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Sarmiento LF, Lopes da Cunha P, Tabares S, Tafet G, Gouveia Jr A. Decision-making under stress: A psychological and neurobiological integrative model. Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 38:100766. [PMID: 38694793 PMCID: PMC11061251 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the impact of stress on cognitive processes, particularly decision-making, is crucial as it underpins behaviors essential for survival. However, research in this domain has yielded disparate results, with inconsistencies evident across stress-induction paradigms and drug administration protocols designed to investigate specific stress pathways or neuromodulators. Building upon empirical studies, this research identifies a multifaceted matrix of variables contributing to the divergent findings. This matrix encompasses factors such as the temporal proximity between stressors and decision tasks, the nature of stressors and decision contexts, individual characteristics including psychobiological profiles and affective states at the time of decision-making and even cultural influences. In response to these complexities, we propose a comprehensive model that integrates these relevant factors and their intricate interplay to elucidate the mechanisms governing decision-making during stressful events. By synthesizing these insights, our model not only refines existing paradigms but also provides a framework for future study designs, offering avenues for theoretical advancements and translational developments in the field of stress's impact on cognitive functions. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the nuanced relationship between stress and decision-making, ultimately advancing our knowledge of cognitive processes under challenging conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Felipe Sarmiento
- BioTechMed Center, Brain & Mind Electrophysiology Laboratory, Multimedia Systems Department, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Pamela Lopes da Cunha
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, University of San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sonia Tabares
- International Foundation for the Development of Neurosciences, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gustavo Tafet
- International Foundation for the Development of Neurosciences, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Texas A&M University, Texas, USA
| | - Amauri Gouveia Jr
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Behavior, Federal University from Pará, Brazil
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Quent JA, Henson RN. Novel immersive virtual reality experiences do not produce retroactive memory benefits for unrelated material. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2022; 75:2197-2210. [PMID: 35135390 PMCID: PMC9619268 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221082491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The experience of novelty can enhance memory for information that occurs close in time, even if not directly related to the experience-a phenomenon called "behavioural tagging." For example, an animal exposed to a novel spatial environment shows improved memory for other information presented previously. This has been linked to neurochemical modulations induced by novelty, which affect consolidation of memories for experiences that were encoded around the same time. Neurophysiological research in animals has shown that novelty benefits weakly encoded but not strongly encoded information. However, a benefit that is selective to weak memories seems difficult to reconcile with studies in humans that have reported that novelty improves recollection, but not familiarity. One possibility is that the novelty increases activity in hippocampus, which is also associated with processes that enable recollection. This is consistent with another prediction of behavioural tagging theory, namely that novelty only enhances consolidation of information that converges on the same neuronal population. However, no study has directly explored the relationship between encoding strength and retrieval quality (recollection versus familiarity). We examined the effects of exposure to a novel immersive virtual reality environment on memory for words presented immediately beforehand, under either deep or shallow encoding tasks, and by testing both recall memory immediately, and recognition memory with remember/know instructions the next day. However, Bayes factors showed no evidence to support the behavioural tagging predictions: that novelty would improve memory, particularly for shallowly encoded words, and this improvement would differentially affect familiarity versus recollection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörn Alexander Quent
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,Jörn Alexander Quent, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK.
| | - Richard N Henson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Baumann V, Birnbaum T, Breitling-Ziegler C, Tegelbeckers J, Dambacher J, Edelmann E, Bergado-Acosta JR, Flechtner HH, Krauel K. Exploration of a novel virtual environment improves memory consolidation in ADHD. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21453. [PMID: 33293595 PMCID: PMC7722922 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78222-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Experimental evidence in rodents and humans suggests that long-term memory consolidation can be enhanced by the exploration of a novel environment presented during a vulnerable early phase of consolidation. This memory enhancing effect (behavioral tagging) is caused by dopaminergic and noradrenergic neuromodulation of hippocampal plasticity processes. In translation from animal to human research, we investigated whether behavioral tagging with novelty can be used to tackle memory problems observed in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 34 patients with ADHD and 34 typically developing participants (age 9–15 years) explored either a previously familiarized or a novel virtual environment 45 min after they had learned a list of 20 words. Participants took a free recall test both immediately after learning the word list and after 24 h. Patients who explored a familiar environment showed significantly impaired memory consolidation compared to typically developing peers. Exploration of a novel environment led to significantly better memory consolidation in children and adolescents with ADHD. However, we did not observe a beneficial effect of novel environment exploration in typically developing participants. Our data rather suggested that increased exploration of a novel environment as well as higher feelings of virtual immersion compromised memory performance in typically developing children and adolescents, which was not the case for patients with ADHD. We propose that behavioral tagging with novel virtual environments is a promising candidate to overcome ADHD related memory problems. Moreover, the discrepancy between children and adolescents with and without ADHD suggests that behavioral tagging might only be able to improve memory consolidation for weakly encoded information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Baumann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas Birnbaum
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Carolin Breitling-Ziegler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jana Tegelbeckers
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Johannes Dambacher
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Faculty of Computer Science, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Elke Edelmann
- Department of Physiology, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jorge R Bergado-Acosta
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Henning Flechtner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Krauel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
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Ramirez Butavand D, Hirsch I, Tomaiuolo M, Moncada D, Viola H, Ballarini F. Novelty Improves the Formation and Persistence of Memory in a Naturalistic School Scenario. Front Psychol 2020; 11:48. [PMID: 32063874 PMCID: PMC7000375 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the top challenges in education and neuroscience consists in translating laboratory results into strategies to improve learning and memory in teaching environments. In that sense, during the last two decades, researchers have discovered specific temporal windows around learning, during which the intervention with some experiences induces modulatory effects on the formation and/or persistence of memory. Based on these results, the aim of the present study was to design a specific strategy to improve the memory of students in a high-school scenario, by assessing the effect of a novel situation experienced close to learning. We found that the long-term memory about a geometrical figure was more precise in the group of students that faced a novel situation 1 h before or after learning the figure than the control group of students who did not face the novelty. This enhancement was probably triggered by processes acting on memory formation mechanisms that remained evident 45 days after learning, indicating that the improvement was sustained over time. In addition, our results showed that novelty no longer improved the memory if it was experienced 4 h before or after learning. However, far beyond this window of efficacy, when it was faced around 10 h after learning, the novel experience improved the memory persistence tested 7 days later. In summary, our findings characterized different temporal windows of the effectiveness of novelty acting on memory processing, providing a simple and inexpensive strategy that could be used to improve memory formation and persistence in high-school students.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Ramirez Butavand
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Traslacional, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - I Hirsch
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Memoria, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M Tomaiuolo
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Memoria, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - D Moncada
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - H Viola
- Laboratorio de Memoria, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular "Dr. Héctor Maldonado" (FBMC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - F Ballarini
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Traslacional, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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