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Cha O, Blake R. Procedure for extracting temporal structure embedded within psychophysical data. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:5482-5500. [PMID: 37993671 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02282-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
The idea that mental events unfold over time with an intrinsically paced regularity has a long history within experimental psychology, and it has gained traction from the actual measurement of brain rhythms evident in EEG signals recorded from the human brain and from direct recordings of action potentials and local field potentials within the nervous systems of nonhumans. The weak link in this idea, however, is the challenge of extracting signatures of this temporal structure from behavioral measures. Because there is nothing in the seamless stream of conscious awareness that belies rhythmic modulations in sensitivity or mental acuity, one must deploy inferential strategies for extracting evidence for the existence of temporal regularities in neural activity. We have devised a parametric procedure for analysis of temporal structure embedded in behaviorally measured data comprising durations. We confirm that this procedure, dubbed PATS, achieves comparable results to those obtained using spectral analysis, and that it outperforms conventional spectral analysis when analyzing human response time data containing just a few hundred data points per condition. PATS offers an efficient, sensitive means for bridging the gap between oscillations identified neurophysiologically and estimates of rhythmicity embedded within durations measured behaviorally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oakyoon Cha
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, 02844, Republic of Korea.
| | - Randolph Blake
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
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2
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Montemurro S, Borek D, Marinazzo D, Zago S, Masina F, Napoli E, Filippini N, Arcara G. Aperiodic component of EEG power spectrum and cognitive performance are modulated by education in aging. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15111. [PMID: 38956186 PMCID: PMC11220063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66049-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have shown a growing interest in the so-called "aperiodic" component of the EEG power spectrum, which describes the overall trend of the whole spectrum with a linear or exponential function. In the field of brain aging, this aperiodic component is associated both with age-related changes and performance on cognitive tasks. This study aims to elucidate the potential role of education in moderating the relationship between resting-state EEG features (including aperiodic component) and cognitive performance in aging. N = 179 healthy participants of the "Leipzig Study for Mind-Body-Emotion Interactions" (LEMON) dataset were divided into three groups based on age and education. Older adults exhibited lower exponent, offset (i.e. measures of aperiodic component), and Individual Alpha Peak Frequency (IAPF) as compared to younger adults. Moreover, visual attention and working memory were differently associated with the aperiodic component depending on education: in older adults with high education, higher exponent predicted slower processing speed and less working memory capacity, while an opposite trend was found in those with low education. While further investigation is needed, this study shows the potential modulatory role of education in the relationship between the aperiodic component of the EEG power spectrum and aging cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Montemurro
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, FISPPA, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
| | - Daniel Borek
- Department of Data-Analysis, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Daniele Marinazzo
- Department of Data-Analysis, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sara Zago
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy
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Katyal S, Abdoun O, Mounier H, Lutz A. Reduced processing of afforded actions while observing mental content as ongoing mental phenomena. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10130. [PMID: 38698150 PMCID: PMC11065984 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60934-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
While consciousness is typically considered equivalent to mental contents, certain meditation practices-including open monitoring (OM)-are said to enable a unique conscious state where meditators can experience mental content from a de-reified perspective as "ongoing phenomena." Phenomenologically, such a state is considered as reduction of intentionality, the mental act upon mental content. We hypothesised that this de-reified state would be characterised by reduced mental actional processing of affording objects. We recruited two groups of participants, meditators with long-term experience in cultivating a de-reified state, and demographically-matched novice meditators. Participants performed a task with images in two configurations-where objects did (high-affordance) and did not imply actions (low-affordance)-following both a baseline and OM-induced de-reified state, along with EEG recordings. While long-term meditators exhibited preferential processing of high-affordance images compared to low-affordance images during baseline, such an effect was abolished during the OM state, as hypothesised. For novices, however, the high-affordance configuration was preferred over the low-affordance one both during baseline and OM. Perceptual durations of objects across conditions positively correlated with the degree of µ-rhythm desynchronization, indicating that neural processing of affordance impacted perceptual awareness. Our results indicate that OM styles of meditation may help in mentally decoupling otherwise automatic cognitive processing of mental actions by affording objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sucharit Katyal
- EDUWELL Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France.
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Oussama Abdoun
- EDUWELL Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - Hugues Mounier
- L2S - Laboratoire des signaux et systemes, Université Paris-Saclay, CentraleSupélec, CNRS, Gif Sur Yvette, France
| | - Antoine Lutz
- EDUWELL Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France.
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Alain C, Göke K, Shen D, Bidelman GM, Bernstein LJ, Snyder JS. Neural alpha oscillations index context-driven perception of ambiguous vowel sequences. iScience 2023; 26:108457. [PMID: 38058304 PMCID: PMC10696458 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Perception of bistable stimuli is influenced by prior context. In some cases, the interpretation matches with how the preceding stimulus was perceived; in others, it tends to be the opposite of the previous stimulus percept. We measured high-density electroencephalography (EEG) while participants were presented with a sequence of vowels that varied in formant transition, promoting the perception of one or two auditory streams followed by an ambiguous bistable sequence. For the bistable sequence, participants were more likely to report hearing the opposite percept of the one heard immediately before. This auditory contrast effect coincided with changes in alpha power localized in the left angular gyrus and left sensorimotor and right sensorimotor/supramarginal areas. The latter correlated with participants' perception. These results suggest that the contrast effect for a bistable sequence of vowels may be related to neural adaptation in posterior auditory areas, which influences participants' perceptual construal level of ambiguous stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claude Alain
- Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
| | | | - Dawei Shen
- Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Gavin M. Bidelman
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA
| | - Lori J. Bernstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Joel S. Snyder
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
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Nie S, Katyal S, Engel SA. An Accumulating Neural Signal Underlying Binocular Rivalry Dynamics. J Neurosci 2023; 43:8777-8784. [PMID: 37907256 PMCID: PMC10727184 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1325-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
During binocular rivalry, conflicting images are presented one to each eye and perception alternates stochastically between them. Despite stable percepts between alternations, modeling suggests that neural signals representing the two images change gradually, and that the duration of stable percepts are determined by the time required for these signals to reach a threshold that triggers an alternation. However, direct physiological evidence for such signals has been lacking. Here, we identify a neural signal in the human visual cortex that shows these predicted properties. We measured steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in 84 human participants (62 females, 22 males) who were presented with orthogonal gratings, one to each eye, flickering at different frequencies. Participants indicated their percept while EEG data were collected. The time courses of the SSVEP amplitudes at the two frequencies were then compared across different percept durations, within participants. For all durations, the amplitude of signals corresponding to the suppressed stimulus increased and the amplitude corresponding to the dominant stimulus decreased throughout the percept. Critically, longer percepts were characterized by more gradual increases in the suppressed signal and more gradual decreases of the dominant signal. Changes in signals were similar and rapid at the end of all percepts, presumably reflecting perceptual transitions. These features of the SSVEP time courses are well predicted by a model in which perceptual transitions are produced by the accumulation of noisy signals. Identification of this signal underlying binocular rivalry should allow strong tests of neural models of rivalry, bistable perception, and neural suppression.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT During binocular rivalry, two conflicting images are presented to the two eyes and perception alternates between them, with switches occurring at seemingly random times. Rivalry is an important and longstanding model system in neuroscience, used for understanding neural suppression, intrinsic neural dynamics, and even the neural correlates of consciousness. All models of rivalry propose that it depends on gradually changing neural activity that on reaching some threshold triggers the perceptual switches. This manuscript reports the first physiological measurement of neural signals with that set of properties in human participants. The signals, measured with EEG in human observers, closely match the predictions of recent models of rivalry, and should pave the way for much future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaozhi Nie
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Sucharit Katyal
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, WC1B 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen A Engel
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
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Lago S, Pezzetta R, Gastaldon S, Peressotti F, Arcara G. Trial-by-trial fluctuations of pre-stimulus alpha power predict language ERPs. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14388. [PMID: 37477167 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Anticipatory mechanisms are known to play a key role in language, but they have been mostly investigated with violation paradigms, which only consider what happens after predictions have been (dis)confirmed. Relatively few studies focused on the pre-stimulus interval and found that stronger expectations are associated with lower pre-stimulus alpha power. However, alpha power also fluctuates spontaneously, in the absence of experimental manipulations; and in the attention and perception domains, spontaneously low pre-stimulus power is associated with better behavioral performance and with event-related potential (ERPs) with shorter latencies and higher amplitudes. Importantly, little is known about the role of alpha fluctuations in other domains, as it is in language. To this aim, we investigated whether spontaneous fluctuations in pre-stimulus alpha power modulate language-related ERPs in a semantic congruence task. Electrophysiology data were analyzed using Generalized Additive Mixed Models to model nonlinear interactions between pre-stimulus alpha power and EEG amplitude, at the single-trial level. We found that the N400 and the late posterior positivity/P600 were larger in the case of lower pre-stimulus alpha power. Still, while the N400 was observable regardless of the level of pre-stimulus power, a late posterior positivity/P600 effect was only observable for low pre-stimulus alpha power. We discuss these findings in light of the different, albeit connected, functional interpretations of pre-stimulus alpha and the ERPs according to both a nonpredictive interpretation focused on attentional mechanisms and under a predictive processing framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Lago
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Centre (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Simone Gastaldon
- Padova Neuroscience Centre (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesca Peressotti
- Padova Neuroscience Centre (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca "I-APPROVE - International Auditory Processing Project in Venice", Venice, Italy
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Sponheim SR, Stim JJ, Engel SA, Pokorny VJ. Slowed alpha oscillations and percept formation in psychotic psychopathology. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1144107. [PMID: 37416534 PMCID: PMC10322206 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1144107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Psychosis is in part defined by disturbances in perception. Recent investigations have implicated the speed of alpha oscillations observed in brain electrical activity as reflective of a sampling rate of the visual environment and perception. Although both slowed alpha oscillations and aberrant percept formation are evident in disorders of psychotic psychopathology such as schizophrenia it is unclear whether slow alpha accounts for abnormal visual perception in these disorders. Methods To examine the role of the speed of alpha oscillations in perception in psychotic psychopathology we gathered resting-state magneto-encephalography data from probands with psychotic psychopathology (i.e., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder with a history of psychosis), their biological siblings, and healthy controls. We appraised visual perceptual function without the confound of cognitive ability and effort through the use of a simple binocular rivalry task. Results We found a slowed pace of alpha oscillations in psychotic psychopathology that was associated with longer percept durations during binocular rivalry, consistent with the assertion that occipital alpha oscillations govern the rate of accumulation of visual information used to generate percepts. Alpha speed varied widely across individuals with psychotic psychopathology and was highly stable across several months indicating that it is likely a trait characteristic of neural function that is relevant to visual perception. Finally, a lower speed of alpha oscillation was associated with a lower IQ and greater disorder symptomatology implying that the effects of the endogenous neural oscillation on visual perception may have wider consequences for everyday functioning. Discussion Slowed alpha oscillations in individuals with psychotic psychopathology appear to reflect altered neural functions related to percept formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R. Sponheim
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Joshua J. Stim
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Stephen A. Engel
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Victor J. Pokorny
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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8
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O'Hare L, Tarasi L, Asher JM, Hibbard PB, Romei V. Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance in Migraine: From Neurotransmitters to Brain Oscillations. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10093. [PMID: 37373244 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Migraine is among the most common and debilitating neurological disorders typically affecting people of working age. It is characterised by a unilateral, pulsating headache often associated with severe pain. Despite the intensive research, there is still little understanding of the pathophysiology of migraine. At the electrophysiological level, altered oscillatory parameters have been reported within the alpha and gamma bands. At the molecular level, altered glutamate and GABA concentrations have been reported. However, there has been little cross-talk between these lines of research. Thus, the relationship between oscillatory activity and neurotransmitter concentrations remains to be empirically traced. Importantly, how these indices link back to altered sensory processing has to be clearly established as yet. Accordingly, pharmacologic treatments have been mostly symptom-based, and yet sometimes proving ineffective in resolving pain or related issues. This review provides an integrative theoretical framework of excitation-inhibition imbalance for the understanding of current evidence and to address outstanding questions concerning the pathophysiology of migraine. We propose the use of computational modelling for the rigorous formulation of testable hypotheses on mechanisms of homeostatic imbalance and for the development of mechanism-based pharmacological treatments and neurostimulation interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise O'Hare
- Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK
| | - Luca Tarasi
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Via Rasi e Spinelli, 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Jordi M Asher
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Paul B Hibbard
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Via Rasi e Spinelli, 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, 28015 Madrid, Spain
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Zhou P, Wu Q, Zhan L, Guo Z, Wang C, Wang S, Yang Q, Lin J, Zhang F, Liu L, Lin D, Fu W, Wu X. Alpha peak activity in resting-state EEG is associated with depressive score. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1057908. [PMID: 36960170 PMCID: PMC10027937 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1057908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Depression is a serious psychiatric disorder characterized by prolonged sadness, loss of interest or pleasure. The dominant alpha peak activity in resting-state EEG is suggested to be an intrinsic neural marker for diagnosis of mental disorders. Methods To investigate an association between alpha peak activity and depression severity, the present study recorded resting-state EEG (EGI 128 channels, off-line average reference, source reconstruction by a distributed inverse method with the sLORETA normalization, parcellation of 68 Desikan-Killiany regions) from 155 patients with depression (42 males, mean age 35 years) and acquired patients' scores of Self-Rating Depression Scales. We measured both the alpha peak amplitude that is more related to synchronous neural discharging and the alpha peak frequency that is more associated with brain metabolism. Results The results showed that over widely distributed brain regions, individual patients' alpha peak amplitudes were negatively correlated with their depressive scores, and individual patients' alpha peak frequencies were positively correlated with their depressive scores. Discussion These results reveal that alpha peak amplitude and frequency are associated with self-rating depressive score in different manners, and the finding suggests the potential of alpha peak activity in resting-state EEG acting as an important neural factor in evaluation of depression severity in supplement to diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhou
- Bao’an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, Fuwenbin’s Acupuncture and Moxibustion Team of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qian Wu
- Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liying Zhan
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhihan Guo
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chaolun Wang
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shanze Wang
- Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qing Yang
- Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiating Lin
- Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fangyuan Zhang
- Clinical Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lu Liu
- Clinical Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dehui Lin
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenbin Fu
- Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, Fuwenbin’s Acupuncture and Moxibustion Team of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Innovative Research Team of Acupuncture for Depression and Related Disorders, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Wenbin Fu,
| | - Xiang Wu
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Xiang Wu,
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Perceptual Awareness and Its Relationship with Consciousness: Hints from Perceptual Multistability. NEUROSCI 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/neurosci3040039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Many interesting theories of consciousness have been proposed, but so far, there is no “unified” theory capable of encompassing all aspects of this phenomenon. We are all aware of what it feels like to be conscious and what happens if there is an absence of consciousness. We are becoming more and more skilled in measuring consciousness states; nevertheless, we still “don’t get it” in its deeper essence. How does all the processed information converge from different brain areas and structures to a common unity, giving us this very private “feeling of being conscious”, despite the constantly changing flow of information between internal and external states? “Multistability” refers to a class of perceptual phenomena where subjective awareness spontaneously and continuously alternates between different percepts, although the objective stimuli do not change, supporting the idea that the brain “interprets” sensorial input in a “constructive” way. In this perspective paper, multistability and perceptual awareness are discussed as a methodological window for understanding the “local” states of consciousness, a privileged position from which it is possible to observe the brain dynamics and mechanisms producing the subjective phenomena of perceptual awareness in the very moment they are happening.
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11
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Wang P, He Y, Maess B, Yue J, Chen L, Brauer J, Friederici AD, Knösche TR. Alpha power during task performance predicts individual language comprehension. Neuroimage 2022; 260:119449. [PMID: 35835340 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpha power attenuation during cognitive task performing has been suggested to reflect a process of release of inhibition, increase of excitability, and thereby benefit the improvement of performance. Here, we hypothesized that changes in individual alpha power during the execution of a complex language comprehension task may correlate with the individual performance in that task. We tested this using magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded during comprehension of German sentences of different syntactic complexity. Results showed that neither the frequency nor the power of the spontaneous oscillatory activity at rest were associated with the individual performance. However, during the execution of a sentences processing task, the individual alpha power attenuation did correlate with individual language comprehension performance. Source reconstruction localized these effects in left temporal-parietal brain regions known to be associated with language processing and their right-hemisphere homologues. Our results support the notion that in-task attenuation of individual alpha power is related to the essential mechanisms of the underlying cognitive processes, rather than merely to general phenomena like attention or vigilance.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Wang
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Brain Networks Group, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Y He
- Philipps University Marburg, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg, Germany
| | - B Maess
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Brain Networks Group, Leipzig, Germany
| | - J Yue
- Harbin Institute of Technology, Laboratory for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, School of Management, Harbin, China
| | - L Chen
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany; Beijing Normal University, College of Chinese Language and Culture, Beijing, China
| | - J Brauer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany; Friedrich Schiller University, Office of the Vice-President for Young Researchers, Jena, Germany
| | - A D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - T R Knösche
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Brain Networks Group, Leipzig, Germany.
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Ye Z, Heldmann M, Herrmann L, Brüggemann N, Münte TF. Altered alpha and theta oscillations correlate with sequential working memory in Parkinson's disease. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac096. [PMID: 35755636 PMCID: PMC9214782 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Daily activities such as preparing a meal rely on the ability to arrange thoughts and actions in the right order. Patients with Parkinson's disease have difficulties in sequencing tasks. Their deficits in sequential working memory have been associated with basal ganglia dysfunction. Here we demonstrate that altered parietal alpha and theta oscillations correlate with sequential working memory in Parkinson's disease. We included 15 patients with Parkinson's disease (6 women, mean age: 66.0 years), 24 healthy young (14 women, mean age: 24.1 years), and 16 older participants (7 women, mean age: 68.6 years). All participants completed a picture ordering task with scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) recording, where they arranged five pictures in a specific order and memorized them over a delay. When encoding and maintaining picture sequences, patients with Parkinson's disease showed a lower baseline alpha peak frequency with higher alpha power than healthy young and older participants. Patients with a higher baseline alpha power responded more slowly for ordered trials. When manipulating picture sequences, patients with Parkinson's disease showed a lower frequency of maximal power change for random versus ordered trials than healthy young and older participants. Healthy older participants showed a higher frequency of maximal power change than healthy young participants. Compared with patients with frequency of maximal power change in the alpha band (8-15 Hz), patients with frequency of maximal power change in the theta band (4-7 Hz) showed a higher ordering-related accuracy cost (random versus ordered) in the main task and tended to respond more slowly and less accurately in an independent working memory test. In conclusion, altered baseline alpha oscillations and task-dependent modulation of alpha and theta oscillations may be neural markers of poor sequential working memory in Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Ye
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Marcus Heldmann
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
- Institute of Psychologie II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
| | - Lisa Herrmann
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
| | - Norbert Brüggemann
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
| | - Thomas F Münte
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
- Institute of Psychologie II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
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13
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Hu D, Ison M, Johnston A. Exploring the Common Mechanisms of Motion-Based Visual Prediction. Front Psychol 2022; 13:827029. [PMID: 35391983 PMCID: PMC8981589 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.827029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human vision supports prediction for moving stimuli. Here we take an individual differences approach to investigate whether there could be a common processing rate for motion-based visual prediction across diverse motion phenomena. Motion Induced Spatial Conflict (MISC) refers to an incongruity arising from two edges of a combined stimulus, moving rigidly, but with different apparent speeds. This discrepancy induces an illusory jitter that has been attributed to conflict within a motion prediction mechanism. Its apparent frequency has been shown to correlate with the frequency of alpha oscillations in the brain. We asked what other psychophysical measures might correlate positively with MISC frequency. We measured the correlation between MISC jitter frequency and another three measures that might be linked to motion-based spatial prediction. We demonstrate that the illusory jitter frequency in MISC correlates significantly with the accrual rate of the Motion Induced Position Shift (MIPS) effect - the well-established observation that a carrier movement in a static envelope of a Gabor target leads to an apparent position shift of the envelope in the direction of motion. We did not observe significant correlations with the other two measures - the Adaptation Induced Spatial Shift accrual rate (AISS) and the Smooth Motion Threshold (SMT). These results suggest a shared perceptual rate between MISC and MIPS, implying a common periodic mechanism for motion-based visual prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Hu
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Matias Ison
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alan Johnston
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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14
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Blake R. The Perceptual Magic of Binocular Rivalry. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/09637214211057564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Binocular rivalry (BR) refers to the spontaneous, unpredictable fluctuations in visual awareness provoked by dissimilar stimulation of the two eyes. Reports of the phenomenon date back several centuries, but interest in BR has exploded in recent years as researchers in diverse disciplines—psychology, neuroscience, medicine, philosophy—have found reasons to study it. New ideas about BR have emerged, sparking controversies about its neural bases, which may be resolved thanks to new methodological developments. This essay provides a synopsis of some key empirically determined aspects of BR as well as an overview of theoretical developments in this field. Work published during the past decade or so is emphasized (and explicitly referenced); earlier key findings are mentioned and referenced in the annotated bibliography included in the Supplemental Material.
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15
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Neural oscillations promoting perceptual stability and perceptual memory during bistable perception. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2760. [PMID: 35177702 PMCID: PMC8854562 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06570-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ambiguous images elicit bistable perception, wherein periods of momentary perceptual stability are interrupted by sudden perceptual switches. When intermittently presented, ambiguous images trigger a perceptual memory trace in the intervening blank periods. Understanding the neural bases of perceptual stability and perceptual memory during bistable perception may hold clues for explaining the apparent stability of visual experience in the natural world, where ambiguous and fleeting images are prevalent. Motivated by recent work showing the involvement of the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) in bistable perception, we conducted a transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) study with a double-blind, within-subject cross-over design to test a potential causal role of rIFG in these processes. Subjects viewed ambiguous images presented continuously or intermittently while under EEG recording. We did not find any significant tDCS effect on perceptual behavior. However, the fluctuations of oscillatory power in the alpha and beta bands predicted perceptual stability, with higher power corresponding to longer percept durations. In addition, higher alpha and beta power predicted enhanced perceptual memory during intermittent viewing. These results reveal a unified neurophysiological mechanism sustaining perceptual stability and perceptual memory when the visual system is faced with ambiguous input.
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16
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Katyal S, Goldin P. Neural correlates of nonjudgmental perception induced through meditation. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1499:70-81. [PMID: 33893655 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Ambiguous sensory stimuli provide insight into the dynamics of the human mind. When viewing substantially different images in the two eyes (i.e., binocular rivalry (BR)), perception spontaneously fluctuates between the two images along with patch-like mixtures of the two, with limited ability to control such fluctuations. Previous studies have shown that long-term meditation training can enable a more stable perception by reducing such fluctuations. Using electroencephalography, we investigated the neural bases of perceptual stabilization in long-term meditators (LTMs) and age-matched meditation-naive control participants. We measured BR alternations before and after participants practiced meditation. We expected that perceptual stabilization through meditation could occur via one of two neurocognitive mechanisms: (1) a more engaged/effortful attention reflected by increased long-range phase synchronization between early visual sensory and higher-level brain regions, or (2) a disengaged/nonevaluative form of attention reflected by decreased phase synchronization. We found that compared with control participants, LTMs were in a significantly longer mixed perceptual state following concentrative meditation practice. The increase in mixed percepts across individuals was strongly correlated with reduced parietal-occipital gamma-band (30-50 Hz) phase synchrony. These findings suggest that concentrative meditation enables a nonevaluative perceptual stance supported by reduced communication between hierarchical visual brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sucharit Katyal
- University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California
| | - Philippe Goldin
- University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California
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17
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Abstract
Neural oscillations play an important role in the integration and segregation of brain regions that are important for brain functions, including pain. Disturbances in oscillatory activity are associated with several disease states, including chronic pain. Studies of neural oscillations related to pain have identified several functional bands, especially alpha, beta, and gamma bands, implicated in nociceptive processing. In this review, we introduce several properties of neural oscillations that are important to understand the role of brain oscillations in nociceptive processing. We also discuss the role of neural oscillations in the maintenance of efficient communication in the brain. Finally, we discuss the role of neural oscillations in healthy and chronic pain nociceptive processing. These data and concepts illustrate the key role of regional and interregional neural oscillations in nociceptive processing underlying acute and chronic pains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junseok A. Kim
- Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour, Krembil Brain Institute, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karen D. Davis
- Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour, Krembil Brain Institute, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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18
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Miller SM. Fluctuations of consciousness, mood, and science: The interhemispheric switch and sticky switch models two decades on. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:3171-3197. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Miller
- Perceptual and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre Central Clinical School, Monash University and Alfred Health Melbourne Victoria Australia
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19
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Jach HK, Feuerriegel D, Smillie LD. Decoding personality trait measures from resting EEG: An exploratory report. Cortex 2020; 130:158-171. [PMID: 32653745 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Can personality be predicted from oscillatory patterns produced by the brain at rest? To date, relatively few studies using electroencephalography (EEG) have yielded consistent relations between personality trait measures and spectral power. Thus, new exploratory research may help develop targeted hypotheses about how neural processes associated with EEG activity may relate to personality differences. We used multivariate pattern analysis to decode personality scores (i.e., Big Five traits) from resting EEG frequency power spectra. Up to 8 minutes of EEG data was recorded per participant prior to completing an unrelated task (N = 168, Mage = 23.51, 57% female) and, in a subset of participants, after task completion (N = 96, Mage = 23.22, 52% female). In each recording, participants alternated between open and closed eyes. Linear support vector regression with 10-fold cross validation was performed using the power from 62 scalp electrodes within 1 Hz frequency bins from 1 to 30 Hz. One Big Five trait, agreeableness, could be decoded from EEG power ranging from 8 to 19 Hz, and this was consistent across all four recording periods. Neuroticism was decodable using data within the 3-6 Hz range, albeit less consistently. Posterior alpha power negatively correlated with agreeableness, whereas parietal beta power positively correlated with agreeableness. We suggest methods to draw from our results and develop targeted future hypotheses, such as linking to individual alpha frequency and incorporating self-reported emotional states. Our open dataset can be harnessed to reproduce results or investigate new research questions concerning the biological basis of personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley K Jach
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Daniel Feuerriegel
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Luke D Smillie
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia
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20
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Brascamp JW, Qian CS, Hambrick DZ, Becker MW. Individual differences point to two separate processes involved in the resolution of binocular rivalry. J Vis 2020; 19:15. [PMID: 31622474 DOI: 10.1167/19.12.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although binocular rivalry is different from other perceptually bistable phenomena in requiring interocular conflict, it also shares numerous features with those phenomena. This raises the question of whether, and to what extent, the neural bases of binocular rivalry and other bistable phenomena overlap. Here we examine this question using an individual-differences approach. In a first experiment, observers reported perception during four binocular rivalry tasks that differed in the features and retinal locations of the stimuli used. Perceptual dominance durations were highly correlated when compared between stimuli that differed in location only. Correlations were substantially weaker, however, when comparing stimuli comprised of different features. Thus, individual differences in binocular-rivalry perception partly reflect a feature-specific factor that is not shared among all variants of binocular rivalry. Our second experiment again included several binocular rivalry variants, but also a different form of bistability: moving plaid rivalry. Correlations in dominance durations between binocular rivalry variants that differed in feature content were again modest. Moreover, and surprisingly, correlations between binocular rivalry and moving plaid rivalry were of similar magnitude. This indicates a second, more general, factor underlying individual differences in binocular rivalry perception: one that is shared across binocular rivalry and moving plaid rivalry. We propose that the first, feature-specific factor corresponds to feature-tuned mechanisms involved in the treatment of interocular conflict, whereas the second, general factor corresponds to mechanisms involved in representing surfaces. These latter mechanisms would operate at a binocular level and be central to both binocular rivalry and other forms of bistability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan W Brascamp
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Cheng Stella Qian
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - David Z Hambrick
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Mark W Becker
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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21
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Winter U, LeVan P, Borghardt TL, Akin B, Wittmann M, Leyens Y, Schmidt S. Content-Free Awareness: EEG-fcMRI Correlates of Consciousness as Such in an Expert Meditator. Front Psychol 2020; 10:3064. [PMID: 32132942 PMCID: PMC7040185 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The minimal neural correlate of the conscious state, regardless of the neural activity correlated with the ever-changing contents of experience, has still not been identified. Different attempts have been made, mainly by comparing the normal waking state to seemingly unconscious states, such as deep sleep or general anesthesia. A more direct approach would be the neuroscientific investigation of conscious states that are experienced as free of any specific phenomenal content. Here we present serendipitous data on content-free awareness (CFA) during an EEG-fMRI assessment reported by an extraordinarily qualified meditator with over 50,000 h of practice. We focused on two specific cortical networks related to external and internal awareness, i.e., the dorsal attention network (DAN) and the default mode network (DMN), to explore the neural correlates of this experience. The combination of high-resolution EEG and ultrafast fMRI enabled us to analyze the dynamic aspects of fMRI connectivity informed by EEG power analysis. The neural correlates of CFA were characterized by a sharp decrease in alpha power and an increase in theta power as well as increases in functional connectivity in the DAN and decreases in the posterior DMN. We interpret these findings as correlates of a top-down-initiated attentional state excluding external sensory stimuli and internal mentation from conscious experience. We conclude that the investigation of states of CFA could provide valuable input for new methodological and conceptual approaches in the search for the minimal neural correlate of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf Winter
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Pierre LeVan
- Department of Radiology - Medical Physics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.,Departments of Radiology and Paediatrics, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | | | - Burak Akin
- Department of Radiology - Medical Physics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.,Center for Basics in NeuroModulation (NeuroModulBasics), Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Marc Wittmann
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Yeshe Leyens
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Stefan Schmidt
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
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22
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Bock EA, Fesi JD, Baillet S, Mendola JD. Tagged MEG measures binocular rivalry in a cortical network that predicts alternation rate. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218529. [PMID: 31295259 PMCID: PMC6622468 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Binocular rivalry (BR) is a dynamic visual illusion that provides insight into the cortical mechanisms of visual awareness, stimulus selection, and object identification. When dissimilar binocular images cannot be fused, perception switches every few seconds between the left and right eye images. The speed at which individuals switch between alternatives is a stable, partially heritable trait. In order to isolate the monocular and binocular processes that determine the speed of rivalry, we presented stimuli tagged with a different flicker frequency in each eye and applied stimulus-phase locked MEG source imaging. We hypothesized that the strength of the evoked fundamental or intermodulation frequencies would vary when comparing Fast and Slow Switchers. Ten subjects reported perceptual alternations, with mean dominance durations between 1.2–4.0 sec. During BR, event-related monocular input in V1, and broadly in higher-tier ventral temporal cortex, waxed and waned with the periods of left or right eye dominance/suppression. In addition, we show that Slow Switchers produce greater evoked intermodulation frequency responses in a cortical network composed of V1, lateral occipital, posterior STS, retrosplenial & superior parietal cortices. Importantly, these dominance durations were not predictable from the brain responses to either of the fundamental tagging frequencies in isolation, nor from any responses to a pattern rivalry control condition, or a non-rivalrous control. The novel cortical network isolated, which overlaps with the default-mode network, may contain neurons that compute the level of endogenous monocular difference, and monitor accumulation of this conflict over extended periods of time. These findings are the first to relate the speed of rivalry across observers to the ‘efficient coding’ theory of computing binocular differences that may apply to binocular vision generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Bock
- Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jeremy D. Fesi
- Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Janine D. Mendola
- Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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23
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Abstract
Evidence for perceptual periodicity emerges from studies showing periodic fluctuations in visual perception and decision making that are accompanied by neural oscillations in brain activity. We have uncovered signs of periodicity in the time course of binocular rivalry, a widely studied form of multistable perception. This was done by analyzing time series data contained in an unusually large dataset of rivalry state durations associated with states of exclusive monocular dominance and states of mixed perception during transitions between exclusive dominance. Identifiable within the varying durations of dynamic mixed perception are rhythmic clusters of durations whose incidence falls within the frequency band associated with oscillations in neural activity accompanying periodicity in perceptual judgments. Endogenous neural oscillations appear to be especially impactful when perception is unusually confounding.
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24
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Katyal S, He S, He B, Engel SA. Frequency of alpha oscillation predicts individual differences in perceptual stability during binocular rivalry. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:2422-2433. [PMID: 30702190 PMCID: PMC6865672 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
When ambiguous visual stimuli have multiple interpretations, human perception can alternate between them, producing perceptual multistability. There is a large variation between individuals in how long stable percepts endure, on average, between switches, but the underlying neural basis of this individual difference in perceptual dynamics remains obscure. Here, we show that in one widely studied multistable paradigm-binocular rivalry-perceptual stability in individuals is predicted by the frequency of their neural oscillations within the alpha range (7-13 Hz). Our results suggest revising models of rivalry to incorporate effects of neural oscillations on perceptual alternations, and raise the possibility that a common factor may influence dynamics in many neural processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sucharit Katyal
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Minnesota Twin CitiesMinneapolisMinnesota
| | - Sheng He
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Minnesota Twin CitiesMinneapolisMinnesota
| | - Bin He
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringCarnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghPA 15213
| | - Stephen A. Engel
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Minnesota Twin CitiesMinneapolisMinnesota
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25
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Miskovic V, Bagg JO, Ríos M, Pouliot JJ. Electrophysiological and phenomenological effects of short-term immersion in an altered sensory environment. Conscious Cogn 2019; 70:39-49. [PMID: 30826717 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
We examined the spontaneous cerebral electrophysiology and phenomenology during short-term perceptual deprivation consisting of an edgeless visual field combined with monotonous auditory input that eliminated potential grounding cues (multimodal Ganzfeld). Subjects (N = 22) were instructed to self-report perceptual fading using a button press. Relaxed wakefulness with closed eyes and viewing of a time-varying stimulus array served as control conditions. The power of parieto-occipital alpha rhythms during perceptual deprivation was midway between the eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions, with a state-specific frequency acceleration. Oscillatory alpha power remained enhanced in the multimodal Ganzfeld relative to viewing time-varying signals, despite no indication of diminished brain arousal. Subjects experienced a range of perceptual phenomena while in the altered sensory environment and individuals with faster alpha oscillations self-reported a greater number of fading episodes. We suggest that alpha-band electroencephalogram (EEG) dynamics signal internally oriented mentation in response to brief perceptual deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Miskovic
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, United States.
| | - Jeffrey O Bagg
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, United States
| | - Matthew Ríos
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, United States
| | - Jourdan J Pouliot
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, United States
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