Working memory (WM) is a well-studied cognitive function, being responsible for temporarily storing information while processing relevant external stimuli. It plays a crucial role in the human ability to perform short term cognitive tasks successfully. WM can be impacted by distractions from the environment, making it harder for tasks to be carried out successfully. Further, brain trauma and injury has been shown to impair WM, an important factor to consider when creating rehabilitation for patients that have undergone such injuries. Considering these factors together can provide for a deeper understanding of how WM functions, and the issues that can arise as a result of its dysfunction.
Regarding the impact of external stimuli on the function of WM, in their study, “Controlling the Flow of Distracting Information in Working Memory,” Edward Vogel and colleagues test whether the type of stimuli itself has an impact on its functionality. The researchers were interested in determining whether relevant or irrelevant distractor stimuli would lead to differential impairment of WM. In order to test this, participants were presented with a set of shapes that they were asked to remember, and then presented with another set of “distractor” shapes. In half of the trials, participants were asked to identify the shape of the distractor (relevant stimuli). In these trials, participants were less successful at recalling the initial stimuli than in the irrelevant distractor conditions. These results implied to the researchers that participants likely coded “task relevant” distractors into WM, whereas “task irrelevant” distractors were not coded, WM being impaired more when the distractors were encoded.
Other literature, such as the piece titled “Association between working memory impairment and activities of daily living in post-stroke patients,” by Fasihah Irfani Fitri et al. focuses more on the implications of impaired working memory. Strokes are one of the most common causes of death and inability in adults, often resulting in both physical and cognitive impairments. In this study, researchers wanted to determine the specific impact that impaired WM has on the activities of daily living (ADL) of individuals who have experienced a stroke. In order to do so, researchers asked a group of stroke patients who had been impacted to varying degrees to undergo a mini mental state examination (MMSE), as well as a digit span test. These are memory tasks that are often used to test the cognitive ability (specifically WM) of an individual. Researchers found that individuals who performed better on the cognitive tasks were also more successful at their ADL, implying that WM has a profound effect on not only cognitive, but physical ability as well. Understanding the way that WM is impacted by stroke and how this impact can impair other bodily functions may lead to improved understandings of how stroke patients should be most successfully rehabilitated.
Overall, by understanding the way that outside stimuli and distractors are able to affect WM, we are able to gain a better understanding of how it functions. More specifically, Vogel et al. provide examples of what might impair its function, which is applicable to the findings of Fitri et al. Since it is known that WM is impaired due to stroke, understanding more deeply how it functions normally and what may make it less efficient could allow for more efficient rehabilitation of WM in stroke patients. This, in turn, could improve their long term prognosis and ADL.
References
Fitri, F. I., Fithrie, A., Rambe, A. S. (2020) Association between working memory impairment and activities of daily living in post-stroke patients. Med Glas (Zenica), Volume 17, No 2.
Hakim, N., Tobias, FW., Awh, E., Vogel, E. (2021) Controlling the Flow of Distracting Information in Working Memory. Cerebral Cortex, Volume 31, issue 7.
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