Biology subjects

Meyer, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Meyer, M..

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Selective Attention Modulates Neural Envelope Tracking of Informationally Masked Speech in Healthy Older Adults

Speech understanding in noisy situations is compromised in old age. This study investigated the energetic and informational masking components of multi-talker babble noise and their influence on neural tracking of the speech envelope in a sample of healthy older adults. Twenty-three older adults (age range 65 - 80 years) listened to an audiobook embedded in noise while their electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Energetic masking was manipulated by varying the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between target speech and background talkers and informational masking was manipulated by varying the number of background talkers. Neural envelope tracking was measured by calculating temporal response functions (TRFs) between speech envelope and EEG. Number of background talkers, but not SNR modulated the amplitude of an earlier (around 50 ms time lag) and a later (around 300 ms time lag) peak in the TRFs. Selective attention, but not working memory or peripheral hearing additionally modulated the amplitude of the later TRF peak. Finally, amplitude of the later TRF peak was positively related to accuracy in the comprehension task. The results suggest that stronger envelope tracking is beneficial for speech-in-noise understanding and that selective attention is an important ability supporting speech-in-noise understanding in multi-talker scenes.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

EEG Resting-State and Event-Related Potentials as Markers of Learning Success in Older Adults Following Second Language Training: A Pilot Study

In this pilot study, we evaluated the use of electrophysiological measures at rest as paradigm-independent predictors of L2 development for the first time in older adult learners. We then assessed EEG correlates of the learning outcome in a language-switching paradigm after the training, which to date has only been done in younger adults and at intermediate to advanced L2 proficiency. Ten (Swiss) German-speaking adults between 65-74 years of age participated in an intensive three-weeks English training for beginners. A resting-state EEG was recorded before the training to predict the ensuing L2 development (Experiment 1). A language-switching ERP experiment was conducted after the training to assess the learning outcome (Experiment 2). All participants improved their L2 skills but differed noticeably in their individual development. Experiment 1 showed that beta1 oscillations at rest (13-14.5Hz) predicted these individual differences. We interpret resting-state beta1 oscillations as correlates of attentional capacities and semantic working memory that facilitate the extraction and processing of novel forms and meanings from the L2 input. In Experiment 2, we found that language-switching from the L2 into the native language (L1) elicited an N400 component, which was reduced in the more advanced learners. Thus, for learners beginning the acquisition of an L2 in third age, language switching appears to become less effortful with increasing proficiency, suggesting that the lexicons of the L1 and L2 become more closely linked. In sum, our findings indicate that individual differences in L2 development and proficiency in older adults operate through similar electrophysiological mechanisms as those observed in younger adults.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Regular caffeine intake attenuates REM sleep promotion and sleep quality in healthy men

Acute caffeine intake can attenuate homeostatic sleep pressure and worsen sleep quality. Besides, caffeine intake - particularly in high doses and close to bedtime - may also affect circadian-regulated REM sleep promotion, an important determinant of subjective sleep quality. However, it is not known whether such changes persist under chronic caffeine consumption during daytime. Twenty male caffeine consumers (26.4 {+/-} 4 years old, habitual caffeine intake 478.1 {+/-} 102.8 mg/day) participated in a double-blind crossover study. Each volunteer completed a caffeine (3 x 150 mg caffeine daily), a withdrawal (3 x 150 mg caffeine for eight days then placebo), and a placebo condition. After ten days of controlled intake and a fixed sleep-wake cycle, we recorded 8 h of electroencephalography starting 5 h after habitual bedtime (i.e., start on average at 04:22 am which is around the peak of circadian REM sleep promotion). A 60 min evening nap preceded each sleep episode and reduced high sleep pressure levels. While total sleep time and sleep architecture did not significantly differ between the three conditions, REM latency was longer after daily caffeine intake compared to both placebo and withdrawal. Moreover, the accumulation of REM sleep proportion was slower, and volunteers reported more difficulties at awakening after sleep and feeling more tired upon wake-up in the caffeine condition compared to placebo. Our data indicate that besides acute also regular daytime caffeine intake affects REM sleep regulation in men. We have evidence that regular caffeine intake during daytime weakens circadian sleep promotion when compared to placebo. Moreover, the observed caffeine-induced deterioration in the quality of awakening may suggest a potential motive to reinstate caffeine intake after sleep.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Interacting effects of frontal lobe neuroanatomy and working memory capacity to older listeners' speech recognition in noise

Many older adults are struggling with understanding spoken language, particularly when background noise interferes with comprehension. In the present study, we investigated a potential interaction between two well-known factors associated with greater speech-in-noise (SiN) reception thresholds in older adults, namely a) lower working memory capacity and b) age-related structural decline of frontal lobe regions. In a sample of older adults (N=25) and younger controls (N=13) with normal pure-tone thresholds, SiN reception thresholds and working memory capacity were assessed. Furthermore, T1-weighted structural MR-images were recorded to analyze neuroanatomical traits (i.e., cortical thickness (CT) and cortical surface area (CSA)) of the cortex. As expected, the older group showed greater SiN reception thresholds compared to the younger group. We also found consistent age-related atrophy (i.e., lower CT) in brain regions associated with SiN recognition namely the superior temporal lobe bilaterally, the right inferior frontal and precentral gyrus, as well as the left superior frontal gyrus. Those older participants with greater atrophy in these brain regions also showed greater SiN reception thresholds. Interestingly, the association between CT in the left superior frontal gyrus and SiN reception thresholds was moderated by individual working memory capacity. Older adults with greater working memory capacity benefitted more strongly from thicker frontal lobe regions when it comes to improve SiN recognition. Overall, our results fit well into the literature showing that age-related structural decline in auditory- and cognition-related brain areas is associated with greater SiN reception thresholds in older adults. However, we highlight that this association changes as a function of individual working memory capacity. We therefore believe that future interventions to improve SiN recognition in older adults should take into account the role of the frontal lobe as well as individual working memory capacity. HighlightsO_LISpeech-in-noise (SiN) reception thresholds are significantly increased with higher age, independently of pure-tone hearing loss C_LIO_LIGreater SiN reception thresholds are associated with cortical thinning in several auditory-, linguistic-, and cognitive-related brain areas, irrespective of pure-tone hearing loss C_LIO_LIGreater cortical thinning in the left superior frontal lobe is detrimental for SiN recognition in older, but not younger adults C_LIO_LIOlder adults with greater working memory capacity benefit more strongly from structural integrity of left superior frontal lobe for SiN recognition C_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Investigation of anti-IgLON5-induced neurodegenerative changes in human neurons

Anti-IgLON5 disease is a progressive neurological disorder, associated with autoantibodies against a neuronal cell adhesion molecule, IgLON5. In human post-mortem brain tissue neurodegeneration and accumulation of phosphorylated-Tau is found. Whether IgLON5 antibodies induce neurodegeneration or neurodegeneration provokes an immune response remains to be elucidated. To clarify this, we exposed human stem cell derived neurons to patient anti-IgLON5 antibodies. Human neural stem cells were differentiated for 14-48 days, and exposed from day 9-14, or day 13-48 to either 1) IgG from a patient with confirmed anti-IgLON5 antibodies; 2) IgG from a healthy person or left untreated. Electrical neuronal activity was quantified using a multi electrode array. Cultures were immunostained for {beta}-tubulin III, phosphorylated-Tau and counterstained with DAPI. Other cultures were immunostained for synaptic proteins PSD95 and synaptophysin. Lactate dehydrogenase release and nuclei morphology analyses were performed to assess cell viability. Spike rates and quantity of synaptic clusters were significantly reduced in anti-IgLON5 exposed cultures, and the proportion of cells with degenerative appearance was significantly higher for the anti-IgLON5 IgG group. Furthermore, the content of cells displaying accumulation of phosphorylated-Tau was higher for anti-IgLON5 exposed cultures. After five weeks, cultures exposed to anti-IgLON5 IgG contained significantly more dying cells. In conclusion, exposure of human neurons to pathological anti-IgLON5 antibodies cause functional impairment, synaptic and neurodegenerative changes, ultimately leading to cell death. This supports autoantibodies as a causative factor responsible for the neurodegenerative changes seen in patients with anti-IgLON5 disease and mimics pathological observations.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Chronic oxytocin-driven alternative splicing of CRFR2α induces anxiety

Recently, oxytocin (OXT) has generated considerable interest as potential treatment for psychiatric disorders, including general anxiety disorder or autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, knowledge on the involved molecular processes downstream of OXT receptor (OXTR) activation is indispensable. We reveal that alternative splicing of corticotropin releasing factor receptor 2 (CRFR2) parallels increased anxiety-like behavior following chronic OXT treatment, contrasting the well-known anxiolysis of acute OXT. In detail, chronic OXT shifts the splicing ratio between membrane-bound (mCRFR2) and soluble CRFR2 (sCRFR2) in favor of the latter via ERK1/2-MEF2A signaling. Targeted manipulations of Crfr2 splicing mimic the effect of chronic OXT, confirming its role in the regulation of anxiety-like behavior. Furthermore, chronic OXT triggers cytoplasmic distribution and extracellular release of sCRFR2 into the cerebrospinal fluid, with sCRFR2 levels positively correlating with anxiety-like behavior. Concluding, the dichotomy between anxiolytic mCRFR2 and anxiogenic sCRFR2 is the basis for the deleterious effects of chronic OXT on anxiety. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/255844v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (51K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b50691org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1c22efborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@19a772eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@69af7_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2020

Individual Differences in Peripheral Hearing and Cognition Reveal Sentence Processing Differences in Healthy Older Adults

When viewed cross-sectionally, aging seems to negatively affect speech comprehension. However, aging is a heterogeneous process, and variability among older adults is typically large. In this study, we investigated language comprehension as a function of individual differences in older adults. Specifically, we tested whether hearing thresholds, working memory, inhibition, and individual alpha frequency would predict event-related potential amplitudes in response to classic psycholinguistic manipulations at the sentence level. Twenty-nine healthy older adults (age range 61-76 years) listened to English sentences containing reduced relative clauses and object-relative clauses while their electroencephalogram was recorded. We found that hearing thresholds and working memory predicted P600 amplitudes early during reduced relative clause processing, while individual alpha frequency predicted P600 amplitudes at a later point in time. The results suggest that participants with better hearing and larger working memory capacity simultaneously activated both the preferred and the dispreferred interpretation of reduced relative clauses, while participants with worse hearing and smaller working memory capacity only activated the preferred interpretation. They also suggest that participants with a higher individual alpha frequency had a higher likelihood of successfully reanalysing the sentence towards the reduced relative clause reading than participants with a lower individual alpha frequency. By contrast, we found no relationship between object-relative clause processing and working memory or hearing thresholds. Taken together, the results support the view that older adults employ different strategies during auditory sentence processing dependent on their hearing and cognitive abilities and that there is no single ability that uniformly predicts sentence processing outcomes.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Denisovan ancestry and population history of early East Asians

We present analyses of the genome of a ~34,000-year-old hominin skull cap discovered in the Salkhit Valley in North East Mongolia. We show that this individual was a female member of a modern human population that, following the split between East and West Eurasians, experienced substantial gene flow from West Eurasians. Both she and a 40,000-year-old individual from Tianyuan outside Beijing carried genomic segments of Denisovan ancestry. These segments derive from the same Denisovan admixture event(s) that contributed to present-day mainland Asians but are distinct from the Denisovan DNA segments in present-day Papuans and Aboriginal Australians.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses necessitate the destructive sampling of archaeological material. Currently the dense inner portion of the petrous pyramid, the location of the skull that houses the inner ear, is the most sought after skeletal element for molecular analyses of ancient humans as it has been shown to yield high amounts of endogenous DNA. Destructive sampling of the petrous pyramid, assuming its recovery, is often not recommended for highly valued specimens. To investigate alternatives, we present a survey of human aDNA preservation for each of ten skeletal elements in a skeletal collection from Medieval Germany. Through comparison of human DNA content and quality we confirm best performance of the petrous pyramid and identify seven additional sampling locations across four skeletal elements that yield adequate aDNA for most applications in human palaeogenetics. Our study provides a better perspective on DNA preservation across the human skeleton and takes a further step toward the more responsible use of ancient materials in human aDNA studies.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Changing color and intensity of LED lighting across the day impacts on human circadian physiology, sleep, visual comfort and cognitive performance

We examined whether dynamic light across a scheduled 16-h waking day influences cognitive performance, visual comfort, melatonin secretion, sleepiness and sleep under strictly controlled laboratory conditions of 49-h duration. Participants spent the first 5-h in the evening under standard lighting, followed by an 8-h nocturnal sleep episode at habitual bedtimes. Thereafter volunteers either woke up with static daylight LED (100 lux and 4000 Kelvin) or with a dynamic daylight LED that changed color (2700 - 5000 Kelvin) and intensity (0 - 100 lux) across the scheduled 16-h waking day. This was followed by an 8-h nocturnal treatment sleep episode at habitual bedtimes. Thereafter, volunteers spent another 12-h either under static or dynamic light during scheduled wakefulness. Under dynamic light, evening melatonin levels were less suppressed 1.5hours prior to usual bedtime, and participants felt less vigilant in the evening compared to static light. Sleep latency was significantly shorter in both the baseline and treatment night compared to the static light condition while sleep structure, sleep quality, cognitive performance and visual comfort did not significantly change. Our results support the recommendation of using blue-depleted light and low illuminances in the late evening, which can be achieved by a dynamically changing daylight LED solution.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2020

A high-coverage Neandertal genome from Chagyrskaya Cave

We sequenced the genome of a Neandertal from Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai Mountains, Russia, to 27-fold genomic coverage. We estimate that this individual lived ~80,000 years ago and was more closely related to Neandertals in western Eurasia (1,2) than to Neandertals who lived earlier in Denisova Cave (3), which is located about 100 km away. About 12.9% of the Chagyrskaya genome is spanned by homozygous regions that are between 2.5 and 10 centiMorgans (cM) long. This is consistent with that Siberian Neandertals lived in relatively isolated populations of less than 60 individuals. In contrast, a Neandertal from Europe, a Denisovan from the Altai Mountains and ancient modern humans seem to have lived in populations of larger sizes. The availability of three Neandertal genomes of high quality allows a first view of genetic features that were unique to Neandertals and that are likely to have been at high frequency among them. We find that genes highly expressed in the striatum in the basal ganglia of the brain carry more amino acid-changing substitutions than genes expressed elsewhere in the brain, suggesting that the striatum may have evolved unique functions in Neandertals.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Genomic and dietary transitions during the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in Sicily

Southern Italy is a key region for understanding the agricultural transition in the Mediterranean due to its central position. We present a genomic transect for 19 prehistoric Sicilians that covers the Early Mesolithic to Early Neolithic period. We find that the Early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (HGs) are a highly drifted sister lineage to Early Holocene western European HGs, whereas a quarter of the Late Mesolithic HGs ancestry is related to HGs from eastern Europe and the Near East. This indicates substantial gene flow from (south-)eastern Europe between the Early and Late Mesolithic. The Early Neolithic farmers are genetically most similar to those from the Balkan and Greece, and carry only a maximum of [~]7% ancestry from Sicilian Mesolithic HGs. Ancestry changes match changes in dietary profile and material culture, except for two individuals who may provide tentative initial evidence that HGs adopted elements of farming in Sicily. One-sentence summaryGenome-wide and isotopic data from prehistoric Sicilians reveal a pre-farming connection to (south-) eastern Europe, and tentative initial evidence that hunter-gatherers adopted some Neolithic aspects prior to near-total replacement by early farmers.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

The evolutionary history of Neandertal and Denisovan Y chromosomes

Ancient DNA has allowed the study of various aspects of human history in unprecedented detail. However, because the majority of archaic human specimens preserved well enough for genome sequencing have been female, comprehensive studies of Y chromosomes of Denisovans and Neandertals have not yet been possible. Here we present sequences of the first Denisovan Y chromosomes (Denisova 4 and Denisova 8), as well as the Y chromosomes of three late Neandertals (Spy 94a, Mezmaiskaya 2 and El Sidron 1253). We find that the Denisovan Y chromosomes split around 700 thousand years ago (kya) from a lineage shared by Neandertal and modern human Y chromosomes, which diverged from each other around 370 kya. The phylogenetic relationships of archaic and modern human Y chromosomes therefore differ from population relationships inferred from their autosomal genomes, and mirror the relationships observed on the level of mitochondrial DNA. This provides strong evidence that gene flow from an early lineage related to modern humans resulted in the replacement of both the mitochondrial and Y chromosomal gene pools in late Neandertals. Although unlikely under neutrality, we show that this replacement is plausible if the low effective population size of Neandertals resulted in an increased genetic load in their Y chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA relative to modern humans.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Wide awake at bedtime? The effects of caffeine on sleep and circadian timing in teenagers - a randomized crossover trial

BackgroundAdolescents frequently consume caffeine with unknown consequences on sleep and circadian rhythms. In adults, the evidence indicates that caffeine acutely reduces homeostatic sleep pressure and delays the circadian timing system. ObjectiveHere, we investigated the acute effects of caffeine intake on the developing sleep-wake regulatory system of teenagers. DesignIn a double-blind randomized crossover laboratory study, 18 teenagers (16.1 {+/-} 1 years old, pubertal development scale [PDS]: 2.76 {+/-} 0.35) ingested 80 mg caffeine (vs placebo) four hours prior to bedtime. Until bedtime, participants regularly filled in the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale and gave saliva samples to measure melatonin secretion. During nighttime, we quantified homeostatic sleep need by the electroencephalographically derived amount of slow wave sleep duration (SWS). After sleep, participants rated sleep quality by the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. ResultsWhile participants felt less sleepy after caffeine vs. placebo (P=0.038), their ratings of sleep quality were not strongly affected by the treatment. However, objectively, SWS was on average reduced by [~]20 min after caffeine vs. placebo (P=0.026). This caffeine-induced reduction was more pronounced in those individuals with more SWS under placebo (regression: P=0.042; standardized beta=0.622, P=0.011), even if controlling for habitual caffeine intake or pubertal stage (PDS). In melatonin onsets we observed both delays and advances in response to caffeine. This variance could partly be explained by differences in relative dose (i.e., mg caffeine/kg of bodyweight): the higher the relative dose, the more likely were delays (regression: P=0.01; standardized beta=0.592, P=0.01). ConclusionsIn teenagers, evening caffeine intake of already 80 mg (i.e. [~]8fl oz of common energy drinks) is sufficient to promote alertness at the costs of subsequent sleep. These costs might be more pronounced in adolescents with a higher need for SWS. Moreover, caffeine might disturb the circadian timing system, consequently hampering the balanced interplay of sleep-wake regulatory components. Sources of SupportMarie-Heim-Voegtlin Grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) PMPDP1_171364

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Quantitative Proteomics and Phosphoproteomics Supports a Role for Mut9-Like Kinases in Multiple Metabolic and Signaling Pathways in Arabidopsis

Summary/AbstractProtein phosphorylation is one of the most prevalent post-translational modifications found in eukaryotic systems. It serves as a key molecular mechanism that regulates protein function in response to environmental stimuli. The Mut9-Like Kinases (MLKs) are a plant-specific family of Ser/Thr kinases linked to light, circadian, and abiotic stress signaling. Here we use quantitative phosphoproteomics in conjunction with global proteomic analysis to explore the role of the MLKs in daily protein dynamics. Proteins involved in light, circadian, and hormone signaling, as well as several chromatin-modifying enzymes and DNA damage response factors, were found to have altered phosphorylation profiles in the absence of MLK family kinases. In addition to altered phosphorylation levels, mlk mutant seedlings have an increase in glucosinolate metabolism enzymes. Subsequently, we show that a functional consequence of the changes to the proteome and phosphoproteome in mlk mutant plants is elevated glucosinolate accumulation, and increased sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. Combined with previous reports, this work supports the involvement of MLKs in a diverse set of stress responses and developmental processes, suggesting that the MLKs serve as key regulators linking environmental inputs to developmental outputs.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

CyTOF reveals phenotypically-distinct human blood neutrophil populations differentially correlated with melanoma stage

Understanding neutrophil heterogeneity and its relationship to disease progression has become a recent focus of cancer research. Indeed, several studies have identified neutrophil subpopulations associated with pro- or anti-tumoral functions. However, this work has been hindered by the lack of widely-accepted markers with which to define neutrophil subpopulations. To identify markers of neutrophil heterogeneity in cancer, we utilized single-cell cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) coupled with high-dimensional analysis on blood samples from treatment-naive, melanoma patients. Our efforts allowed us to identify 7 blood-neutrophil clusters, including 2 previously identified individual populations. Interrogation of these neutrophil subpopulations revealed a positive trend between specific clusters and disease stage. Finally, we recapitulated these 7 blood-neutrophil populations via flow cytometry and found that they exhibit diverse capacities for phagocytosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in vitro. In summary, our data provide a refined consensus on neutrophil-heterogeneity markers, enabling a prospective functional evaluation in patients with solid tumors. KEY POINTSO_LICyTOF analysis reveals 7 blood neutrophil clusters correlating with melanoma stage in treatment-naive patients. C_LIO_LINeutrophil clusters by unbiased-calling are recapitulated by flow cytometry and harbor diverse phagocytic and ROS-producing capacities. C_LI

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

Lysosomal perturbations in dopaminergic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells with PARK2 mutation

Mutations in the PARK2 gene encoding parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, are associated with autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinsons disease (PD). While parkin has been implicated in the regulation of mitophagy and proteasomal degradation, the precise mechanism leading to neurodegeneration in both sporadic and familial PD upon parkin loss-of-function mutations remains unknown. Cultures of isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines with and without PARK2 knockout (KO) enable mechanistic studies of the effect of parkin deficiency in human dopaminergic neurons. In the present study, we used such cells to investigate the impact of PARK2 KO on the lysosomal compartment combining different approaches, such as mass spectrometry-based proteomics, electron microscopy (TEM) analysis and functional assays. We discovered a clear link between parkin deficiency and lysosomal alterations. PARK2 KO neurons exhibited a perturbed lysosomal morphology, displaying significantly enlarged and electron-lucent lysosomes as well as an increased total lysosomal content, which was exacerbated by mitochondrial stress. In addition, we found perturbed autophagic flux and decreased lysosomal enzyme activity suggesting an impairment of the autophagy-lysosomal pathway in parkin-deficient cells. Interestingly, activity of the GBA-encoded enzyme, {beta}-glucocerebrosidase, was significantly increased suggesting the existence of a compensatory mechanism. In conclusion, our data provide a unique characterization of the morphology, content, and function of lysosomes in PARK2 KO neurons, thus revealing a new important connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and lysosomal dysregulation in PD pathogenesis.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Theory of Minds: Managing mental state information in working memory is associated with the dorsomedial subsystem of the default network and social integration

We often interact with multiple people at a time and consider their various points-of-view to facilitate smooth social interaction. Yet, how our brains track multiple mental states at once, and whether skill in this domain links to navigating real-world social interactions, remains underspecified. To fill this gap, we developed a novel social working memory paradigm in which participants manage two- or four-peoples mental states in working memory, as well as control trials in which they alphabetize two- or four-peoples names in working memory. In Study 1, we found that the dorsomedial subsystem of the default network shows relative increases in activity with more mental states managed in working memory. In contrast, this subsystem shows relative decreases in activity with more non-mental state information (the number of names alphabetized) managed in working memory. In Study 2, only individual differences in managing mental states in working memory, specifically on trials that posed the greatest mental state load to working memory, correlated with social network integration. Collectively, these findings add further support to the hypothesis that social working memory relies on partially distinct brain systems and may be a key ingredient to success in a social world.

neuroscience↗