Memory for everyday events plays a central role in tasks of daily living, autobiographical memory, and planning. Event memory depends in part on segmenting ongoing activity into meaningful units. This study examined the relationship between event segmentation and memory in a lifespan sample to answer the following question: Is the ability to segment activity into meaningful events a unique predictor of subsequent memory, or is the relationship between event perception and memory accounted for by general cognitive abilities? Two hundred and eight adults ranging from 20 to 79 years old segmented movies of everyday events and attempted to remember the events afterwards. They also completed psychometric ability tests and tests measuring script knowledge for everyday events. Event segmentation and script knowledge both explained unique variance in event memory above and beyond the psychometric measures, and did so as strongly in older as in younger adults. These results suggest that event segmentation is a basic cognitive mechanism, important for memory across the lifespan.

Zacks, Jeffrey M.; Kurby, Christopher A.; Eisenberg, Michelle L.; and Haroutunian, Nayiri, ,"Prediction error associated with the perceptual segmentation of naturalistic events." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.23,12. 4057-4066. (2011 where prediction was more difficult corresponded with subjective boundaries in the stream of experience. At points of unpredictability, midbrain and striatal regions associated with the phasic release of the neurotransmitter dopamine transiently increased in activity. This activity could provide a global updating signal, cuing other brain systems that a significant new event has begun. ■

Background-Improvements in psychosocial status are an important aspect of successful outcomes after bariatric surgery. Relatively few studies have investigated changes in psychosocial functioning at a number of points in the first few postoperative years.

Petrous apex cholesterol granulomas result from obstruction of the normal aeration of the petrous air cells and have traditionally been treated by drainage and stent placement via a transtemporal approach. The immediate results were quite satisfying, but recurrence rates as high as 60% have been reported in some series. The authors present their experience treating 14 patients with petrous apex cholesterol granulomas. An extended middle fossa approach and a petrosal approach were used for eight and two patients, respectively. All underwent complete removal of the granuloma and cyst wall followed by obliteration of the cavity with a pedicled strip of temporalis muscle. No recurrences were seen at a mean follow-up period of 3.8 years. Four patients who did not undergo surgery are being followed clinically and with serial magnetic resonance images. Additionally, the clinical and radiographic findings in this series give new insights into the origin and continued growth of these lesions and confirm what had been described previously only in experimental models. It is concluded that petrous apex cholesterol granulomas feature a continuum of both clinical and radiographic findings and radical removal via an extended middle fossa approach is advocated.

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