Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations Arts & Sciences Winter 12-15-2015 Behavioral and fMRI-based Characterization of Cognitive Processes Supporting Learning and Retrieval of Memory for Words in Young Adults Binyam Nardos Washington University in St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds Recommended Citation Nardos, Binyam, "Behavioral and fMRI-based Characterization of Cognitive Processes Supporting Learning and Retrieval of Memory for Words in Young Adults" (2015). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 671. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/671 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Arts & Sciences at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences Neurosciences Dissertation Examination Committee: Bradley Schlaggar, Chair David Balota Deanna Barch Lori Markson Steven Petersen Behavioral and fMRI-based Characterization of Cognitive Processes Supporting Learning and Retrieval of Memory for Words in Young Adults by Binyam Nardos A dissertation presented to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences of Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2015 St. Louis, Missouri Table of Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... ix Abstract .................................................................................................................................... xvi Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Relevance of the Conducted Research ............................................................................. 1 1.2 Behavioral Characterizations of Word-Level Semantic Processes .................................. 3 1.3 Cognitive Neuroscientific Perspectives of Memory Organization .................................. 6 1.4 Neuropsychological Memory Research ........................................................................... 8 1.5 Task Activation-Based Memory Research .................................................................... 10 1.6 Time-Dependent Memory Consolidation ...................................................................... 14 1.7 Brief Summary of Data Chapters ................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: Contextual Meaning Training Creates Novel Semantic Primes for Word Targets with No Direct Prior Association .............................................................................. 22 2.1 Abstract .......................................................................................................................... 22 2.2 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 23 2.3 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 26 2.3.1 Subjects ................................................................................................................... 26 2.3.2 Stimuli ..................................................................................................................... 27 2.3.3 Sentence Construction ............................................................................................. 28 2.3.4 Experimental Procedure .......................................................................................... 29 2.3.5 Meaning Training .................................................................................................... 29 2.3.6 Perceptual Training ................................................................................................. 30 2.3.7 Recognition Memory Test ....................................................................................... 30 2.3.8 Semantic Memory Test ........................................................................................... 31 2.3.9 Semantic Priming Test ............................................................................................ 31 2.4 Results ............................................................................................................................ 32 2.4.1 Semantic Memory ................................................................................................... 32 2.4.2 Recognition Memory .............................................................................................. 32 2.4.3 Semantic Priming – Word Targets .......................................................................... 34 2.4.4 Semantic Priming – Nonword Targets .................................................................... 35 2.5 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 35 2.5.1 Semantic Memory Test Demonstrated Appropriate Usage of Meaning- Trained Items in Novel Sentence Contexts. ............................................................ 37 2.5.2 Old/New Recognition Test Showed Better Recognition for Meaning Trained Than Perceptually Trained PWs. ............................................................... 37 2.5.3 Meaning Trained PWs Became Semantic Primes for Extant Words, Demonstrating Semantic Integration. ...................................................................... 38 2.6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3: A Word Learning Approach to Characterizing the Healthy, Young Adult Functional Neuroanatomy Underlying Word-Level Semantic Processing ......................... 43 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 43 3.1.1 Neuropsychological Basis for Taxonomy of Memory Systems ............................. 44 3.1.2 Models of Time-Dependent Memory Consolidation .............................................. 47 3.1.3 Episodic Memory Studies Using Task-Based Functional Imaging ........................ 50 3.1.4 Semantic Studies Using Task-Based Functional Imaging ...................................... 52 3.1.5 Word Learning Studies Using Task-Based Functional Imaging ............................. 53 3.1.6 Summary of Literature Overview ........................................................................... 57 3.1.7 The Current Study ................................................................................................... 59 3.1.8 Expected Profile of a Semantic Region .................................................................. 61 3.2 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 63 3.2.1 Subjects ................................................................................................................... 63 3.2.2 Cognitive Characterization ...................................................................................... 63 3.2.3 Stimuli ..................................................................................................................... 64 3.2.4 Meaning Training .................................................................................................... 65 3.2.5 Perceptual Training ................................................................................................. 65 3.2.6 Experimental Procedure .......................................................................................... 65 3.2.7 MRI Data Acquisition ............................................................................................. 67 3.2.8 fMRI Data Preprocessing ........................................................................................ 67 3.2.9 General Linear Model-Based fMRI Data Analysis ................................................. 69 3.2.10 Voxelwise Analysis ............................................................................................... 69 3.2.11 Region of Interest Generation ............................................................................... 77 3.2.12 Clustering Analysis Used to Identify a Potential Semantic System ..................... 80 3.3 Results ............................................................................................................................ 82 3.3.1 Behavioral Performance .......................................................................................... 82 3.3.2 Left Parahippocampus (PHG) and Left Medial Superior Frontal Cortex (mSFC) Are Involved in Retrieval of Meaning for Both Novel and Existing Words. ..................................................................................... 86 3.3.3 Clustering