Working memory (WM) is a process that allows for the temporary and limited storage of information for an immediate goal or to be stored into a more permanent system. A large number of studies have led to the widely accepted view that WM is mediated by the frontoparietal network (FPN), consisting of areas in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Current evidence suggests that task specific patterns of neuronal oscillatory activity within the FPN play a fundamental role in WM, and yet specific spatio-temporal properties of this activity are not well characterized. This study utilized multisite local field potential (LFP) data recorded from PFC and PPC sites in two macaque monkeys trained to perform a rule-based, Oculomotor Delayed Match-to-Sample task. The animals were required to learn which of two rules determined the correct match (Location matching or Identity matching). Following a 500 ms fixation period, a sample stimulus was presented for 500 ms, followed by a randomized delay lasting 800-1200 ms in which no stimulus was present. At the end of the delay period, a match stimulus was presented, consisting of two of three possible objects presented at two of three possible locations. When the match stimulus appeared, the monkey made a saccadic eye movement to the target. The rule in effect determined which object served as the target. Time-frequency plots of three spectral measures (power, coherence, and Wiener Granger Causality (WGC) were computed from MultiVariate AutoRegressive LFP time-series models estimated in a 100-ms window that was slid across each of three analysis epochs (fixation, sample, and delay). Low (25- 55 Hz) and high gamma (65- 100 Hz) activity were investigated separately due to evidence that they may be functionally distinct. Within each epoch, recording sites in the PPC and PFC were classified into groups according to the similarity of their power t-f plots derived by a K-means clustering algorithm. From the power-based site groups, the corresponding coherence and WGC were analyzed. This classification procedure uncovered spatial, temporal, and frequency dynamics of FPN involvement in WM and other co-occurring processes, such as sensory and target related processes. These processes were distinguishable by rule and performance accuracy across all three spectral measures- power, coherence, and WGC. Location and Identity rule were distinguishable by the low and high-gamma range. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Deontic reasoning is a domain of reasoning concerning permissions, obligations, and prohibitions founded on conditional logic (Wason,1968). The inclusion of a social valence to deontic rules leads to increased rule violation identification in both adults (Cosmides & Tooby, 1992) and children (Harris & Nunez, 1996), suggesting an evolutionary advantage for a specific class of reasoning known as “cheater-detection” (Fiddick, 2004). The current investigation is the first attempt to understand the cognitive and social variables that account for children’s logical reasoning advantage in social violation situations. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:32:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiz Tabacow.pdf: 6880231 bytes, checksum: 11ca307dfa8194cf08fbe833157c9829 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-29 / This work , inserted in the Research line, University , Teaching and Teacher s Formation, consists of a study of theoretical production of teaching/learning researchers that reveal the role of the brain in the referred process. It arouse from the discussion raised by field studious and published in newspapers and magazines that the teaching / learning process in Brazil reveals itself as defective concerning the performance of Brazilian students in national and international tests. Taking into account the advance of the studies about the brain behavior, the goal of this paper is to search into the necessity of incorporating the studies related to the Cognitive Neuroscience to the educational field, in teaching and pedagogue formation courses as a contribution for the improvement of the learning process in basic education. For this were used recent research studies related to brain and cognitive mind processes considered or not in the context of initial or continued teachers formation. The methodological tragetory, given the investigative character of the subject , embraced a qualitative research in which six interviewees are professors with some kind of involvement in the Cognitive Neuroscience field. The analysis of the interviews brought contributions for a better understanding of the cognoscent subject in the process of knowledge construction, process which must also be considered by the formal education promoters / Este trabalho, inserido na linha de Pesquisa, Universidade, Doc?ncia e Forma??o de Professores, constitui-se num estudo de produ??o te?rica de pesquisadores de ensino/aprendizagem que relevam o papel do c?rebro no referido processo. Partiu-se da problem?tica levantada por estudiosos da ?rea, e publicada em jornais e revistas, de que o processo de ensino/aprendizagem, no Brasil, mostra-se deficiente, haja vista o desempenho de estudantes brasileiros em testes nacionais e internacionais. Considerando os avan?os sobre o funcionamento do c?rebro, o objetivo desse trabalho ? o de investigar a necessidade da incorpora??o de estudos relacionados ? Neuroci?ncia Cognitiva na ?rea educacional, em cursos de forma??o de professores e de pedagogos, como contribui??o para a melhoria do processo de aprendizagem na educa??o b?sica. Para tal, fez-se uso de estudos de pesquisas recentes relacionadas a processos cerebrais e cognitivos da mente considerados ou n?o no contexto da forma??o inicial ou continuada de professores. A trajet?ria metodol?gica, dado o car?ter investigativo do assunto, abarcou uma pesquisa qualitativa em que os seis entrevistados s?o professores universit?rios com algum envolvimento em estudos no campo da Neuroci?ncia Cognitiva. A an?lise das entrevistas trouxe contribui??es para que se entenda melhor o sujeito cognoscente em seu processo de constru??o do conhecimento, processo esse que deve tamb?m ser considerado pelos promotores da educa??o formal

Producing speech is a highly complex task, involving the integration of sensory and linguistic information, with the precise, high-speed, co-ordination of muscles controlling breathing and the movement of the vocal folds and articulators. In spite of this complexity, producing fluent speech - moving smoothly from one speech sound to the next - can appear effortless. Speech fluency is highly socially valued, and the personal and societal costs of living with a disorder of fluency, such as developmental stuttering, are considerable. The outcomes of behavioural therapies to increase fluency are limited, however, especially for those seeking treatment in adulthood. The overarching aim of this thesis was to investigate how anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (A-TDCS) can be used to increase speech fluency, with a particular focus on the potential application to developmental stuttering. A-TDCS is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that can enhance the effects of motor, speech, and language training. First, in a series of single-session experiments in typically fluent speakers, I demonstrated that applying A-TDCS over the left IFC increased speech motor learning relative to a sham control, but did not improve consolidation of this learning (chapter 2). Furthermore, I found that neither increasing stimulation intensity from 1 mA to 2 mA, nor changing from a unihemispheric to a bihemispheric configuration, had an additional effect on learning. Next, in single-session study with adults who stutter, I assessed the feasibility of using A-TDCS to improve fluency (chapter 3). Fluency was temporarily induced, by speaking in unison with another person, but the concurrent application of 1-mA unihemispheric A-TDCS over left inferior frontal cortex did not significantly prolong this fluency. Nevertheless, a trend towards stuttering reduction gave some indication that fluency might be increased using a multiple-session approach. Furthermore, I gained a number of important insights from these single-session studies, which I used to inform the design of the final multiple-session trial. In this final study, I completed a randomised controlled trial in 30 adult males with moderate to severe stuttering. Participants were randomized to receive either 1-mA A-TDCS or sham stimulation over left inferior frontal cortex combined with temporary fluency inducing behavioural techniques, for 20 minutes a day over 5 days (chapter 4). A-TDCS significantly reduced disfluency for at least 5 weeks following this intervention. The effect was specific to the speech impairment of development stuttering, as measures of the psycho-social consequences of stuttering were not modulated by A-TDCS. The findings of these studies offer significant promise for the future application of non-invasive stimulation as an adjunctive therapy for adults who stutter. In the concluding chapter, I discuss the important implications of my findings for the future use of this technique.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder generally affecting people above the age of 65 years. Even though the pathophysiological hallmarks of AD were established more than a hundred years ago, there is yet to be a drug that can stop its characteristic neuronal damage. Of the five currently FDA-approved drugs, galantamine has a unique mechanism of action. Apart from being an AChE inhibitor, galantamine can effectively potentiate (positive allosteric modulator) the effect of agonists at nAChRs at concentrations lower than those required for its action as an AChE inhibitor. Perhaps the clinical benefits observed with galantamine are associated mainly with its nAChRs-PAM action and not its AChE inhibitory effect. Inhibiting AChE causes a delay in the degradation of ACh and a prolonged presence of ACh might act at either nAChRs or mAChRs. By indirectly targeting mAChRs as well, AChE inhibitors may lead to potential side effects. Hence there is a need for specific nAChR agents. The aim of this study was to identify the structural features of galantamine that contribute solely towards its a7 nAChR-PAM effect. In doing so, we wish to divorce the structural features that might be important for interacting with AChE. Using the deconstruction approach, we have synthesized structurally abbreviated analogs of galantamine. To study the probable interactions, we docked these molecules in human a7 nAChR homology models. Ultimately, it is of interest to determine which analogs retain the PAM activity of galantamine and to address that, a preliminary screening was performed with a select few analogs using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique

Research shows that emotional items are associated with enhanced processing and memory. However, emotional memories are composed of not only memory for the specific emotion-eliciting item, but also other items associated with it, as well as memory for how these items are related. The current thesis utilized verbal report, eye movement monitoring and magnetoencephalography in order to examine how emotions may influence online processing and memory for associated information. It was found that while emotions influenced attention to both the emotion-eliciting item and associated information during the encoding stage, this was not related to subsequent memory performance as indexed by verbal report. It was also found that while emotions impaired detailed memory for associated information, it did not affect the ease or speed at which those memories could be accessed. In using MEG, it was found that emotions may modulate not only how participants’ view associated information, but it may also modulate the type of representation formed. Together, findings from the current work suggests that: (1) emotions influence online processing and memory for associated information; (2) emotions modulate memory for associated information via routes other than overt attention; (3) encoding and retrieval may occur in stages; and (4) memory exerts early influences on processing. The current work shows that emotions modulate online processing of associated neutral information in a top-down manner, independent of differences in its physical properties. Work from this thesis encourages a reconceptualization of emotion, memory and perception and how they relate to one and another. Rather than viewing them as independent modular processes, they may, in fact, be more widely distributed in the brain and interact more closely than previously described. This may be evolutionarily adaptive allowing us to quickly and efficiently form memories for emotional events/scenes that can later guide perception and behaviour.

Research shows that emotional items are associated with enhanced processing and memory. However, emotional memories are composed of not only memory for the specific emotion-eliciting item, but also other items associated with it, as well as memory for how these items are related. The current thesis utilized verbal report, eye movement monitoring and magnetoencephalography in order to examine how emotions may influence online processing and memory for associated information. It was found that while emotions influenced attention to both the emotion-eliciting item and associated information during the encoding stage, this was not related to subsequent memory performance as indexed by verbal report. It was also found that while emotions impaired detailed memory for associated information, it did not affect the ease or speed at which those memories could be accessed. In using MEG, it was found that emotions may modulate not only how participants’ view associated information, but it may also modulate the type of representation formed. Together, findings from the current work suggests that: (1) emotions influence online processing and memory for associated information; (2) emotions modulate memory for associated information via routes other than overt attention; (3) encoding and retrieval may occur in stages; and (4) memory exerts early influences on processing. The current work shows that emotions modulate online processing of associated neutral information in a top-down manner, independent of differences in its physical properties. Work from this thesis encourages a reconceptualization of emotion, memory and perception and how they relate to one and another. Rather than viewing them as independent modular processes, they may, in fact, be more widely distributed in the brain and interact more closely than previously described. This may be evolutionarily adaptive allowing us to quickly and efficiently form memories for emotional events/scenes that can later guide perception and behaviour.

Neuroeconomics is an interdisciplinary research program with the goal of building a biological model of decision making in economic environments. Neuroeconomists ask, how does the embodied brain enable the mind (or groups of minds) to make economic decisions? By combining techniques from cognitive neuroscience and experimental economics we can now watch neural activity in real time, observe how this activity depends on the economic environment, and test hypotheses about how the emergent mind makes economic decisions. Neuroeconomics allows us to better understand both the wide range of heterogeneity in human behavior, and the role of institutions as ordered extensions of our minds. The brain is the most amazing complex organ in known universe.The brain is a organ with most amazingly magic infinite potential. Neuroplasticity: Transforming the Mind by Changing the Brain.Neuroplasticity refers to structural and functional changes in the brain that are brought about by training and experience. The brain is the organ that is designed to change in response to experience.The decision theories can be categorized into three paradigms:the normative,descriptive and prescriptive theories.The decision processing have four steps:accumulation of sensory evidence,integration of sensory signals with reward expectation and prior knowledge,comparision of current reward expectation with that in prior experience,and the selection of behavioral response.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur några lärare i grundsärskolan arbetar med läsinlärning vad gäller elever med utvecklingsstörning. Studien redogör för deras arbete med läsinlärningsmetoder, läromedel, individanpassning, pedagogiska hjälpmedel samt vilka hinder och möjligheter som uppstår. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är det sociokulturella perspektivet och vilken ses som en övergripande teori för lärande och utveckling. I studien används kvalitativ undersökningsmetod där materialet samlades in med hjälp av intervjuer. Det insamlade materialet analyserades och tolkades utifrån en hermeneutisk ansats. Resultatet visar att läsundervisningen har stor betydelse för elevernas utveckling och möjlighet till delaktighet i samhället. Elevernas läsning sågs som en mycket viktig förmåga att utveckla och som kräver erfarenhet och kunskap. Det blev tydligt när läromedel som finns att tillgå många gånger inte uppfyller elevens behov. Individanpassningen av läsinlärningen kan på så sätt försvåras eftersom läromedel inte är utformade på lämpligt sätt. Eleverna på grundsärskolan behöver konkret material och som pedagogiska hjälpmedel sågs de digitala verktygen som en tillgång i lärsituationer. / The aim of this study is to investigate how some teachers work with learning to read in the compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities. The study describes how they work with methods for reading, educational resources, individual study plans, pedagogical aids and impediments and possibilities that arise. The study’s theoretical basis is the sociocultural perspective which is considered as an wholistic approach to learning and development. The study has a qualitative research and the data is based on interiews. The colleced data is analysed from a hermeneutic approach. The result shows that reading instruction is of great importance for students’ development and opportunities for participation in society. Students’ reading was seen as a very important ability to develop, and that requires experience and knowledge. This became clear when teaching materials which are available but many times do not meet students’ needs. Individual adaptation of learning to read can thus be difficult because teaching material is not formed appropriately. Students in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities require specific materials and digital tools were seen as assets as teaching aids in learning situations.

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