Social and Behavioral Sciences | Open Access Articles

Memory Modulation In The Classroom: Selective Enhancement Of College Examination Performance By Arousal Induced After Lecture, Kristy A. Nielson, Timothy J. Arentsen

Kristy Nielson

Laboratory studies examining moderate physiological or emotional arousal induced after learning indicate that it enhances memory consolidation. Yet, no studies have yet examined this effect in an applied context. As such, arousal was induced after a college lecture and its selective effects were examined on later exam performance. Participants were divided into two groups who either watched a neutral video clip (n = 66) or an arousing video clip (n = 70) after lecture in a psychology course. The final examination occurred two weeks after the experimental manipulation. Only performance on the group of final exam items that covered material …

Go to article

Physical Activity And Brain Function In Older Adults At Increased Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease, J. Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Leisure-time physical activity (PA) and exercise training are known to help maintain cognitive function in healthy older adults. However, relatively little is known about the effects of PA on cognitive function or brain function in those at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease through the presence of the apolipoproteinE epsilon4 (APOE-ε4) allele, diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or the presence of metabolic disease. Here, we examine the question of whether PA and exercise interventions may differentially impact cognitive trajectory, clinical outcomes, and brain structure and function among individuals at the greatest risk for AD. The literature suggests that the protective …

Go to article

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Semantic Memory As A Presymptomatic Biomarker Of Alzheimer’S Disease Risk, Michael Sugarman, John L. Woodard, Kristy A. Nielson, Michael Seidenberg, J. Carson Smith, Sally Durgerian, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Extensive research efforts have been directed toward strategies for predicting risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) prior to the appearance of observable symptoms. Existing approaches for early detection of AD vary in terms of their efficacy, invasiveness, and ease of implementation. Several non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging strategies have been developed for predicting decline in cognitively healthy older adults. This review will survey a number of studies, beginning with the development of a famous name discrimination task used to identify neural regions that participate in semantic memory retrieval and to test predictions of several key theories of the role of the …

Go to article

Memory For Emotionally Provocative Words In Alexithymia: A Role For Stimulus Relevance, Mitchell Meltzer, Kristy A. Nielson

Kristy Nielson

Alexithymia is associated with emotion processing deficits, particularly for negative emotional information. However, also common are a high prevalence of somatic symptoms and the perception of somatic sensations as distressing. Although little research has yet been conducted on memory in alexithymia, we hypothesized a paradoxical effect of alexithymia on memory. Specifically, recall of negative emotional words was expected to be reduced in alexithymia, while memory for illness words was expected to be enhanced in alexithymia. Eighty-five high or low alexithymia participants viewed and rated arousing illness-related ("pain"), emotionally positive ("thrill"), negative ("hatred"), and neutral words ("horse"). Recall was assessed 45 …

Go to article

Gender Specific Disruptions In Emotion Processing In Younger Adults With Depression, Sara L. Wright, Scott Aaron Langenecker, Patricia J. Deldin, Lisa J. Rapport, Kristy A. Nielson, Allison M. Kade, Lawrence S. Own, Huda Akil, Elizabeth A. Young, Jon-Kar Zubieta

Kristy Nielson

Background: One of the principal theories regarding the biological basis of major depressive disorder (MDD) implicates a dysregulation of emotion-processing circuitry. Gender differences in how emotions are processed and relative experience with emotion processing might help to explain some of the disparities in the prevalence of MDD between women and men. This study sought to explore how gender and depression status relate to emotion processing. Methods: This study employed a 2 (MDD status) × 2 (gender) factorial design to explore differences in classifications of posed facial emotional expressions (N=151). Results: For errors, there was an …

Go to article

Comparison Of Semantic And Episodic Memory Bold Fmri Activation In Predicting Cognitive Decline In Older Adults, Nathan Hantke, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Leslie M. Guidotti Breting, Alissa Butts, Michael Seidenberg, J. Carson Smith, Sally Durgerian, Melissa A. Lancaster, Monica Matthews, Michael Sugarman, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Previous studies suggest that task-activated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can predict future cognitive decline among healthy older adults. The present fMRI study examined the relative sensitivity of semantic memory (SM) versus episodic memory (EM) activation tasks for predicting cognitive decline. Seventy-eight cognitively intact elders underwent neuropsychological testing at entry and after an 18-month interval, with participants classified as cognitively “Stable” or “Declining” based on ≥1.0 SD decline in performance. Baseline fMRI scanning involved SM (famous name discrimination) and EM (name recognition) tasks. SM and EM fMRI activation, along with Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status, served as predictors of cognitive …

Go to article

Recognition Of Famous Names Predicts Cognitive Decline In Healthy Elders, Michael Seidenberg, Christina D. Kay, John L. Woodard, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Carson Smith, Cassandra Kandah, Leslie Guidotti, Julia Novitski, Melissa A. Lancaster, Monica Matthews, Nathan Hantke, Alissa Butts, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Objective: The ability to recognize familiar people is impaired in both Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD). In addition, both groups often demonstrate a time-limited temporal gradient (TG) in which well known people from decades earlier are better recalled than those learned recently. In this study, we examined the TG in cognitively intact elders for remote famous names (1950–1965) compared to more recent famous names (1995–2005). We hypothesized that the TG pattern on a famous name recognition task (FNRT) would predict future cognitive decline, and also show a significant correlation with hippocampal volume. Method: Seventy-eight healthy elders (ages …

Go to article

Semantic Memory Activation In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Kristy A. Nielson, Piero Antuono, Leslie Guidotti, Sally Durgerian, Qi Zhang, Melissa A. Lancaster, Nathan Hantke, Alissa Butts, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Cognitively intact older individuals at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease frequently show increased functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain activation presumably associated with compensatory recruitment, whereas mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients tend not to show increased activation presumably due to reduced neural reserve. Previous studies, however, have typically used episodic memory activation tasks, placing MCI participants at a performance disadvantage relative to healthy elders. In this event-related fMRI study, we employed a low effort, high accuracy semantic memory task to determine if increased activation of memory circuits is preserved in amnestic MCI when task performance is controlled. Fifty-seven participants, aged …

Go to article

Interactive Effects Of Physical Activity And Apoe-Ε4 On Bold Semantic Memory Activation In Healthy Elders, J. Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Sally Durgerian, Piero Antuono, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Melissa A. Lancaster, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) is associated with the maintenance of cognitive function across the lifespan. In contrast, the apolipoproteinE-ε4 (APOE-ε4) allele, a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), is associated with impaired cognitive function. The objective of this study was to examine the interactive effects of PA and APOE-ε4 on brain activation during memory processing in older (ages 65–85) cognitively intact adults. A cross-sectional design was used with four groups (n = 17 each): (1) Low Risk/Low PA; (2) Low Risk/High PA; (3) High Risk/Low PA; and (4) High Risk/High PA. PA level was based on …

Go to article

Semantic Memory Functional Mri And Cognitive Function After Exercise Intervention In Mild Cognitive Impairment, J Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, Piero Antuono, Jeri-Annette Lyons, Ryan J. Hanson, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Matthew D. Verber

Kristy Nielson

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with early memory loss, Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology, inefficient or ineffective neural processing, and increased risk for AD. Unfortunately, treatments aimed at improving clinical symptoms or markers of brain function generally have been of limited value. Physical exercise is often recommended for people diagnosed with MCI, primarily because of its widely reported cognitive benefits in healthy older adults. However, it is unknown if exercise actually benefits brain function during memory retrieval in MCI. Here, we examined the effects of exercise training on semantic memory activation during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Seventeen MCI participants …

Go to article

Risk Factors For Alzheimer’S Disease And Longitudinal Memory Performance, M. K. Foster, M. Seidenberg, J. Woodard, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Smith, M. Lancaster, M. Matthews, N. Hantke, A. Butts, S. Rao

Kristy Nielson

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Lifestyle And Genetic Contributions To Cognitive Decline And Hippocampal Structure And Function In Healthy Aging, John L. Woodard, Michael Sugarman, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Carson Smith, Michael Seidenberg, Sally Durgerian, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Melissa A. Lancaster, Monica A. Matthews, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Background: Engagement in cognitively stimulating activities (CA) and leisure time physical activity (PA) have been associated with maintaining cognitive performance and reducing the likelihood of cognitive decline in older adults. However, neural mechanisms underlying protective effects of these lifestyle behaviors are largely unknown. In the current study, we investigated the effect of self-reported PA and CA on hippocampal volume and semantic processing activation during a fame discrimination task, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also examined whether possession of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ?4 allele could moderate the effect of PA or CA on hippocampal structure or …

Go to article

Prediction Of Cognitive Decline In Healthy Older Adults Using Fmri, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Kristy A. Nielson, J Carson Smith, Piero Antuono, Sally Durgerian, Leslie Guidotti, Qi Zhang, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Melissa A. Lancaster, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Few studies have examined the extent to which structural and functional MRI, alone and in combination with genetic biomarkers, can predict future cognitive decline in asymptomatic elders. This prospective study evaluated individual and combined contributions of demographic information, genetic risk, hippocampal volume, and fMRI activation for predicting cognitive decline after an 18-month retest interval. Standardized neuropsychological testing, an fMRI semantic memory task (famous name discrimination), and structural MRI (sMRI) were performed on 78 healthy elders (73% female; mean age = 73 years, range = 65 to 88 years). Positive family history of dementia and presence of one or both apolipoprotein …

Go to article

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Memory Modulation In The Classroom: Selective Enhancement Of College Examination Performance By Arousal Induced After Lecture, Kristy A. Nielson, Timothy J. Arentsen

Kristy Nielson

Physical Activity And Brain Function In Older Adults At Increased Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease, J. Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Semantic Memory As A Presymptomatic Biomarker Of Alzheimer’S Disease Risk, Michael Sugarman, John L. Woodard, Kristy A. Nielson, Michael Seidenberg, J. Carson Smith, Sally Durgerian, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Memory For Emotionally Provocative Words In Alexithymia: A Role For Stimulus Relevance, Mitchell Meltzer, Kristy A. Nielson

Kristy Nielson

Gender Specific Disruptions In Emotion Processing In Younger Adults With Depression, Sara L. Wright, Scott Aaron Langenecker, Patricia J. Deldin, Lisa J. Rapport, Kristy A. Nielson, Allison M. Kade, Lawrence S. Own, Huda Akil, Elizabeth A. Young, Jon-Kar Zubieta

Kristy Nielson

Kristy Nielson

Recognition Of Famous Names Predicts Cognitive Decline In Healthy Elders, Michael Seidenberg, Christina D. Kay, John L. Woodard, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Carson Smith, Cassandra Kandah, Leslie Guidotti, Julia Novitski, Melissa A. Lancaster, Monica Matthews, Nathan Hantke, Alissa Butts, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Semantic Memory Activation In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Kristy A. Nielson, Piero Antuono, Leslie Guidotti, Sally Durgerian, Qi Zhang, Melissa A. Lancaster, Nathan Hantke, Alissa Butts, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Interactive Effects Of Physical Activity And Apoe-Ε4 On Bold Semantic Memory Activation In Healthy Elders, J. Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Sally Durgerian, Piero Antuono, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Melissa A. Lancaster, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Semantic Memory Functional Mri And Cognitive Function After Exercise Intervention In Mild Cognitive Impairment, J Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, Piero Antuono, Jeri-Annette Lyons, Ryan J. Hanson, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Matthew D. Verber

Kristy Nielson

Risk Factors For Alzheimer’S Disease And Longitudinal Memory Performance, M. K. Foster, M. Seidenberg, J. Woodard, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Smith, M. Lancaster, M. Matthews, N. Hantke, A. Butts, S. Rao

Kristy Nielson

Kristy Nielson

Prediction Of Cognitive Decline In Healthy Older Adults Using Fmri, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Kristy A. Nielson, J Carson Smith, Piero Antuono, Sally Durgerian, Leslie Guidotti, Qi Zhang, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Melissa A. Lancaster, Stephen M. Rao

Kristy Nielson