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Memory Systems (memory + system)
Selected AbstractsThe role of medial temporal lobe in retrieving spatial and nonspatial relations from episodic and semantic memoryHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 1 2010Lee Ryan Abstract This study examined the involvement of medial temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus, in processing spatial and nonspatial relations using episodic and semantic versions of a relational judgment task. Participants studied object arrays and were tested on different types of relations between pairs of objects. Three prevalent views of hippocampal function were considered. Cognitive map theory (O'Keefe and Nadel (1978) The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map. USA: Oxford University Press) emphasizes hippocampal involvement in spatial relational tasks. Multiple trace theory (Nadel and Moscovitch (1997) Memory consolidation, retrograde amnesia and the hippocampal complex Curr Opin Neurobiol 7:217,227) emphasizes hippocampal involvement in episodic tasks. Eichenbaum and Cohen's ((2001) From Conditioning to Conscious Recollection: Memory Systems of the Brain. USA: Oxford University Press) relational theory predicts equivalent hippocampal involvement in all relational tasks within both semantic and episodic memory. The fMRI results provided partial support for all three theories, though none of them fit the data perfectly. We observed hippocampal activation during all relational tasks, with increased activation for spatial compared to nonspatial relations, and for episodic compared to semantic relations. The placement of activation along the anterior-posterior axis of the hippocampus also differentiated the conditions. We suggest a view of hippocampal function in memory that incorporates aspects of all three theories. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Memory Systems In Organizations: An Empirical Investigation Of Mechanisms For Knowledge Collection, Storage And AccessJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 6 2000Fernando Olivera This research examines the concept of organizational memory in the context of multi-unit organizations. It addresses the question: how do organizations collect, store and provide access to their experiential knowledge? I develop a framework for organizational memory in geographically distributed settings based on the concept of organizational memory systems and empirically assess the usefulness of this framework in the context of a multinational, business consulting organization. Multiple memory systems were identified, including social networks, knowledge centers and various computer-based systems. I present and discuss findings with respect to the characteristics and perceived effectiveness of these memory systems. [source] Parallel divide-and-conquer scheme for 2D Delaunay triangulationCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 12 2006Min-Bin Chen Abstract This work describes a parallel divide-and-conquer Delaunay triangulation scheme. This algorithm finds the affected zone, which covers the triangulation and may be modified when two sub-block triangulations are merged. Finding the affected zone can reduce the amount of data required to be transmitted between processors. The time complexity of the divide-and-conquer scheme remains O(n log n), and the affected region can be located in O(n) time steps, where n denotes the number of points. The code was implemented with C, FORTRAN and MPI, making it portable to many computer systems. Experimental results on an IBM SP2 show that a parallel efficiency of 44,95% for general distributions can be attained on a 16-node distributed memory system. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Genetic ablation of the mammillary bodies in the Foxb1 mutant mouse leads to selective deficit of spatial working memoryEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 1 2005Konstantin Radyushkin Abstract Mammillary bodies and the mammillothalamic tract are parts of a classic neural circuitry that has been implicated in severe memory disturbances accompanying Korsakoff's syndrome. However, the specific role of mammillary bodies in memory functions remains controversial, often being considered as just an extension of the hippocampal memory system. To study this issue we used mutant mice with a targeted mutation in the transcription factor gene Foxb1. These mice suffer perinatal degeneration of the medial and most of the lateral mammillary nuclei, as well as of the mammillothalamic bundle. Foxb1 mutant mice showed no deficits in such hippocampal-dependent tasks as contextual fear conditioning and social transmission of food preference. They were also not impaired in the spatial reference memory test in the radial arm maze. However, Foxb1 mutants showed deficits in the task for spatial navigation within the Barnes maze. Furthermore, they showed impairments in spatial working memory tasks such as the spontaneous alternation and the working memory test in the radial arm maze. Thus, our behavioural analysis of Foxb1 mutants suggests that the medial mammillary nuclei and mammillothalamic tract play a role in a specific subset of spatial tasks, which require combined use of both spatial and working memory functions. Therefore, the mammillary bodies and the mammillothalamic tract may form an important route through which the working memory circuitry receives spatial information from the hippocampus. [source] Morphological alterations in the amygdala and hippocampus of mice during ageingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2002Oliver Von Bohlen und Halbach Abstract Declines in memory function and behavioural dysfunction accompany normal ageing in mammals. However, the cellular and morphological basis of this decline remains largely unknown. It was assumed for a long time that cell losses in the hippocampus accompany ageing. However, recent stereological studies have questioned this finding. In addition, the effect of ageing is largely unknown in another key structure of the memory system, the amygdala. In the present study, we have estimated neuronal density and total neuronal numbers as well as density of fragments of degenerated axons in different hippocampal subfields and amygdaloid nuclei. Comparisons were made among aged (21,26 months old) mice and normal adult littermates (8 months old). No significant volume loss occurs in the hippocampus of aged mice. Small but insignificant reductions in total neuronal numbers were found in the hippocampus and in the amygdaloid nuclei. In contrast to the mild effects of ageing upon neuronal numbers, fragments of degenerated axons were increased in both hippocampus and amygdala of aged mice. These data suggest that ageing does not induce prominent cell loss in the hippocampus or amygdala, but leads to degeneration of axons that innervate these forebrain structures. Thus, mechanisms underlying age-related dysfunction depend on parameters other than neuronal numbers, at least in the hippocampal formation and the amygdala. [source] Dissociating the past from the present in the activity of place cellsHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 9 2006Livia de Hoz Abstract It has been proposed that declarative memories can be dependent on both an episodic and a semantic memory system. While the semantic system deals with factual information devoid of reference to its acquisition, the episodic system, characterized by mental time travel, deals with the unique past experience in which an event took place. Episodic memory is characteristically hippocampus-dependent. Place cells are recorded from the hippocampus of rodents and their firing reflects many of the key characteristics of episodic memory. For example, they encode information about "what" happens "where," as well as temporal information. However, when these features are expressed during an animal's behavior, the neuronal activity could merely be categorizing the present situation and could therefore reflect semantic memory rather than episodic memory. We propose that mental time travel is the key feature of episodic memory and that it should take a form, in the awake animal, similar to the replay of behavioral patterns of activity that has been observed in hippocampus during sleep. Using tasks designed to evoke episodic memory, one should be able to see memory reactivation of behaviorally relevant sequences of activity in the awake animal while recording from hippocampus and other cortical structures. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A functional hypothesis for adult hippocampal neurogenesis: Avoidance of catastrophic interference in the dentate gyrusHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 3 2006Laurenz Wiskott Abstract The dentate gyrus is part of the hippocampal memory system and special in that it generates new neurons throughout life. Here we discuss the question of what the functional role of these new neurons might be. Our hypothesis is that they help the dentate gyrus to avoid the problem of catastrophic interference when adapting to new environments. We assume that old neurons are rather stable and preserve an optimal encoding learned for known environments while new neurons are plastic to adapt to those features that are qualitatively new in a new environment. A simple network simulation demonstrates that adding new plastic neurons is indeed a successful strategy for adaptation without catastrophic interference. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A 2-year-old child's memory of hospitalization during early infancyINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2008Aletha Solter Abstract A child who had had surgery at 5 months of age, and who had been treated at the time for post-traumatic symptoms (reported in a previous paper by the author), was interviewed 2 years later and almost 3 years later to test for possible verbal recall of his hospitalization. He appeared to have some memories of the experience at 29 months of age, and he was able to superimpose verbal labels onto the preverbal memories. At 40 months of age, however, the memories were no longer verbally accessible. The results are discussed in the context of different theories of encoding, storage, retrieval, and loss of early memories. The findings from this study support other findings indicating that there appears to be some form of long-term memory in place early in life, at least for highly salient, traumatic events. There may be one memory system for traumatic memories, fully functional at birth, and a later developing, different system for neutral memories. It is further hypothesized that there may be a sensitive period around 2,3 years of age for the recall of early traumatic memories, and that verbal recall is more likely to be present in verbally precocious children during that period. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Phonological recoding deficit in working memory of dyslexic teenagersJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 1 2000Sue Palmer The picture span performance of developmental dyslexic teenagers (mean age 14 years 1 month) was compared to the picture span performance of both RA (mean age 9 years 0 month) and chronological age match controls (mean age 14 years 1 month). Three stimulus lists were manipulated for visual and phonological similarity. Findings indicated that all three groups showed a significant phonological similarity effect but only the dyslexic group showed a significant visual similarity effect. The presence of dual visual-verbal coding is postulated to be responsible for the ,noisy' encoding which others (e.g. Johnston and Anderson, 1998; Swan and Goswami, 1997) have suggested is a root cause of dyslexia. The results are discussed in terms of developmental deficits in the central executive of the working memory system. [source] Functional Neuroimaging Studies of Syntactic Processing in Sentence Comprehension: A Critical Selective ReviewLINGUISTICS & LANGUAGE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1-2 2007David Caplan This article critically reviews recent papers that use functional neuroimaging to localize syntactic representations, Universal Grammar, parsing operations, and the working memory system that supports parsing. It is concluded that greater control over experimental conditions is needed for studies to provide convincing evidence about the neural basis for these cognitive functions. [source] False memories: What the hell are they for?APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2009Eryn J. Newman Recollecting the past is often accompanied by a sense of veracity,a subjective feeling that we are reencountering fragments of an episode as it occurred. Yet years of research suggest that we can be surprisingly inaccurate in what we recall. People can make relatively minor memory errors such as misremembering attributes of past selves and misremembering details of shocking public events. But sometimes these errors are more extreme, such as experiencing illusory recollections of entire childhood events that did not really happen. Why would the memory system fail us, sometimes very dramatically? We examine various false memory phenomena by first considering them to be a by-product of a powerful and flexible memory system. We then explore the idea that a system that is capable of mentally revising the past serves a predictive function for the future. Finally, we consider the possibility that false memories meet self-image and social needs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Twenty years after Baddeley (1988): Is the study of autobiographical memory fully functional?APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2009David B. Pillemer Twenty years after Baddeley admonished memory researchers to examine the real-world relevance of their findings, research has informed a wide range of practical issues and it is increasingly guided by analyses of memory functions. Although broadly defined social, self and directive functional categories have provided an initial organizational framework for autobiographical memory research, the functional agenda will benefit from conceptual and methodological refinements and innovations. An especially valuable research strategy targets specific functions in carefully defined experimental and practical contexts. Promising research directions include comparing functions served by positive versus negative memories, tracking the early development of memory functions, and exploring individual and group differences. Although reconstructive memory processes contribute to inaccuracies in reproducing the past, functional analysis instead highlights the adaptive value of a flexible and constructive memory system. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Memory fragments as components of autobiographical knowledgeAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Darryl Bruce Adults described and dated two kinds of personal remembrances: a fragment,a memory moment that is largely bereft of context,and an episodic, personal event memory,a narrative that consists of a number of related events. In Experiment 1 subjects reported memories from when they were 0,8 years of age and in Experiment 2, from when they were 0,16 years of age. Fragments were judged to be older than event memories, especially in Experiment 2 where the estimated ages of most fragments were from 0 to 8 years and of most episodic memories, from 8 to 16 years. Ratings of various features of the two kinds of memories also differed. We conclude that isolated memory moments possess validity and that although they are most likely to arise when the autobiographical memory system is not fully developed, they can also originate during a time when it is. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Schemes for avoiding starvation in transactional memory systemsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 7 2009M. M. Waliullah Abstract Transactional memory systems trade ease of programming with run-time performance losses in handling transactions. This paper focuses on starvation effects that show up in systems where unordered transactions are committed on a demand-driven basis. Such simple commit arbitration policies are prone to starvation. The design issues for commit arbitration policies are analyzed and novel policies that reduce the amount of wasted computation due to roll-back and, most important, that avoid starvation are proposed. We analyze in detail how to incorporate them in the transactional coherence and consistency protocol as well as a scalable version of it. The proposed schemes are shown to have no impact on the common-case performance and add quite modest complexity to the baseline protocol. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Hippocampal lesions impair spatial memory performance, but not song,A developmental study of independent memory systems in the zebra finchDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 8 2009David J. Bailey Abstract Songbirds demonstrate song- and spatial-learning, forms of memory that appear distinct in formal characteristics and fitting the descriptions and criteria of procedural and episodic-like memory function, respectively. As in other vertebrates, the neural pathways underlying these forms of memory may also be dissociable, and include the corresponding song circuit and hippocampus (HP). Whether (or not) these two memory systems interact is unknown. Interestingly, the HP distinguishes itself as a site of immediate early gene expression in response to song and as a site of estrogen synthesis, a steroid involved in song learning. Thus, an interaction between these memory systems and their anatomical substrates appears reasonable to hypothesize, particularly during development. To test this idea, juvenile male or female zebra finches received chemical lesions of the HP at various points during song learning, as did adults. Song structure, singing behavior, song preference, and spatial memory were tested in adulthood. Although lesions of the HP severely compromised HP-dependent spatial memory function across all ages and in both sexes, we were unable to detect any effects of HP lesions on song learning, singing, or song structure in males. Interestingly, females lesioned as adults, but not as juveniles, did lose the characteristic preference for their father's song. Since compromise of the neural circuits that subserve episodic-like memory does very little (if anything) to affect procedural-like (song learning) memory, we conclude that these memory systems and their anatomical substrates are well dissociated in the developing male zebra finch. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 2009 [source] Peer Commmentaries on Neural plasticity and human development: the role of early experience in sculpting memory systems By Charles A. NelsonDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2000Article first published online: 28 JUN 200 Olivier Pascalis and Michelle de Haan, Subcortical lesion-cortical lesion: what about the hippocampus?, p. 131 J. Steven Reznick, Biology versus experience: balancing the equation, p. 133 [source] Neural plasticity and human development: the role of early experience in sculpting memory systemsDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2000Charles A. Nelson The concept of sensitive or critical periods in the context of memory development is examined in this paper. I begin by providing examples of the role of experience in influencing sensory, linguistic and emotional functioning. This is followed by a discussion of the role of experience in influencing cognitive functioning, particularly memory. Based on this discussion, speculation is offered that the infant's proclivity for novelty, which makes its appearance shortly after birth, provides critical input into a nervous system that will eventually be set up to learn and remember for the entire lifespan. Because learning and memory are fundamental to the survival of our species, those aspects of the nervous system that permit the encoding and retention of new information are remarkably malleable from the outset, even in the face of some types of neural trauma. This flexibility is retained for many years so long as the learning and memory ,system' is challenged. The implications of this model are discussed in the context of those life events that might undermine the longevity of memory systems. [source] Genetic reductions of ,-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 and amyloid-, ameliorate impairment of conditioned taste aversion memory in 5XFAD Alzheimer's disease model miceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Latha Devi Abstract Although transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) recapitulate amyloid-, (A,)-related pathologies and cognitive impairments, previous studies have mainly evaluated their hippocampus-dependent memory dysfunctions using behavioral tasks such as the water maze and fear conditioning. However, multiple memory systems become impaired in AD as the disease progresses and it is important to test whether other forms of memory are affected in AD models. This study was designed to use conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and contextual fear conditioning paradigms to compare the phenotypes of hippocampus-independent and -dependent memory functions, respectively, in 5XFAD amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1 transgenic mice that harbor five familial AD mutations. Although both types of memory were significantly impaired in 5XFAD mice, the onset of CTA memory deficits (,9 months of age) was delayed compared with that of contextual memory deficits (,6 months of age). Furthermore, 5XFAD mice that were genetically engineered to have reduced levels of ,-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) (BACE1+/,·5XFAD) exhibited improved CTA memory, which was equivalent to the performance of wild-type controls. Importantly, elevated levels of cerebral ,-secretase-cleaved C-terminal fragment (C99) and A, peptides in 5XFAD mice were significantly reduced in BACE1+/,·5XFAD mice. Furthermore, A, deposition in the insular cortex and basolateral amygdala, two brain regions that are critically involved in CTA performance, was also reduced in BACE1+/,·5XFAD compared with 5XFAD mice. Our findings indicate that the CTA paradigm is useful for evaluating a hippocampus-independent form of memory defect in AD model mice, which is sensitive to rescue by partial reductions of the ,-secretase BACE1 and consequently of cerebral A,. [source] Dorsal hippocampus involvement in delay fear conditioning depends upon the strength of the tone-footshock associationHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 7 2008Jennifer J. Quinn Abstract The hippocampus is important for the formation of spatial, contextual, and episodic memories. For instance, lesions of the dorsal hippocampus (DH) produce demonstrable deficits in contextual fear conditioning. By contrast, it is generally agreed that the DH is not important for conditioning to a discrete cue (such as a tone or light) that is paired with footshock in a temporally contiguous fashion (delay conditioning). There are, however, some reports of hippocampus involvement in delay conditioning. The present series of experiments was designed to assess the conditions under which the hippocampus-dependent component of delay fear conditioning performance may be revealed. Here, we manipulated the number of conditioning trials and the intensity of the footshock in order to vary the strength of conditioning. The results indicate that the DH contributes to freezing performance to a delay conditioned tone when the conditioning parameters are relatively weak (few trials or low footshock intensity), but not when strong parameters are used. The results are discussed in terms of two parallel memory systems: a direct tone-footshock association that is independent of the hippocampus and a hippocampus-dependent memory for the conditioning session. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Post-training reversible inactivation of hippocampus reveals interference between memory systemsHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 2 2002Jason P. Schroeder Abstract A post-training reversible lesion technique was used to examine the effects of neural inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus on place and response learning. Male Long-Evans rats trained in one of two versions of a water plus-maze task received post-training intra-hippocampal infusions of the local anesthetic drug bupivacaine (0.75% solution, 0.5 ,l), or saline. Post-training intra-hippocampal infusions of bupivacaine attenuated acquisition of the place task and enhanced acquisition of the response task. Delayed (2-h) post-training infusions of bupivacaine did not affect retention in either task. The findings demonstrate (1) enhanced learning after reversible hippocampal lesions that is independent of treatment influences on non-mnemonic factors, and (2) inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus during the post-training memory consolidation period is sufficient to enhance response learning. Hippocampus 2002;12:280,284. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Dorsal/ventral hippocampus, fornix, and conditioned place preferenceHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 2 2001Janina Ferbinteanu Abstract Conditioned place preference (CPP) is a learning paradigm requiring formation of associations between reward and particular locations. White and McDonald (Behav Brain Res 1993;55:269,281) demonstrated that amygdala (AMG) lesions impair, while fornix (Fx) lesions enhance learning of this task. In the present experiments, we replicated the effects of AMG and Fx lesions, but we also found that complete hippocampal (HPC) lesions interfere with normal performance. Thus, the effects of Fx and HPC lesions on CPP are opposite. This is in contrast with spatial learning in the water maze. Because it has been demonstrated that damage of dorsal HPC interferes to a greater extent with spatial learning than damage of ventral HPC, we also tested animals with either dorsal or ventral HPC disruptions on CPP. Lesions limited to dorsal HPC were followed by impairment on this task. In contrast, lesions limited to ventral HPC resulted in enhanced learning. We argue that Fx and HPC lesions do not have interchangeable effects in all learning paradigms. To explain the complex pattern of results presently obtained, we propose a novel hypothesis regarding behavioral functions of HPC neural circuits. Implications regarding the interaction between memory systems are also considered. Hippocampus 2001;11:187,200. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Parallel computing of high-speed compressible flows using a node-based finite-element methodINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2003T. Fujisawa Abstract An efficient parallel computing method for high-speed compressible flows is presented. The numerical analysis of flows with shocks requires very fine computational grids and grid generation requires a great deal of time. In the proposed method, all computational procedures, from the mesh generation to the solution of a system of equations, can be performed seamlessly in parallel in terms of nodes. Local finite-element mesh is generated robustly around each node, even for severe boundary shapes such as cracks. The algorithm and the data structure of finite-element calculation are based on nodes, and parallel computing is realized by dividing a system of equations by the row of the global coefficient matrix. The inter-processor communication is minimized by renumbering the nodal identification number using ParMETIS. The numerical scheme for high-speed compressible flows is based on the two-step Taylor,Galerkin method. The proposed method is implemented on distributed memory systems, such as an Alpha PC cluster, and a parallel supercomputer, Hitachi SR8000. The performance of the method is illustrated by the computation of supersonic flows over a forward facing step. The numerical examples show that crisp shocks are effectively computed on multiprocessors at high efficiency. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Tunable Bistability in a Three-Dimensional Spin-Crossover Sensory- and Memory-Functional Material,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 24 2005A. Galet Spin-crossover (SCO) complexes based on three-dimensional coordination polymers (see Figure) exhibit unprecedented pressure-tunable thermal and piezochromic bistability at room temperature. The thermal- and piezohysteresis loops of the material can be tuned, providing a step towards reliable pressure-based memory systems or displays. [source] Memory Systems In Organizations: An Empirical Investigation Of Mechanisms For Knowledge Collection, Storage And AccessJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 6 2000Fernando Olivera This research examines the concept of organizational memory in the context of multi-unit organizations. It addresses the question: how do organizations collect, store and provide access to their experiential knowledge? I develop a framework for organizational memory in geographically distributed settings based on the concept of organizational memory systems and empirically assess the usefulness of this framework in the context of a multinational, business consulting organization. Multiple memory systems were identified, including social networks, knowledge centers and various computer-based systems. I present and discuss findings with respect to the characteristics and perceived effectiveness of these memory systems. [source] Memory function in normal agingACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2003Lars-Göran Nilsson Basic findings obtained on memory functions in normal aging are presented and discussed with respect to five separate but interacting memory systems. These systems are: episodic memory, semantic memory, short-term memory, perceptual representation system and procedural memory. All available evidence from cross-sectional research shows that there is a linear, decreasing memory performance as a function of age for episodic memory. Longitudinal studies suggest, however, that this age deficit may be an overestimation, by showing a relatively stable performance level up to middle age, followed by a sharp decline. Studies on semantic memory, short-term memory, perceptual representation system, and procedural memory show a relatively constant performance level across the adult life span, although some tasks used to assess short-term memory and procedural memory have revealed an age deficit. Disregarding the mixed results for these latter two memory systems, it can be concluded that episodic memory is unique in showing an age deficit. Episodic memory is also unique in the sense that it is the only memory system showing gender differences in performance throughout the adult life span with a significantly higher performance for women. [source] Neurocognitive correlates of socioeconomic status in kindergarten childrenDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005Kimberly G. Noble Socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated with cognitive ability and achievement during childhood and beyond. Little is known about the developmental relationships between SES and specific brain systems or their associated cognitive functions. In this study we assessed neurocognitive functioning of kindergarteners from different socioeconomic backgrounds, using tasks drawn from the cognitive neuroscience literature in order to determine how childhood SES predicts the normal variance in performance across different neurocognitive systems. Five neurocognitive systems were examined: the occipitotemporal/visual cognition system, the parietal/spatial cognition system, the medial temporal/memory system, the left perisylvian/language system, and the prefrontal/executive system. SES was disproportionately associated with the last two, with low SES children performing worse than middle SES children on most measures of these systems. Relations among language, executive function, SES and specific aspects of early childhood experience were explored, revealing intercorrelations and a seemingly predominant role of individual differences in language ability involved in SES associations with executive function. [source] | ||||||||||||||||