Abstract: Besides controlling eye movements, the brain's oculomotor system has been implicated in the control of covert spatial attention and the rehearsal of spatial information in working memory. We investigated whether the oculomotor system also contributes to rehearsing visual objects in working memory when object location is never asked about. To address this, we tracked the incidental use of locations for mnemonic rehearsal via directional biases in microsaccades while participants maintained two visual objects (colored oriented gratings) in working memory. By varying the stimulus configuration (horizontal, diagonal, and vertical) at encoding, we could quantify whether microsaccades were more aligned with the configurational axis of the memory contents, as opposed to the orthogonal axis. Experiment 1 revealed that microsaccades continued to be biased along the axis of the memory content several seconds into the working memory delay. In Experiment 2, we confirmed that this directional microsaccade bias was specific to memory demands, ruling out lingering effects from passive and attentive encoding of the same visual objects in the same configurations. Thus, by studying microsaccade directions, we uncover oculomotor-driven rehearsal of visual objects in working memory through their associated locations.

Abstract: Previous research has shown that executive functions can contribute to successful problem-solving in preschool and elementary school children. However, most studies did not simultaneously assess the role of different specific aspects of executive functions. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the individual contribution of inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility to science problem-solving performance in elementary school children. A total of 478 children from first and second grades (M

Abstract: Abstract The ability of the brain to extract patterns from the environment and predict future events, known as statistical learning, has been proposed to interact in a competitive manner with prefrontal lobe-related networks and their characteristic cognitive or executive functions. However, it remains unclear whether these cognitive functions also possess a competitive relationship with implicit statistical learning across individuals and at the level of latent executive function components. In order to address this currently unknown aspect, we investigated, in two independent experiments (N Study1 = 186, N Study2 = 157), the relationship between implicit statistical learning, measured by the Alternating Serial Reaction Time task, and executive functions, measured by multiple neuropsychological tests. In both studies, a modest, but consistent negative correlation between implicit statistical learning and most executive function measures was observed. Factor analysis further revealed that a factor representing verbal fluency and complex working memory seemed to drive these negative correlations. Thus, the antagonistic relationship between implicit statistical learning and executive functions might specifically be mediated by the updating component of executive functions or/and long-term memory access.

Abstract: Given the fundamental role of working memory (WM) in all domains of cognition, a central question has been whether WM is domain-general. However, the term 'domain-general' has been used in different, and sometimes misleading, ways. By reviewing recent evidence and biologically plausible models of WM, we show that the level of domain-generality varies substantially between three facets of WM: in terms of computations, WM is largely domain-general. In terms of neural correlates, it contains both domain-general and domain-specific elements. Finally, in terms of application, it is mostly domain-specific. This variance encourages a shift of focus towards uncovering domain-general computational principles and away from domain-general approaches to the analysis of individual differences and WM training, favoring newer perspectives, such as training-as-skill-learning.

Abstract: How the brain mentally sorts a series of items in a specific order within working memory (WM) remains largely unknown. We investigated mental sorting using high-throughput electrophysiological recordings in the frontal cortex of macaque monkeys, who memorized and sorted spatial sequences in forward or backward orders according to visual cues. We discovered that items at each ordinal rank in WM were encoded in separate rank-WM subspaces and then, depending on cues, were maintained or reordered between the subspaces, accompanied by two extra temporary subspaces in two operation steps. Furthermore, the cue activity served as an indexical signal to trigger sorting processes. Thus, we propose a complete conceptual framework, where the neural landscape transitions in frontal neural states underlie the symbolic system for mental programming of sequence WM.

Abstract: Abstract Executive function (EF) delays are well documented in paediatric neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs). There is no consensus about whether EF delay represents a transdiagnostic feature of NDCs. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized 180 studies reporting two or more NDC comparisons on EF, examined differences between NDCs, and the moderating effects of gender, age, publication year, DSM editions and assessment types. Studies using established EF measures across seven domains (attention, fluency, set-shifting, set-switching, response inhibition, planning and working memory) in participants under 18 were included. Summary effects were compared: (1) for all reported NDCs relative to control, (2) for each individual NDC relative to control and (3) between NDC groups. Results confirmed that EF delay was a transdiagnostic feature of neurodevelopmental delay, with a moderate effect size of delay across all NDCs ( g = 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49–0.63) compared with control. This effect increased with comorbidities ( g = 0.72, 95% CI 0.59–0.86), DSM-5 criteria and informant measures. Comparisons between NDCs revealed few differences: children with tic disorders (TD) showed smaller EF delays, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) showed larger delays in attention, response inhibition, planning and working memory compared with TD and specific learning disorders, while children with autism spectrum disorders showed greater delays on set-switching compared with ADHD. Findings support transdiagnostic models of neurodevelopment to further a developmentally sensitive science that can reveal how EF delays contribute to brain circuitry, symptom profiles and functioning, and ultimately support early interventions and outcomes for all children with NDCs.

Abstract: To memorize a sequence, one must serially bind each item to its rank order. How the brain controls a given input to bind its associated order in sequence working memory (SWM) remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the neural representations underlying SWM control using electrophysiological recordings in the frontal cortex of macaque monkeys performing forward and backward SWM tasks. Separate and generalizable low-dimensional subspaces for sensory and memory information were found within the same frontal circuitry, and SWM control was reflected in these neural subspaces' organized dynamics. Each item at each rank was sequentially entered into a common sensory subspace and, depending on forward or backward task requirement, flexibly and timely sent into rank-selective SWM subspaces. Neural activity in these SWM subspaces faithfully predicted the recalled item and order information in single error trials. Thus, compositional neural population codes with well-orchestrated dynamics in frontal cortex support the flexible control of SWM.

Abstract: Humans maintain an intricate balance between storing information in visual working memory (VWM) and just-in-time sampling of the external world, rooted in a trade-off between the cost of maintaining items in VWM versus retrieving information as it is needed. Previous studies have consistently shown that one prerequisite of just-in-time sampling is a high degree of availability of external information, and that introducing a delay before being able to access information led participants to rely less on the external world and more on VWM. However, these studies manipulated availability in such a manner that the cost of sampling was stable and predictable. It is yet unclear whether participants become less reliant on external information when it is more difficult to factor in the cost of sampling that information. In two experiments, participants copied an example layout from the left to the right side of the screen. In Experiment 1, intermittent occlusion of the example layout led participants to attempt to encode more items per inspection than when the layout was constantly available, but this did not consistently result in more correct placements. However, these findings could potentially be explained by inherent differences in how long the example layout could be viewed. Therefore in Experiment 2, the example layout only became available after a gaze-contingent delay, which could be constant or variable. Here, the introduction of any delay led to increased VWM load compared to no delay, although the degree of variability in the delay did not alter behaviour. These results reaffirm that the nature of when we engage VWM is dynamical, and suggest that any disruption to the continuous availability of external information is the main driver of increased VWM usage relative to whether availability is predictable or not.

Abstract: Abstract The escalating global burden of age-related neurodegenerative diseases and associated healthcare costs necessitates innovative interventions to stabilize or enhance cognitive functions. Deficits in working memory (WM) are linked to alterations in prefrontal theta–gamma cross-frequency coupling. Low-intensity transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a non-invasive, low-cost approach capable of modulating ongoing oscillations in targeted brain areas through entrainment. This study investigates the impact of multi-session peak-coupled theta–gamma cross-frequency tACS administered to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on WM performance in older adults. In a randomized, sham-controlled, triple-blinded design, 77 participants underwent 16 stimulation sessions over six weeks while performing n -back tasks. Signal detection measures revealed increased 2-back sensitivity and robust modulations of response bias, indicating improved WM and decision-making adaptations, respectively. No effects were observed in the 1-back condition, emphasizing dependencies on cognitive load. Repeated tACS reinforces behavioral changes, indicated by increasing effect sizes. This study supports prior research correlating prefrontal theta–gamma coupling with WM processes and provides unique insights into the neurocognitive benefits of repeated tACS intervention. The well-tolerated and highly effective multi-session tACS intervention among the elderly underscores its therapeutic potential in vulnerable populations.

Abstract: Working memory (WM) supports future behavior by retaining perceptual information obtained in the recent past. The present study tested the hypothesis that WM recodes sensory information in a format that better supports behavioral goals. We recorded EEG while participants performed color delayed-estimation tasks where the colorwheel for the response was either randomly rotated or held fixed across trials. Accordingly, observers had to remember the exact colors in the Rotation condition, whereas they could prepare for a response based on the fixed mapping between the colors and their corresponding locations on the colorwheel in the No-Rotation condition. Results showed that the color reports were faster and more precise in the No-Rotation condition even when exactly the same set of colors were tested in both conditions. To investigate how the color information was maintained in the brain, we decoded the color using a multivariate EEG classification method. The decoding was limited to the stimulus encoding period in the Rotation condition, whereas it continued to be significant during the maintenance period in the No-Rotation condition, indicating that the color information was actively maintained in the condition. Follow-up analyses suggested that the prolonged decoding was not merely driven by the covert shift of attention but rather by the recoding of sensory information into an action-oriented response format. Together, these results provide converging evidence that WM flexibly recodes sensory information depending on the specific task context to optimize subsequent behavioral performance.

Abstract: Probing memory of a complex visual image within a few hundred milliseconds after its disappearance reveals significantly greater fidelity of recall than if the probe is delayed by as little as a second. Classically interpreted, the former taps into a detailed but rapidly decaying visual sensory or ‘iconic’ memory (IM), while the latter relies on capacity-limited but comparatively stable visual working memory (VWM). While iconic decay and VWM capacity have been extensively studied independently, currently no single framework quantitatively accounts for the dynamics of memory fidelity over these time scales. Here, we extend a stationary neural population model of VWM with a temporal dimension, incorporating rapid sensory-driven accumulation of activity encoding each visual feature in memory, and a slower accumulation of internal error that causes memorized features to randomly drift over time. Instead of facilitating read-out from an independent sensory store, an early cue benefits recall by lifting the effective limit on VWM signal strength imposed when multiple items compete for representation, allowing memory for the cued item to be supplemented with information from the decaying sensory trace. Empirical measurements of human recall dynamics validate these predictions while excluding alternative model architectures. A key conclusion is that differences in capacity classically thought to distinguish IM and VWM are in fact contingent upon a single resource-limited WM store.

Abstract: Working memory (WM) represents a building-block of higher cognitive functions and a wide range of mental disorders are associated with WM impairments. Initial studies have shown that several sessions of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) informed real-time neurofeedback (NF) allow healthy individuals to volitionally increase activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a region critically involved in WM. For the translation to therapeutic or neuroenhancement applications, however, it is critical to assess whether fNIRS-NF success transfers into neural and behavioral WM enhancement in the absence of feedback. We therefore combined single-session fNIRS-NF of the left DLPFC with a randomized sham-controlled design (N = 62 participants) and a subsequent WM challenge with concomitant functional MRI. Over four runs of fNIRS-NF, the left DLPFC NF training group demonstrated enhanced neural activity in this region, reflecting successful acquisition of neural self-regulation. During the subsequent WM challenge, we observed no evidence for performance differences between the training and the sham group. Importantly, however, examination of the fMRI data revealed that - compared to the sham group - the training group exhibited significantly increased regional activity in the bilateral DLPFC and decreased left DLPFC - left anterior insula functional connectivity during the WM challenge. Exploratory analyses revealed a negative association between DLPFC activity and WM reaction times in the NF group. Together, these findings indicate that healthy individuals can learn to volitionally increase left DLPFC activity in a single training session and that the training success translates into WM-related neural activation and connectivity changes in the absence of feedback. This renders fNIRS-NF as a promising and scalable WM intervention approach that could be applied to various mental disorders.

Abstract: Abstract Individuals exhibit massive variability in general cognitive skills that affect language processing. This variability is partly developmental. Here, we recruited a large sample of participants (N = 487), ranging from 9 to 90 years of age, and examined the involvement of nonverbal processing speed (assessed using visual and auditory reaction time tasks) and working memory (assessed using forward and backward Digit Span tasks) in a visual world task. Participants saw two objects on the screen and heard a sentence that referred to one of them. In half of the sentences, the target object could be predicted based on verb-selectional restrictions. We observed evidence for anticipatory processing on predictable compared to non-predictable trials. Visual and auditory processing speed had main effects on sentence comprehension and facilitated predictive processing, as evidenced by an interaction. We observed only weak evidence for the involvement of working memory in predictive sentence comprehension. Age had a nonlinear main effect (younger adults responded faster than children and older adults), but it did not differentially modulate predictive and non-predictive processing, nor did it modulate the involvement of processing speed and working memory. Our results contribute to delineating the cognitive skills that are involved in language-vision interactions.

Abstract: Abstract Background Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease associated with physical disability, psychological impairment, and cognitive dysfunctions. Consequently, the disease burden is substantial, and treatment choices are limited. In this randomized, double-blind study, we conducted repeated prefrontal electrical stimulation in 40 patients with MS to evaluate mental health variables (quality of life, sleep difficulties, psychological distress) and cognitive dysfunctions (psychomotor speed, working memory, attention/vigilance), marking it as the third largest sample size tDCS research conducted in MS to date. Methods The patients were randomly assigned (block randomization method) to two groups of sham ( n = 20), or 1.5-mA ( n = 20) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3) and right frontopolar cortex (Fp2) with anodal and cathodal stimulation respectively (electrode size: 25 cm 2 ). The treatment included 10 sessions of 20 min of stimulation delivered every other day. Outcome measures were MS quality of life, sleep quality, psychological distress, and performance on a neuropsychological test battery dedicated to cognitive dysfunctions in MS (psychomotor speed, working memory, and attention). All outcome measures were evaluated at the pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments. Both patients and technicians delivering the stimulation were unaware of the type of stimulation being used. Results Repeated prefrontal real tDCS significantly improved quality of life and reduced sleep difficulties and psychological distress compared to the sham group. It, furthermore, improved psychomotor speed, attention, and vigilance compared to the sham protocol. Improvement in mental health outcome variables and cognitive outperformance were interrelated and could predict each other. Conclusions Repeated prefrontal and frontopolar tDCS ameliorates secondary clinical symptoms related to mental health and results in beneficial cognitive effects in patients with MS. These results support applying prefrontal tDCS in larger trials for improving mental health and cognitive dysfunctions in MS. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06401928.

Abstract: Extensive practice can significantly reduce dual-task costs (i.e., impaired performance under dual-task conditions compared with single-task conditions) and, thus, improve dual-task performance. Among others, these practice effects are attributed to an optimization of executive function skills that are necessary for coordinating tasks that overlap in time. In detail, this optimization of dual-task coordination skills is associated with the efficient instantiation of component task information in working memory at the onset of a dual-task trial. In the present paper, we review empirical findings on three critical predictions of this memory hypothesis. These predictions concern (1) the preconditions for the acquisition and transfer of coordination skills due to practice, (2) the role of task complexity and difficulty, and (3) the impact of age-related decline in working memory capacity on dual-task optimization.

Abstract: The detection rate of depression among university students has been increasing in recent years, becoming one of the main psychological diseases that endangers their physical and mental health. According to statistics, self-harm and suicide, for which there is no effective intervention, are the second leading causes of death.To explore the relationship between different elements and levels of physical activity and college students' depression-symptom-specific working memory indicators.Of 143 college students were analyzed using the Beck Depression Self-Rating Scale, the Physical Activity Rating Scale, and the Working Memory Task.There was a significant difference between college students with depressive symptoms and healthy college students in completing verbal and spatial working memory (SWM) tasks correctly (all P < 0.01). Physical Activity Scale-3 scores were significantly and positively correlated with the correct rate of the verbal working memory task (r = 0.166) and the correct rate of the SWM task (r = 0.210) (all P < 0.05). There were significant differences in the correct rates of verbal and SWM tasks according to different exercise intensities (all P < 0.05) and different exercise durations (all P < 0.05), and no significant differences in the correct rates of verbal and SWM tasks by exercise frequency (all P > 0.05).An increase in physical exercise among college students, particularly medium- and high-intensity exercise and exercise of 30 min or more, can improve the correct rate of completing working memory tasks.

Abstract: Many theories assume that actively maintaining information in working memory (WM) predicts its retention in episodic long-term memory (LTM), as revealed by the beneficial effects of more WM time. In four experiments, we examined whether affording more time for intentional WM maintenance does indeed drive LTM. Sequences of four words were presented during trials of simple span (short time), slow span (long time), and complex span (long time with distraction; Experiments 1-2). Long time intervals entailed a pause of equivalent duration between the words that presented a blank screen (slow span) or an arithmetic problem to read aloud and solve (complex span). In Experiments 1-3, participants either serially recalled the words (intentional encoding) or completed a no-recall task (incidental encoding). In Experiment 4, all participants were instructed to intentionally encode the words, with the trials randomly ending in the serial-recall or no-recall task. To ensure similar processing of the words between encoding groups, participants silently decided whether each word was a living or nonliving thing via key press (i.e., an animacy judgment; Experiments 1 and 3-4) or read the words aloud and then pressed the space bar (Experiment 2). A surprise delayed memory test at the end of the experiment assessed LTM. Applying Bayesian cognitive models to disambiguate binding and item memory revealed consistent benefits of free time to binding memory that were specific to intentional encoding in WM. This suggests that time spent intentionally keeping information in WM is special for LTM because WM is a system that maintains bindings.

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that information in the focus of attention in working memory is better remembered, accessed faster, and protected better from perceptual interference than information in working memory, outside of the focus of attention. However, the latter has been called into question by several studies that observed particular vulnerability to perceptual interference for information in the focus of attention. To advance this debate, the current study investigated whether focusing attention on prioritized information makes it more or less susceptible to distractors. For this purpose, we made use of two prioritization modes: retro-cueing and rewarding. Throughout ten behavioral experiments in which we used two different paradigms and varied several task parameters, we did not observe any convincing evidence for a detrimental impact of perceptual interference on memory performance, regardless of whether and how the to-be-remembered information had been prioritized. This suggests that visual working memory might be more resilient to perceptual interference than previously assumed. These findings, together with those of other recent studies, indicate that the key question should be when memory representations are vulnerable to interference, before we can investigate how this vulnerability interacts with the focus of attention. Moreover, a detailed comparison of different variants of cue-based and reward-based prioritization methods within our paradigm revealed that cue-based prioritization is more effective than reward-based prioritization in working memory and that what is gained in terms of memory performance for the prioritized item is not always as substantial as what is lost for the unprioritized items.

Abstract: The cognitive and affective impacts of video games are subjects of ongoing debate, with recent research recognizing their potential benefits. This study employs the Gaming Skill Questionnaire (GSQ) to evaluate participants' gaming skills across six genres and overall proficiency. A total of 88 individuals aged 20-40 participated, completing assessments of empathy and six cognitive abilities: verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, visuospatial short-term memory, visuospatial working memory, psychomotor speed (hand-eye coordination), and attention. Participants' cognitive abilities were examined using the Digit Span Test, Corsi Block Test, and Deary-Liewald Reaction Time Task, while empathy was assessed using the Empathy Quotient Questionnaire. Findings indicate that higher levels of videogaming proficiency are linked to improvements in visuospatial short-term and working memory, psychomotor speed, and attention. Specific genres enhanced particular skills: RPGs were positively associated with both verbal working memory and visuospatial short-term memory, but were negatively associated with empathy; action games improved psychomotor speed and attention; and puzzle games showed a positive relationship with visuospatial working memory. These results add to ongoing research on the cognitive and affective effects of video games, suggesting their potential to enhance specific cognitive functions. They also highlight the complex relationship between video games and empathy. Future research should explore the long-term impacts and genre-specific effects.

Abstract: Some aspects of cognition are more taxing than others. Accordingly, many people will avoid cognitively demanding tasks in favor of simpler alternatives. Which components of these tasks are costly, and how much, remains unknown. Here, we use a novel task design in which subjects request wages for completing cognitive tasks and a computational modeling procedure that decomposes their wages into the costs driving them. Using working memory as a test case, our approach revealed that gating new information into memory and protecting against interference are costly. Critically, other factors, like memory load, appeared less costly. Other key factors which may drive effort costs, such as error avoidance, had minimal influence on wage requests. Our approach is sensitive to individual differences, and could be used in psychiatric populations to understand the true underlying nature of apparent cognitive deficits.

Abstract: ABSTRACT Objective Whether athletes possess superior executive functions still needs further examination. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the executive function advantages of athletes and the differences in these advantages between open‐ and closed‐skill sports through systematic review and meta‐analysis. Methods Computer searches of CNKI, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and SPORTDiscus databases were conducted. After document selection, data extraction, and quality assessment by two researchers, data processing, statistical analysis, and visual presentation were performed using SPSS 25.0, Stata 16.0, and GraphPad Prism 8 software. Results A total of 41 articles were included, including 3845 athletes with a mean age of 9.6–42.8 years. Athletes showed more positive inhibitory control ( Z = 5.18, standardized mean difference (SMD) = −0.631, 95% confidence intervals ( CI ) = −0.869 to −0.392, p = 0.000) and working memory ( Z = 3.42, SMD = −0.382, 95% CI = −0.601 to −0.163, p = 0.001) compared to the general group with no sports experience. Elite and sub‐elite, and sub‐elite and amateur athletes all showed more positive performance on the cognitive flexibility task compared to the latter. In addition, open‐skilled athletes performed more positively on working memory and cognitive flexibility tasks compared to closed‐skilled athletes. Egger linear regression analysis revealed a possible publication bias for inhibitory control, whereas there was no publication bias for working memory and cognitive flexibility. Univariate meta‐regression analysis revealed that date of publication ( β = 0.145) and sample size ( β = −0.002) were sources of heterogeneity between studies for the inclusion of cognitive flexibility ( p < 0.05). The sensitivity analysis of the one‐by‐one elimination method and the cut‐and‐patch method found the results to be relatively robust and reliable. Conclusion Athletes have superior executive function performance that increases with sports experience. In addition, open‐skilled athletes showed more positive executive function. The result has guiding significance for the selection and training of athletes in the future.

Abstract: The scientific evidence regarding the possibility of transferring benefits derived from cognitive training focused on working memory and inhibitory control to reading skills in children aged 6 to 12 is inconclusive. This study carries out a systematic review of recent published studies on this topic with the aim of analysing the specific role of various cognitive stimulation programs in the growth of executive functions and reading performance in children from ages 6 to 12. Here, we present the main results reported in the most recent literature, where the impact of intervention programs on working memory and inhibitory control in children with typical development are analysed. Even though the effectiveness of executive function training programs in terms of close transfer is conspicuous, there is still a lack of convergence in recently published articles, especially regarding the effects of far transfer in reading comprehension after cognitive stimulation programs are applied.

Abstract: The Attentional Control Theory (ACT) posits that, while trait anxiety may not directly impact performance, it can influence processing efficiency by prompting the use of compensatory mechanisms. The specific nature of these mechanisms, which might be reflective, is not detailed by the ACT. In a study involving 110 students (M = 20.12; SD = 2.10), surveys were administered to assess the students' metacognitive beliefs, trait anxiety, and emotion regulation strategies (ERSs). The participants engaged in two working memory exercises: the digit span task from the WAIS-IV and an emotional n-back task. The findings indicated that anxiety, metacognitive beliefs, and maladaptive ERSs did not affect task performance but were correlated with increased response times. Several regression analyses demonstrated that a lack of confidence in one's cognitive abilities and maladaptive ERSs predict higher reaction times (RT) in the n-back task. Additionally, maladaptive ERSs also predict an increased use of strategies in the digit span task. Finally, two mediation analyses revealed that anxiety increases processing efficiency, and this relation is mediated by the use of maladaptive ERSs. These results underscore the importance of the reflective level in mediating the effects of trait anxiety on efficiency. They highlight the necessity of incorporating metacognitive beliefs and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies for a thorough comprehension of the Attentional Control Theory. Recognizing these factors offers valuable perspectives for enhancing cognitive capabilities and fostering academic achievement.