Echoes from Sensory Entrainment in Auditory Working Memory for Pitch.

Ongoing neural oscillations reflect cycles of excitation and inhibition in local neural populations, with individual neurons being more or less likely to fire depending upon the oscillatory phase. As a result, the oscillations could determine whether or not a sound is perceived and/or whether its neural representation enters into later processing stages. While empirical support for this idea has come from sound detection studies, large gaps in knowledge still exist regarding memory for sound events. In the current study, it was investigated how sensory entrainment impacts the fidelity of working memory representations for pitch. In two separate experiments, an 8 Hz amplitude modulated (AM) entraining stimulus was presented prior to a multitone complex having an f0 between 270 and 715 Hz. This "target" sound could be presented at phases from 0 to 2π radians in relation to the previous AM. After a retention interval of 4 s (Experiment 1; n = 26) or 2 s (Experiment 2; n = 28), listeners were tasked to reproduce the target sound's pitch by moving their finger along the horizontal axis of a response pad. It was hypothesized that if entrainment modulates auditory working memory fidelity, reproductions of a target's pitch would be more accurate and precise when targets were presented in phase with the entrainment. Cosine fits of the average data for both experiments showed a significant entrainment "echo" in the accuracy of pitch matches. There was no apparent echo in the matching precision. Fitting of the individual data accuracy showed that the optimal phase was consistent across individuals, aligning near the next AM peak had the AM continued. The results show that sensory entrainment modulates auditory working memory in addition to stimulus detection, consistent with the proposal that ongoing neural oscillatory activity modulates higher-order auditory processes.

Exploring CHAPS as a Potential Measurement for Auditory Processing and Cognitive Ability in Children with Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVES: The primary goal was to investigate the suitability of CHAPS for assessing cognitive abilities and auditory processing in people with hearing loss (HL), specifically in the domains of auditory processing, verbal working memory, and auditory attention. METHOD: The study comprised 44 individuals between the ages of seven and 14, 22 with HL (N = 11 males) and 22 with normal hearing (N = 10 males). Individuals' auditory attention, working memory, and auditory processing skills were assessed in the study, and self-report questionnaires were used. The evaluation utilized the Sustained Auditory Attention Capacity Test (SAACT), Working Memory Scale (WMS), Filtered Words Test, Auditory Figured Ground Test (AFGT), and the Children's Auditory Performance Scale (CHAPS). Analyses were conducted, including group comparisons, correlation examinations, and receiver operating characteristic evaluations. RESULTS: There were significant differences in CHAPS total, attention, noise, quiet, and multiple inputs between groups. No significant differences were seen in CHAPS_ideal and CHAPS_auditory memory across groups. The study of SAACT and its subscores, WMS and its subscores, FWT, and AFGT revealed a significant difference between groups, caused by the poor performance of persons in the HL group compared to those in the NH group. The SAACT and its subscores correlated significantly with CHAPS_attention. The AUC calculation showed that The SAACT and CHAPS_attention distinguished persons with or without HL (p < 0.05). WMS_STM and WMS_total correlated with CHAPS auditory memory subscale; however, WMS_VWM did not. AUC values for WMS and its subscores showed significant discrimination in identifying children with or without HL (p < 0.05), whereas CHAPS_auditory memory did not (AUC = 0.665; p = 0.060). FWT and AFGT had a significant relationship with CHAPS_noise and CHAPS_multiple inputs subscales. The CHAPS_quiet and CHAPS_ideal subtests only correlated with AFGT. CHAPS_quite and CHAPS_ideal did not exhibit significant discriminative values (p < 0.05) for identifying children with or without HL, while CHAPS_noise, CHAPS_multiple inputs, FWT, and AFGT did. CONCLUSION: The CHAPS_attention subscale could be a trustworthy instrument for assessing auditory attention in children with HL. However, the CHAPS_auditory memory subscale may not be suitable for testing working memory. While performance-based auditory processing tests showed improved discrimination, the CHAPS_noise and CHAPS_multiple inputs subtests can still assess hearing-impaired auditory processing. The CHAPS_quiet and CHAPS_ideal subtests may not evaluate auditory processing.

Selective short-term memory impairment for verbalizable visual objects in children with Developmental Language Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Developmental language disorder (DLD) affects the ability to acquire and make use of native language. Possible underlying cognitive mechanisms are related to memory functions. AIMS: The aim was examination of the relationship between visual short-term memory of objects as well as audiovisual short-term memory, and particular nonverbal and language abilities. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The study included 7-9-year-old children with DLD and matched control group. Participants completed the Language Development Test, the Stanford-Binet IQ scale (SB5), and two short-term memory tasks: immediate recall of the visually presented pictograms and immediate recall of audiovisually presented sequences of syllables. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The results revealed diminished levels of short-term visual memory for objects as well as audiovisual memory in children with DLD. However, there were no group differences in the control task of WM. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Results supported the idea of diminished abilities in children with DLD to perform mental operations on verbalizable visual objects. Importantly non-verbal working memory ability, which cannot easily be supported by verbal representations, is at typical levels. This suggests that verbalization ability should be taken into account in the assessment of seemingly non-verbal cognitive functions among children with DLD.

Competing influence of visual speech on auditory neural adaptation.

Visual information from a speaker's face enhances auditory neural processing and speech recognition. To determine whether auditory memory can be influenced by visual speech, the degree of auditory neural adaptation of an auditory syllable preceded by an auditory, visual, or audiovisual syllable was examined using EEG. Consistent with previous findings and additional adaptation of auditory neurons tuned to acoustic features, stronger adaptation of N1, P2 and N2 auditory evoked responses was observed when the auditory syllable was preceded by an auditory compared to a visual syllable. However, although stronger than when preceded by a visual syllable, lower adaptation was observed when the auditory syllable was preceded by an audiovisual compared to an auditory syllable. In addition, longer N1 and P2 latencies were then observed. These results further demonstrate that visual speech acts on auditory memory but suggest competing visual influences in the case of audiovisual stimulation.

Dual-stage cognitive assessment: a two-stage screening for cognitive impairment in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Aging population has led to an increased proportion of older adults and cognitively impaired. We designed a brief and flexible two-stage cognitive screening scale, the Dual-Stage Cognitive Assessment (DuCA), for cognitive screening in primary care settings. METHOD: In total, 1,772 community-dwelling participants were recruited, including those with normal cognition (NC, n = 1,008), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 633), and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 131), and administered a neuropsychological test battery and the DuCA. To improve performance, the DuCA combines visual and auditory memory tests for an enhanced memory function test. RESULTS: The correlation coefficient between DuCA-part 1 and DuCA-total was 0.84 (P < 0.001). The correlation coefficients of DuCA-part 1 with Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Basic (MoCA-B) were 0.66 (P < 0.001) and 0.85 (P < 0.001), respectively. The correlation coefficients of DuCA-total with ACE-III and MoCA-B were 0.78 (P < 0.001) and 0.83 (P < 0.001), respectively. DuCA-Part 1 showed a similar discrimination ability for MCI from NC (area under curve [AUC] = 0.87, 95%CI 0.848-0.883) as ACE III (AUC = 0.86, 95%CI 0.838-0.874) and MoCA-B (AUC = 0.85, 95%CI 0.830-0.868). DuCA-total had a higher AUC (0.93, 95%CI: 0.917-0.942). At different education levels, the AUC was 0.83-0.84 for DuCA-part 1, and 0.89-0.94 for DuCA-total. DuCA-part 1 and DuCA-total's ability to discriminate AD from MCI was 0.84 and 0.93, respectively. CONCLUSION: DuCA-Part 1 would aid rapid screening and supplemented with the second part for a complete assessment. DuCA is suited for large-scale cognitive screening in primary care, saving time and eliminating the need for extensively training assessors.

Perceptual learning of random acoustic patterns: Impact of temporal regularity and attention.

Perceptual learning is a powerful mechanism to enhance perceptual abilities and to form robust memory representations of previously unfamiliar sounds. Memory formation through repeated exposure takes place even for random and complex acoustic patterns devoid of semantic content. The current study sought to scrutinise how perceptual learning of random acoustic patterns is shaped by two potential modulators: temporal regularity of pattern repetition and listeners' attention. To this end, we adapted an established implicit learning paradigm and presented short acoustic sequences that could contain embedded repetitions of a certain sound segment (i.e., pattern) or not. During each experimental block, one repeating pattern recurred across multiple trials, whereas the other patterns were presented in only one trial. During the presentation of sound sequences that contained either temporally regular or jittered within-trial pattern repetitions, participants' attention was directed either towards or away from the auditory stimulation. Overall, we found a memory-related modulation of the event-related potential (ERP) and an increase in inter-trial phase coherence for patterns that recurred across multiple trials (compared to non-recurring patterns), accompanied by a performance increase in a (within-trial) repetition detection task when listeners attended the sounds. Remarkably, we show a memory-related ERP effect even for the first pattern occurrence per sequence when participants attended the sounds, but not when they were engaged in a visual distractor task. These findings suggest that learning of unfamiliar sound patterns is robust against temporal irregularity and inattention, but attention facilitates access to established memory representations upon first occurrence within a sequence.

Lesions to Caudomedial Nidopallium Impair Individual Vocal Recognition in the Zebra Finch.

Many social animals can recognize other individuals by their vocalizations. This requires a memory system capable of mapping incoming acoustic signals to one of many known individuals. Using the zebra finch, a social songbird that uses songs and distance calls to communicate individual identity (Elie and Theunissen, 2018), we tested the role of two cortical-like brain regions in a vocal recognition task. We found that the rostral region of the Cadomedial Nidopallium (NCM), a secondary auditory region of the avian pallium, was necessary for maintaining auditory memories for conspecific vocalizations in both male and female birds, whereas HVC (used as a proper name), a premotor areas that gates auditory input into the vocal motor and song learning pathways in male birds (Roberts and Mooney, 2013), was not. Both NCM and HVC have previously been implicated for processing the tutor song in the context of song learning (Sakata and Yazaki-Sugiyama, 2020). Our results suggest that NCM might not only store songs as templates for future vocal imitation but also songs and calls for perceptual discrimination of vocalizers in both male and female birds. NCM could therefore operate as a site for auditory memories for vocalizations used in various facets of communication. We also observed that new auditory memories could be acquired without intact HVC or NCM but that for these new memories NCM lesions caused deficits in either memory capacity or auditory discrimination. These results suggest that the high-capacity memory functions of the avian pallial auditory system depend on NCM.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many aspects of vocal communication require the formation of auditory memories. Voice recognition, for example, requires a memory for vocalizers to identify acoustical features. In both birds and primates, the locus and neural correlates of these high-level memories remain poorly described. Previous work suggests that this memory formation is mediated by high-level sensory areas, not traditional memory areas such as the hippocampus. Using lesion experiments, we show that one secondary auditory brain region in songbirds that had previously been implicated in storing song memories for vocal imitation is also implicated in storing vocal memories for individual recognition. The role of the neural circuits in this region in interpreting the meaning of communication calls should be investigated in the future.

Actions do not clearly impact auditory memory.

When memorizing a list of words, those that are read aloud are remembered better than those read silently, a phenomenon known as the production effect. There have been several attempts to understand the production effect, however, actions alone have not been examined as possible contributors. Stimuli that coincide with our own actions are processed differently compared to stimuli presented passively to us. These sensory response modulations may have an impact on how action-revolving inputs are stored in memory. In this study, we investigated whether actions could impact auditory memory. Participants listened to sounds presented either during or in between their actions. We measured electrophysiological responses to the sounds and tested participants' memory of them. Results showed attenuation of sensory responses for action-coinciding sounds. However, we did not find a significant effect on memory performance. The absence of significant behavioral findings suggests that the production effect may be not dependent on the effects of actions per se. We conclude that action alone is not sufficient to improve memory performance, and thus elicit a production effect.

Auditory memory of complex sounds in sparsely distributed, highly correlated neurons in the auditory cortex.

Listening in complex sound environments requires rapid segregation of different sound sources e.g., speakers from each other, speakers from other sounds, or different instruments in an orchestra, and also adjust auditory processing on the prevailing sound conditions. Thus, fast encoding of inputs and identifying and adapting to reoccurring sounds are necessary for efficient and agile sound perception. This adaptation process represents an early phase of developing implicit learning of sound statistics and thus represents a form of auditory memory. The auditory cortex (ACtx) is known to play a key role in this encoding process but the underlying circuits and if hierarchical processing exists are not known. To identify ACtx regions and cells involved in this process, we simultaneously imaged population of neurons in different ACtx subfields using in vivo 2-photon imaging in awake mice. We used an experimental stimulus paradigm adapted from human studies that triggers rapid and robust implicit learning to passively present complex sounds and imaged A1 Layer 4 (L4), A1 L2/3, and A2 L2/3. In this paradigm, a frozen spectro-temporally complex 'Target' sound would be randomly re-occurring within a stream of random other complex sounds. We find distinct groups of cells that are specifically responsive to complex acoustic sequences across all subregions indicating that even the initial thalamocortical input layers (A1 L4) respond to complex sounds. Cells in all imaged regions showed decreased response amplitude for reoccurring Target sounds indicating that a memory signature is present even in the thalamocortical input layers. On the population level we find increased synchronized activity across cells to the Target sound and that this synchronized activity was more consistent across cells regardless of the duration of frozen token within Target sounds in A2, compared to A1. These findings suggest that ACtx and its input layers play a role in auditory memory for complex sounds and suggest a hierarchical structure of processes for auditory memory.

Familiarization with meaningless sound patterns facilitates learning to detect those patterns among distracters.

Initially "meaningless" and randomly generated sounds can be learned over exposure. This is demonstrated by studies where repetitions of randomly determined sound patterns are detected better if they are the same sounds presented on previous trials than if they are novel. This experiment posed two novel questions about this learning. First, does familiarization with a sound outside of the repetition detection context facilitate later performance? Second, does familiarization enhance performance when repeats are interleaved with distracters? Listeners were first trained to categorize a unique pattern of synchronous complex tone trains (210 ms in duration) from other tone trains with similar qualities (familiarization phase). They were then tasked to detect repeated pattern presentations interleaved with similar distracters in 4.2 s long excerpts (repetition detection phase). The familiarized pattern (Familiar Fixed - FF), an unfamiliar pattern that remained fixed throughout (Unfamiliar Fixed - UF), or patterns that were uniquely determined on each trial (Unfamiliar Unfixed - UU) could be presented as repeats. FF patterns were learned at a faster rate and achieved higher repetition detection sensitivity than UF and UU patterns. Similarly, FF patterns also showed steeper learning slopes in their response times (RTs) than UF patterns. The data show that familiarity with a "meaningless" sound pattern on its own (i.e., without repetition) can facilitate repetition detection even in the presence of distracters. Familiarity effects become most apparent in the potential for learning.

The relationship between interaural delay in binaural gap detection and sensitivity to temporal fine structure in young adults with or without musical training experience.

Humans can detect the presence of a break in interaural correlation (BIC, also called binaural gap) even if a large interaural time delay (ITD) is introduced, which is important for detecting, recognizing, and localizing sounds in everyday environments. To investigate the relationship between interaural delay in binaural gap detection and the sensitivity of temporal fine structure (TFS), 40 young college students with normal hearing took the BIC delay threshold test, the TFS1 test (the test of monaural TFS sensitivity), and the TFS-AF test (the test of binaural TFS sensitivity). All participants were asked whether they had any musical training experience in their childhood. Results showed that the BIC delay threshold was significantly correlated with the TFS1 test (r =-0.426, p = 0.006), but not with the TFS-AF performance (r =-0.005, p = 0.997). The correlation between BIC delay threshold and monaural TFS sensitivity was observed in the non-music training group (r =-0.508, p = 0.010), but not in the music training group (r =-0.290, p = 0.295). These findings suggest that the interaural delay in binaural gap detection is related to the monaural sensitivity of TFS, this significant correlation was mainly found in young adults without musical training experience.

[Experience of using Reamberin for the correction of cognitive impairment and antioxidant status in the late period of traumatic brain injury]. / Opyt primeneniya preparata Reamberin dlya korrektsii kognitivnykh narushenii i antioksidantnogo statusa v otdalennom periode cherepno-mozgovoi travmy.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of Reamberin in cognitive impairment in patients associated with traumatic brain injury, taking into account its effect on the parameters of neuropsychological and antioxidant status. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 45 patients aged 35 to 60 years with cognitive impairment in the late period of traumatic brain injury. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the prescribed treatment. The first main group included 25 patients with cognitive impairment who received complex therapy: Reamberin against the background of standard treatment. The second control group consisted of 20 patients with cognitive impairment who received only standard therapy. In accordance with the purpose of the study, the parameters of the neuropsychological and antioxidant status were determined. RESULTS: The analysis of cognitive disorders according to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment made it possible to establish cognitive impairments in 100% of the patients included in the study in the late period of traumatic brain injury. The introduction of Reamberin to patients contributed to an improvement in work efficiency and a decrease in the amount of time required to prepare for work in relation to control (p<0.05), an increase in the volume of auditory short-term memory in dynamics from the moment of admission to the 11th day by 1.9 times (p<0.05). The evaluation of the parameters of the antioxidant status in the late period of traumatic brain injury made it possible to establish that in patients of the main group who received Reamberin as part of standard therapy, by the end of the observation (day 11), the concentration of lipid peroxidation products was lower than in the control by 13-43%, the level of ceruloplasmin and catalase activity are higher by 14 and 15%, respectively (p<0.05), which confirms the antioxidant activity of Reamberin. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the inclusion of Reamberin in the treatment regimen for patients with cognitive impairment in the late period of traumatic brain injury should be considered clinically justified and promising.

The digit triplet test as a self-test for hearing screening at the age of school-entry.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the digit triplet test (DTT) as a self-test in normal-hearing children at school-entry age (5-6 years) compared to an administrator-controlled test. DESIGN AND STUDY SAMPLE: Thirty-seven first grade elementary school children took part in this study. Next to a pure-tone screening, the test battery consisted of a DTT speech-in-noise screening (self-test and administrator-controlled assessment), and cognitive tests related to auditory/working memory and attention skills. RESULTS: The reference-SRT ± 2SD, obtained with the administrator-controlled DTT, was -9.8 ± 1.6 dB SNR, and could be estimated with a precision of 0.7 dB. The test duration for one ear was about 4.5 min. Self-tests resulted in higher (poorer) SRTs. Only a small proportion of children performed stably across repeated self-test administrations. With about 6 min for one ear, the test duration was rather long. The influence of auditory/working memory and attentional abilities appeared to be limited. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that a self-administered DTT is not suitable for a large proportion of children at school-entry.

Statins, Enzyme CoQ10 Supplement Use, and Cognitive Functioning.

OBJECTIVE: The current study assessed the effects of statin and CoQ10 supplement use on changes in cognitive functioning in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention study. METHODS: 1,573 subjects were administered medical histories, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Wechsler Memory Scale, Logical Memory subtest, and the Trail Making Test, Parts A (TMT-A) and B (TMT-B) 3-4 times over 5-10 years. RESULTS: Linear mixed models did not yield significant effects for statin or CoQ10 supplement use on changes in mental status, learning and memory, psychomotor speed, and cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: Statin and/or CoQ10 supplement use was not associated with neuropsychological test performance in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention study.

Multivariate FMRI Signatures of Learning in a Hebb Repetition Paradigm With Tone Sequences.

Important information from the environment often arrives to the brain in temporally extended sequences. Language, music, actions, and complex events generally unfold over time. When such informational sequences exceed the limited capacity of working memory, the human brain relies on its ability to accumulate information in long-term memory over several encounters with a complex stimulus. A longstanding question in psychology and neuroscience is whether the neural structures associated with working memory storage-often viewed as capacity limited and temporary-have any builtin ability to store information across longer temporal delays. According to the classic Hebbian dual memory theory, temporally local "activity traces" underlie immediate perception and working memory, whereas "structural traces" undergird long-term learning. Here we examine whether brain structures known to be involved in working maintenance of auditory sequences, such as area Spt, also show evidence of memory persistence across trials. We used representational similarity analysis (RSA) and the Hebb repetition paradigm with supracapacity tonal sequences to test whether repeated sequences have distinguishable multivoxel activity patterns in the auditory-motor networks of the brain. We found that, indeed, area Spt and other nodes of the auditory dorsal stream show multivoxel patterns for tone sequences that become gradually more distinct with repetition during working memory for supracapacity tone-sequences. The findings suggest that the structures are important for working memory are not "blank slates," wiped clean from moment to moment, but rather encode information in a way can lead to cross-trial persistence.

Impaired interaural correlation processing in people with schizophrenia.

Detection of transient changes in interaural correlation is based on the temporal precision of the central representations of acoustic signals. Whether schizophrenia impairs the temporal precision in the interaural correlation process is not clear. In both participants with schizophrenia and matched healthy-control participants, this study examined the detection of a break in interaural correlation (BIC, a change in interaural correlation from 1 to 0 and back to 1), including the longest interaural delay at which a BIC was just audible, representing the temporal extent of the primitive auditory memory (PAM). Moreover, BIC-induced electroencephalograms (EEGs) and the relationships between the early binaural psychoacoustic processing and higher cognitive functions, which were assessed by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), were examined. The results showed that compared to healthy controls, participants with schizophrenia exhibited poorer BIC detection, PAM and RBANS score. Both the BIC-detection accuracy and the PAM extent were correlated with the RBANS score. Moreover, participants with schizophrenia showed weaker BIC-induced N1-P2 amplitude which was correlated with both theta-band power and inter-trial phase coherence. These results suggested that schizophrenia impairs the temporal precision of the central representations of acoustic signals, affecting both interaural correlation processing and higher-order cognitions.

Norepinephrine in the avian auditory cortex enhances developmental song learning.

Sensory learning during critical periods in development has lasting effects on behavior. Neuromodulators like dopamine and norepinephrine (NE) have been implicated in various forms of sensory learning, but little is known about their contribution to sensory learning during critical periods. Songbirds like the zebra finch communicate with each other using vocal signals (e.g., songs) that are learned during a critical period in development, and the first crucial step in song learning is memorizing the sound of an adult conspecific's (tutor's) song. Here, we analyzed the extent to which NE modulates the auditory learning of a tutor's song and the fidelity of song imitation. Specifically, we paired infusions of NE or vehicle into the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) with brief epochs of song tutoring. We analyzed the effect of NE in juvenile zebra finches that had or had not previously been exposed to song. Regardless of previous exposure to song, juveniles that received NE infusions into NCM during song tutoring produced songs that were more acoustically similar to the tutor song and that incorporated more elements of the tutor song than juveniles with control infusions. These data support the notion that NE can regulate the formation of sensory memories that shape the development of vocal behaviors that are used throughout an organism's life.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although norepinephrine (NE) has been implicated in various forms of sensory learning, little is known about its contribution to sensory learning during critical periods in development. We reveal that pairing infusions of NE into the avian secondary auditory cortex with brief epochs of song tutoring significantly enhances auditory learning during the critical period for vocal learning. These data highlight the lasting impact of NE on sensory systems, cognition, and behavior.

Relation between auditory memory and global memory in young and older adults.

PURPOSE: Controversy exists as to whether auditory memory is modality-specific or not. To determine this, the study investigated the relation between the scores obtained on an auditory memory test with that obtained on a global memory test in adults. The study also aimed to compare the scores of young and older adults on the two memory tests. METHODS: Thirty young adults aged 18 to 30 years and 30 older adults aged 58 to 70 years, having normal hearing sensitivity, were studied. Auditory memory was evaluated using the 'Kannada auditory memory and sequencing test', while global memory was assessed using the memory domain of the 'Cognitive linguistic assessment protocol for Adults' and the 'Memory ability checklist'. RESULTS: No significant correlation was seen between the scores obtained on the auditory memory and the global memory tests in both young adults as well as older adults. Also, the scores on the memory ability checklist did not show any correlation with either global memory scores or auditory memory scores in both participant groups. Additionally, the scores of the three memory measures were found to be significantly different from each other. The older adults obtained significantly poorer scores on all three memory tools compared to young adults. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that auditory memory is modality-specific and is independent of global memory. Additionally, all three measures were sensitive in detecting age-related decline in memory.

[Experience of using reamberin on the cognitive functions in children with epilepsy]. / Opyt primeneniya reamberina dlya korrektsii kognitivnykh funktsii pri epilepsii u detei.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of reamberin in treatment of epilepsy in children and to evaluate its effect on the cognitive functions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 51 patients with epilepsy aged 7 to 15 years. The children were divided into four groups depending on the prescribed treatment. The first study group (n=16) received intravenous reamberin once daily for 5 days in addition to carbamazepine. The second group (n=15) received intravenous reamberin once daily for 5 days in addition to valproic acid. Two comparison groups (10 patients each) received only carbamazepine or only valproic acid, respectively. Cognitive functions were assessed at admission and on the 6th day of treatment using Schulte tables (10 words). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Reamberin significantly increases the work efficiency by 19-21%, and workability degree by 8-12% compared with the patients of the control groups. An analysis of the effect of succinate-containing drug on auditory memory has shown that the volumes of short-term memory and long-term memory are by 1.8 times and 1.3 times, respectively, higher than those in the control groups. Thus, the addition of reamberin into the treatment of children with epilepsy should be considered clinically reasonable, and promising.

Basic Measures of Auditory Perception in Children: No Evidence for Mediation by Auditory Working Memory Capacity.

Immature auditory perception in children has generally been ascribed to deficiencies in cognitive factors, such as working memory and inattention. This notion appears to be commonly accepted for all children despite limited empirical evidence. In the present work, we examined whether working memory capacity would predict basic aspects of hearing, pure-tone frequency discrimination and temporal gap detection, in typically-developing, normal-hearing children (7-12 years). Contrary to our expectation, working memory capacity, as measured by digit spans, or intrinsic auditory attention (on- and off-task response variability) did not consistently predict the individual variability in auditory perception. Present results provide no evidence for a role of working memory capacity in basic measures of auditory perception in children. This lack of a relationship may partly explain why some children with perceptual deficits despite normal audiograms (commonly referred to as auditory processing disorders) may have typical cognitive abilities.