Tag: Spatial Working Memory

Mnemophrenia (2019)

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Introduction

Mnemophrenia is a futuristic drama about a new psychosis that arises from advanced virtual reality technology, which causes people to be unable to distinguish between real and artificial memories.

Outline

The film explores how society is affected by and how it adapts to deal with Mnemophrenia, a growing new psychosis and the still advancing technology. We see the story unfold over time, through the eyes of three generations of the same family who are all affected and involved in different ways. The story explores how attitudes to Mnemophrenia would differ from person to person and across generations, going from resistance and fear, through acceptance and eventually even using it to our benefit, pushing humanity towards a new evolutionary step.

Cast

  • Freya Berry … Jeanette Harper.
  • Robin King … Nicholas Morgan.
  • Tim Seyfert … Douglas.
  • Tallulah Sheffield … Robyin.
  • Jamie Laird … Will Hall.
  • Robert Milton Wallace … Charlie.
  • Dominic O’Flynn … Michael Murphy.
  • Angela Peters … Keri Taylor.
  • Anna Brook … Nina.
  • Michael Buckster … Richard.
  • Gary Cargill … Jim.
  • Steve Hope Wynne … David Quinn.
  • Lisa Caruccio Came … Anna Lyons.
  • Cally Lawrence … Tessa Fox.
  • John Morton … Self.

Trivia

  • The word ‘mnemophrenia’ was coined especially for the film.
    • It is a portmanteau of the words ‘mneme’ and ‘schizophrenia’.
    • In the film ‘Mnemophrenia’ the word is defined as: ‘A condition or a state characterised by the coexistence of real and artificial memories, which affects the subject’s sense of identity.’
  • The director, Eirini Konstantinidou, used improvisation in order to build the characters and the shooting script for the whole film.
    • She believes that the realistic dialogue and performances that are achieved through improvisation contribute to the intended blurring of the distinction between reality and fiction.
    • Part 1 needed to be made first and edited in order for the actors of the following period (part 2) to watch it and build their characters’ experiences from what they have watched; according to the premise of the film these video recordings become part of their memories and identity.
    • That is the process that the actors of part 3 had to go through as well.
    • This technique allows for an organic development of the characters and dialogue, which is a result of the creative collaboration between the actors and herself.

Production & Filming Details

  • Director(s):
    • Eirini Konstantinidou.
  • Producer(s):
    • Robin King … assistant producer.
    • Eirini Konstantinidou … producer.
  • Writer(s):
    • Eirini Konstantinidou … (writer).
    • Robin King … (co-writer).
    • Eirini Konstantinidou … (original story).
    • Gary Cargill … (additional material).
    • Cally Lawrence … (additional material).
    • Robert Milton Wallace … (additional material).
    • Freya Berry … (additional material).
    • Michael Buckster … (additional material).
    • Tallulah Sheffield … (additional material).
    • Tim Seyfert … (additional material).
    • Angela Peters … (additional material).
    • Anna Brook … (additional material).
    • Dominic O’Flynn … (additional material).
    • Jamie Laird … (additional material).
    • Lisa Came … (additional material).
  • Music:
    • Corey Zack.
  • Cinematography:
    • Mirko Beutler … (part one: “The Beginning”).
    • Petros Nousias … (part three: “Homo Mnemonicus”).
    • Richard Thomas … (part two: “Total Cinema”).
  • Editor(s):
    • Giorgio Galli.
  • Production:
    • EK Productions.
    • Quoxel.
  • Distributor(s):
    • Indie Rights (2019) (World-wide) (all media).
  • Release Date: 11 February 2019 (US, Boston Science Fiction Film Festival).
  • Running Time: 78 minutes.
  • Rating: Unknown.
  • Country: US.
  • Language: English.

Linking Recognition Performance in Participants with Greater PTSD Symptom Severity & Ineffective Encoding Reflected in Altered Modulation of Beta Band Oscillatory Activity

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Research Paper Title

Altered Modulation of Beta Band Oscillations During Memory Encoding Is Predictive of Lower Subsequent Recognition Performance in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Background

The researchers studied the relationship between electrophysiological markers of memory encoding, subsequent recognition performance, and severity of PTSD symptoms in service members with combat exposure (n = 40, age: 41.2 ± 7.2 years) and various levels of PTSD symptom severity assessed using the PTSD Check List for DSM V version (PCL-5).

Methods

Brain activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography during a serial presentation of 86 images of outdoor scenes that were studied by participants for an upcoming recognition test.

In a second session, the original images were shown intermixed with an equal number of novel images while participants performed the recognition task.

Results

Participants recognised 76.0% ± 12.1% of the original images and correctly categorised as novel 89.9% ± 7.0% of the novel images.

A negative correlation was present between PCL-5 scores and discrimination performance (Spearman rs = -0.38, p = 0.016). PCL-5 scores were also negatively correlated with the recognition accuracy for original images (rs = -0.37, p = 0.02).

Increases in theta and gamma power and decreases in alpha and beta power were observed over distributed brain networks during memory encoding.

Higher PCL-5 scores were associated with less suppression of beta band power in bilateral ventral and medial temporal regions and in the left orbitofrontal cortex.

These regions also showed positive correlations between the magnitude of suppression of beta power during encoding and subsequent recognition accuracy.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that the lower recognition performance in participants with greater PTSD symptom severity may be due in part to ineffective encoding reflected in altered modulation of beta band oscillatory activity.

Reference

Popescu, M., Popescu, E-A., DeGraba, T.J. & Hughes, J.D. (2020) Altered Modulation of Beta Band Oscillations During Memory Encoding Is Predictive of Lower Subsequent Recognition Performance in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. NeuroImage. Clinical. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102154. Epub 2019 Dec 27.

Linking Spatial Working Memory, Affective Disorders, & Mild Current Depression

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Research Paper Title

[Disorders of spatial working memory in affective disorders with mild current depression and their neurophysiological correlates].

Background

To assess spatial working memory disorders in patients with mild depressive disorders and determine their neurophysiological correlates.

Methods

Thirty patients (right-handed) with ICD-10 diagnosis Mood Disorders (F31.3, F32.0, F33.0, F34.1), aged 37±8 years, were examined before treatment. A control group included 30 mentally and somatically healthy individuals (32±7 years old). The study of spatial working memory was carried out using the Corsi Block-Tapping test. EEG was recorded and the values of the spectral power of theta, alpha and beta rhythms were analysed.

Results and Conclusions

A decrease in the level of working memory that was correlated with higher values of theta rhythm power in the frontal and occipital regions and alpha rhythm in the frontal cortex was observed in affective disorders with mild depressive symptoms.

Reference

Galkin, S.A., Peshkovskaya, A.G., Simutkin, G.G., Vasil’eva, S.N., Roshchina, O.V., Ivanova, S.A. & Bokhan, N.A. (2019) [Disorders of spatial working memory in affective disorders with mild current depression and their neurophysiological correlates]. (in Russian). Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii Imeni S.S. Korsakova. 119(10):56-61. doi: 10.17116/jnevro201911910156.