The Influence of Perceptual Training on Working Memory in Older Adults

Normal aging is associated with a degradation of perceptual abilities and a decline in higher-level cognitive functions, notably working memory. To remediate age-related deficits, cognitive training programs are increasingly being developed. However, it is not yet definitively established if, and by what mechanisms, training ameliorates effects of cognitive aging. Furthermore, a major factor impeding the success of training programs is a frequent failure of training to transfer benefits to untrained abilities. Here, we offer the first evidence of direct transfer-of-benefits from perceptual discrimination training to working memory performance in older adults. Moreover, using electroencephalography to evaluate participants before and after training, we reveal neural evidence of functional plasticity in older adult brains, such that training-induced modifications in early visual processing during stimulus encoding predict working memory accuracy improvements. These findings demonstrate the strength of the perceptual discrimination training approach by offering clear psychophysical evidence of transfer-of-benefit and a neural mechanism underlying cognitive improvement

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia Australasian consensus practice statement

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common haematological malignancy in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Considerable changes to diagnostic and management algorithms have occurred within the last decade. The availability of next-generation sequencing and measurable residual disease assessment by flow cytometry allow for advanced prognostication and response assessments. Novel therapies, including inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTKi) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) inhibitors, have transformed the treatment landscape for both treatment-naïve and relapsed/refractory disease, particularly for patients with high-risk genetic aberrations. Recommendations regarding appropriate supportive management continue to evolve, and special considerations are required for patients with CLL with respect to the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The unique funding and treatment environments in Australasia highlight the need for specific local guidance with respect to the investigation and management of CLL. This consensus practice statement was developed by a broadly representative group of ANZ experts in CLL with endorsement by peak haematology bodies, with a view to providing this standardised guidance

On the Spatial Distribution of Visual Attention

An implication of the data analysis and presentation of Podgorny and Shepard (1983)is that subjects are able to attend simultaneously to more than one square of a grid display when the squares are separated by unattended areas: Attention to such nonunitary areas produces similar benefits as attention to unitary areas. These benefits are reflected in reaction times (RTs), which were reported by Podgorny and Shepard (1983)as being related to a measure of spatial dispersion (compactness) of the attended areas, but this measure does not signify whether these areas are unitary or not. A reanalysis of part of Podgorny and Shepard's (1983)data shows that RTs to attended and unattended squares are almost identical when the attended areas are nonunitary. This reanalysis also shows that RTs are related to compactness for unitary attended areas but that this relation breaks down when attention is focused on nonunitary areas. In addition, Podgorny and Shepard's (1983)data are presented in a way that demonstrates the importance of the actual grid location of probes on RTs. The failure of compactness to reflect these aspects of the spatial nature of attention suggests that this metric is deficient when applied to the study of the spatial determinants of attention