulsions were determined. The polyphenolic compounds from barks of hawthorn and pine and Scutellaria baicalensis as well as α-tocopherol, ß-carotene, vitamin C and citric acid were tested. The results obtained showed that the natural compounds of vegetable orgin decreased unfavorable transformations in oil emulsions to the higher extent than the antioxidant vitamins and citric acid

Proba zastosowania naturalnych polifenoli do stabilizacji oleju slonecznikowego

W pracy podjęto próbę zastosowania związków izolowanych z roślin, jako przeciwutleniaczy, do stabilizacji oleju słonecznikowego. Zbadano aktywność pięciu przeciwutleniaczy: tarczycy bajkalskiej, głogu oraz witamin antyoksydacyjnych (kwasu askorbinowego i α-tokoferolu) oraz kwasu cytrynowego. Wśród tych preparatów, preparat procyjanidyn z głogu był najlepszym inhibitorem przemian oksydacyjnych zachodzących w emulsji oleju słonecznikowego, przechowywanej w temp. 50°C i przy natężeniu oświetlenia 3600-3900 lx. Również mieszanina głogu z kwasem cytrynowym i askorbinowym charakteryzowała się wysoką siłą hamowania powstających nadtlenków i aldehydu dimalonowego. W przypadku użycia mieszanin tarczycy bajkalskiej z kwasem cytrynowym i α-tokoferolem uzyskano efekt prooksydacyjny.The possibility of stabilization of vegatable oil with natural antioxidants isolated from plants is presented in this paper. The antioxidative activités of five natural antioxidants: scullcap and hawthorn extracts, α-tocopherol, citric and ascorbic acid in sunflower oil stored at 50°C and light 3600-3900 lx were studied. The hawthorn extract exhibited the best antioxidant effect, as determined by peroxide value and TBARS measurements. The synergistic effects of α-tocopherol, citric and ascorbic acid on hawthorn and scullcap were investigated, too. The mixture hawthorn with α-tocopherol gave the best antioxidant effect, while the mixtures scullcap with citric and skullcap with ascorbic acid showed prooxidant effects

Age-related differences in adults' ability to follow spoken instructions.

A growing body of research illustrates that working memory capacity is a crucial limiting factor in our ability to follow spoken instructions. Despite the ubiquitous nature of instruction following throughout the lifespan, how the natural ageing process affects the ability to do so is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the consequences of action at encoding and recall on the ability to follow spoken instructions. Younger ( 65 y/o) adults recalled sequences of spoken action commands under presentation and recall conditions that either did or did not involve their physical performance. Both groups showed an enacted-recall advantage, with superior recall by physical performance than oral repetition. When both encoding and recall were purely verbal, older adults' recall accuracy was comparable to that of their younger counterparts. When action was involved at either encoding or recall, however, the difference in performance between the two age groups became pronounced: enactment-based encoding significantly improved younger adults' ability to follow spoken instructions; there was no such advantage for older adults. These data show that spatial-motoric representations disproportionately benefit younger adults' memory performance. We discuss the practical implications of these findings in the context of lifelong learning