scholarly journals Short-Term and Working Memory Treatments for Improving Sentence Comprehension in Aphasia: A Review and a Replication Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (01) ◽  
pp. 029-039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Salis ◽  
Faustina Hwang ◽  
David Howard ◽  
Nicole Lallini
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Memory Deficits ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
Treatment Research ◽  
Research Avenue

AbstractAlthough the roles of verbal short-term and working memory on spoken sentence comprehension skills in persons with aphasia have been debated for many years, the development of treatments to mitigate verbal short-term and working memory deficits as a way of improving spoken sentence comprehension is a new avenue in treatment research. In this article, we review and critically appraise this emerging evidence base. We also present new data from five persons with aphasia of a replication of a previously reported treatment that had resulted in some improvement of spoken sentence comprehension in a person with aphasia. The replicated treatment did not result in improvements in sentence comprehension. We forward recommendations for future research in this, admittedly weak at present, but important clinical research avenue that would help improve our understanding of the mechanisms of improvement of short-term and working memory training in relation to sentence comprehension.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Working Memory Training in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J Hardy ◽  
Sarah E Bills ◽  
Emily R Meier ◽  
Jeffrey C Schatz ◽  
Katie J Keridan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Math Fluency ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Abstract Objective Youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurocognitive deficits including problems with working memory (WM), but few interventions to improve functioning exist. This study sought to determine the feasibility and efficacy of home-based, digital WM training on short-term memory and WM, behavioral outcomes, and academic fluency using a parallel group randomized controlled trial design. Methods 47 children (7–16 years) with SCD and short-term memory or WM difficulties were randomized to Cogmed Working Memory Training at home on a tablet device (N = 24) or to a standard care Waitlist group (N = 23) that used Cogmed after the waiting period. Primary outcomes assessed in clinic included performance on verbal and nonverbal short-term memory and WM tasks. Secondary outcomes included parent-rated executive functioning and tests of math and reading fluency. Results In the evaluable sample, the Cogmed group (N = 21) showed greater improvement in visual WM compared with the Waitlist group (N = 22; p = .03, d = 0.70 [CI95 = 0.08, 1.31]). When examining a combined sample of participants, those who completed ≥10 training sessions exhibited significant improvements in verbal short-term memory, visual WM, and math fluency. Adherence to Cogmed was lower than expected (M = 9.07 sessions, SD = 7.77), with 19 participants (41%) completing at least 10 sessions. Conclusions: Visual WM, an ability commonly affected by SCD, is modifiable with cognitive training. Benefits extended to verbal short-term memory and math fluency when patients completed a sufficient training dose. Additional research is needed to identify ideal candidates for training and determine whether training gains are sustainable and generalize to real-world outcomes.

General discussion

1996 ◽  
Vol 351 (1346) ◽  
pp. 1481-1482 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Experimental Psychology ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Memory Deficits ◽  
Cortical Lesions ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Memory Processes ◽  
University Of Oxford

L. Weiskrantz ( Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, U. K.). I have tried to link what we have heard from experimental studies in humans with what we have heard from experimental studies in monkeys concerning functions of the prefrontal cortex. The obvious difference is that in my experience, patients with posterior cortical lesions are often those with shortterm memory deficits (such as patient KF), whereas you have to work very hard with frontal lobe lesioned patients to see profound impairments of that kind. This provides an obvious contrast with experimental studies in monkeys which suggest a role for the prefrontal cortex in just such simple short-term or working memory processes. I was wondering if any of the speakers would care to comment on this rather obvious distinction between human and monkey work that has been presented so far?

Introduction to the special issue on syntax and verbal short term/working memory in developmental disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-340
Author(s):  
Stavroula Stavrakaki
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The Status

In the field of developmental disorders, two main research approaches, the linguistic approach and the cognitive psychology of memory approach, have been used to a great extent independently. Recently, researchers have investigated simultaneously the language and verbal memory abilities – especially verbal short term memory (VSTM) and verbal working memory (VWM) – of individuals with developmental disorders. The present Special Issue contributes to the discussion of the relation between VSTM/VWM and syntax in developmental disorders. It reports empirical data from six studies on the relation between verbal memory and syntax in different disorders and languages, and it raises theoretical issues concerning these cognitive mechanisms. It concludes with three commentary articles where the authors raise crucial theoretical and methodological issues: they pose questions concerning the status of VSTM/VWM and syntax, and spell out directions for future research in this field.

Multisensory working memory in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katherine Bellesheim
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Memory Deficits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Memory Impairments ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
The University ◽  
Adolescents With Asd

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Working memory impairments are commonly-reported in individuals with ASD, although these reports have been limited to unisensory memory within a single sensory domain. Recent studies have begun to quantify and characterize the development of the domain-general and domain-specific mental faculties that support multisensory working memory. It remains unclear whether ASD-related working memory impairments may be associated with disruptions in domain-general and/or domain-specific resources and whether atypical sensory processing, a prevalent diagnostic criterion of ASD, may impact these cognitive processes. The current study was designed to assess unisensory and multisensory working memory and to elucidate the extent to which domain-general and domain-specific processes may contribute to documented working memory deficits in ASD. A secondary goal was to explore how atypical sensory processing (as reflected by caregiver report) may relate to these findings. A sample of 55 adolescents (32 with ASD and 23 without ASD) ages 11 to 15 were administered working memory tasks consisting of unisensory (visual or auditory) and multisensory (visual and auditory) to-be-remembered stimuli. Results confirmed the presence of unisensory working memory deficits in adolescents with ASD. Regarding multisensory working memory, an atypical pattern of domain-general and domain-specific components was identified in younger adolescents with ASD. Evidence was demonstrated that this difference may normalize later in adolescence. Elevated sensory symptomology (i.e., hyperreactivity and sensation avoidance) was negatively correlated with multisensory, but not unisensory, working memory. Future research should continue to explore the role of modality (unisensory vs multisensory), integration, and sensory functioning in working memory.

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