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Vercillo T, Scurry A, Jiang F. Investigating the impact of early deafness on learned action-effect contingency for action linked to peripheral sensory effects. Neuropsychologia 2024; 202:108964. [PMID: 39084355 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Investigating peripheral visual processing in individuals with early auditory deprivation is a critical research area in the field of neuroscience, since it helps understanding the phenomenon of sensory adaptation and brain plasticity after sensory loss. Prior research has already demonstrated that the absence of auditory input, which is crucial to detect events occurring out of the central egocentric visual space, leads to an improved processing of visual and tactile stimuli occurring in peripheral regions of the sensory space. Nevertheless, no prior studies have explored whether such enhanced processing also takes place within the domain of action, particularly when individuals are required to perform actions that produce peripheral sensory outcomes. To test this hypothesis, we recruited 15 hearing (31 ± 3.3 years) and 15 early deaf adults (42 ± 2.6 years) for a neuro-behavioral experiment involving: 1) a behavioral task where participants executed a simple motor action (i.e., a button press) and received a visual feedback either in the center or in a peripheral region of the visual field, and 2) the electrophysiological recording of brain electrical potentials (EEG). We measured and compared neural activity preceding the motor action (the readiness potentials) and visual evoked responses (the N1 and P2 ERP components) and found that deaf individuals did not exhibit more pronounced modulation of neural responses when their motor actions resulted in peripheral visual stimuli compared to their hearing counterparts. Instead they showed a reduced modulation when visual stimuli were presented in the center. Our results suggest a redistribution of attentional resources from center to periphery in deaf individuals during sensorimotor coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Vercillo
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Universita' la Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
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2
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Gordon SM, Dalangin B, Touryan J. Saccade size predicts onset time of object processing during visual search of an open world virtual environment. Neuroimage 2024; 298:120781. [PMID: 39127183 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120781] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To date the vast majority of research in the visual neurosciences have been forced to adopt a highly constrained perspective of the vision system in which stimuli are processed in an open-loop reactive fashion (i.e., abrupt stimulus presentation followed by an evoked neural response). While such constraints enable high construct validity for neuroscientific investigation, the primary outcomes have been a reductionistic approach to isolate the component processes of visual perception. In electrophysiology, of the many neural processes studied under this rubric, the most well-known is, arguably, the P300 evoked response. There is, however, relatively little known about the real-world corollary of this component in free-viewing paradigms where visual stimuli are connected to neural function in a closed-loop. While growing evidence suggests that neural activity analogous to the P300 does occur in such paradigms, it is an open question when this response occurs and what behavioral or environmental factors could be used to isolate this component. APPROACH The current work uses convolutional networks to decode neural signals during a free-viewing visual search task in a closed-loop paradigm within an open-world virtual environment. From the decoded activity we construct fixation-locked response profiles that enable estimations of the variable latency of any P300 analogue around the moment of fixation. We then use these estimates to investigate which factors best reduce variable latency and, thus, predict the onset time of the response. We consider measurable, search-related factors encompassing top-down (i.e., goal driven) and bottom-up (i.e., stimulus driven) processes, such as fixation duration and salience. We also consider saccade size as an intermediate factor reflecting the integration of these two systems. MAIN RESULTS The results show that of these factors only saccade size reliably determines the onset time of P300 analogous activity for this task. Specifically, we find that for large saccades the variability in response onset is small enough to enable analysis using traditional ensemble averaging methods. SIGNIFICANCE The results show that P300 analogous activity does occur during closed-loop, free-viewing visual search while highlighting distinct differences between the open-loop version of this response and its real-world analogue. The results also further establish saccades, and saccade size, as a key factor in real-world visual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jonathan Touryan
- DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
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3
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Tian S, Cheng YA, Luo H. Rhythm Facilitates Auditory Working Memory via Beta-Band Encoding and Theta-Band Maintenance. Neurosci Bull 2024:10.1007/s12264-024-01289-w. [PMID: 39215886 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01289-w] [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: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Rhythm, as a prominent characteristic of auditory experiences such as speech and music, is known to facilitate attention, yet its contribution to working memory (WM) remains unclear. Here, human participants temporarily retained a 12-tone sequence presented rhythmically or arrhythmically in WM and performed a pitch change-detection task. Behaviorally, while having comparable accuracy, rhythmic tone sequences showed a faster response time and lower response boundaries in decision-making. Electroencephalographic recordings revealed that rhythmic sequences elicited enhanced non-phase-locked beta-band (16 Hz-33 Hz) and theta-band (3 Hz-5 Hz) neural oscillations during sensory encoding and WM retention periods, respectively. Importantly, the two-stage neural signatures were correlated with each other and contributed to behavior. As beta-band and theta-band oscillations denote the engagement of motor systems and WM maintenance, respectively, our findings imply that rhythm facilitates auditory WM through intricate oscillation-based interactions between the motor and auditory systems that facilitate predictive attention to auditory sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suizi Tian
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Yu-Ang Cheng
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Huan Luo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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4
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Fitzpatrick MJ, Krizan J, Hsiang JC, Shen N, Kerschensteiner D. A pupillary contrast response in mice and humans: Neural mechanisms and visual functions. Neuron 2024; 112:2404-2422.e9. [PMID: 38697114 PMCID: PMC11257825 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.012] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
In the pupillary light response (PLR), increases in ambient light constrict the pupil to dampen increases in retinal illuminance. Here, we report that the pupillary reflex arc implements a second input-output transformation; it senses temporal contrast to enhance spatial contrast in the retinal image and increase visual acuity. The pupillary contrast response (PCoR) is driven by rod photoreceptors via type 6 bipolar cells and M1 ganglion cells. Temporal contrast is transformed into sustained pupil constriction by the M1's conversion of excitatory input into spike output. Computational modeling explains how the PCoR shapes retinal images. Pupil constriction improves acuity in gaze stabilization and predation in mice. Humans exhibit a PCoR with similar tuning properties to mice, which interacts with eye movements to optimize the statistics of the visual input for retinal encoding. Thus, we uncover a conserved component of active vision, its cell-type-specific pathway, computational mechanisms, and optical and behavioral significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Fitzpatrick
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jenna Krizan
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jen-Chun Hsiang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ning Shen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Daniel Kerschensteiner
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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5
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Berthault E, Chen S, Falk S, Morillon B, Schön D. Auditory and motor priming of metric structure improves understanding of degraded speech. Cognition 2024; 248:105793. [PMID: 38636164 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105793] [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: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Speech comprehension is enhanced when preceded (or accompanied) by a congruent rhythmic prime reflecting the metrical sentence structure. Although these phenomena have been described for auditory and motor primes separately, their respective and synergistic contribution has not been addressed. In this experiment, participants performed a speech comprehension task on degraded speech signals that were preceded by a rhythmic prime that could be auditory, motor or audiomotor. Both auditory and audiomotor rhythmic primes facilitated speech comprehension speed. While the presence of a purely motor prime (unpaced tapping) did not globally benefit speech comprehension, comprehension accuracy scaled with the regularity of motor tapping. In order to investigate inter-individual variability, participants also performed a Spontaneous Speech Synchronization test. The strength of the estimated perception-production coupling correlated positively with overall speech comprehension scores. These findings are discussed in the framework of the dynamic attending and active sensing theories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Berthault
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France.
| | - Sophie Chen
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France.
| | - Simone Falk
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, University of Montreal, Canada; International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Benjamin Morillon
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France.
| | - Daniele Schön
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France.
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6
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Dasgupta D, Schneider-Luftman D, Schaefer AT, Harris JJ. Wireless monitoring of respiration with EEG reveals relationships between respiration, behavior, and brain activity in freely moving mice. J Neurophysiol 2024; 132:290-307. [PMID: 38810259 PMCID: PMC11383384 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00330.2023] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Active sampling in the olfactory domain is a fundamental aspect of mouse behavior, and there is increasing evidence that respiration-entrained neural activity outside of the olfactory system sets an important global brain rhythm. It is therefore crucial to accurately measure breathing during natural behaviors. We develop a new approach to do this in freely moving animals, by implanting a telemetry-based pressure sensor into the right jugular vein, which allows for wireless monitoring of thoracic pressure. After verifying this technique against standard head-fixed respiration measurements, we combined it with EEG and EMG recording and used evolving partial coherence analysis to investigate the relationship between respiration and brain activity across a range of experiments in which the mice could move freely. During voluntary exploration of odors and objects, we found that the association between respiration and cortical activity in the delta and theta frequency range decreased, whereas the association between respiration and cortical activity in the alpha range increased. During sleep, however, the presentation of an odor was able to cause a transient increase in sniffing without changing dominant sleep rhythms (delta and theta) in the cortex. Our data align with the emerging idea that the respiration rhythm could act as a synchronizing scaffold for specific brain rhythms during wakefulness and exploration, but suggest that respiratory changes are less able to impact brain activity during sleep. Combining wireless respiration monitoring with different types of brain recording across a variety of behaviors will further increase our understanding of the important links between active sampling, passive respiration, and neural activity.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Animals can alter their respiration rate to actively sample their environment, and increasing evidence suggests that neurons across the brain align their firing to this changing rhythm. We developed a new approach to measure sniffing in freely moving mice while simultaneously recording brain activity, and uncovered how specific cortical rhythms changed their coherence with respiration rhythm during natural behaviors and across arousal states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debanjan Dasgupta
- Sensory Circuits and Neurotechnology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neural Circuit Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India
| | - Deborah Schneider-Luftman
- Sensory Circuits and Neurotechnology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas T Schaefer
- Sensory Circuits and Neurotechnology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Julia J Harris
- Sensory Circuits and Neurotechnology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London, United Kingdom
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7
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Das A, Sheffield AG, Nandy AS, Jadi MP. Brain-state mediated modulation of inter-laminar dependencies in visual cortex. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5105. [PMID: 38877026 PMCID: PMC11178935 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49144-w] [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: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention is critical for recognizing behaviorally relevant objects in a cluttered environment. How the deployment of spatial attention aids the hierarchical computations of object recognition remains unclear. We investigated this in the laminar cortical network of visual area V4, an area strongly modulated by attention. We found that deployment of attention strengthened unique dependencies in neural activity across cortical layers. On the other hand, shared dependencies were reduced within the excitatory population of a layer. Surprisingly, attention strengthened unique dependencies within a laminar population. Crucially, these modulation patterns were also observed during successful behavioral outcomes that are thought to be mediated by internal brain state fluctuations. Successful behavioral outcomes were also associated with phases of reduced neural excitability, suggesting a mechanism for enhanced information transfer during optimal states. Our results suggest common computation goals of optimal sensory states that are attained by either task demands or internal fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirban Das
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Design and Patterning AI Group, Intel Corp., Hillsboro, Oregon, 97124, USA
| | - Alec G Sheffield
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Anirvan S Nandy
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Monika P Jadi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
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8
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Tune S, Obleser J. Neural attentional filters and behavioural outcome follow independent individual trajectories over the adult lifespan. eLife 2024; 12:RP92079. [PMID: 38470243 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92079] [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] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Preserved communication abilities promote healthy ageing. To this end, the age-typical loss of sensory acuity might in part be compensated for by an individual's preserved attentional neural filtering. Is such a compensatory brain-behaviour link longitudinally stable? Can it predict individual change in listening behaviour? We here show that individual listening behaviour and neural filtering ability follow largely independent developmental trajectories modelling electroencephalographic and behavioural data of N = 105 ageing individuals (39-82 y). First, despite the expected decline in hearing-threshold-derived sensory acuity, listening-task performance proved stable over 2 y. Second, neural filtering and behaviour were correlated only within each separate measurement timepoint (T1, T2). Longitudinally, however, our results raise caution on attention-guided neural filtering metrics as predictors of individual trajectories in listening behaviour: neither neural filtering at T1 nor its 2-year change could predict individual 2-year behavioural change, under a combination of modelling strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Tune
- Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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9
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Zalta A, Large EW, Schön D, Morillon B. Neural dynamics of predictive timing and motor engagement in music listening. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi2525. [PMID: 38446888 PMCID: PMC10917349 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi2525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Why do humans spontaneously dance to music? To test the hypothesis that motor dynamics reflect predictive timing during music listening, we created melodies with varying degrees of rhythmic predictability (syncopation) and asked participants to rate their wanting-to-move (groove) experience. Degree of syncopation and groove ratings are quadratically correlated. Magnetoencephalography data showed that, while auditory regions track the rhythm of melodies, beat-related 2-hertz activity and neural dynamics at delta (1.4 hertz) and beta (20 to 30 hertz) rates in the dorsal auditory pathway code for the experience of groove. Critically, the left sensorimotor cortex coordinates these groove-related delta and beta activities. These findings align with the predictions of a neurodynamic model, suggesting that oscillatory motor engagement during music listening reflects predictive timing and is effected by interaction of neural dynamics along the dorsal auditory pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Zalta
- Aix Marseille Université, Inserm, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
- APHM, INSERM, Inst Neurosci Syst, Service de Pharmacologie Clinique et Pharmacovigilance, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Edward W. Large
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Ecological Psychology Division, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Daniele Schön
- Aix Marseille Université, Inserm, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
| | - Benjamin Morillon
- Aix Marseille Université, Inserm, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
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10
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Davidson MJ, Verstraten FAJ, Alais D. Walking modulates visual detection performance according to stride cycle phase. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2027. [PMID: 38453900 PMCID: PMC10920920 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45780-4] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Walking is among our most frequent and natural of voluntary behaviours, yet the consequences of locomotion upon perceptual and cognitive function remain largely unknown. Recent work has highlighted that although walking feels smooth and continuous, critical phases exist within each step for the successful coordination of perceptual and motor function. Here, we test whether these phasic demands impact upon visual perception, by assessing performance in a visual detection task during natural unencumbered walking. We finely sample visual performance over the stride cycle as participants walk along a smooth linear path at a comfortable speed in a wireless virtual reality environment. At the group-level, accuracy, reaction times, and response likelihood show strong oscillations, modulating at approximately 2 cycles per stride (~2 Hz) with a marked phase of optimal performance aligned with the swing phase of each step. At the participant level, Bayesian inference of population prevalence reveals highly prevalent oscillations in visual detection performance that cluster in two idiosyncratic frequency ranges (2 or 4 cycles per stride), with a strong phase alignment across participants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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11
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Naghibi N, Jahangiri N, Khosrowabadi R, Eickhoff CR, Eickhoff SB, Coull JT, Tahmasian M. Embodying Time in the Brain: A Multi-Dimensional Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis of 95 Duration Processing Studies. Neuropsychol Rev 2024; 34:277-298. [PMID: 36857010 PMCID: PMC10920454 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09588-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Time is an omnipresent aspect of almost everything we experience internally or in the external world. The experience of time occurs through such an extensive set of contextual factors that, after decades of research, a unified understanding of its neural substrates is still elusive. In this study, following the recent best-practice guidelines, we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis of 95 carefully-selected neuroimaging papers of duration processing. We categorized the included papers into 14 classes of temporal features according to six categorical dimensions. Then, using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) technique we investigated the convergent activation patterns of each class with a cluster-level family-wise error correction at p < 0.05. The regions most consistently activated across the various timing contexts were the pre-SMA and bilateral insula, consistent with an embodied theory of timing in which abstract representations of duration are rooted in sensorimotor and interoceptive experience, respectively. Moreover, class-specific patterns of activation could be roughly divided according to whether participants were timing auditory sequential stimuli, which additionally activated the dorsal striatum and SMA-proper, or visual single interval stimuli, which additionally activated the right middle frontal and inferior parietal cortices. We conclude that temporal cognition is so entangled with our everyday experience that timing stereotypically common combinations of stimulus characteristics reactivates the sensorimotor systems with which they were first experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Naghibi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nadia Jahangiri
- Faculty of Psychology & Education, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Khosrowabadi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Claudia R Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Research, Structural and functional organisation of the brain (INM-1), Jülich Research Center, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Research, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Jülich Research Center, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Jülich, Germany
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jennifer T Coull
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (UMR 7291), Aix-Marseille Université & CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Masoud Tahmasian
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Research, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Jülich Research Center, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Jülich, Germany.
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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12
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Weber J, Solbakk AK, Blenkmann AO, Llorens A, Funderud I, Leske S, Larsson PG, Ivanovic J, Knight RT, Endestad T, Helfrich RF. Ramping dynamics and theta oscillations reflect dissociable signatures during rule-guided human behavior. Nat Commun 2024; 15:637. [PMID: 38245516 PMCID: PMC10799948 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44571-7] [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: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Contextual cues and prior evidence guide human goal-directed behavior. The neurophysiological mechanisms that implement contextual priors to guide subsequent actions in the human brain remain unclear. Using intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG), we demonstrate that increasing uncertainty introduces a shift from a purely oscillatory to a mixed processing regime with an additional ramping component. Oscillatory and ramping dynamics reflect dissociable signatures, which likely differentially contribute to the encoding and transfer of different cognitive variables in a cue-guided motor task. The results support the idea that prefrontal activity encodes rules and ensuing actions in distinct coding subspaces, while theta oscillations synchronize the prefrontal-motor network, possibly to guide action execution. Collectively, our results reveal how two key features of large-scale neural population activity, namely continuous ramping dynamics and oscillatory synchrony, jointly support rule-guided human behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Weber
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Center for Neurology, University Medical Center Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for the Mechanisms of Mental Function and Dysfunction, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Solbakk
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neurosurgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neuropsychology, Helgeland Hospital, Mosjøen, Norway
| | - Alejandro O Blenkmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anais Llorens
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ingrid Funderud
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neuropsychology, Helgeland Hospital, Mosjøen, Norway
| | - Sabine Leske
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Musicology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Robert T Knight
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Tor Endestad
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Randolph F Helfrich
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Center for Neurology, University Medical Center Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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13
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Flösch KP, Flaisch T, Imhof MA, Schupp HT. Alpha/beta oscillations reveal cognitive and affective brain states associated with role taking in a dyadic cooperative game. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad487. [PMID: 38100327 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad487] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Social cooperation often requires taking different roles in order to reach a shared goal. By defining individual tasks, these roles dictate processing demands of the collaborators. The main aim of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that induced alpha and lower beta oscillations provide insights into affective and cognitive brain states during social cooperation. Toward this end, an experimental game was used in which participants had to navigate a Pacman figure through a maze by sending and receiving information about the correct moving direction. Supporting our hypotheses, individual roles taken by the collaborators during gameplay were associated with significant changes in alpha and lower beta power. Furthermore, effects were similar when participants played the Pacman Game with human or computer partners. Findings are discussed from the perspective of the information-via-desynchronization hypothesis proposing that alpha and lower beta power decreases reflect states of enhanced cortical information representation. Overall, experimental games are a useful tool for extending basic research on brain oscillations to the domain of naturalistic social interaction as emphasized by the second-person neuroscience perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl-Philipp Flösch
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany
| | - Tobias Flaisch
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany
| | - Martin A Imhof
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany
| | - Harald T Schupp
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany
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14
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Mohanta S, Cleveland DM, Afrasiabi M, Rhone AE, Górska U, Cooper Borkenhagen M, Sanders RD, Boly M, Nourski KV, Saalmann YB. Traveling waves shape neural population dynamics enabling predictions and internal model updating. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.09.574848. [PMID: 38260606 PMCID: PMC10802392 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.09.574848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The brain generates predictions based on statistical regularities in our environment. However, it is unclear how predictions are optimized through iterative interactions with the environment. Because traveling waves (TWs) propagate across the cortex shaping neural excitability, they can carry information to serve predictive processing. Using human intracranial recordings, we show that anterior-to-posterior alpha TWs correlated with prediction strength. Learning about priors altered neural state space trajectories, and how much it altered correlated with trial-by-trial prediction strength. Learning involved mismatches between predictions and sensory evidence triggering alpha-phase resets in lateral temporal cortex, accompanied by stronger alpha phase-high gamma amplitude coupling and high-gamma power. The mismatch initiated posterior-to-anterior alpha TWs and change in the subsequent trial's state space trajectory, facilitating model updating. Our findings suggest a vital role of alpha TWs carrying both predictions to sensory cortex and mismatch signals to frontal cortex for trial-by-trial fine-tuning of predictive models.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mohanta
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - D M Cleveland
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - M Afrasiabi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - A E Rhone
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, IA, USA
| | - U Górska
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - R D Sanders
- Specialty of Anaesthesia, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia and Department of Anaesthetics and Institute of Academic Surgery, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - M Boly
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - K V Nourski
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Y B Saalmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
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15
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Nikbakht N. More Than the Sum of Its Parts: Visual-Tactile Integration in the Behaving Rat. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1437:37-58. [PMID: 38270852 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-7611-9_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
We experience the world by constantly integrating cues from multiple modalities to form unified sensory percepts. Once familiar with multimodal properties of an object, we can recognize it regardless of the modality involved. In this chapter we will examine the case of a visual-tactile orientation categorization experiment in rats. We will explore the involvement of the cerebral cortex in recognizing objects through multiple sensory modalities. In the orientation categorization task, rats learned to examine and judge the orientation of a raised, black and white grating using touch, vision, or both. Their multisensory performance was better than the predictions of linear models for cue combination, indicating synergy between the two sensory channels. Neural recordings made from a candidate associative cortical area, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), reflected the principal neuronal correlates of the behavioral results: PPC neurons encoded both graded information about the object and categorical information about the animal's decision. Intriguingly single neurons showed identical responses under each of the three modality conditions providing a substrate for a neural circuit in the cortex that is involved in modality-invariant processing of objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nader Nikbakht
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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16
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Ten Oever S, Martin AE. Interdependence of "What" and "When" in the Brain. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:167-186. [PMID: 37847823 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
From a brain's-eye-view, when a stimulus occurs and what it is are interrelated aspects of interpreting the perceptual world. Yet in practice, the putative perceptual inferences about sensory content and timing are often dichotomized and not investigated as an integrated process. We here argue that neural temporal dynamics can influence what is perceived, and in turn, stimulus content can influence the time at which perception is achieved. This computational principle results from the highly interdependent relationship of what and when in the environment. Both brain processes and perceptual events display strong temporal variability that is not always modeled; we argue that understanding-and, minimally, modeling-this temporal variability is key for theories of how the brain generates unified and consistent neural representations and that we ignore temporal variability in our analysis practice at the peril of both data interpretation and theory-building. Here, we review what and when interactions in the brain, demonstrate via simulations how temporal variability can result in misguided interpretations and conclusions, and outline how to integrate and synthesize what and when in theories and models of brain computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Ten Oever
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea E Martin
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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17
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Emanuele M, D'Ausilio A, Koch G, Fadiga L, Tomassini A. Scale-invariant changes in corticospinal excitability reflect multiplexed oscillations in the motor output. J Physiol 2024; 602:205-222. [PMID: 38059677 DOI: 10.1113/jp284273] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In the absence of disease, humans produce smooth and accurate movement trajectories. Despite such 'macroscopic' aspect, the 'microscopic' structure of movements reveals recurrent (quasi-rhythmic) discontinuities. To date, it is unclear how the sensorimotor system contributes to the macroscopic and microscopic architecture of movement. Here, we investigated how corticospinal excitability changes in relation to microscopic fluctuations that are naturally embedded within larger macroscopic variations in motor output. Participants performed a visuomotor tracking task. In addition to the 0.25 Hz modulation that is required for task fulfilment (macroscopic scale), the motor output shows tiny but systematic fluctuations at ∼2 and 8 Hz (microscopic scales). We show that motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during task performance are consistently modulated at all (time) scales. Surprisingly, MEP modulation covers a similar range at both micro- and macroscopic scales, even though the motor output differs by several orders of magnitude. Thus, corticospinal excitability finely maps the multiscale temporal patterning of the motor output, but it does so according to a principle of scale invariance. These results suggest that corticospinal excitability indexes a relatively abstract level of movement encoding that may reflect the hierarchical organisation of sensorimotor processes. KEY POINTS: Motor behaviour is organised on multiple (time)scales. Small but systematic ('microscopic') fluctuations are engrained in larger and slower ('macroscopic') variations in motor output, which are instrumental in deploying the desired motor plan. Corticospinal excitability is modulated in relation to motor fluctuations on both macroscopic and microscopic (time)scales. Corticospinal excitability obeys a principle of scale invariance, that is, it is modulated similarly at all (time)scales, possibly reflecting hierarchical mechanisms that optimise motor encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Emanuele
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alessandro D'Ausilio
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giacomo Koch
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- IRCSS Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy
| | - Luciano Fadiga
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alice Tomassini
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
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18
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Assaneo MF, Orpella J. Rhythms in Speech. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1455:257-274. [PMID: 38918356 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-60183-5_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Speech can be defined as the human ability to communicate through a sequence of vocal sounds. Consequently, speech requires an emitter (the speaker) capable of generating the acoustic signal and a receiver (the listener) able to successfully decode the sounds produced by the emitter (i.e., the acoustic signal). Time plays a central role at both ends of this interaction. On the one hand, speech production requires precise and rapid coordination, typically within the order of milliseconds, of the upper vocal tract articulators (i.e., tongue, jaw, lips, and velum), their composite movements, and the activation of the vocal folds. On the other hand, the generated acoustic signal unfolds in time, carrying information at different timescales. This information must be parsed and integrated by the receiver for the correct transmission of meaning. This chapter describes the temporal patterns that characterize the speech signal and reviews research that explores the neural mechanisms underlying the generation of these patterns and the role they play in speech comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Florencia Assaneo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Autónoma de México, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.
| | - Joan Orpella
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
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19
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Coull JT, Korolczuk I, Morillon B. The Motor of Time: Coupling Action to Temporally Predictable Events Heightens Perception. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1455:199-213. [PMID: 38918353 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-60183-5_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Timing and motor function share neural circuits and dynamics, which underpin their close and synergistic relationship. For instance, the temporal predictability of a sensory event optimizes motor responses to that event. Knowing when an event is likely to occur lowers response thresholds, leading to faster and more efficient motor behavior though in situations of response conflict can induce impulsive and inappropriate responding. In turn, through a process of active sensing, coupling action to temporally predictable sensory input enhances perceptual processing. Action not only hones perception of the event's onset or duration, but also boosts sensory processing of its non-temporal features such as pitch or shape. The effects of temporal predictability on motor behavior and sensory processing involve motor and left parietal cortices and are mediated by changes in delta and beta oscillations in motor areas of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer T Coull
- Centre for Research in Psychology and Neuroscience (UMR 7077), Aix-Marseille Université & CNRS, Marseille, France.
| | - Inga Korolczuk
- Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Benjamin Morillon
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
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20
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Perrodin C, Verzat C, Bendor D. Courtship behaviour reveals temporal regularity is a critical social cue in mouse communication. eLife 2023; 12:RP86464. [PMID: 38149925 PMCID: PMC10752583 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
While animals navigating the real world face a barrage of sensory input, their brains evolved to perceptually compress multidimensional information by selectively extracting the features relevant for survival. Notably, communication signals supporting social interactions in several mammalian species consist of acoustically complex sequences of vocalisations. However, little is known about what information listeners extract from such time-varying sensory streams. Here, we utilise female mice's natural behavioural response to male courtship songs to identify the relevant acoustic dimensions used in their social decisions. We found that females were highly sensitive to disruptions of song temporal regularity and preferentially approached playbacks of intact over rhythmically irregular versions of male songs. In contrast, female behaviour was invariant to manipulations affecting the songs' sequential organisation or the spectro-temporal structure of individual syllables. The results reveal temporal regularity as a key acoustic cue extracted by mammalian listeners from complex vocal sequences during goal-directed social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Perrodin
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Colombine Verzat
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Idiap Research InstituteMartignySwitzerland
| | - Daniel Bendor
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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21
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Beker S, Molholm S. Do we all synch alike? Brain-body-environment interactions in ASD. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1275896. [PMID: 38186630 PMCID: PMC10769494 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1275896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by rigidity of routines and restricted interests, and atypical social communication and interaction. Recent evidence for altered synchronization of neuro-oscillatory brain activity with regularities in the environment and of altered peripheral nervous system function in ASD present promising novel directions for studying pathophysiology and its relationship to ASD clinical phenotype. Human cognition and action are significantly influenced by physiological rhythmic processes that are generated by both the central nervous system (CNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Normally, perception occurs in a dynamic context, where brain oscillations and autonomic signals synchronize with external events to optimally receive temporally predictable rhythmic information, leading to improved performance. The recent findings on the time-sensitive coupling between the brain and the periphery in effective perception and successful social interactions in typically developed highlight studying the interactions within the brain-body-environment triad as a critical direction in the study of ASD. Here we offer a novel perspective of autism as a case where the temporal dynamics of brain-body-environment coupling is impaired. We present evidence from the literature to support the idea that in autism the nervous system fails to operate in an adaptive manner to synchronize with temporally predictable events in the environment to optimize perception and behavior. This framework could potentially lead to novel biomarkers of hallmark deficits in ASD such as cognitive rigidity and altered social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shlomit Beker
- Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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22
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Charalambous E, Djebbara Z. On natural attunement: Shared rhythms between the brain and the environment. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 155:105438. [PMID: 37898445 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105438] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Rhythms exist both in the embodied brain and the built environment. Becoming attuned to the rhythms of the environment, such as repetitive columns, can greatly affect perception. Here, we explore how the built environment affects human cognition and behavior through the concept of natural attunement, often resulting from the coordination of a person's sensory and motor systems with the rhythmic elements of the environment. We argue that the built environment should not be reduced to mere states, representations, and single variables but instead be considered a bundle of highly related continuous signals with which we can resonate. Resonance and entrainment are dynamic processes observed when intrinsic frequencies of the oscillatory brain are influenced by the oscillations of an external signal. This allows visual rhythmic stimulations of the environment to affect the brain and body through neural entrainment, cross-frequency coupling, and phase resetting. We review how real-world architectural settings can affect neural dynamics, cognitive processes, and behavior in people, suggesting the crucial role of everyday rhythms in the brain-body-environment relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zakaria Djebbara
- Aalborg University, Department of Architecture, Design, Media, and Technology, Denmark; Technical University of Berlin, Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Germany.
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23
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Galvez-Pol A, López-Martín G, Kilner JM. Social timing as an active, multisensory, and embodied process. A commentary on "The evolution of social timing" by Verga, Kotz and Ravignani. Phys Life Rev 2023; 47:128-130. [PMID: 37862899 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Galvez-Pol
- Psychology Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Active Cognition, Embodiment, and Environment Lab, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Genaro López-Martín
- Psychology Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Active Cognition, Embodiment, and Environment Lab, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - James M Kilner
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Queen Square, London, UK
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24
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Weilnhammer V, Stuke H, Standvoss K, Sterzer P. Sensory processing in humans and mice fluctuates between external and internal modes. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002410. [PMID: 38064502 PMCID: PMC10732408 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Perception is known to cycle through periods of enhanced and reduced sensitivity to external information. Here, we asked whether such slow fluctuations arise as a noise-related epiphenomenon of limited processing capacity or, alternatively, represent a structured mechanism of perceptual inference. Using 2 large-scale datasets, we found that humans and mice alternate between externally and internally oriented modes of sensory analysis. During external mode, perception aligns more closely with the external sensory information, whereas internal mode is characterized by enhanced biases toward perceptual history. Computational modeling indicated that dynamic changes in mode are enabled by 2 interlinked factors: (i) the integration of subsequent inputs over time and (ii) slow antiphase oscillations in the impact of external sensory information versus internal predictions that are provided by perceptual history. We propose that between-mode fluctuations generate unambiguous error signals that enable optimal inference in volatile environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veith Weilnhammer
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, Germany
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Heiner Stuke
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Standvoss
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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25
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Emmery L, Hackney ME, Kesar T, McKay JL, Rosenberg MC. An integrated review of music cognition and rhythmic stimuli in sensorimotor neurocognition and neurorehabilitation. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1530:74-86. [PMID: 37917153 PMCID: PMC10841443 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
This work reviews the growing body of interdisciplinary research on music cognition, using biomechanical, kinesiological, clinical, psychosocial, and sociological methods. The review primarily examines the relationship between temporal elements in music and motor responses under varying contexts, with considerable relevance for clinical rehabilitation. After providing an overview of the terminology and approaches pertinent to theories of rhythm and meter from the musical-theoretical and cognitive fields, this review focuses on studies on the effects of rhythmic sensory stimulation on gait, rhythmic cues' effect on the motor system, reactions to rhythmic stimuli attempting to synchronize mobility (i.e., musical embodiment), and the application of rhythm for motor rehabilitation for individuals with Parkinson's disease, stroke, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative or neurotraumatic diseases. This work ultimately bridges the gap between the musical-theoretical and cognitive science fields to facilitate innovative research in which each discipline informs the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Emmery
- Department of Music, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Madeleine E. Hackney
- Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta VA HealthCare System, Decatur, Georgia, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Emory University School of Nursing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Trisha Kesar
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - J. Lucas McKay
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael C. Rosenberg
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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26
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Parker PRL, Martins DM, Leonard ESP, Casey NM, Sharp SL, Abe ETT, Smear MC, Yates JL, Mitchell JF, Niell CM. A dynamic sequence of visual processing initiated by gaze shifts. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:2192-2202. [PMID: 37996524 PMCID: PMC11270614 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01481-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Animals move their head and eyes as they explore the visual scene. Neural correlates of these movements have been found in rodent primary visual cortex (V1), but their sources and computational roles are unclear. We addressed this by combining head and eye movement measurements with neural recordings in freely moving mice. V1 neurons responded primarily to gaze shifts, where head movements are accompanied by saccadic eye movements, rather than to head movements where compensatory eye movements stabilize gaze. A variety of activity patterns followed gaze shifts and together these formed a temporal sequence that was absent in darkness. Gaze-shift responses resembled those evoked by sequentially flashed stimuli, suggesting a large component corresponds to onset of new visual input. Notably, neurons responded in a sequence that matches their spatial frequency bias, consistent with coarse-to-fine processing. Recordings in freely gazing marmosets revealed a similar sequence following saccades, also aligned to spatial frequency preference. Our results demonstrate that active vision in both mice and marmosets consists of a dynamic temporal sequence of neural activity associated with visual sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip R L Parker
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
- Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Dylan M Martins
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Emmalyn S P Leonard
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Nathan M Casey
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Shelby L Sharp
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Elliott T T Abe
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Matthew C Smear
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Jacob L Yates
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jude F Mitchell
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Cristopher M Niell
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
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27
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Burr DC, Morrone MC. The role of neural oscillations in visuo-motor communication at the time of saccades. Neuropsychologia 2023; 190:108682. [PMID: 37717722 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Saccadic eye-movements are fundamental for active vision, allowing observers to purposefully scan the environment with the high-resolution fovea. In this brief perspective we outline a series of experiments from our laboratories investigating the role of eye-movements and their consequences to active perception. We show that saccades lead to suppression of visual sensitivity at saccadic onset, and that this suppression is accompanied by endogenous neural oscillations in the delta range. Similar oscillations are initiated by purposeful hand movements, which lead to measurable changes in responsivity in area V1, and in the connectivity with motor area M1. Saccades also lead to clear distortions in apparent position, but only for verbal reports, not when participants respond with rapid pointing, consistent with the action of two separate visual systems in neurotypical adults. At the time of saccades, serial dependence, the positive influence on perception of previous stimulus attributes (such as orientation) is particularly strong. Again, these processes are accompanied by neural oscillations, in the alpha and low beta range. In general, oscillations seem to be tightly linked to serial dependence in perception, both in auditory judgments (around 10 Hz), and for visual judgements of face gender (14 Hz for female, 17 Hz for male). Taken together, the studies show that neural oscillations play a fundamental role in dynamic, active vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, 50135, Florence, Italy; School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia.
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, 50135, Florence, Italy; Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, via San Zeno 31, 56123, Pisa, Italy
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28
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Huber-Huber C, Melcher D. Saccade execution increases the preview effect with faces: An EEG and eye-tracking coregistration study. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023:10.3758/s13414-023-02802-5. [PMID: 37917292 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02802-5] [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] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Under naturalistic viewing conditions, humans conduct about three to four saccadic eye movements per second. These dynamics imply that in real life, humans rarely see something completely new; there is usually a preview of the upcoming foveal input from extrafoveal regions of the visual field. In line with results from the field of reading research, we have shown with EEG and eye-tracking coregistration that an extrafoveal preview also affects postsaccadic visual object processing and facilitates discrimination. Here, we ask whether this preview effect in the fixation-locked N170, and in manual responses to the postsaccadic target face (tilt discrimination), requires saccade execution. Participants performed a gaze-contingent experiment in which extrafoveal face images could change their orientation during a saccade directed to them. In a control block, participants maintained stable gaze throughout the experiment and the extrafoveal face reappeared foveally after a simulated saccade latency. Compared with this no-saccade condition, the neural and the behavioral preview effects were much larger in the saccade condition. We also found shorter first fixation durations after an invalid preview, which is in contrast to reading studies. We interpret the increased preview effect under saccade execution as the result of the additional sensorimotor processes that come with gaze behavior compared with visual perception under stable fixation. In addition, our findings call into question whether EEG studies with fixed gaze capture key properties and dynamics of active, natural vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Huber-Huber
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Corso Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - David Melcher
- Center for Brain & Health, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Psychology Program, Division of Science, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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29
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Doelling KB, Arnal LH, Assaneo MF. Adaptive oscillators support Bayesian prediction in temporal processing. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011669. [PMID: 38011225 PMCID: PMC10703266 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans excel at predictively synchronizing their behavior with external rhythms, as in dance or music performance. The neural processes underlying rhythmic inferences are debated: whether predictive perception relies on high-level generative models or whether it can readily be implemented locally by hard-coded intrinsic oscillators synchronizing to rhythmic input remains unclear and different underlying computational mechanisms have been proposed. Here we explore human perception for tone sequences with some temporal regularity at varying rates, but with considerable variability. Next, using a dynamical systems perspective, we successfully model the participants behavior using an adaptive frequency oscillator which adjusts its spontaneous frequency based on the rate of stimuli. This model better reflects human behavior than a canonical nonlinear oscillator and a predictive ramping model-both widely used for temporal estimation and prediction-and demonstrate that the classical distinction between absolute and relative computational mechanisms can be unified under this framework. In addition, we show that neural oscillators may constitute hard-coded physiological priors-in a Bayesian sense-that reduce temporal uncertainty and facilitate the predictive processing of noisy rhythms. Together, the results show that adaptive oscillators provide an elegant and biologically plausible means to subserve rhythmic inference, reconciling previously incompatible frameworks for temporal inferential processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith B. Doelling
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm UA06, Institut de l’Audition, Paris, France
- Center for Language Music and Emotion, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Luc H. Arnal
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm UA06, Institut de l’Audition, Paris, France
| | - M. Florencia Assaneo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Santiago de Querétaro, México
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30
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Goekoop R, de Kleijn R. Hierarchical network structure as the source of hierarchical dynamics (power-law frequency spectra) in living and non-living systems: How state-trait continua (body plans, personalities) emerge from first principles in biophysics. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 154:105402. [PMID: 37741517 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105402] [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: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Living systems are hierarchical control systems that display a small world network structure. In such structures, many smaller clusters are nested within fewer larger ones, producing a fractal-like structure with a 'power-law' cluster size distribution (a mereology). Just like their structure, the dynamics of living systems shows fractal-like qualities: the timeseries of inner message passing and overt behavior contain high frequencies or 'states' (treble) that are nested within lower frequencies or 'traits' (bass), producing a power-law frequency spectrum that is known as a 'state-trait continuum' in the behavioral sciences. Here, we argue that the power-law dynamics of living systems results from their power-law network structure: organisms 'vertically encode' the deep spatiotemporal structure of their (anticipated) environments, to the effect that many small clusters near the base of the hierarchy produce high frequency signal changes and fewer larger clusters at its top produce ultra-low frequencies. Such ultra-low frequencies exert a tonic regulatory pressure that produces morphological as well as behavioral traits (i.e., body plans and personalities). Nested-modular structure causes higher frequencies to be embedded within lower frequencies, producing a power-law state-trait continuum. At the heart of such dynamics lies the need for efficient energy dissipation through networks of coupled oscillators, which also governs the dynamics of non-living systems (e.q., earthquakes, stock market fluctuations). Since hierarchical structure produces hierarchical dynamics, the development and collapse of hierarchical structure (e.g., during maturation and disease) should leave specific traces in system dynamics (shifts in lower frequencies, i.e. morphological and behavioral traits) that may serve as early warning signs to system failure. The applications of this idea range from (bio)physics and phylogenesis to ontogenesis and clinical medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Goekoop
- Free University Amsterdam, Department of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Parnassia Academy, Parnassia Group, PsyQ, Department of Anxiety Disorders, Early Detection and Intervention Team (EDIT), Lijnbaan 4, 2512VA The Hague, the Netherlands.
| | - R de Kleijn
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Pieter de la Courtgebouw, Postbus 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, the Netherlands
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31
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Maldonado PE, Concha-Miranda M, Schwalm M. Autogenous cerebral processes: an invitation to look at the brain from inside out. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1253609. [PMID: 37941893 PMCID: PMC10629273 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1253609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
While external stimulation can reliably trigger neuronal activity, cerebral processes can operate independently from the environment. In this study, we conceptualize autogenous cerebral processes (ACPs) as intrinsic operations of the brain that exist on multiple scales and can influence or shape stimulus responses, behavior, homeostasis, and the physiological state of an organism. We further propose that the field should consider exploring to what extent perception, arousal, behavior, or movement, as well as other cognitive functions previously investigated mainly regarding their stimulus-response dynamics, are ACP-driven.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro E. Maldonado
- Departamento de Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute (BNI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA), Santiago, Chile
| | - Miguel Concha-Miranda
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miriam Schwalm
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
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32
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Seger SE, Kriegel JLS, Lega BC, Ekstrom AD. Memory-related processing is the primary driver of human hippocampal theta oscillations. Neuron 2023; 111:3119-3130.e4. [PMID: 37467749 PMCID: PMC10685603 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Decades of work in rodents suggest that movement is a powerful driver of hippocampal low-frequency "theta" oscillations. Puzzlingly, such movement-related theta increases in primates are less sustained and of lower frequency, leading to questions about their functional relevance. Verbal memory encoding and retrieval lead to robust increases in low-frequency oscillations in humans, and one possibility is that memory might be a stronger driver of hippocampal theta oscillations in humans than navigation. Here, neurosurgical patients navigated routes and then immediately mentally simulated the same routes while undergoing intracranial recordings. We found that mentally simulating the same route that was just navigated elicited oscillations that were of greater power, higher frequency, and longer duration than those involving navigation. Our findings suggest that memory is a more potent driver of human hippocampal theta oscillations than navigation, supporting models of internally generated theta oscillations in the human hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Seger
- Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, 1503 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Jennifer L S Kriegel
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Brad C Lega
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Arne D Ekstrom
- Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, 1503 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Psychology Department, University of Arizona, 1503 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Evelyn McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, 1503 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
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33
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Criscuolo A, Schwartze M, Prado L, Ayala Y, Merchant H, Kotz SA. Macaque monkeys and humans sample temporal regularities in the acoustic environment. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 229:102502. [PMID: 37442410 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Many animal species show comparable abilities to detect basic rhythms and produce rhythmic behavior. Yet, the capacities to process complex rhythms and synchronize rhythmic behavior appear to be species-specific: vocal learning animals can, but some primates might not. This discrepancy is of high interest as there is a putative link between rhythm processing and the development of sophisticated sensorimotor behavior in humans. Do our closest ancestors show comparable endogenous dispositions to sample the acoustic environment in the absence of task instructions and training? We recorded EEG from macaque monkeys and humans while they passively listened to isochronous equitone sequences. Individual- and trial-level analyses showed that macaque monkeys' and humans' delta-band neural oscillations encoded and tracked the timing of auditory events. Further, mu- (8-15 Hz) and beta-band (12-20 Hz) oscillations revealed the superimposition of varied accentuation patterns on a subset of trials. These observations suggest convergence in the encoding and dynamic attending of temporal regularities in the acoustic environment, bridging a gap in the phylogenesis of rhythm cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Criscuolo
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
| | - Michael Schwartze
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
| | - Luis Prado
- Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Boulevard Juriquilla No. 3001, 76230 Queretaro, QRO, Mexico
| | - Yaneri Ayala
- Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Boulevard Juriquilla No. 3001, 76230 Queretaro, QRO, Mexico
| | - Hugo Merchant
- Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Boulevard Juriquilla No. 3001, 76230 Queretaro, QRO, Mexico
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, the Netherlands; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
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34
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Yamane Y, Ito J, Joana C, Fujita I, Tamura H, Maldonado PE, Doya K, Grün S. Neuronal Population Activity in Macaque Visual Cortices Dynamically Changes through Repeated Fixations in Active Free Viewing. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0086-23.2023. [PMID: 37798110 PMCID: PMC10591287 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0086-23.2023] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
During free viewing, we move our eyes and fixate on objects to recognize the visual scene of our surroundings. To investigate the neural representation of objects in this process, we studied individual and population neuronal activity in three different visual regions of the brains of macaque monkeys (Macaca fuscata): the primary and secondary visual cortices (V1, V2) and the inferotemporal cortex (IT). We designed a task where the animal freely selected objects in a stimulus image to fixate on while we examined the relationship between spiking activity, the order of fixations, and the fixated objects. We found that activity changed across repeated fixations on the same object in all three recorded areas, with observed reductions in firing rates. Furthermore, the responses of individual neurons became sparser and more selective with individual objects. The population activity for individual objects also became distinct. These results suggest that visual neurons respond dynamically to repeated input stimuli through a smaller number of spikes, thereby allowing for discrimination between individual objects with smaller energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukako Yamane
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Junji Ito
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6 and INM-10) and Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich 52425, Germany
| | - Cristian Joana
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6 and INM-10) and Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich 52425, Germany
- CAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Ichiro Fujita
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Tamura
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Pedro E Maldonado
- Department of Neuroscience and Instituto de Neurosciencia Biomedica (BNI), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Kenji Doya
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Sonja Grün
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6 and INM-10) and Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich 52425, Germany
- Theoretical Systems Neurobiology, Rheinisch Westfaelische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University, Aachen 52056, Germany
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35
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Zaidel A, Salomon R. Multisensory decisions from self to world. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220335. [PMID: 37545311 PMCID: PMC10404927 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0335] [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: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Classic Bayesian models of perceptual inference describe how an ideal observer would integrate 'unisensory' measurements (multisensory integration) and attribute sensory signals to their origin(s) (causal inference). However, in the brain, sensory signals are always received in the context of a multisensory bodily state-namely, in combination with other senses. Moreover, sensory signals from both interoceptive sensing of one's own body and exteroceptive sensing of the world are highly interdependent and never occur in isolation. Thus, the observer must fundamentally determine whether each sensory observation is from an external (versus internal, self-generated) source to even be considered for integration. Critically, solving this primary causal inference problem requires knowledge of multisensory and sensorimotor dependencies. Thus, multisensory processing is needed to separate sensory signals. These multisensory processes enable us to simultaneously form a sense of self and form distinct perceptual decisions about the external world. In this opinion paper, we review and discuss the similarities and distinctions between multisensory decisions underlying the sense of self and those directed at acquiring information about the world. We call attention to the fact that heterogeneous multisensory processes take place all along the neural hierarchy (even in forming 'unisensory' observations) and argue that more integration of these aspects, in theory and experiment, is required to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of multisensory brain function. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Zaidel
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Roy Salomon
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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36
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Davidson MJ, Keys RT, Szekely B, MacNeilage P, Verstraten F, Alais D. Continuous peripersonal tracking accuracy is limited by the speed and phase of locomotion. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14864. [PMID: 37684285 PMCID: PMC10491677 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40655-y] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that perceptual and cognitive functions are codetermined by rhythmic bodily states. Prior investigations have focused on the cardiac and respiratory rhythms, both of which are also known to synchronise with locomotion-arguably our most common and natural of voluntary behaviours. Compared to the cardiorespiratory rhythms, walking is easier to voluntarily control, enabling a test of how natural and voluntary rhythmic action may affect sensory function. Here we show that the speed and phase of human locomotion constrains sensorimotor performance. We used a continuous visuo-motor tracking task in a wireless, body-tracking virtual environment, and found that the accuracy and reaction time of continuous reaching movements were decreased at slower walking speeds, and rhythmically modulated according to the phases of the step-cycle. Decreased accuracy when walking at slow speeds suggests an advantage for interlimb coordination at normal walking speeds, in contrast to previous research on dual-task walking and reach-to-grasp movements. Phasic modulations of reach precision within the step-cycle also suggest that the upper limbs are affected by the ballistic demands of motor-preparation during natural locomotion. Together these results show that the natural phases of human locomotion impose constraints on sensorimotor function and demonstrate the value of examining dynamic and natural behaviour in contrast to the traditional and static methods of psychological science.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Brian Szekely
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, USA
| | | | - Frans Verstraten
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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37
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K A, Prasad S, Chakrabarty M. Trait anxiety modulates the detection sensitivity of negative affect in speech: an online pilot study. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1240043. [PMID: 37744950 PMCID: PMC10512416 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1240043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic perception of emotions in speech is relevant for humans to navigate the social environment optimally. While sensory perception is known to be influenced by ambient noise, and bodily internal states (e.g., emotional arousal and anxiety), their relationship to human auditory perception is relatively less understood. In a supervised, online pilot experiment sans the artificially controlled laboratory environment, we asked if the detection sensitivity of emotions conveyed by human speech-in-noise (acoustic signals) varies between individuals with relatively lower and higher levels of subclinical trait-anxiety, respectively. In a task, participants (n = 28) accurately discriminated the target emotion conveyed by the temporally unpredictable acoustic signals (signal to noise ratio = 10 dB), which were manipulated at four levels (Happy, Neutral, Fear, and Disgust). We calculated the empirical area under the curve (a measure of acoustic signal detection sensitivity) based on signal detection theory to answer our questions. A subset of individuals with High trait-anxiety relative to Low in the above sample showed significantly lower detection sensitivities to acoustic signals of negative emotions - Disgust and Fear and significantly lower detection sensitivities to acoustic signals when averaged across all emotions. The results from this pilot study with a small but statistically relevant sample size suggest that trait-anxiety levels influence the overall acoustic detection of speech-in-noise, especially those conveying threatening/negative affect. The findings are relevant for future research on acoustic perception anomalies underlying affective traits and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achyuthanand K
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Saurabh Prasad
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Mrinmoy Chakrabarty
- Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Centre for Design and New Media, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
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38
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Verga L, Kotz SA, Ravignani A. The evolution of social timing. Phys Life Rev 2023; 46:131-151. [PMID: 37419011 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Sociality and timing are tightly interrelated in human interaction as seen in turn-taking or synchronised dance movements. Sociality and timing also show in communicative acts of other species that might be pleasurable, but also necessary for survival. Sociality and timing often co-occur, but their shared phylogenetic trajectory is unknown: How, when, and why did they become so tightly linked? Answering these questions is complicated by several constraints; these include the use of divergent operational definitions across fields and species, the focus on diverse mechanistic explanations (e.g., physiological, neural, or cognitive), and the frequent adoption of anthropocentric theories and methodologies in comparative research. These limitations hinder the development of an integrative framework on the evolutionary trajectory of social timing and make comparative studies not as fruitful as they could be. Here, we outline a theoretical and empirical framework to test contrasting hypotheses on the evolution of social timing with species-appropriate paradigms and consistent definitions. To facilitate future research, we introduce an initial set of representative species and empirical hypotheses. The proposed framework aims at building and contrasting evolutionary trees of social timing toward and beyond the crucial branch represented by our own lineage. Given the integration of cross-species and quantitative approaches, this research line might lead to an integrated empirical-theoretical paradigm and, as a long-term goal, explain why humans are such socially coordinated animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Verga
- Comparative Bioacoustic Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustic Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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39
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Parr T, Limanowski J. Synchronising our internal clocks: Comment on: "An active inference model of hierarchical action understanding, learning and imitation" by Proietti et al. Phys Life Rev 2023; 46:258-260. [PMID: 37544051 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Parr
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom.
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40
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Abbasi O, Kluger DS, Chalas N, Steingräber N, Meyer L, Gross J. Predictive coordination of breathing during intra-personal speaking and listening. iScience 2023; 26:107281. [PMID: 37520729 PMCID: PMC10372729 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107281] [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: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
It has long been known that human breathing is altered during listening and speaking compared to rest: during speaking, inhalation depth is adjusted to the air volume required for the upcoming utterance. During listening, inhalation is temporally aligned to inhalation of the speaker. While evidence for the former is relatively strong, it is virtually absent for the latter. We address both phenomena using recordings of speech envelope and respiration in 30 participants during 14 min of speaking and listening to one's own speech. First, we show that inhalation depth is positively correlated with the total power of the speech envelope in the following utterance. Second, we provide evidence that inhalation during listening to one's own speech is significantly more likely at time points of inhalation during speaking. These findings are compatible with models that postulate alignment of internal forward models of interlocutors with the aim to facilitate communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omid Abbasi
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Daniel S. Kluger
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nikos Chalas
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nadine Steingräber
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lars Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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41
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Rosso M, Moens B, Leman M, Moumdjian L. Neural entrainment underpins sensorimotor synchronization to dynamic rhythmic stimuli. Neuroimage 2023; 277:120226. [PMID: 37321359 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural entrainment, defined as unidirectional synchronization of neural oscillations to an external rhythmic stimulus, is a topic of major interest in the field of neuroscience. Despite broad scientific consensus on its existence, on its pivotal role in sensory and motor processes, and on its fundamental definition, empirical research struggles in quantifying it with non-invasive electrophysiology. To this date, broadly adopted state-of-the-art methods still fail to capture the dynamic underlying the phenomenon. Here, we present event-related frequency adjustment (ERFA) as a methodological framework to induce and to measure neural entrainment in human participants, optimized for multivariate EEG datasets. By applying dynamic phase and tempo perturbations to isochronous auditory metronomes during a finger-tapping task, we analyzed adaptive changes in instantaneous frequency of entrained oscillatory components during error correction. Spatial filter design allowed us to untangle, from the multivariate EEG signal, perceptual and sensorimotor oscillatory components attuned to the stimulation frequency. Both components dynamically adjusted their frequency in response to perturbations, tracking the stimulus dynamics by slowing down and speeding up the oscillation over time. Source separation revealed that sensorimotor processing enhanced the entrained response, supporting the notion that the active engagement of the motor system plays a critical role in processing rhythmic stimuli. In the case of phase shift, motor engagement was a necessary condition to observe any response, whereas sustained tempo changes induced frequency adjustment even in the perceptual oscillatory component. Although the magnitude of the perturbations was controlled across positive and negative direction, we observed a general bias in the frequency adjustments towards positive changes, which points at the effect of intrinsic dynamics constraining neural entrainment. We conclude that our findings provide compelling evidence for neural entrainment as mechanism underlying overt sensorimotor synchronization, and highlight that our methodology offers a paradigm and a measure for quantifying its oscillatory dynamics by means of non-invasive electrophysiology, rigorously informed by the fundamental definition of entrainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Rosso
- IPEM Institute for Systematic Musicology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Université de Lille, ULR 4072 - PSITEC - Psychologie: Interactions, Temps, Emotions, Cognition, Lille, France.
| | - Bart Moens
- IPEM Institute for Systematic Musicology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marc Leman
- IPEM Institute for Systematic Musicology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lousin Moumdjian
- IPEM Institute for Systematic Musicology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; REVAL Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium; UMSC Hasselt, Pelt, Belgium
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42
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Wang R, Gates V, Shen Y, Tino P, Kourtzi Z. Flexible structure learning under uncertainty. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1195388. [PMID: 37599995 PMCID: PMC10437075 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1195388] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Experience is known to facilitate our ability to interpret sequences of events and make predictions about the future by extracting temporal regularities in our environments. Here, we ask whether uncertainty in dynamic environments affects our ability to learn predictive structures. We exposed participants to sequences of symbols determined by first-order Markov models and asked them to indicate which symbol they expected to follow each sequence. We introduced uncertainty in this prediction task by manipulating the: (a) probability of symbol co-occurrence, (b) stimulus presentation rate. Further, we manipulated feedback, as it is known to play a key role in resolving uncertainty. Our results demonstrate that increasing the similarity in the probabilities of symbol co-occurrence impaired performance on the prediction task. In contrast, increasing uncertainty in stimulus presentation rate by introducing temporal jitter resulted in participants adopting a strategy closer to probability maximization than matching and improving in the prediction tasks. Next, we show that feedback plays a key role in learning predictive statistics. Trial-by-trial feedback yielded stronger improvement than block feedback or no feedback; that is, participants adopted a strategy closer to probability maximization and showed stronger improvement when trained with trial-by-trial feedback. Further, correlating individual strategy with learning performance showed better performance in structure learning for observers who adopted a strategy closer to maximization. Our results indicate that executive cognitive functions (i.e., selective attention) may account for this individual variability in strategy and structure learning ability. Taken together, our results provide evidence for flexible structure learning; individuals adapt their decision strategy closer to probability maximization, reducing uncertainty in temporal sequences and improving their ability to learn predictive statistics in variable environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Vael Gates
- Institute for Human-Centered AI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Yuan Shen
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Tino
- School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Zoe Kourtzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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43
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Gunasekaran H, Azizi L, van Wassenhove V, Herbst SK. Characterizing endogenous delta oscillations in human MEG. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11031. [PMID: 37419933 PMCID: PMC10328979 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37514-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmic activity in the delta frequency range (0.5-3 Hz) is a prominent feature of brain dynamics. Here, we examined whether spontaneous delta oscillations, as found in invasive recordings in awake animals, can be observed in non-invasive recordings performed in humans with magnetoencephalography (MEG). In humans, delta activity is commonly reported when processing rhythmic sensory inputs, with direct relationships to behaviour. However, rhythmic brain dynamics observed during rhythmic sensory stimulation cannot be interpreted as an endogenous oscillation. To test for endogenous delta oscillations we analysed human MEG data during rest. For comparison, we additionally analysed two conditions in which participants engaged in spontaneous finger tapping and silent counting, arguing that internally rhythmic behaviours could incite an otherwise silent neural oscillator. A novel set of analysis steps allowed us to show narrow spectral peaks in the delta frequency range in rest, and during overt and covert rhythmic activity. Additional analyses in the time domain revealed that only the resting state condition warranted an interpretation of these peaks as endogenously periodic neural dynamics. In sum, this work shows that using advanced signal processing techniques, it is possible to observe endogenous delta oscillations in non-invasive recordings of human brain dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harish Gunasekaran
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Leila Azizi
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Virginie van Wassenhove
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Sophie K Herbst
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France.
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44
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Cainelli E, Vedovelli L, Carretti B, Bisiacchi P. EEG correlates of developmental dyslexia: a systematic review. ANNALS OF DYSLEXIA 2023; 73:184-213. [PMID: 36417146 DOI: 10.1007/s11881-022-00273-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Dyslexia is one of the most studied learning disorders. Despite this, its biological basis and main causes are still not fully understood. Electroencephalography (EEG) could be a powerful tool in identifying the underlying mechanisms, but knowledge of the EEG correlates of developmental dyslexia (DD) remains elusive. We aimed to systematically review the evidence on EEG correlates of DD and establish their quality. In July 2021, we carried out an online search of the PubMed and Scopus databases to identify published articles on EEG correlates in children with dyslexia aged 6 to 12 years without comorbidities. We follow the PRISMA guidelines and assess the quality using the Appraisal Tool questionnaire. Our final analysis included 49 studies (14% high quality, 63% medium, 20% low, and 2% very low). Studies differed greatly in methodology, making a summary of their results challenging. However, some points came to light. Even at rest, children with dyslexia and children in the control group exhibited differences in several EEG measures, particularly in theta and alpha frequencies; these frequencies appear to be associated with learning performance. During reading-related tasks, the differences between dyslexic and control children seem more localized in the left temporoparietal sites. The EEG activity of children with dyslexia and children in the control group differed in many aspects, both at rest and during reading-related tasks. Our data are compatible with neuroimaging studies in the same diagnostic group and expand the literature by offering new insights into functional significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cainelli
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35133, Padua, Italy.
| | - Luca Vedovelli
- Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences, and Public Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Barbara Carretti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35133, Padua, Italy
| | - Patrizia Bisiacchi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35133, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Centre, PNC, Padua, Italy
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45
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Northoff G, Klar P, Bein M, Safron A. As without, so within: how the brain's temporo-spatial alignment to the environment shapes consciousness. Interface Focus 2023; 13:20220076. [PMID: 37065263 PMCID: PMC10102730 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2022.0076] [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: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Consciousness is constituted by a structure that includes contents as foreground and the environment as background. This structural relation between the experiential foreground and background presupposes a relationship between the brain and the environment, often neglected in theories of consciousness. The temporo-spatial theory of consciousness addresses the brain-environment relation by a concept labelled 'temporo-spatial alignment'. Briefly, temporo-spatial alignment refers to the brain's neuronal activity's interaction with and adaption to interoceptive bodily and exteroceptive environmental stimuli, including their symmetry as key for consciousness. Combining theory and empirical data, this article attempts to demonstrate the yet unclear neuro-phenomenal mechanisms of temporo-spatial alignment. First, we suggest three neuronal layers of the brain's temporo-spatial alignment to the environment. These neuronal layers span across a continuum from longer to shorter timescales. (i) The background layer comprises longer and more powerful timescales mediating topographic-dynamic similarities between different subjects' brains. (ii) The intermediate layer includes a mixture of medium-scaled timescales allowing for stochastic matching between environmental inputs and neuronal activity through the brain's intrinsic neuronal timescales and temporal receptive windows. (iii) The foreground layer comprises shorter and less powerful timescales for neuronal entrainment of stimuli temporal onset through neuronal phase shifting and resetting. Second, we elaborate on how the three neuronal layers of temporo-spatial alignment correspond to their respective phenomenal layers of consciousness. (i) The inter-subjectively shared contextual background of consciousness. (ii) An intermediate layer that mediates the relationship between different contents of consciousness. (iii) A foreground layer that includes specific fast-changing contents of consciousness. Overall, temporo-spatial alignment may provide a mechanism whose different neuronal layers modulate corresponding phenomenal layers of consciousness. Temporo-spatial alignment can provide a bridging principle for linking physical-energetic (free energy), dynamic (symmetry), neuronal (three layers of distinct time-space scales) and phenomenal (form featured by background-intermediate-foreground) mechanisms of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, TheRoyal's Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1Z 7K4
- Mental Health Centre, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310053, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310053, People's Republic of China
| | - Philipp Klar
- Medical Faculty, C. & O. Vogt-Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Magnus Bein
- Department of Biology and Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Quebec, Canada H3A 0G4
| | - Adam Safron
- Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA 90403, USA
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46
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Rassi E, Lin WM, Zhang Y, Emmerzaal J, Haegens S. β Band Rhythms Influence Reaction Times. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0473-22.2023. [PMID: 37364994 PMCID: PMC10312120 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0473-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite their involvement in many cognitive functions, β oscillations are among the least understood brain rhythms. Reports on whether the functional role of β is primarily inhibitory or excitatory have been contradictory. Our framework attempts to reconcile these findings and proposes that several β rhythms co-exist at different frequencies. β Frequency shifts and their potential influence on behavior have thus far received little attention. In this human magnetoencephalography (MEG) experiment, we asked whether changes in β power or frequency in auditory cortex and motor cortex influence behavior (reaction times) during an auditory sweep discrimination task. We found that in motor cortex, increased β power slowed down responses, while in auditory cortex, increased β frequency slowed down responses. We further characterized β as transient burst events with distinct spectro-temporal profiles influencing reaction times. Finally, we found that increased motor-to-auditory β connectivity also slowed down responses. In sum, β power, frequency, bursting properties, cortical focus, and connectivity profile all influenced behavioral outcomes. Our results imply that the study of β oscillations requires caution as β dynamics are multifaceted phenomena, and that several dynamics must be taken into account to reconcile mixed findings in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elie Rassi
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Wy Ming Lin
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Hector Research Institute for Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Jill Emmerzaal
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Human Movement Biomechanics Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
- REVAL Rehabilitation Research Centre, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, 3500 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Saskia Haegens
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
- Division of Systems Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032
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47
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Pomper U. No evidence for tactile entrainment of attention. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1168428. [PMID: 37303888 PMCID: PMC10250593 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1168428] [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: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal patterns in our environment provide a rich source of information, to which endogenous neural processes linked to perception and attention can synchronize. This phenomenon, known as entrainment, has so far been studied predominately in the visual and auditory domains. It is currently unknown whether sensory phase-entrainment generalizes to the tactile modality, e.g., for the perception of surface patterns or when reading braille. Here, we address this open question via a behavioral experiment with preregistered experimental and analysis protocols. Twenty healthy participants were presented, on each trial, with 2 s of either rhythmic or arrhythmic 10 Hz tactile stimuli. Their task was to detect a subsequent tactile target either in-phase or out-of-phase with the rhythmic entrainment. Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed no evidence for sensory entrainment in response times, sensitivity or response bias. In line with several other recently reported null findings, our data suggest that behaviorally relevant sensory phase-entrainment might require very specific stimulus parameters, and may not generalize to the tactile domain.
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48
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Pinotsis DA, Fridman G, Miller EK. Cytoelectric Coupling: Electric fields sculpt neural activity and "tune" the brain's infrastructure. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 226:102465. [PMID: 37210066 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We propose and present converging evidence for the Cytoelectric Coupling Hypothesis: Electric fields generated by neurons are causal down to the level of the cytoskeleton. This could be achieved via electrodiffusion and mechanotransduction and exchanges between electrical, potential and chemical energy. Ephaptic coupling organizes neural activity, forming neural ensembles at the macroscale level. This information propagates to the neuron level, affecting spiking, and down to molecular level to stabilize the cytoskeleton, "tuning" it to process information more efficiently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitris A Pinotsis
- Centre for Mathematical Neuroscience and Psychology and Department of Psychology, City -University of London, London EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom; The Picower Institute for Learning & Memory and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Gene Fridman
- Departments of Otolaryngology, Biomedical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Earl K Miller
- The Picower Institute for Learning & Memory and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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49
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Large EW, Roman I, Kim JC, Cannon J, Pazdera JK, Trainor LJ, Rinzel J, Bose A. Dynamic models for musical rhythm perception and coordination. Front Comput Neurosci 2023; 17:1151895. [PMID: 37265781 PMCID: PMC10229831 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2023.1151895] [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: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmicity permeates large parts of human experience. Humans generate various motor and brain rhythms spanning a range of frequencies. We also experience and synchronize to externally imposed rhythmicity, for example from music and song or from the 24-h light-dark cycles of the sun. In the context of music, humans have the ability to perceive, generate, and anticipate rhythmic structures, for example, "the beat." Experimental and behavioral studies offer clues about the biophysical and neural mechanisms that underlie our rhythmic abilities, and about different brain areas that are involved but many open questions remain. In this paper, we review several theoretical and computational approaches, each centered at different levels of description, that address specific aspects of musical rhythmic generation, perception, attention, perception-action coordination, and learning. We survey methods and results from applications of dynamical systems theory, neuro-mechanistic modeling, and Bayesian inference. Some frameworks rely on synchronization of intrinsic brain rhythms that span the relevant frequency range; some formulations involve real-time adaptation schemes for error-correction to align the phase and frequency of a dedicated circuit; others involve learning and dynamically adjusting expectations to make rhythm tracking predictions. Each of the approaches, while initially designed to answer specific questions, offers the possibility of being integrated into a larger framework that provides insights into our ability to perceive and generate rhythmic patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward W. Large
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Iran Roman
- Music and Audio Research Laboratory, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ji Chul Kim
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Jonathan Cannon
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Jesse K. Pazdera
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Laurel J. Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - John Rinzel
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Amitabha Bose
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, United States
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50
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Zhu SL, Lakshminarasimhan KJ, Angelaki DE. Computational cross-species views of the hippocampal formation. Hippocampus 2023; 33:586-599. [PMID: 37038890 PMCID: PMC10947336 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23535] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of place cells and head direction cells in the hippocampal formation of freely foraging rodents has led to an emphasis of its role in encoding allocentric spatial relationships. In contrast, studies in head-fixed primates have additionally found representations of spatial views. We review recent experiments in freely moving monkeys that expand upon these findings and show that postural variables such as eye/head movements strongly influence neural activity in the hippocampal formation, suggesting that the function of the hippocampus depends on where the animal looks. We interpret these results in the light of recent studies in humans performing challenging navigation tasks which suggest that depending on the context, eye/head movements serve one of two roles-gathering information about the structure of the environment (active sensing) or externalizing the contents of internal beliefs/deliberation (embodied cognition). These findings prompt future experimental investigations into the information carried by signals flowing between the hippocampal formation and the brain regions controlling postural variables, and constitute a basis for updating computational theories of the hippocampal system to accommodate the influence of eye/head movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seren L Zhu
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kaushik J Lakshminarasimhan
- Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dora E Angelaki
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, New York, USA
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