Changing perspectives on frontotemporal dementia: A review

This article examines the evolution in understanding of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) during the last four decades. A central theme is the recognition of heterogeneity. Originally construed as a disorder of behaviour and executive impairment, FTD is now known also to be associated with alterations in language, conceptual knowledge and praxis. An absence of neurological signs is the hallmark of many FTD patients, but there is also an established association with motor neurone disease (MND), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). FTD is commonly defined as an early onset dementia, yet about a quarter of patients present after the age of 65. The underlying pathological protein is tau, TDP-43 or more rarely fused-in-sarcoma (FUS). Distinct genetic mutations have been identified in familial FTD. There are predictable relationships between clinical phenotype, pathological substrate and genetic mutation. For example, a circumscribed semantic disorder predicts TDP-43 pathology, and speech or limb apraxia tau pathology. The co-occurrence of MND predicts TDP-43 pathology, and PSP and CBD tau pathology. FUS pathology is associated with very youthful onset, stereotyped behaviours and caudate atrophy. Non-fluent aphasia is linked to progranulin (GRN) mutations and MND and psychosis to repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene. Despite striking worldwide consensus in findings there remain some issues of contention, largely related to the classification of FTD and its sub-variants. Understanding the diverse nature of FTD is crucial for effective diagnosis, management and the development of targeted therapies.     

归类任务中负启动效应与分心物特性抑制的实验研究

以汉语单字词为材料,采用负启动技术,在归类任务中考察了作为负启动效应根源的扩散抑制是否遵循资源有限机制以及在要求操作反应的情况下是否也能获得来自分心物特性抑制的负启动效应。结果表明：１．被试对曾在启动显示中作为分心物的探测目标的反应时随着启动显示中分心物数目的增加而缩短。因此,扩散抑制遵循资源有限机制;２．在操作反应要求下能获得非常显著的来自分心物特性抑制的负启动效应。     

Determinants of word fragment completion

A current debate in the memory literature concerns the validity of word fragment completion (WFC) as a test of implicit memory. It has been claimed that language variables exert a strong influence on the task, and that the task reflects memory only to a small extent (Hintzman & Hartry, 1990). For these reasons, the use of contingency analyses of recognition and WFC performance as a means of studying underlying memory processes has been criticized. The present study addressed this issue by examining the influence of language variables on completion of a set of computer generated single-solution fragments of Swedish words (Olofsson & Nyberg, 1992). It was found that language variables indeed had a large effect on completion performance, and that priming only accounted for a small portion of variance in the task. It is therefore suggested that the method of triangulation should be employed for contingency analyses involving WFC.     

RASP: A system for the analysis of memory tasks

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a system for the analysis of memory tasks. The system involves four basic task dimensions, derived from an ecological analysis of memory functioning: Reproductivity (R), Acquisition (A), Sufficiency (S), and Productivity (P). Three studies are reported in which professional memory psychologists were asked to rate sets of standard laboratory and more ecologically relevant memory tasks in terms of the four RASP dimensions. In general, results implied independence across the two sets of tasks between the four dimensions. Interrater reliabilities were found to be modest to high. However, it was suggested that RASP best be used as a tool for understanding the meaningful relations that exist among dimensions within general sets or pools of tasks, for different classes of tasks, as well as for prototypical tasks. We argue that, especially when the relationship between RASP profiles for two particular tasks is crossvalidated by behavioral data, and conflict with assumptions about what memory systems or processes are involved, then there is a potential for conceptual refinement. This refinement could be attained either through an increased theoretical generalization, or through an increased theoretical precision. Based on obtained RASP information at the level of classes of tasks (e.g., episodic vs. semantic) as well as at a prototypical task level (e.g., word recall vs. prose recall), several intriguing memory phenomena are discussed. Finally, we suggest that RASP may serve as a tool for reducing the number of task-specific assumptions of what systems and processes mediate memory performance.     

Word priming without awareness: A new approach to circumvent explicit memory contamination

A major methodological limitation arising in the experimental study of implicit memory is that tasks that are characterized as implicit memory tests can be seriously contaminated by the use of covert explicit memory strategies. Given the evidence indicating that brief presentation of words (below the awareness threshold of subjects) can produce semantic priming, we wondered whether rapid visual presentation of primed words might provide an avenue to produce word priming without explicit memory contamination. Normal subjects were tested for word priming on a speeded category membership decision task. Explicit or implicit encoding procedures were used in four different experiments. Results demonstrated that brief presentation of words can indeed offer a means of producing word priming in absence of explicit recognition or recall of the primed words presented during the study phase. They also showed that such priming is equivalent in degree to the priming measured when using either a conventional implicit memory design or an explicit encoding procedure prior to the study of the primes.     

中文阅读中的语音类似效果

两个实验中的音韵和同声母没有启动效果这个事实,表明中文词视觉认知是经过正字法路线直接通达语义的。然而实验二同音词的启动效果可得出与以上相反的结论,即语音在中文阅读中有一定作用。两种不同的结果表明,语音在中文阅读中是否有作用,对书写词本身包含的语音类似信息具有依赖性。可能的结论是,在词汇通达中语音激活是自动的,但在中文似乎要比拼音文字弱;中文阅读也许更具有直通语义的特点。此研究支持双通道理论。     

加工水平及词对类型在新异联系形成中的作用

该研究采用过程分离方法和知觉辨认方法探讨不同加工水平和词对类型在新异联系形成中的作用。结果表明,深加工是形成非相关词对间联想启动的条件之一。另外,具体词对的联想启动没有表现出加工水平效应,出现了内隐和外显记忆的分离现象,提示不同的词对类型与加工水平间存在着交互作用,当联系程度较紧时,并不一定需要语义加工,而联系程度不紧时,语义加工则是必要的。     

合成词加工中的词频、词素频率及语义透明度

通过变化汉语合成词的词素累积频率的方法,考察表面频率和语义透明度对加工速度的影响。研究发现,当控制透明度时,高表面频率词中存在词素累积频率效应,即词素频率越高反应越快;而在低表面频率词中没有。当控制表面频率,变化词素频率和透明度时,在透明词中,词素累积频率高的比低的加工快;但在不透明词中;这种反应趋势反转了：词素频率越高反应越慢。     

信息的性质对内隐社会印象的影响

为了考察信息的性质对社会印象的影响,通过语义差异法建构了具有六个维度的社会印象量表;采用２×２×８的混合设计,给被试提供自然信息和七类不同性质的社会信息（组内设计）,考察了评价人和被评价人性别特征（组间设计）在社会印象形成过程中的作用;同时,还测量了被试的外显性别态度。结果表明,在否定个人智慧、社会地位、性别特征和品质特征时,所形成的社会印象在被评价人性别特征上表现出了差异,并且男女被试都表现出了“好人主义”倾向;在外显性别态度上男女被试设有差异;此外,还分析了用语义差异法测量内隐社会印象的适用性。