Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.
Chunking01:12

Chunking

Chunking is a powerful cognitive technique that improves short-term memory retention by organizing information into smaller, more manageable units. The brain, limited by working memory capacity, can more easily process and store information when it is divided into "chunks" rather than presented as discrete, unrelated elements. Chunking is especially useful when dealing with large amounts of information, such as numerical sequences, words, or complex ideas.
The principle behind chunking is...
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of information more...
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
Elaborative Rehearsals01:07

Elaborative Rehearsals

Elaborative rehearsal is a crucial cognitive strategy that strengthens information encoding in long-term memory by making meaningful connections between new data and pre-existing knowledge. This approach contrasts with maintenance rehearsal, which involves simple repetition without delving into the significance of the information. While maintenance rehearsal might temporarily keep information active in short-term memory, it is less effective for long-term retention.
The effectiveness of...
Neural Regulation01:37

Neural Regulation

Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A new viewpoint on psychiatry: Supporting children's diversified "ibasho".

PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences·2026
Same author

Toward trustworthy clinical AI for obsessive-compulsive disorder: reliability, generalizability, and interpretability of a transformer model across the ENIGMA-OCD consortium.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2026
Same author

Biologic therapy and brain atrophy in neuromyelitis optica: a Japanese-German longitudinal MRI study.

Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·2026
Same author

Neural substrates of treatment-resistant schizophrenia and the response to clozapine: A structural MRI study in a clinical setting.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Disrupted Salience Network and Its Deteriorated Interaction With the Central Executive Network in Anorexia Nervosa: A Multicenter Study.

Biological psychiatry global open science·2026
Same author

Disrupted Higher-Order Topology in OCD Brain Networks Revealed by Hodge Laplacian - an ENIGMA Study.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation
07:26

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Published on: November 26, 2019

Effects of chewing in working memory processing.

Yoshiyuki Hirano1, Takayuki Obata, Kenichi Kashikura

  • 1Department of Biophysics, Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan. hirano@nirs.go.jp

Neuroscience Letters
|April 12, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Chewing gum enhances working memory performance and brain activity, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. This study investigated how chewing affects neuronal activity during memory tasks using fMRI.

More Related Videos

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation
07:26

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Published on: November 26, 2019

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Chewing is anecdotally linked to improved cognitive function, specifically memory.
  • Recent research indicates chewing activates brain regions like the prefrontal cortex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between chewing, cognitive performance, and brain activity.
  • To examine the effects of chewing on neuronal activity during a working memory task using fMRI.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to monitor brain activity.
  • Participants performed two- or three-back (n-back) working memory tasks while chewing unflavored gum.
  • Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals were analyzed to assess neuronal activation.

Main Results:

  • Chewing increased BOLD signals in the middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann's areas 9 and 46) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during n-back tasks.
  • More significant brain activation was observed in the right premotor cortex, precuneus, thalamus, hippocampus, and inferior parietal lobe after chewing.
  • These findings suggest chewing influences neural processes underlying working memory.

Conclusions:

  • Chewing may enhance working memory by modulating neural activity in key brain regions.
  • Chewing's effects extend beyond arousal, potentially accelerating or restoring working memory processes.
  • The study provides neurobiological evidence for chewing's cognitive benefits in working memory.