Poster No:
866
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Amaya Fox1, Natasha Matthews1, Zeguo Qiu2, Hannah Filmer1, Paul Dux1
Institutions:
1The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 2University College London, London, Greater London
First Author:
Amaya Fox
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Queensland
Co-Author(s):
Zeguo Qiu
University College London
London, Greater London
Paul Dux
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Queensland
Introduction:
Working memory, a critical executive function, may be particularly vulnerable to the lasting effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but the precise nature of this impact is unclear. Previous evidence suggests that verbal working memory is diminished following injury, yet there are conflicting findings regarding whether a history of mTBI influences performance on tasks taxing visual working memory capacity.
Methods:
To further elucidate the impact of mTBI history on the different components of working memory, the current study utilised both behavioural and electrophysiological measures. Participants with a history of mTBI (n = 20) and control participants (n = 38) completed a working memory battery including verbal (operation span) and visuospatial (symmetry span) complex span tasks, which involve dual-task storage and processing demands, as well as a visual arrays task assessing visual working memory capacity. In addition, the neural indices of visual working memory capacity were explored using event-related potentials (ERPs) during a change detection paradigm.
Results:
Participants with mTBI history showed poorer verbal working memory performance under the dual-task demands of the operation span task compared to control participants (BF10 = 28.784; indicating strong evidence). However, there was evidence against group differences in visuospatial working memory on the dual-task symmetry span task (BF10 = 0.292) and visual working memory capacity on the visual arrays (BF10 = 0.341) and change detection tasks (BFincl = 0.252). Further, ERP data also revealed evidence against group differences in early sensory processing (P1, N1) and visual working memory maintenance (negative slow wave; all BFincl < 0.647).
Conclusions:
Together, these findings suggest a lasting, isolated disruption in the verbal storage component of working memory after mTBI, while executive (dual-task) and visual working memory processes appear to remain intact. This highlights a possible selective vulnerability of verbal working memory to mTBI and the need for further research to explore the mechanisms underlying lasting difficulties in this domain.
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making 2
Learning and Memory:
Working Memory 1
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
EEG/MEG Modeling and Analysis
Keywords:
Electroencephaolography (EEG)
Memory
Other - Traumatic Brain Injury; Working Memory; Event-Related Potential (ERP)
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.
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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
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Was this research conducted in the United States?
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Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel?
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Please indicate which methods were used in your research:
EEG/ERP
Behavior
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