Putting things into perspective: individual differences in working-memory span and the integration of information.

An important function of working memory is the integration of incoming information into an appropriate model of the contextual situation. We hypothesized that individual variability in working-memory function (estimated using Engle's operation-span measure) may lead to differential reactivity to a changing context. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and reaction-time measures to stimuli embedded in long stimulus series (two auditory discrimination tasks), and examined the participants' responses in relation to how the current stimuli fit with the context generated by the previous stimuli. In both tasks, participants with low working-memory span scores showed larger brain responses as a function of variations in the local stimulus sequence than participants with high span scores. These data suggest that the low working-memory span group is more affected by the local stimulus sequence than the high span group, possibly because they are more easily swayed by ongoing changes and are therefore less capable of maintaining their attention on the overall sequence.

Sensory ERPs predict differences in working memory span and fluid intelligence.

The way our brain reacts to sensory stimulation may provide important clues about higher-level cognitive function and its operation. Here we show that short-latency (< 200 ms) sensory cortical responses elicited by visual and auditory stimuli differ dramatically between subjects with high and low working-memory span, as well as between subjects scoring high and low on a fluid intelligence test. Our findings also suggest that this link between sensory responses and complex cognitive tasks is modality specific (visual sensory measures correlate with visuo-spatial tasks whereas auditory sensory measures correlate with verbal tasks). We interpret these findings as indicating that people's effectiveness in controlling attention and gating sensory information is a critical determinant of individual differences in complex cognitive abilities.

Neuroanatomical correlates of aging, cardiopulmonary fitness level, and education.

Fitness and education may protect against cognitive impairments in aging. They may also counteract age-related structural changes within the brain. Here we analyzed volumetric differences in cerebrospinal fluid and gray and white matter, along with neuropsychological data, in adults differing in age, fitness, and education. Cognitive performance was correlated with fitness and education. Voxel-based morphometry was used for a whole-brain analysis of structural magnetic resonance images. We found age-related losses in gray and white matter in medial-temporal, parietal, and frontal areas. As in previous work, fitness within the old correlated with preserved gray matter in the same areas. In contrast, higher education predicted preserved white matter in inferior frontal areas. These data suggest that fitness and education may both be predictive of preserved cognitive function in aging through separable effects on brain structure.

Effects of measurement method, wavelength, and source-detector distance on the fast optical signal.

Fast optical signals can be used to study the time course of neuronal activity in localized cortical areas. The first report of such signals [Gratton, G., Corballis, P. M., Cho, E., Fabiani, M., Hood, D., 1995a. Shades of gray matter: Noninvasive optical images of human brain responses during visual stimulation. Psychophysiol, 32, 505-509.] was based on photon delay measures. Subsequently, other laboratories have also measured fast optical signals, but a debate still exists about how these signals are generated and optimally recorded. Here we report data from a visual stimulation paradigm in which different parameters (continuous: DC intensity; modulated: AC intensity and photon delay), wavelengths (shorter and longer than the hemoglobin isosbestic point), and source-detector distances (shorter and longer than 22.5 mm) were used to record fast signals. Results indicate that a localized fast signal (peak latency=80 ms) can be detected with both delay and AC intensity measures in visual cortex, but not with unmodulated DC measures. This is likely due to the fact that differential measures (delay and AC intensity) are less sensitive to superficial noise sources, which heavily influence DC intensity. The fast effect had similar sign at wavelengths shorter and longer than the hemoglobin isosbestic point, consistent with light scattering but not rapid deoxygenation accounts of this phenomenon. Finally, the fast signal was only measured at source-detector distances greater than 22.5 mm, consistent with the intracranial origin of the signal, and providing indications about the minimum distance for recording. These data address some of the open questions in the field and provide indications about the optimal recording methods for fast optical signals.