Context Memory in Korsakoff’s Syndrome

Memory for contextual information and target-context integration are crucial for successful episodic memory formation and are impaired in patients with Korsakoff’s syndrome. In this paper we review the evidence for the notion that a context memory deficit makes an important contribution to the amnesia in these patients. First, we focus on anterograde memory for contextual (spatial and temporal) information. Next, the use of contextual cues in memory retrieval is examined and their role in retrograde amnesia and confabulation. Evidence on the role of contextual cues and associations in working memory is discussed in relation to the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms and their dissociation from long-term encoding. Finally, we focus on implicit learning of contextual information in Korsakoff patients. It can be concluded that Korsakoff patients are impaired in the explicit processing of contextual information and in target-context binding, both in long-term (retrograde and anterograde) memory and in working memory. These results extend the context memory deficit hypothesis. In contrast, implicit contextual learning is relatively preserved in these patients. These findings are discussed in relation to evidence of dysfunction of the extended diencephalic-hippocampal memory circuit in Korsakoff’s syndrome

Dissociating the Neural Correlates of Intra-Item and Inter-Item Working-Memory Binding

Contains fulltext : 90165.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Background - Integration of information streams into a unitary representation is an important task of our cognitive system. Within working memory, the medial temporal lobe (MTL) has been conceptually linked to the maintenance of bound representations. In a previous fMRI study, we have shown that the MTL is indeed more active during working-memory maintenance of spatial associations as compared to non-spatial associations or single items. There are two explanations for this result, the mere presence of the spatial component activates the MTL, or the MTL is recruited to bind associations between neurally non-overlapping representations. Methodology/Principal Findings - The current fMRI study investigates this issue further by directly comparing intrinsic intra-item binding (object/colour), extrinsic intra-item binding (object/location), and inter-item binding (object/object). The three binding conditions resulted in differential activation of brain regions. Specifically, we show that the MTL is important for establishing extrinsic intra-item associations and inter-item associations, in line with the notion that binding of information processed in different brain regions depends on the MTL. Conclusions/Significance - Our findings indicate that different forms of working-memory binding rely on specific neural structures. In addition, these results extend previous reports indicating that the MTL is implicated in working-memory maintenance, challenging the classic distinction between short-term and long-term memory systems.8 p

Table of Contents

Table of contents for Volume 10, Issue 3 of the Linfield Magazin

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Dutch Version of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV-NL)

Abstract The latent factor structure of the Dutch version of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV-NL) was examined with a series of confirmatory factor analyses. As part of the Dutch standardization, 1,188 healthy participants completed the WMS-IV-NL. Four models were tested for the Adult Battery (16-69 years; N ¼ 699), and two models were tested for the Older Adult Battery (65-90 years; N ¼ 489). Results corroborated the presence of three WMS-IV-NL factors in the Adult Battery consisting of Auditory Memory, Visual Memory, and Visual Working Memory. A two-factor model (consisting of Auditory Memory and Visual Memory) provided the best fit for the data of the Older Adult Battery. These findings provide evidence for the structural validity of the WMS-IV-NL, and further support the psychometric integrity of the WMS-IV

The Development of a Performance Validity Test (PVT) for Indonesia

Neuropsychological tests are proliferating in Indonesia. So far, unfortunately, it is not accompanied by the development of a performance validity test (PVT). According to international neuropsychological standards, using PVTs is essential to determine the validity of the neuropsychological test results. To date, there is no single standardized PVT available in Indonesia. In this article, we describe (1) the concept of performance validity testing, (2) the detection strategy, and (3) the procedure of PVT. Furthermore, several factors which affect PVT failure and its implication on the interpretation of a neuropsychological assessment are discussed. Considering the importance of PVTs incorporation and that it has become a standard by some neuropsychological associations, it is crucial to develop PVTs in Indonesia. Finally, the utilization of PVT should be performed cautiously, as many factors might influence the PVT result

Brain areas involved in spatial working memory

Spatial working memory entails the ability to keep spatial information active in working memory over a short period of time. To study the areas of the brain that are involved in spatial working memory, a group of stroke patients was tested with a spatial search task. Patients and healthy controls were asked to search through a number of boxes shown at different locations on a touch-sensitive computer screen in order to find a target object. In subsequent trials, new target objects were hidden in boxes that were previously empty. Within-search errors were made if a participant returned to an already searched box; between-search errors occurred if a participant returned to a box that was already known to contain a target item. The use of a strategy to remember the locations of the target objects was calculated as well. Damage to the right posterior parietal and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impaired the ability to keep spatial information [`]on-line', as was indicated by performance on the Corsi Block-Tapping task and the within-search errors. Moreover, patients with damage to the right posterior parietal cortex, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the hippocampal formation bilaterally made more between-search errors, indicating the importance of these areas in maintaining spatial information in working memory over an extended time period.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T0D-4HM7WH2-2/1/b6b13c7b404377bae2b8cf632eb61fe

White matter hyperintensities at critical crossroads for executive function and verbal abilities in small vessel disease

© 2020 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. The presence of white matter lesions in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is among the main causes of cognitive decline. We investigated the relation between white matter hyperintensity (WMH) locations and executive and language abilities in 442 SVD patients without dementia with varying burden of WMH. We used Stroop Word Reading, Stroop Color Naming, Stroop Color-Word Naming, and Category Fluency as language measures with varying degrees of executive demands. The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) was used as a control task, as it measures processing speed without requiring language use or verbal output. A voxel-based lesion–symptom mapping (VLSM) approach was used, corrected for age, sex, education, and lesion volume. VLSM analyses revealed statistically significant clusters for tests requiring language use, but not for SDMT. Worse scores on all tests were associated with WMH in forceps minor, thalamic radiations and caudate nuclei. In conclusion, an association was found between WMH in a core frontostriatal network and executive-verbal abilities in SVD, independent of lesion volume and processing speed. This circuitry underlying executive-language functioning might be of potential clinical importance for elderly with SVD. More detailed language testing is required in future research to elucidate the nature of language production difficulties in SVD

Landmark Recognition in Alzheimer’s Dementia: Spared Implicit Memory for Objects Relevant for Navigation

Contains fulltext : 97074.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: In spatial navigation, landmark recognition is crucial. Specifically, memory for objects placed at decision points on a route is relevant. Previous fMRI research in healthy adults showed higher medial-temporal lobe (MTL) activation for objects placed at decision points compared to non-decision points, even at an implicit level. Since there is evidence that implicit learning is intact in amnesic patients, the current study examined memory for objects relevant for navigation in patients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 21 AD patients participated with MTL atrophy assessed on MRI (mean MMSE = 21.2, SD = 4.0), as well as 20 age- and education-matched non-demented controls. All participants watched a 5-min video showing a route through a virtual museum with 20 objects placed at intersections (decision points) and 20 at simple turns (non-decision points). The instruction was to pay attention to the toys (half of the objects) for which they were supposedly tested later. Subsequently, a recognition test followed with the 40 previously presented objects among 40 distracter items (both toys and non-toys). Results showed a better performance for the non-toy objects placed at decision points than non-decision points, both for AD patients and controls. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings indicate that AD patients with MTL damage have implicit memory for object information relevant for navigation. No decision point effect was found for the attended items. Possibly, focusing attention on the items occurred at the cost of the context information in AD, whereas the controls performed at an optimal level due to intact memory function.5 p

Prevalence of neurocognitive and perceived speech deficits in patients with head and neck cancer before treatment:Associations with demographic, behavioral, and disease-related factors

BACKGROUND: Neurocognition and speech, relevant domains in head and neck cancer (HNC), may be affected pretreatment. However, the prevalence of pretreatment deficits and their possible concurrent predictors are poorly understood.METHODS: Using an HNC prospective cohort (Netherlands Quality of Life and Biomedical Cohort Study, N ≥ 444) with a cross-sectional design, we investigated the estimated prevalence of pretreatment deficits and their relationship with selected demographic, behavioral, and disease-related factors.RESULTS: Using objective assessments, rates of moderate-to-severe neurocognitive deficit ranged between 4% and 8%. From patient-reported outcomes, 6.5% of patients reported high levels of cognitive failures and 46.1% reported speech deficits. Patient-reported speech functioning was worse in larynx compared to other subsites. Other nonspeech outcomes were unrelated to any variable. Patient-reported neurocognitive and speech functioning were modestly correlated, especially in the larynx group.CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that a subgroup of patients with HNC shows pretreatment deficits, possibly accentuated in the case of larynx tumors.</p