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Wank AA, Mehl MR, Andrews-Hanna JR, Polsinelli AJ, Moseley S, Glisky EL, Grilli MD. Eavesdropping on Autobiographical Memory: A Naturalistic Observation Study of Older Adults' Memory Sharing in Daily Conversations. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:238. [PMID: 32676016 PMCID: PMC7333665 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The retrieval of autobiographical memories is an integral part of everyday social interactions. Prior laboratory research has revealed that older age is associated with a reduction in the retrieval of autobiographical episodic memories, and the ability to elaborate these memories with episodic details. However, how age-related reductions in episodic specificity unfold in everyday social contexts remains largely unknown. Also, constraints of the laboratory-based approach have limited our understanding of how autobiographical semantic memory is linked to older age. To address these gaps in knowledge, we used a smartphone application known as the Electronically Activated Recorder, or “EAR,” to unobtrusively capture real-world conversations over 4 days. In a sample of 102 cognitively normal older adults, we extracted instances where memories and future thoughts were shared by the participants, and we scored the shared episodic memories and future thoughts for their make-up of episodic and semantic detail. We found that older age was associated with a reduction in real-world sharing of autobiographical episodic and semantic memories. We also found that older age was linked to less episodically and semantically detailed descriptions of autobiographical episodic memories. Frequency and level of detail of shared future thoughts yielded weaker relationships with age, which may be related to the low frequency of future thoughts in general. Similar to laboratory research, there was no correlation between autobiographical episodic detail sharing and a standard episodic memory test. However, in contrast to laboratory studies, episodic detail production while sharing autobiographical episodic memories was weakly related to episodic detail production while describing future events, unrelated to working memory, and not different between men and women. Overall, our findings provide novel evidence of how older age relates to episodic specificity when autobiographical memories are assessed unobtrusively and objectively “in the wild.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey A Wank
- Human Memory Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Matthias R Mehl
- Naturalistic Observation of Social Interaction Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Jessica R Andrews-Hanna
- Neuroscience of Emotion and Thought Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.,Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.,Cognitive Science Program, Department of Philosophy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Angelina J Polsinelli
- Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | | | - Elizabeth L Glisky
- Aging and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Matthew D Grilli
- Human Memory Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.,Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
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Staugaard SR, Berntsen D. Gender differences in the experienced emotional intensity of experimentally induced memories of negative scenes. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:1732-1747. [PMID: 32277252 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01334-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
It is well documented that women have an increased risk of emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Such disorders are typically characterized by intrusive memories and rumination of past events, but findings are mixed as to whether women have enhanced access to memories of emotional events. Some studies have found that women, compared with men, report more frequent and more intense memories of emotionally stressful events, whereas other studies have failed to replicate this effect. These conflicting findings may reflect the use of different memory sampling techniques (e.g., retrospective vs. experimental data) and limited control for factors associated with both gender and emotional memory. The purpose of the present study was to investigate gender differences in memory for emotionally negative events, using three different sampling methods, while at the same time controlling for parameters that might co-vary with gender. Consistent with some previous studies, we found that women and men did not differ in their frequencies of emotionally negative involuntary memories. However, women rated their memories as more intense and arousing than men did, and women also reported higher increases in state anxiety after retrieval. Female gender accounted for unique variance in the emotional intensity and subjective arousal associated with negative memories, when controlling for other theoretically derived variables. The findings provide evidence that female gender is associated with a stronger emotional response to memories of negative events, but not that women remember such events more frequently than men do.
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Affiliation(s)
- Søren Risløv Staugaard
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 9, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Dorthe Berntsen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 9, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
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3
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The Autobiographical Recollection Test (ART): A Measure of Individual Differences in Autobiographical Memory. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2019; 8:305-318. [PMID: 31700775 DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2019.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We introduce the Autobiographical Recollection Test (ART) to examine individual differences in how well people think they remember personal events. The ART comprises seven theoretically motivated and empirically supported interrelated aspects of recollecting autobiographical memories: reliving, vividness, visual imagery, scene, narrative coherence, life-story relevance, and rehearsal. Desirable psychometric properties of the ART are established by confirmatory factor analyses demonstrating that items probing each of the seven components form well-defined, yet highly correlated, factors that are indicators of a single underlying second-order factor. The ART shows high test-retest reliability over delays averaging three weeks and correlates meaningfully with a test of different categories of memory. Overall, the findings document that autobiographical recollection is a dimension that varies among individuals. The ART forms a reliable and easily administered autobiographical memory test that will help to integrate autobiographical memory research with fields generally concerned with individual differences, such as health and personality psychology.
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Hsu CMK, Kleim B, Nicholson EL, Zuj DV, Cushing PJ, Gray KE, Clark L, Felmingham KL. Sex differences in intrusive memories following trauma. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208575. [PMID: 30521618 PMCID: PMC6283557 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A key mechanism thought to underlie Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is enhanced emotional memory consolidation. Recent evidence in healthy controls revealed that women have greater negative memory consolidation following stress relative to men. This study examined emotional memory consolidation in women and men with PTSD, and in trauma-exposed and non-trauma controls to test the hypothesis that emotionally negative memory consolidation would be greater in women with PTSD. Method One hundred and forty-seven men and women (47 with PTSD, 49 trauma-exposed controls, and 51 non-trauma controls) completed an emotional memory task where they looked at negative, neutral and positive images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Delayed recall and an intrusive memory diary were completed two days later. Results Women displayed greater recall, and reported more negative intrusive memories than men. A gender x group interaction effect showed that both women with PTSD and trauma-exposed women reported more intrusive memories than women without trauma exposure or men. Conclusion This study provided preliminary evidence of sex differences in intrusive memories in those with PTSD as well as those with a history of trauma exposure. Future research should include measures of sex hormones to further examine sex differences on memory consolidation in the context of trauma exposure and PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ming K. Hsu
- Division of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Emma L. Nicholson
- Division of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Daniel V. Zuj
- Division of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Pippa J. Cushing
- Division of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Kate E. Gray
- Division of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Latifa Clark
- Division of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Kim L. Felmingham
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Bornstein MH, Putnick DL, Costlow KM, Suwalsky JTD. Retrospective Report Revisited: Long-Term Recall in European American Mothers Moderated by Developmental Domain, Child Age, Person, and Metric of Agreement. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2018; 24:242-262. [PMID: 32601518 PMCID: PMC7323926 DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2018.1462090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Retrospective parental reports are common in the developmental science literature, but their validity has been questioned. We investigated the consistency of retrospective maternal recall by comparing original with retrospective maternal reports in three domains (maternal cognitions, mother-reported child and mother behaviors, and observed child and mother behaviors) at three retention intervals (12, 14, and 15 years) in two metrics (individual standing and group level). In a longitudinal study, European American mothers (N=46) provided data when their children were 5, 20, and 48 months of age and retrospective recall data for each age when their children were 16 years. Overall, mothers recalled similar average mean levels (49% of variables explored) or better mean levels (41% of variables) retrospectively; better levels indicating a positive recollection bias. At least moderate consistency in relative standing was evident for 52% of variables. Still, the findings varied somewhat by domain, child age, and person. Retrospective parental reports can provide accurate accounts of the past, but should be used with caution, as their consistency varies and is specific to moderating factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H Bornstein
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service
| | - Diane L Putnick
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service
| | - Kyrsten M Costlow
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service
| | - Joan T D Suwalsky
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service
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Loprinzi PD, Frith E. The Role of Sex in Memory Function: Considerations and Recommendations in the Context of Exercise. J Clin Med 2018; 7:jcm7060132. [PMID: 29857518 PMCID: PMC6028920 DOI: 10.3390/jcm7060132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
There is evidence to suggest that biological sex plays a critical role in memory function, with sex differentially influencing memory type. In this review, we detail the current evidence evaluating sex-specific effects on various memory types. We also discuss potential mechanisms that explain these sex-specific effects, which include sex differences in neuroanatomy, neurochemical differences, biological differences, and cognitive and affect-related differences. Central to this review, we also highlight that, despite the established sex differences in memory, there is little work directly comparing whether males and females have a differential exercise-induced effect on memory function. As discussed herein, such a differential effect is plausible given the clear sex-specific effects on memory, exercise response, and molecular mediators of memory. We emphasize that future work should be carefully powered to detect sex differences. Future research should also examine these potential exercise-related sex-specific effects for various memory types and exercise intensities and modalities. This will help enhance our understanding of whether sex indeed moderates the effects of exercise and memory function, and as such, will improve our understanding of whether sex-specific, memory-enhancing interventions should be developed, implemented, and evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul D Loprinzi
- Exercise Psychology Laboratory, Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, School of Applied Sciences, Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, The University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Emily Frith
- Exercise Psychology Laboratory, Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, School of Applied Sciences, Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, The University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA.
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7
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Dolcos F, Katsumi Y, Weymar M, Moore M, Tsukiura T, Dolcos S. Emerging Directions in Emotional Episodic Memory. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1867. [PMID: 29255432 PMCID: PMC5723010 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Building upon the existing literature on emotional memory, the present review examines emerging evidence from brain imaging investigations regarding four research directions: (1) Social Emotional Memory, (2) The Role of Emotion Regulation in the Impact of Emotion on Memory, (3) The Impact of Emotion on Associative or Relational Memory, and (4) The Role of Individual Differences in Emotional Memory. Across these four domains, available evidence demonstrates that emotion- and memory-related medial temporal lobe brain regions (amygdala and hippocampus, respectively), together with prefrontal cortical regions, play a pivotal role during both encoding and retrieval of emotional episodic memories. This evidence sheds light on the neural mechanisms of emotional memories in healthy functioning, and has important implications for understanding clinical conditions that are associated with negative affective biases in encoding and retrieving emotional memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florin Dolcos
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Yuta Katsumi
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Mathias Weymar
- Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Matthew Moore
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Takashi Tsukiura
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sanda Dolcos
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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8
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Compère L, Sperduti M, Gallarda T, Anssens A, Lion S, Delhommeau M, Martinelli P, Devauchelle AD, Oppenheim C, Piolino P. Sex Differences in the Neural Correlates of Specific and General Autobiographical Memory. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:285. [PMID: 27378884 PMCID: PMC4913091 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autobiographical memory (AM) underlies the formation and temporal continuity over time of personal identity. The few studies on sex-related differences in AM suggest that men and women adopt different cognitive or emotional strategies when retrieving AMs. However, none of the previous works has taken into account the distinction between episodic autobiographical memory (EAM), consisting in the retrieval of specific events by means of mental time travel, and semantic autobiographical memory (SAM), which stores general personal events. Thus, it remains unclear whether differences in these strategies depend on the nature of the memory content to be retrieved. In the present study we employed functional MRI to examine brain activity underlying potential sex differences in EAM and SAM retrieval focusing on the differences in strategies related to the emotional aspects of memories while controlling for basic cognitive strategies. On the behavioral level, there was no significant sex difference in memory performances or subjective feature ratings of either type of AM. Activations common to men and women during AM retrieval were observed in a typical bilateral network comprising medial and lateral temporal regions, precuneus, occipital cortex as well as prefrontal cortex. Contrast analyses revealed that there was no difference between men and women in the EAM condition. In the SAM condition, women showed an increased activity, compared to men, in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, inferior parietal and precentral gyrus. Overall, these findings suggest that differential neural activations reflect sex-specific strategies related to emotional aspects of AMs, particularly regarding SAM. We propose that this pattern of activation during SAM retrieval reflects the cognitive cost linked to emotion regulation strategies recruited by women compared to men. These sex-related differences have interesting implications for understanding psychiatric disorders with differential sex prevalence and in which one of key features is overgenerality in AM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie Compère
- Laboratory of Memory and Cognition, Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris CitéBoulogne-Billancourt, France
- Center of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR S894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Marco Sperduti
- Laboratory of Memory and Cognition, Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris CitéBoulogne-Billancourt, France
- Center of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR S894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Thierry Gallarda
- Center of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR S894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
- Laboratory of Physiopathology of Psychiatric Diseases, Centre Hospitalier Sainte AnneParis, France
| | - Adèle Anssens
- Laboratory of Memory and Cognition, Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris CitéBoulogne-Billancourt, France
- Center of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR S894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Stéphanie Lion
- Department of Radiology, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Marion Delhommeau
- Laboratory of Memory and Cognition, Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris CitéBoulogne-Billancourt, France
- Center of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR S894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Pénélope Martinelli
- Laboratory of Memory and Cognition, Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris CitéBoulogne-Billancourt, France
- Center of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR S894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Anne-Dominique Devauchelle
- Department of Radiology, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Catherine Oppenheim
- Department of Radiology, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Pascale Piolino
- Laboratory of Memory and Cognition, Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris CitéBoulogne-Billancourt, France
- Center of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR S894, Université Paris DescartesParis, France
- Institut Universitaire de FranceParis, France
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9
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DiMenichi BC, Tricomi E. The power of competition: Effects of social motivation on attention, sustained physical effort, and learning. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1282. [PMID: 26388801 PMCID: PMC4554955 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Competition has often been implicated as a means to improve effort-based learning and attention. Two experiments examined the effects of competition on effort and memory. In Experiment 1, participants completed a physical effort task in which they were rewarded for winning an overall percentage, or for winning a competition they believed was against another player. In Experiment 2, participants completed a memory task in which they were rewarded for remembering an overall percentage of shapes, or more shapes than a “competitor.” We found that, in the physical effort task, participants demonstrated faster reaction times (RTs)—a previous indicator of increased attention—in the competitive environment. Moreover, individual differences predicted the salience of competition’s effect. Furthermore, male participants showed faster RTs and greater sustained effort as a result of a competitive environment, suggesting that males may be more affected by competition in physical effort tasks. However, in Experiment 2, participants remembered fewer shapes when competing, and later recalled less of these shapes during a post-test, suggesting that competition was harmful in our memory task. The different results from these two experiments suggest that competition can improve attention in a physical effort task, yet caution the use of competition in memory tasks.
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10
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Oba K, Noriuchi M, Atomi T, Moriguchi Y, Kikuchi Y. Memory and reward systems coproduce 'nostalgic' experiences in the brain. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 11:1069-77. [PMID: 26060325 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
People sometimes experience an emotional state known as 'nostalgia', which involves experiencing predominantly positive emotions while remembering autobiographical events. Nostalgia is thought to play an important role in psychological resilience. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown involvement of memory and reward systems in such experiences. However, it remains unclear how these two systems are collaboratively involved with nostalgia experiences. Here, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of healthy females to investigate the relationship between memory-reward co-activation and nostalgia, using childhood-related visual stimuli. Moreover, we examined the factors constituting nostalgia and their neural correlates. We confirmed the presence of nostalgia-related activity in both memory and reward systems, including the hippocampus (HPC), substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), and ventral striatum (VS). We also found significant HPC-VS co-activation, with its strength correlating with individual 'nostalgia tendencies'. Factor analyses showed that two dimensions underlie nostalgia: emotional and personal significance and chronological remoteness, with the former correlating with caudal SN/VTA and left anterior HPC activity, and the latter correlating with rostral SN/VTA activity. These findings demonstrate the cooperative activity of memory and reward systems, where each system has a specific role in the construction of the factors that underlie the experience of nostalgia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Oba
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan, Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan, Division of Medical Neuroimage Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, and
| | - Madoka Noriuchi
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Atomi
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Teikyo University of Science, Uenohara, Japan
| | - Yoshiya Moriguchi
- Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Kikuchi
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan,
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11
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Christian BM, Miles LK, Parkinson C, Macrae CN. Visual perspective and the characteristics of mind wandering. Front Psychol 2013; 4:699. [PMID: 24130538 PMCID: PMC3793122 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 09/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
When the mind wanders away from the here-and-now toward imaginary events, it typically does so from one of two visual vantage points—a first-person perspective (i.e., the world is seen as it is in everyday life) or a third-person perspective (i.e., the world is seen from the viewpoint of an outside observer). While extant evidence has detailed consequences that ensue from the utilization of these distinct points of view, less is known about their more basic properties. Here, we investigated the prevalence, demographics and qualities associated with the visual perspective that people spontaneously adopt when the mind wanders. The results from a cross-cultural survey (N = 400) revealed that almost half of the participants (46%) typically utilize a third-person perspective when mind wandering. Further, culture and gender were shown to impact the distribution of first- and third-person imagers. Specifically, a first-person perspective was more common among participants from Western nations and females, while participants from Eastern cultures resonated more strongly with a third-person perspective. Moreover, these factors were also shown to impact qualities (e.g., temporal locus, vividness) of mental imagery. Taken together, the current findings elucidate the prevalence of first- and third-person visual perspectives and detail individual differences that influence the qualia of mind wandering.
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12
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Sass K, Fetz K, Oetken S, Habel U, Heim S. Emotional verbal fluency: a new task on emotion and executive function interaction. Behav Sci (Basel) 2013; 3:372-387. [PMID: 25379243 PMCID: PMC4217594 DOI: 10.3390/bs3030372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2013] [Revised: 06/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study introduces "Emotional Verbal Fluency" as a novel (partially computerized) task, which is aimed to investigate the interaction between emotionally loaded words and executive functions. Verbal fluency tasks are thought to measure executive functions but the interaction with emotional aspects is hardly investigated. In the current study, a group of healthy subjects (n = 21, mean age 25 years, 76% females) were asked to generate items that are either part of a semantic category (e.g., plants, toys, vehicles; standard semantic verbal fluency) or can trigger the emotions joy, anger, sadness, fear and disgust. The results of the task revealed no differences between performance on semantic and emotional categories, suggesting a comparable task difficulty for healthy subjects. Hence, these first results on the comparison between semantic and emotional verbal fluency seem to highlight that both might be suitable for examining executive functioning. However, an interaction was found between the category type and repetition (first vs. second sequence of the same category) with larger performance decrease for semantic in comparison to emotional categories. Best performance overall was found for the emotional category "joy" suggesting a positivity bias in healthy subjects. To conclude, emotional verbal fluency is a promising approach to investigate emotional components in an executive task, which may stimulate further research, especially in psychiatric patients who suffer from emotional as well as cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Sass
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +61-451-650-958 (ext. 123); Fax: +61-733-654-466
| | - Karolina Fetz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Sarah Oetken
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Stefan Heim
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
- Section Neurological Cognition Research, Department of Neurology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany
- Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany
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13
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Gender differences in autobiographical narratives: he shoots and scores; she evaluates and interprets. Mem Cognit 2013; 40:958-65. [PMID: 22382648 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-012-0197-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Research on autobiographical narratives consistently demonstrates that whereas women's narratives emphasize evaluative information, men's narratives are factually oriented. These narrative differences might reflect gender differences in either the autobiographical knowledge base or the way information from the knowledge base is selected when a narrative is constructed. The present experiment evaluated these two (potentially complementary) hypotheses by assessing memory soon after an event and after a period of 6 weeks, using both open-ended (narrative) and factually oriented (questionnaire) measures. Consistent with past literature, women told longer, richer, more evaluative narratives than did men. However, men recalled more factual information both initially and after 6 weeks and also constructed narratives that were more factually oriented. These data suggest that men and women value factual information differently and that these differences influence both the contents of the autobiographical knowledge base and the way that information in the knowledge base is used to construct personal narratives.
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14
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Casanova R, Whitlow CT, Wagner B, Espeland MA, Maldjian JA. Combining graph and machine learning methods to analyze differences in functional connectivity across sex. Open Neuroimag J 2012; 6:1-9. [PMID: 22312418 PMCID: PMC3271304 DOI: 10.2174/1874440001206010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2011] [Revised: 09/29/2011] [Accepted: 11/07/2011] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work we combine machine learning methods and graph theoretical analysis to investigate gender associated differences in resting state brain network connectivity. The set of all correlations computed from the fMRI resting state data is used as input features for classification. Two ensemble learning methods are used to perform the detection of the set of discriminative edges between groups (males vs. females) of brain networks: 1) Random Forest and 2) an ensemble method based on least angle shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regressors. Permutation testing is used not only to assess significance of classification accuracy but also to evaluate significance of feature selection. Finally, these methods are applied to data downloaded from the Connectome Project website. Our results suggest that gender differences in brain function may be related to sexually dimorphic regional connectivity between specific critical nodes via gender-discriminative edges.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Casanova
- Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
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15
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St Jacques PL, Conway MA, Cabeza R. Gender differences in autobiographical memory for everyday events: retrieval elicited by SenseCam images versus verbal cues. Memory 2011; 19:723-32. [PMID: 20981611 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2010.516266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Gender differences are frequently observed in autobiographical memory (AM). However, few studies have investigated the neural basis of potential gender differences in AM. In the present functional MRI (fMRI) study we investigated gender differences in AMs elicited using dynamic visual images vs verbal cues. We used a novel technology called a SenseCam, a wearable device that automatically takes thousands of photographs. SenseCam differs considerably from other prospective methods of generating retrieval cues because it does not disrupt the ongoing experience. This allowed us to control for potential gender differences in emotional processing and elaborative rehearsal, while manipulating how the AMs were elicited. We predicted that males would retrieve more richly experienced AMs elicited by the SenseCam images vs the verbal cues, whereas females would show equal sensitivity to both cues. The behavioural results indicated that there were no gender differences in subjective ratings of reliving, importance, vividness, emotion, and uniqueness, suggesting that gender differences in brain activity were not due to differences in these measures of phenomenological experience. Consistent with our predictions, the fMRI results revealed that males showed a greater difference in functional activity associated with the rich experience of SenseCam vs verbal cues, than did females.
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16
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Weissman-Fogel I, Moayedi M, Taylor KS, Pope G, Davis KD. Cognitive and default-mode resting state networks: do male and female brains "rest" differently? Hum Brain Mapp 2011; 31:1713-26. [PMID: 20725910 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability in human behavior related to sex is supported by neuroimaging studies showing differences in brain activation patterns during cognitive task performance. An emerging field is examining the human connectome, including networks of brain regions that are not only temporally-correlated during different task conditions, but also networks that show highly correlated spontaneous activity during a task-free state. Both task-related and task-free network activity has been associated with individual task performance and behavior under certain conditions. Therefore, our aim was to determine whether sex differences exist during a task-free resting state for two networks associated with cognitive task performance (executive control network (ECN), salience network (SN)) and the default mode network (DMN). Forty-nine healthy subjects (26 females, 23 males) underwent a 5-min task-free fMRI scan in a 3T MRI. An independent components analysis (ICA) was performed to identify the best-fit IC for each network based on specific spatial nodes defined in previous studies. To determine the consistency of these networks across subjects we performed self-organizing group-level ICA analyses. There were no significant differences between sexes in the functional connectivity of the brain areas within the ECN, SN, or the DMN. These important findings highlight the robustness of intrinsic connectivity of these resting state networks and their similarity between sexes. Furthermore, our findings suggest that resting state fMRI studies do not need to be controlled for sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irit Weissman-Fogel
- Brain, Imaging, and Behavior-Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
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17
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Rubin DC, Berntsen D, Bohni MK. A memory-based model of posttraumatic stress disorder: evaluating basic assumptions underlying the PTSD diagnosis. Psychol Rev 2008; 115:985-1011. [PMID: 18954211 PMCID: PMC2762652 DOI: 10.1037/a0013397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 314] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In the mnemonic model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the current memory of a negative event, not the event itself, determines symptoms. The model is an alternative to the current event-based etiology of PTSD represented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The model accounts for important and reliable findings that are often inconsistent with the current diagnostic view and that have been neglected by theoretical accounts of the disorder, including the following observations. The diagnosis needs objective information about the trauma and peritraumatic emotions but uses retrospective memory reports that can have substantial biases. Negative events and emotions that do not satisfy the current diagnostic criteria for a trauma can be followed by symptoms that would otherwise qualify for PTSD. Predisposing factors that affect the current memory have large effects on symptoms. The inability-to-recall-an-important-aspect-of-the-trauma symptom does not correlate with other symptoms. Loss or enhancement of the trauma memory affects PTSD symptoms in predictable ways. Special mechanisms that apply only to traumatic memories are not needed, increasing parsimony and the knowledge that can be applied to understanding PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Rubin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University
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18
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Wang Q, Hutt R, Kulkofsky S, McDermott M, Wei R. Emotion Situation Knowledge and Autobiographical Memory in Chinese, Immigrant Chinese, and European American 3-Year-Olds. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2006. [DOI: 10.1207/s15327647jcd0701_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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19
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Piefke M, Weiss PH, Markowitsch HJ, Fink GR. Gender differences in the functional neuroanatomy of emotional episodic autobiographical memory. Hum Brain Mapp 2005; 24:313-24. [PMID: 15704151 PMCID: PMC6871670 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Autobiographical memory is based on interactions between episodic memory contents, associated emotions, and a sense of self-continuity along the time axis of one's life. The functional neuroanatomy subserving autobiographical memory is known to include prefrontal, medial and lateral temporal, as well as retrosplenial brain areas; however, whether gender differences exist in neural correlates of autobiographical memory remains to be clarified. We reanalyzed data from a previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment to investigate gender-related differences in the neural bases of autobiographical memories with differential remoteness and emotional valence. On the behavioral level, there were no significant gender differences in memory performance or emotional intensity of memories. Activations common to males and females during autobiographical memory retrieval were observed in a bilateral network of brain areas comprising medial and lateral temporal regions, including hippocampal and parahippocampal structures, posterior cingulate, as well as prefrontal cortex. In males (relative to females), all types of autobiographical memories investigated were associated with differential activation of the left parahippocampal gyrus. By contrast, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was activated differentially by females. In addition, the right insula was activated differentially in females during remote and negative memory retrieval. The data show gender-related differential neural activations within the network subserving autobiographical memory in both genders. We suggest that the differential activations may reflect gender-specific cognitive strategies during access to autobiographical memories that do not necessarily affect the behavioral level of memory performance and emotionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Piefke
- Institute of Medicine, Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
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20
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Johnson RJ, Greenhoot AF, Glisky E, McCloskey LA. The Relations Among Abuse, Depression, and Adolescents' Autobiographical Memory. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY 2005; 34:235-47. [PMID: 15901224 DOI: 10.1207/s15374424jccp3402_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the relations among early and recent experiences with abuse, depression, and adolescents' autobiographical memory in a longitudinal study of family violence. Participants' (N = 134) exposure to violence was documented when they were 6 to 12 years old and again when they were 12 to 18 years old. The second assessment included measures of depression and autobiographical memory for childhood experiences. Memory problems were more consistently related to current circumstances than childhood abuse history. For instance, depressive symptoms were associated with increased rates of "overgeneral" childhood memories. Recent exposure to family violence predicted more overgeneral memories, shorter memories, and lower rates of negative memories. The patterns suggest that adolescents currently stressed by depression or family violence might strategically avoid the details of past experiences to regulate affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Johnson
- Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, 66045, USA.
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