Neural Mechanisms of Interference Control in Working Memory: Effects of Interference Expectancy and Fluid Intelligence

A critical aspect of executive control is the ability to limit the adverse effects of interference. Previous studies have shown activation of left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex after the onset of interference, suggesting that interference may be resolved in a reactive manner. However, we suggest that interference control may also operate in a proactive manner to prevent effects of interference. The current study investigated the temporal dynamics of interference control by varying two factors - interference expectancy and fluid intelligence (gF) - that could influence whether interference control operates proactively versus reactively.A modified version of the recent negatives task was utilized. Interference expectancy was manipulated across task blocks by changing the proportion of recent negative (interference) trials versus recent positive (facilitation) trials. Furthermore, we explored whether gF affected the tendency to utilize specific interference control mechanisms. When interference expectancy was low, activity in lateral prefrontal cortex replicated prior results showing a reactive control pattern (i.e., interference-sensitivity during probe period). In contrast, when interference expectancy was high, bilateral prefrontal cortex activation was more indicative of proactive control mechanisms (interference-related effects prior to the probe period). Additional results suggested that the proactive control pattern was more evident in high gF individuals, whereas the reactive control pattern was more evident in low gF individuals.The results suggest the presence of two neural mechanisms of interference control, with the differential expression of these mechanisms modulated by both experimental (e.g., expectancy effects) and individual difference (e.g., gF) factors

Recruitment of lateral rostral prefrontal cortex in spontaneous and task-related thoughts

Behavioural and neuroimaging studies suggest that spontaneous and task-related thought processes share common cognitive mechanisms and neural bases. Lateral rostral prefrontal cortex (RPFC) is a brain region that has been implicated both in spontaneous thought and in high-level cognitive control processes, such as goal/subgoal integration and the manipulation of self-generated thoughts. We therefore propose that the recruitment of lateral RPFC may follow a U-shaped function of cognitive demand: relatively high in low-demand situations conducive to the emergence of spontaneous thought, and in high-demand situations depending on processes supported by this brain region. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate brain activity while healthy participants performed two tasks, each with three levels of cognitive demands, in a block design. The frequency of task-unrelated thoughts, measured by questionnaire, was highest in the low cognitive demand condition. Low and high cognitive demand conditions were each compared to the intermediate level. Lateral RPFC and superior parietal cortex were recruited in both comparisons, with additional activations specific to each contrast. These results suggest that RPFC is involved both when (a) task demands are low, and the mind wanders, and (b) the task requires goal/subgoal integration and manipulation of self-generated thoughts

Mood and cognition in healthy older European adults: the Zenith study

YesBackground: The study aim was to determine if state and trait intra-individual measures of everyday affect predict cognitive functioning in healthy older community dwelling European adults (n = 387), aged 55-87 years. Methods: Participants were recruited from centres in France, Italy and Northern Ireland. Trait level and variability in positive and negative affect (PA and NA) were assessed using self-administered PANAS scales, four times a day for four days. State mood was assessed by one PANAS scale prior to assessment of recognition memory, spatial working memory, reaction time and sustained attention using the CANTAB computerized test battery. Results: A series of hierarchical regression analyses were carried out, one for each measure of cognitive function as the dependent variable, and socio-demographic variables (age, sex and social class), state and trait mood measures as the predictors. State PA and NA were both predictive of spatial working memory prior to looking at the contribution of trait mood. Trait PA and its variability were predictive of sustained attention. In the final step of the regression analyses, trait PA variability predicted greater sustained attention, whereas state NA predicted fewer spatial working memory errors, accounting for a very small percentage of the variance (1-2%) in the respective tests. Conclusion: Moods, by and large, have a small transient effect on cognition in this older sample

Integration and Segregation of Information in Language and Math

The model of Working Memory (WM) which was brought up by Baddeley and Hitch (1974) has been explored for decades. Moreover, to investigate the operational character of WM, the manipulation of complex information has been researched. In this dissertation, we present and discuss the operational characters in WM investigating two different computations, integration and segregation in two different domains, mathematics and language. Similarity in processing mathematics and language in mathematics and language was demonstrated, showing that integration of information shares overlapping pool in mathematics and language. The aim of this first investigation is to isolate overlap between different symbolic domains to explore the operational character of WM and better define its functions

Unconscious Priming Instructions Modulate Activity in Default and Executive Networks of the Human Brain

During task executions, brain activity increases in executive networks (ENs) and decreases in default-mode networks (DMNs). Here, we examined whether these large-scale network dynamics can be influenced by unconscious cognitive information processing. Volunteers saw instructions (cues) to respond either ipsilaterally or contralaterally to a subsequent lateralized target. Unbeknownst to them, each cue was preceded by a masked stimulus (prime), which could be identical (congruent), or opposite (incongruent) to the cue, or neutral (not an instruction). Behaviorally, incongruent primes interfered with performance, even though they were not consciously perceived. With functional magnetic resonance imaging, we individuated the anticorrelated ENs and DMNs involved during task execution. With effective connectivity analyses, we found that DMNs caused activity in ENs throughout the task. Unconscious interference during incongruent trials was associated with a specific activity increase in ENs and an activity drop in DMNs. Intersubject efficiency in performance during incongruent trials was correlated with functional connectivity between specific ENs and DMNs. These results indicate that unconscious instructions can prime activity in ENs and DMNs and suggest that the DMNs play a key role in unconscious monitoring of the environment in the service of efficient resource allocation for task execution.Psycholog