M.A. / The study investigated the effects of cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction on long-term memory function. Given that anoxia has more serious neuropsychological ramifications than hypoxia, it was hypothesized that the cardiac arrest group would perform poorer than the myocardial infarction group in visuo-spatial and auditory-verbal recall and recognition memory. When brain insult prevails, affective changes may occur and may reflect the trauma related to the illness and partly to the cognitive dysfunction. Thus it was hypothesized that the Beck Depression Inventory scores would be significantly elevated in the cardiac arrest group. Each group consisted of 15 participants. The mean age for the cardiac arrest group and myocardial infarction group was 59.47 years (SD = 9.24) and 58.87 years (SD = 7.22), respectively. Sex, age, education, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking were controlled. However, the analysis did not reveal any significant between-group differences. There was no significant difference on the BDI, and both groups were moderately depressed, the cardiac arrest (BDI: mean score = 17.07, SD = 16.97) and myocardial infarction (BDI: mean score = 18.33, SD = 18.35). The researchers acknowledged the potential effects that beta-adrenoceptor antagonists and diuretics, and angiotensin-converting enzyme have on memory and cognitive performance, respectively. However, the analysis did not reveal a significant between-group difference for these variables. The neuropsychological test battery comprised: Rey-Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure Test (ROCFT), Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test (WAIS) Symbol Search and Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices, and the Oral Word Controlled Test (FAS). The memory function of the cardiac arrest group was characterized by deficits in visuo-spatial and auditory-verbal recall and recognition memory. In addition, the retention intervals were not mediating factors. This group was also impaired in visuo-spatial perception, constructional and organizational ability, and psychomotor speed. The impairment that characterized the myocardial infarction group converged on all auditory-verbal attentional tasks, indicating that this group has a selective impairment in auditory-verbal attention. Moreover, both groups exhibited equal levels of impairment in orientation, and uniform performance in executive function and verbal fluency. The memory function after cardiac arrest is characterized by deficits in visuo-spatial and auditory-verbal deficits in recall and recognition memory as well as impairment in visual perception, constructional ability, and psychomotor speed. By contrast, myocardial infarction patients are specifically impaired in auditory-verbal attention.

This study explored the reasoning process of interpreters during the process of early recollection (ER) interpretation, and in the identification of central life style theme using Mosak's typology system (1971). ERs from ten subjects were collected using a guestionnaire format and distributed to six interpreters. Three interpreters were experienced in ER interpretation and three received two hours of training in ER interpretation prior to the study. All interpreters were requested to record their impressions and thoughts during the interpretive process on audio tape for later analysis, and to assign a primary and secondary life style theme to each subject using Mosak's typologies. The results of this study provided information about the cues found in ERs that seem to guide interpreters, the effect of interpreter style on the final outcome, and the reliability of inter-judge agreement on life style theme from ER interpretation. The results showed that training in ER interpretation immediately provided the trainees with an ability to identify the perceptual schema of the subjects but it did not give them the same skill possessed by the experienced clinicians in metaphor analysis or an understanding of Mosak's typology system. Similarities and differences between the experienced clinicians and the trainees were analyzed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This thesis investigated the nature of the deficit in story recall associated with temporal-lobe damage in the left hemisphere dominant for speech. The first three experiments examined whether excision of this region (1) slows the rate at which verbal material is processed, (2) reduces working-memory capacity, or (3) interferes with the integration of information across sentences. Left temporal lobectomy does not impair these aspects of the initial processing of stories, since on none of the above variables was the performance of left temporal-lobe groups deficient relative to that of normal control subjects, or patients with unilateral frontal- or right temporal-lobe removals. The fourth experiment examined the effect of left temporal lobectomy on how quickly a passage was forgotten after it had been learned to criterion. Although patients with such an excision took more trials to learn a story than did normal control subjects, only those patients with extensive left hippocampal removal were impaired when recalling this story 20 minutes later. These results highlight the role of the left hippocampus in the long-term maintenance of story information.

No description available.

The purpose of this research is to develop and empirically test a conceptual framework for examining the effects of advertising exposure on consumer memory so as to better understand the information processing of advertisements. Patterns and levels of performance on various tests of memory for different advertisement components are interpreted within the framework of a memory model adapted from the well-known SAM model in psychology. Predictions are made regarding the effects on recall, recognition, and indirect test performance of an ad's execution strength and relevance to the main message elements, and elaboration (semantic versus nondirected). The general diagnostic procedures are illustrated in a study of humor in advertising. Subjects viewed print ads with variations in the humorous execution's strength and relevance to the brand claims either without explicit instructions to elaborate or with a task requiring semantic elaboration of the links between the humor and the brand claims. Subsequently they completed a (direct) recognition or recall task, or an indirect test of memory for various ad components. The results, though not entirely systematic, show that memory for the brand name and brand claim components vary as a function of stimulus characteristics and the processing operations at encoding. Second, the findings show that the ad components may facilitate or interfere with each other. High levels of attention to one ad component may lead to lower memory performance on other components. Third, this research shows how a theory-based set of comparisons of memory test performance may be used to identify the locus of effects, viz., at encoding or at retrieval. Memory failures due to lack of encoding attention to the ad are distinguished from the inability to retrieve the encoded information later. Finally, the study demonstrates the use of indirect tasks in testing advertising effects that implicate implicit retrieval processes from memory. The patterns of parallel versus dissociated performance on traditional direct versus indirect tests offer insights into various types of advertising effects on memory. The academic and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.

Small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels are found ubiquitously throughout the brain and modulate the encoding of learning and memory. Systemic injection of 1-ethyl-2-benzimidalzolinoe (EBIO), a SK channel activator, impairs the encoding of novel object memory and locomotion but spares fear memory encoding in C57BL/6NHsd mice. The memory impairments discovered were not due to non-cognitive performance confounds such as ataxia, anxiety, attention or analgesia. Further investigation with intra-hippocampal application of EBIO revealed SK channels in dorsal CA1 contribute to the encoding deficits seen systemically, but do not account for the full extent of the impairment. Concentrated activation of dorsal CA1 SK channels do not influence fear memory encoding or locomotor impairments. Taken together, these data indicate SK channels, especially in the dorsal hippocampus, have a modulatory role on novel object memory encoding, but not retrieval; however, pharmacological activation of hippocampal SK channels does not appear to influence fear memory encoding. / by Kyle A. Vick, IV. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Male C7BL/6J mice were implanted with bilateral dorsal CA1 guide cannulae. After confirming that intrahippocampal microinfusion of muscimol impaired hippocampal function, demonstrated by impaired performance in the Morris water maze, the influence of intrahippocampal muscimol was tested in the Novel Object Recognition paradigm. During a test session 24 h after the last habituation/sample session, mice were presented with one familiar object and one novel object. Successful retention of object memory was inferred if mice spent more time exploring the novel object than the familiar object. Results demonstrate that muscimol infused into dorsal CA1 region prior to the test session eliminates novel object preference, indicating that the hippocampus is necessary for the retrieval of this non-spatial memory - a topic that has garnered much debate. Understanding the similarities between rodent and human hippocampal function could enable future animal studies to effectively answer questions about diseases and disorders affecting human learning and memory. / by Lisa Rios. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This experiment investigated an individual's memory of specific motion events, unique actor, intrinsic motion, and extrinsic motion combination. Intrinsic motions involve the movement of an individual's body parts in a specific manner to move around, while extrinsic motions specify a path in reference to an external object. Participants viewed video clips, each depicting an actor performing a unique extrinsic and intrinsic motion combination. One week later, they viewed a different series of retrieval video clips consisting of old (identical to encoding), extrinsic conjunction (extrinsic motion previously performed by different actor), intrinsic conjunction (intrinsic motion previously performed by different actor), and new (novel extrinsic or intrinsic motion) video clips. Participants responded "yes" to viewing the old video clips the most often, followed by conjunction video clips, and then new video clips. Furthermore, there were a greater number of "yes" event memory recognition responses for extrinsic conjunction items than intrinsic conjunction items. / by Johanna D. Berger. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels have been shown to alter the encoding of spatial and non-spatial memory in the hippocampus by shaping glutamatergic postsynaptic potentials and modulating NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity. When activated, dendritic SK channels reduce hippocampal neuronal excitability and LTP. Similar SK channel properties have been demonstrated in lateral amygdala (LA) pyramidal neurons. Additionally, induction of synaptic plasticity and beta-adrenoreceptor activation in LA pyramidal neurons causes PKA-mediated internalization of SK channels from the postsynaptic density. Chronic activation of the amygdala through repetitive stressful stimuli can lead to excitatory synaptic strengthening that may create permanent hyper-excitability in its circuitry. This mechanism may contribute to a number of mood and anxiety disorders. The selective influence of SK channels in the LA on anxiety and fear conditioning are not known. The thesis project outlined herein examined whether SK channel blockade by bee venom peptide, apamin, during a repetitive acute fear conditioning paradigm was sufficient to alter fear memory encoding and the resulting behavioral outcome. Following the final fear memory test session, mice were tested in the open field immediately after the second fear conditioning test session. The findings indicate that intracranial LA microinfusions of apamin did not affect memory encoding or subsequent anxiety. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of the current thesis was twofold: (1) to examine various factors that might be contributing to age-related learning and memory deficits specifically related to the hippocampus, and (2) to validate our rat model of aging, employing a multilevel analysis. We found age-related deficits on both spatial and non-spatial hippocampus-dependent taks that were accompanied by structural alterations observed in vivo (volune, but not neuronal metabolic function) and post mortem (neuronal density and neurogenesis, but not synaptic or mitochondrial density). Furthermore, our results suggest that the observed hippocampal structural changes, named decreased volume and neurogenesis, predict learning and memory deficits, and both can be accounted for by neurogenic reduction. In addition, the above-mentioned pattern of age-related deficits closely resembles that seen in humans, suggesting the present rat version of aging to be a very useful model for investigating hippocampal aging in humans. / iii, 236 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm.