News reports of research into memory January 2006

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January 2006

Actors’ memory tricks help students and older adults

The ability of actors to remember large amounts of dialog verbatim is a marvel to most of us, and most of us assume they do by painful rote memorization. But two researchers have been studying the way actors learn for many years and have concluded that the secret of actors' memories is in the acting; an actor learning lines by focusing on the character’s motives and feelings — they get inside the character. To do this, they break a script down into a series of logically connected "beats" or intentions. The researchers call this process active experiencing, which uses "all physical, mental, and emotional channels to communicate the meaning of material to another person." This principle can be applied in other contexts. For example, students who imagined themselves explaining something to somebody else remembered more than those who tried to memorize the material by rote. Physical movement also helps — lines learned while doing something, such as walking across the stage, were remembered better than lines not accompanied with action. The principles have been found useful in improving memory in older adults: older adults who received a four-week course in acting showed significantly improved word-recall and problem-solving abilities compared to both a group that received a visual-arts course and a control group, and this improvement persisted four months afterward.
A review of this research will appear in the February issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/aps-bo012506.php

Apple consumption protects against age-related cognitive decline

Previous research has found apple juice concentrate alleviated cognitive decline in genetically engineered mice compromised by a deficient diet. A study in normal, aging mice has now found that regular consumption of apple juice (in the context of a balanced diet) protected against the oxidative damage to brain cells that occurs in normal aging. Further, stronger mental acuity resulted when the mice consumed the human equivalent of 2-3 cups of apple juice or 2-4 apples a day. Apples are high in antioxidants.
The study was published in the December issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/uaa-ami012306.php

Morning grogginess worse for cognition than sleep deprivation

People who awaken after eight hours of sound sleep have more impaired thinking and memory skills than they do after being deprived of sleep for more than 24 hours. The impairment is worst in the first three minutes, and the most severe effects have generally dissipated by ten minutes, but measurable effects can last up to two hours. This is consistent with reports indicating that cortical areas like the prefrontal cortex take longer to come “online” after sleep than other parts of the brain. The findings have implications for medical, safety and transportation workers who are often called upon to perform critical tasks immediately after waking, as well as for anyone abruptly woken to face an emergency situation.
The study appeared in the January 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/uoca-mgm121905.php

Losing sleep inhibits neurogenesis

A new sleep study using rats restricted rather than deprived them of sleep, to mimic more closely the normal human experience. The study found that the sleep-restricted rats had a harder time remembering a path through a maze compared to their rested counterparts. The sleep-restricted rats showed reduced survival rate of new hippocampus cells — learning spatial tasks increases the production of new cells in the hippocampus. This study shows that sleep plays a part in helping those new brain cells survive. However, the sleep-restricted rats that were forced to use visual and odor cues to remember their way through the maze did better on the task than their rested counterparts, implying that some types of learning don’t require sleep.
The study appeared in the December issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/aps-lsu010506.php

Fitness counteracts cognitive decline from hormone-replacement therapy

A study of 54 postmenopausal women (aged 58 to 80) suggests that being physically fit offsets cognitive declines attributed to long-term hormone-replacement therapy. It was found that gray matter in four regions (left and right prefrontal cortex, left parahippocampal gyrus and left subgenual cortex) was progressively reduced with longer hormone treatment, with the decline beginning after more than 10 years of treatment. Therapy shorter than 10 years was associated with increased tissue volume. Higher fitness scores were also associated with greater tissue volume. Those undergoing long-term hormone therapy had more modest declines in tissue loss if their fitness level was high. Higher fitness levels were also associated with greater prefrontal white matter regions and in the genu of the corpus callosum. The findings need to be replicated with a larger sample, but are in line with animal studies finding that estrogen and exercise have similar effects: both stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
The study appeared online January 6 in advance of regular publication in Neurobiology of Aging. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/uoia-fcc012406.php

Cognitive loss following coronary artery bypass surgery due to surgical technique?

A surgical strategy designed to minimize trauma to the body's largest artery – the aorta – during heart bypass surgery can significantly reduce cognitive loss that often follows the operation. The study found that at least 60% of patients showed neurological deficits following bypass surgery, but that at 6 months, 57% of patients who had traditional surgery still had deficits while only 32% of those who didn’t use the heart-lung machine during surgery, and 30% of those who had the new surgical technique still had deficits. Researchers conclude that surgical technique is the primary cause of cognitive decline following bypass surgery.
The report appeared in the January issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/wfub-ric012006.php

Immune function important for cognition

New research overturns previous beliefs that immune cells play no part in — and may indeed constitute a danger to — the brain. Following on from an earlier study that suggested that T cells — immune cells that recognize brain proteins — have the potential to fight off neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, researchers have found that neurogenesis in adult rats kept in stimulating environments requires these immune cells. A further study found that mice with these T cells performed better at some tasks than mice lacking the cells. The researchers suggest that age-related cognitive decline may be related to this, as aging is associated with a decrease in immune system function, suggesting that boosting the immune system may also benefit cognitive function in older adults.
The study was published online 15 January and appears in the February issue of Nature Neuroscience. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/acft-wis011106.php

More support for benefits of some alcohol

A longitudinal study of an elderly community sample found that, over an average of 7 years, mild-to-moderate drinking was associated with less average decline in cognitive function compared to not drinking.
The study appeared in the October issue of Neurology. Full reference
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/8/1210

Simulator training benefits stroke patients

A study involving 83 stroke patients found that a 5-week 15-hour training program improved driving ability. Those given experimental simulator-based training improved more than those given driving-related cognitive tasks. Those with more education and those with less disability benefited most. 73% of the simulator group were legally allowed to resume driving compared to 42% of the other group. However, there were a large number of dropouts.
The study appeared in the October issue of Neurology. Full reference
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/6/843

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