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Gonçalves ÓF, Sayal J, Lisboa F, Palhares P. The experimental study of consciousness: Is psychology travelling back to the future? Int J Clin Health Psychol 2024; 24:100475. [PMID: 39021679 PMCID: PMC11253270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
It was with the promise of rendering an experimental approach to consciousness that psychology started its trajectory as an independent science more than 150 years ago. Here, we will posit that the neurosciences were instrumental in leading psychology to resume the study of consciousness by projecting an empirical agenda for the future. First, we will start by showing how scientists were able to venture into the consciousness of supposedly unconscious patients, opening the door for the identification of important neural correlates of distinct consciousness states. Then, we will describe how different technological advances and elegant experimental paradigms helped in establishing important neuronal correlates of global consciousness (i.e., being conscious at all), perceptual consciousness (i.e., being conscious of something), and self-consciousness (i.e., being conscious of itself). Finally, we will illustrate how the study of complex consciousness experiences may contribute to the clarification of the mechanisms associated with global consciousness, the relationship between perceptual and self-consciousness, and the interface among distinct self-consciousness domains. In closing, we will elaborate on the road ahead of us for re-establishing psychology as a science of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joana Sayal
- Proaction Lab – CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Colégio de Jesus, R. Inácio Duarte 65, Coimbra 3000-481, Portugal
| | - Fábio Lisboa
- Proaction Lab – CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Colégio de Jesus, R. Inácio Duarte 65, Coimbra 3000-481, Portugal
| | - Pedro Palhares
- Proaction Lab – CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Colégio de Jesus, R. Inácio Duarte 65, Coimbra 3000-481, Portugal
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2
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Zhang Q, Jia L, Cui J, Ye J, Liu J, Lai W, Shi H, Yang T, Wang Y, Chan RCK. Relationship between theta/beta ratio and mind wandering in schizotypy. Psych J 2024; 13:335-339. [PMID: 38105581 PMCID: PMC10990811 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.711] [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: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Negative association was found between the frontal theta/beta ratio and mind wandering in participants with high schizotypal traits, while no such association was found in participants with low schizotypal traits. These findings provide insights into the neural mechanism of mind wandering in individuals with high schizotypal traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Zhang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Shenzhen Children's HospitalShenzhenChina
| | - Lu‐xia Jia
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- School of EducationGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ji‐fang Cui
- Research Center for Information and StatisticsNational Institute of Education SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jun‐yan Ye
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jia‐li Liu
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Wen‐hao Lai
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Hai‐song Shi
- North China Electric Power UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Tian‐xiao Yang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Ya Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- School of PsychologyCapital Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Raymond C. K. Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental HealthInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
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3
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Compton RJ, Shudrenko D, Mann K, Turdukulov E, Ng E, Miller L. Effects of task context on EEG correlates of mind-wandering. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:72-86. [PMID: 38030911 PMCID: PMC10827903 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01138-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
This study was designed to examine how mind-wandering and its neural correlates vary across tasks with different attentional demands, motivated by the context regulation hypothesis of mind-wandering. Participants (n = 59 undergraduates) completed the sustained attention to response task (SART) and the Stroop selective attention task in counterbalanced order while EEG was recorded. The tasks included experience-sampling probes to identify self-reported episodes of mind-wandering, along with retrospective reports. Participants reported more mind-wandering during the SART than the Stroop and during whichever task was presented second during the session, compared with first. Replicating previous findings, EEG data (n = 37 usable participants) indicated increased alpha oscillations during episodes of mind-wandering, compared with on-task episodes, for both the SART and Stroop tasks. ERP data, focused on the P2 component reflecting perceptual processing, found that mind-wandering was associated with increased P2 amplitudes during the Stroop task, counter to predictions from the perceptual decoupling theory. Overall, the study found that self-report and neural correlates of mind-wandering are sensitive to task context. This line of research can further the understanding of how mechanisms of mind-wandering are adapted to varied tasks and situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Compton
- Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, USA.
| | - Danylo Shudrenko
- Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, USA
| | - Katelyn Mann
- Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, USA
| | - Emil Turdukulov
- Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, USA
| | - Erin Ng
- Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, USA
| | - Lucas Miller
- Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, USA
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4
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Liu Y, Hou Y, Quan H, Zhao D, Zhao J, Cao B, Pang Y, Chen H, Lei X, Yuan H. Mindfulness Training Improves Attention: Evidence from Behavioral and Event-related Potential Analyses. Brain Topogr 2023; 36:243-254. [PMID: 36697933 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00938-z] [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: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation helps to improve attentional capacity. However, the neural correlates that indicate the mechanism through which mindfulness improves attention are unclear. To address this gap, we aimed to assess the effects of mindfulness training on sustained attentional capacity. Event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with the modified sustained attention response task (mSART) were used in this study. A total of 45 college students were randomly assigned to either the mindfulness group (n = 21) or the control group (n = 24). Participants in the mindfulness group received a three-week mindfulness training. The self-report results showed that the mindfulness group reported higher mindfulness scores (observing and non-judgment of inner experiences) after the training. The mindfulness group also scored lower on the state anxiety than the control group. Behavioral results also showed that self-caught mind wandering in the mindfulness group significantly decreased after the training, and the mindfulness group showed a faster response after the training. The ERP results showed that N2 amplitudes in the post-test were significantly greater than those in the pre-test in the mindfulness group. We did not find any interactions between group and time for P3. The findings suggest that mindfulness training can effectively improve sustained attentional capacity, as indicated by reduced mind wandering and increased N2 responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China. .,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
| | - Yi Hou
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China.,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Huan Quan
- Department of Psychology, Wichita State University, 67260, Wichita, KS, USA
| | - Dongfang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China.,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China.,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bing Cao
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China.,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yazhi Pang
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China.,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xu Lei
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China.,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hong Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, 400715, Beibei, Chongqing, China. .,School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
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Cnudde K, Kim G, Murch WS, Handy TC, Protzner AB, Kam JWY. EEG complexity during mind wandering: A multiscale entropy investigation. Neuropsychologia 2023; 180:108480. [PMID: 36621593 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108480] [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: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Our attention often drifts away from the ongoing task to task-unrelated thoughts, a phenomenon commonly referred to as mind wandering. Ample studies dedicated to delineating its electrophysiological correlates have revealed distinct event-related potentials (ERP) and spectral patterns associated with mind wandering. It remains less clear whether the complexity of the electroencephalography (EEG) changes when our minds wander, a metric that captures the predictability of the time series at varying timescales. Accordingly, this study investigated whether mind wandering impacts EEG signal complexity. We further explored whether such effects differ across timescales, and change in a context-dependent manner as indexed by global and local levels of processing. To address this, we recorded participants' EEG while they completed Navon's global and local processing task and occasionally reported whether they were on-task or mind wandering throughout the task. We found that brain signal complexity as indexed by multiscale entropy decreased at medium timescales in centro-parietal regions and increased at coarse timescales in anterior and posterior regions during mind wandering, as compared to the on-task state, for global processing. Moreover, global processing showed increased complexity at fine to medium timescales compared to local processing. Finally, behavioral performance revealed a context-dependent effect in accuracy measures, with mind wandering showing lower accuracy compared to the on-task state only during the local condition. Taken together, these results indicate that changes in brain signal complexity across timescales may be an important feature of mind wandering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Cnudde
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4.
| | - Gahyun Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - W Spencer Murch
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4; Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd W, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3G 1M8
| | - Todd C Handy
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Andrea B Protzner
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4; Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 4Z6
| | - Julia W Y Kam
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4; Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
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6
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Relationships between resting-state EEG functional networks organization and individual differences in mind wandering. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21224. [PMID: 36482176 PMCID: PMC9731960 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25851-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When performing cognitively demanding tasks, people tend to experience momentary distractions or personal associations that intercept their stream of consciousness. This phenomenon is known as Mind Wandering (MW) and it has become a subject of neuroscientific investigations. Off-task thoughts can be analyzed during task performance, but currently, MW is also understood as a dimension of individual differences in cognitive processing. We wanted to recognize the intrinsically-organized functional networks that could be considered the neuronal basis for MW dispositional variability. To achieve this goal we recruited a group of normal adults, and eventually divided the group in half, based on participants' scores on the scale measuring dispositional MW. Next, these groups were compared regarding the arrangement of preselected intrinsic functional networks, which were reconstructed based on multi-channel signal-source resting-state EEG. It appeared that subjects who tend to mind wander often exhibited decreased synchronization within the default mode network, and, simultaneously, strengthened connectivity between 'on-task' networks of diverse functional specificity. Such within- and between networks integrity patterns might suggest that greater Mind Wanderers present an atypical organization of resting-state brain activity, which may translate into attenuated resources needed to maintain attentional control in task-related conditions.
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Classification for Memory Activities: Experiments and EEG Analysis Based on Networks Constructed via Phase-Locking Value. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE 2022; 2022:3878771. [PMID: 35799656 PMCID: PMC9256324 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3878771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Electroencephalogram (EEG) plays a crucial role in the study of working memory, which involves the complex coordination of brain regions. In this research, we designed and conducted series of experiments of memory with various memory loads or target forms and collected behavioral data as well as 32-lead EEG simultaneously. Combined with behavioral data analysis, we segmented EEG into slices; then, we calculated phase-locking value (PLV) of Gamma rhythms between every two leads, conducted binarization, constructed brain function network, and extracted three network characteristics of node degree, local clustering coefficient, and betweenness centrality. Finally, we inputted these network characteristics of all leads into support vector machines (SVM) for classification and obtained decent performances; i.e., all classification accuracies are greater than 0.78 on an independent test set. Particularly, PLV application was restricted to the narrow-band signals, and rare successful application to EEG Gamma rhythm, defined as wide as 30-100 Hz, had been reported. In order to address this limitation, we adopted simulation on band-pass filtered noise with the same frequency band as Gamma to help determine the PLV binarizing threshold. It turns out that network characteristics based on binarized PLV have the ability to distinguish the presence or absence of memory, as well as the intensity of the mental workload at the moment of memory. This work sheds a light upon phase-locking investigation between relatively wide-band signals, as well as memory research via EEG.
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