Influence of Cognitive Functioning on Age-Related Performance Declines in Visuospatial Sequence Learning.

Front Psychol

Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, HobartTAS, Australia.

Published: June 2017


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate how age-related performance differences in a visuospatial sequence learning task relate to age-related declines in cognitive functioning. Cognitive functioning of 18 younger and 18 older participants was assessed using a standardized test battery. Participants then undertook a perceptual visuospatial sequence learning task. Various relationships between sequence learning and participants' cognitive functioning were examined through correlation and factor analysis. Older participants exhibited significantly lower performance than their younger counterparts in the sequence learning task as well as in multiple cognitive functions. Factor analysis revealed two independent subsets of cognitive functions associated with performance in the sequence learning task, related to either the processing and storage of sequence information (first subset) or problem solving (second subset). Age-related declines were only found for the first subset of cognitive functions, which also explained a significant degree of the performance differences in the sequence learning task between age-groups. The results suggest that age-related performance differences in perceptual visuospatial sequence learning can be explained by declines in the ability to process and store sequence information in older adults, while a set of cognitive functions related to problem solving mediates performance differences independent of age.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5454048PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00919DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

sequence learning
32
learning task
20
cognitive functioning
16
visuospatial sequence
16
performance differences
16
cognitive functions
16
age-related performance
12
sequence
10
learning
8
age-related declines
8

Similar Publications

Despite advances in genomic diagnostics, the majority of individuals with rare diseases remain without a confirmed genetic diagnosis. The rapid emergence of advanced omics technologies, such as long-read genome sequencing, optical genome mapping and multiomic profiling, has improved diagnostic yield but also substantially increased analytical and interpretational complexity. Addressing this complexity requires systematic multidisciplinary collaboration, as recently demonstrated by targeted diagnostic workshops.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

CETN3 deficiency induces microcephaly by disrupting neural stem/progenitor cell fate through impaired centrosome assembly and RNA splicing.

EMBO Mol Med

September 2025

Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Li

Primary microcephaly, a rare congenital condition characterized by reduced brain size, occurs due to impaired neurogenesis during brain development. Through whole-exome sequencing, we identified compound heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in CENTRIN 3 (CETN3) in a 5-year-old patient with primary microcephaly. As CETN3 has not been previously linked to microcephaly, we investigated its potential function in neurodevelopment in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cerebral organoids.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease with diverse outcomes, and intra-tumoral heterogeneity plays a significant role in both diagnosis and treatment. Despite its importance, the spatial distribution of intra-tumoral heterogeneity is not fully elucidated. Spatial transcriptomics has emerged as a promising tool to study the molecular mechanisms behind many diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Early detection of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+OPSCC), the most common HPV cancer in the United States, could reduce disease-related morbidity and mortality, yet currently, there are no early detection tests. Circulating tumor HPV DNA (ctHPVDNA) is a sensitive and specific biomarker for HPV+OPSCC at diagnosis. It is unknown if ctHPVDNA is detectable prior to diagnosis, and thus it's potential as an early detection test.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding the structural and functional diversity of toxin proteins is critical for elucidating macromolecular behavior, mechanistic variability, and structure-driven bioactivity. Traditional approaches have primarily focused on binary toxicity prediction, offering limited resolution into distinct modes of action of toxins. Here, we present MultiTox, an ensemble stacking framework for the classification of toxin proteins based on their molecular mode of action: neurotoxins, cytotoxins, hemotoxins, and enterotoxins.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF