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Ventura B, Çatal Y, Wolman A, Buccellato A, Cooper AC, Northoff G. Intrinsic neural timescales exhibit different lengths in distinct meditation techniques. Neuroimage 2024; 297:120745. [PMID: 39069224 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120745] [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: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Meditation encompasses a range of practices employing diverse induction techniques, each characterized by a distinct attentional focus. In Mantra meditation, for instance, practitioners direct their attention narrowly to a given sentence that is recursively repeated, while other forms of meditation such as Shoonya meditation are induced by a wider attentional focus. Here we aimed to identify the neural underpinnings and correlates associated with this spectrum of distinct attentional foci. To accomplish this, we used EEG data to estimate the brain's intrinsic neural timescales (INTs), that is, its temporal windows of activity, by calculating the Autocorrelation Window (ACW) of the EEG signal. The autocorrelation function measures the similarity of a timeseries with a time-lagged version of itself by correlating the signal with itself on different time lags, consequently providing an estimation of INTs length. Therefore, through using the ACW metric, our objective was to explore whether there is a correspondence between the length of the brain's temporal windows of activity and the width of the attentional scope during various meditation techniques. This was performed on three groups of highly proficient practitioners belonging to different meditation traditions, as well as a meditation-naïve control group. Our results indicated that practices with a wider attentional focus, like Shoonya meditation, exhibit longer ACW durations compared to practices requiring a narrower attentional focus, such as Mantra meditation or body-scanning Vipassana meditation. Together, we demonstrated that distinct meditation techniques with varying widths of attentional foci exhibit unique durations in their brain's INTs. This may suggest that the width of the attentional scope during meditation relates and corresponds to the width of the brain's temporal windows in its neural activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Our research uncovered the neural mechanisms that underpin the attentional foci in various meditation techniques. We revealed that distinct meditation induction techniques, featured by their range of attentional widths, are characterized by varying lengths of intrinsic neural timescales (INTs) within the brain, as measured by the Autocorrelation Window function. This finding may bridge the gap between the width of attentional windows (subjective) and the width of the temporal windows in the brain's neural activity (objective) during different meditation techniques, offering a new understanding of how cognitive and neural processes are related to each other. This work holds significant implications, especially in the context of the increasing use of meditation in mental health and well-being interventions. By elucidating the distinct neural foundations of different meditation techniques, our research aims to pave the way for developing more tailored and effective meditation-based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Ventura
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa K1N 6N5, ON, Canada.
| | - Yasir Çatal
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa K1Z 7K4, ON, Canada.
| | - Angelika Wolman
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa K1N 6N5, ON, Canada.
| | - Andrea Buccellato
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Orus 2/B, Padova 35129, Italy; Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Austin Clinton Cooper
- Integrated Program of Neuroscience, Room 302, Irving Ludmer Building, 1033 Pine Avenue W., McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada.
| | - Georg Northoff
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa K1Z 7K4, ON, Canada.
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Klar P, Çatal Y, Fogel S, Jocham G, Langner R, Owen AM, Northoff G. Auditory inputs modulate intrinsic neuronal timescales during sleep. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1180. [PMID: 37985812 PMCID: PMC10661171 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05566-8] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have demonstrated that intrinsic neuronal timescales (INT) undergo modulation by external stimulation during consciousness. It remains unclear if INT keep the ability for significant stimulus-induced modulation during primary unconscious states, such as sleep. This fMRI analysis addresses this question via a dataset that comprises an awake resting-state plus rest and stimulus states during sleep. We analyzed INT measured via temporal autocorrelation supported by median frequency (MF) in the frequency-domain. Our results were replicated using a biophysical model. There were two main findings: (1) INT prolonged while MF decreased from the awake resting-state to the N2 resting-state, and (2) INT shortened while MF increased during the auditory stimulus in sleep. The biophysical model supported these results by demonstrating prolonged INT in slowed neuronal populations that simulate the sleep resting-state compared to an awake state. Conversely, under sine wave input simulating the stimulus state during sleep, the model's regions yielded shortened INT that returned to the awake resting-state level. Our results highlight that INT preserve reactivity to stimuli in states of unconsciousness like sleep, enhancing our understanding of unconscious brain dynamics and their reactivity to stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Klar
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Yasir Çatal
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Room 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Stuart Fogel
- Sleep Unit, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal, K1Z 7K4, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gerhard Jocham
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Adrian M Owen
- Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Psychology, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Room 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Tianmu Road 305, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310013, China
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Buccellato A, Çatal Y, Bisiacchi P, Zang D, Zilio F, Wang Z, Qi Z, Zheng R, Xu Z, Wu X, Del Felice A, Mao Y, Northoff G. Probing Intrinsic Neural Timescales in EEG with an Information-Theory Inspired Approach: Permutation Entropy Time Delay Estimation (PE-TD). ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:1086. [PMID: 37510033 PMCID: PMC10378026 DOI: 10.3390/e25071086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Time delays are a signature of many physical systems, including the brain, and considerably shape their dynamics; moreover, they play a key role in consciousness, as postulated by the temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). However, they are often not known a priori and need to be estimated from time series. In this study, we propose the use of permutation entropy (PE) to estimate time delays from neural time series as a more robust alternative to the widely used autocorrelation window (ACW). In the first part, we demonstrate the validity of this approach on synthetic neural data, and we show its resistance to regimes of nonstationarity in time series. Mirroring yet another example of comparable behavior between different nonlinear systems, permutation entropy-time delay estimation (PE-TD) is also able to measure intrinsic neural timescales (INTs) (temporal windows of neural activity at rest) from hd-EEG human data; additionally, this replication extends to the abnormal prolongation of INT values in disorders of consciousness (DoCs). Surprisingly, the correlation between ACW-0 and PE-TD decreases in a state-dependent manner when consciousness is lost, hinting at potential different regimes of nonstationarity and nonlinearity in conscious/unconscious states, consistent with many current theoretical frameworks on consciousness. In summary, we demonstrate the validity of PE-TD as a tool to extract relevant time scales from neural data; furthermore, given the divergence between ACW and PE-TD specific to DoC subjects, we hint at its potential use for the characterization of conscious states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Buccellato
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Orus 2/B, 35129 Padova, Italy
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Yasir Çatal
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Patrizia Bisiacchi
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Orus 2/B, 35129 Padova, Italy
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Di Zang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Federico Zilio
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Piazza Capitaniato, 3, 35139 Padova, Italy
| | - Zhe Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Zengxin Qi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Ruizhe Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Zeyu Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Xuehai Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Alessandra Del Felice
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Orus 2/B, 35129 Padova, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Neurology, University of Padova, Via Belzoni, 160, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Georg Northoff
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310013, China
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310013, China
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Wolff A, Berberian N, Golesorkhi M, Gomez-Pilar J, Zilio F, Northoff G. Intrinsic neural timescales: temporal integration and segregation. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:159-173. [PMID: 34991988 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
We are continuously bombarded by external inputs of various timescales from the environment. How does the brain process this multitude of timescales? Recent resting state studies show a hierarchy of intrinsic neural timescales (INT) with a shorter duration in unimodal regions (e.g., visual cortex and auditory cortex) and a longer duration in transmodal regions (e.g., default mode network). This unimodal-transmodal hierarchy is present across acquisition modalities [electroencephalogram (EEG)/magnetoencephalogram (MEG) and fMRI] and can be found in different species and during a variety of different task states. Together, this suggests that the hierarchy of INT is central to the temporal integration (combining successive stimuli) and segregation (separating successive stimuli) of external inputs from the environment, leading to temporal segmentation and prediction in perception and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemarie Wolff
- Mind, Brain Imaging, and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Nareg Berberian
- Mind, Brain Imaging, and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Mehrshad Golesorkhi
- Mind, Brain Imaging, and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Javier Gomez-Pilar
- Biomedical Engineering Group, University of Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 15, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicia, (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Federico Zilio
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education, and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging, and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China; Mental Health Centre, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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Golesorkhi M, Gomez-Pilar J, Zilio F, Berberian N, Wolff A, Yagoub MCE, Northoff G. The brain and its time: intrinsic neural timescales are key for input processing. Commun Biol 2021; 4:970. [PMID: 34400800 PMCID: PMC8368044 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02483-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We process and integrate multiple timescales into one meaningful whole. Recent evidence suggests that the brain displays a complex multiscale temporal organization. Different regions exhibit different timescales as described by the concept of intrinsic neural timescales (INT); however, their function and neural mechanisms remains unclear. We review recent literature on INT and propose that they are key for input processing. Specifically, they are shared across different species, i.e., input sharing. This suggests a role of INT in encoding inputs through matching the inputs' stochastics with the ongoing temporal statistics of the brain's neural activity, i.e., input encoding. Following simulation and empirical data, we point out input integration versus segregation and input sampling as key temporal mechanisms of input processing. This deeply grounds the brain within its environmental and evolutionary context. It carries major implications in understanding mental features and psychiatric disorders, as well as going beyond the brain in integrating timescales into artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrshad Golesorkhi
- grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada ,grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Javier Gomez-Pilar
- grid.5239.d0000 0001 2286 5329Biomedical Engineering Group, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain ,grid.413448.e0000 0000 9314 1427Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Federico Zilio
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Nareg Berberian
- grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Annemarie Wolff
- grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Mustapha C. E. Yagoub
- grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada ,grid.410595.c0000 0001 2230 9154Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XMental Health Centre, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
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