Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates
The effect of stress on task performance is complex, too much or too little stress negatively affects performance and there exists an optimal level of stress to drive optimal performance. Task difficulty and external affective factors are distinct stressors that impact cognitive performance. Neuroim...
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/935 |
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| author | Ying Xing Feng Masashi Kiguchi Wei Chun Ung Sarat Chandra Dass Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani Tong Boon Tang Eric Tatt Wei Ho |
| author_facet | Ying Xing Feng Masashi Kiguchi Wei Chun Ung Sarat Chandra Dass Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani Tong Boon Tang Eric Tatt Wei Ho |
| author_sort | Ying Xing Feng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The effect of stress on task performance is complex, too much or too little stress negatively affects performance and there exists an optimal level of stress to drive optimal performance. Task difficulty and external affective factors are distinct stressors that impact cognitive performance. Neuroimaging studies showed that mood affects working memory performance and the correlates are changes in haemodynamic activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We investigate the interactive effects of affective states and working memory load (WML) on working memory task performance and haemodynamic activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging on the PFC of healthy participants. We seek to understand if haemodynamic responses could tell apart workload-related stress from situational stress arising from external affective distraction. We found that the haemodynamic changes towards affective stressor- and workload-related stress were more dominant in the medial and lateral PFC, respectively. Our study reveals distinct affective state-dependent modulations of haemodynamic activity with increasing WML in n-back tasks, which correlate with decreasing performance. The influence of a negative effect on performance is greater at higher WML, and haemodynamic activity showed evident changes in temporal, and both spatial and strength of activation differently with WML. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:44:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f25145e53fbf4cdba3cad0d836542d16 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:44:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f25145e53fbf4cdba3cad0d836542d162023-11-22T03:21:02ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252021-07-0111793510.3390/brainsci11070935Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic CorrelatesYing Xing Feng0Masashi Kiguchi1Wei Chun Ung2Sarat Chandra Dass3Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani4Tong Boon Tang5Eric Tatt Wei Ho6Centre for Intelligence Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, MalaysiaResearch & Development Group, Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo 185-8601, JapanCentre for Intelligence Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, MalaysiaSchool of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, Putrajaya 62200, Wilayah Persekutuan, MalaysiaScientific and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM Bhd.), Shah Alam 40700, Selangor, MalaysiaCentre for Intelligence Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, MalaysiaCentre for Intelligence Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, MalaysiaThe effect of stress on task performance is complex, too much or too little stress negatively affects performance and there exists an optimal level of stress to drive optimal performance. Task difficulty and external affective factors are distinct stressors that impact cognitive performance. Neuroimaging studies showed that mood affects working memory performance and the correlates are changes in haemodynamic activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We investigate the interactive effects of affective states and working memory load (WML) on working memory task performance and haemodynamic activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging on the PFC of healthy participants. We seek to understand if haemodynamic responses could tell apart workload-related stress from situational stress arising from external affective distraction. We found that the haemodynamic changes towards affective stressor- and workload-related stress were more dominant in the medial and lateral PFC, respectively. Our study reveals distinct affective state-dependent modulations of haemodynamic activity with increasing WML in n-back tasks, which correlate with decreasing performance. The influence of a negative effect on performance is greater at higher WML, and haemodynamic activity showed evident changes in temporal, and both spatial and strength of activation differently with WML.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/935working memory performanceworkload stressaffective statesfunctional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)haemodynamic activityprefrontal cortex (PFC) |
| spellingShingle | Ying Xing Feng Masashi Kiguchi Wei Chun Ung Sarat Chandra Dass Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani Tong Boon Tang Eric Tatt Wei Ho Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates Brain Sciences working memory performance workload stress affective states functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) haemodynamic activity prefrontal cortex (PFC) |
| title | Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates |
| title_full | Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates |
| title_fullStr | Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates |
| title_full_unstemmed | Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates |
| title_short | Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates |
| title_sort | working memory performance under a negative affect is more susceptible to higher cognitive workloads with different neural haemodynamic correlates |
| topic | working memory performance workload stress affective states functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) haemodynamic activity prefrontal cortex (PFC) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/935 |
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