1
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Lambert KJM, Singhal A, Leung AWS. The lateralized effects of Parkinson's Disease on motor imagery: Evidence from mental chronometry. Brain Cogn 2024; 178:106181. [PMID: 38796902 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106181] [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: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Alterations to the content of action representations may contribute to the movement challenges that characterize Parkinson's Disease (PD). One way to investigate action representations is through motor imagery. As PD motor symptoms typically have a unilateral onset, disease-related deficits related to action representations may follow a similarly lateralized pattern. The present study examined if temporal accuracy of motor imagery in individuals with PD differed according to the side of the body involved in the task. Thirty-eight participants with PD completed a mental chronometry task using their more affected and less affected side. Participants had significantly shorter mental versus physical movement times for the more affected. Higher imagery vividness in the kinaesthetic domain predicted shorter mental versus physical movement times for the more affected side, as did lower imagery vividness in the visual domain and poorer cognitive function. These results indicate that people with PD imagine movements differently when the target actions their more affected versus less affected side. It is additionally possible that side-specific deficits in the accurate processing of kinaesthetic information lead to an increased reliance on visual processes and cognitive resources to successfully execute motor imagery involving the more affected side.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn J M Lambert
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada.
| | - Anthony Singhal
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Canada; Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Canada
| | - Ada W S Leung
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada; Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Canada
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2
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Larner AJ, Leff AP, Nachev PC. Phantasia, aphantasia, and hyperphantasia: Empirical data and conceptual considerations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 164:105819. [PMID: 39032843 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105819] [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: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Within the past decade, the term "phantasia" has been increasingly used to describe the human capacity, faculty, or power of visual mental imagery, with extremes of imagery vividness characterised as "aphantasia" and "hyperphantasia". A substantial volume of empirical research addressing these constructs has now been published, including attempts to find inductive correlates of behaviourally defined aphantasia, for example using research questionnaires and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Mental imagery has long been noted as a source of conceptual confusions but no specific conceptual analysis of the new formulation of phantasia, aphantasia, and hyperphantasia has been undertaken hitherto. We offer some conceptual considerations on phantasia, noting the ongoing confusion of perceptual with mental images, and the ubiquitous use of unvalidated subjective assessment instruments such as the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) in diagnosis and assessment, development of which was predicated on these conceptual confusions. We offer some suggestions for a conceptual framework for future empirical studies in this field, circumventing these conceptual confusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Larner
- Department of Brain Repair & Rehabilitation, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - A P Leff
- Department of Brain Repair & Rehabilitation, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - P C Nachev
- Department of Brain Repair & Rehabilitation, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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3
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Zeman A. Aphantasia and hyperphantasia: exploring imagery vividness extremes. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:467-480. [PMID: 38548492 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.02.007] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
The vividness of imagery varies between individuals. However, the existence of people in whom conscious, wakeful imagery is markedly reduced, or absent entirely, was neglected by psychology until the recent coinage of 'aphantasia' to describe this phenomenon. 'Hyperphantasia' denotes the converse - imagery whose vividness rivals perceptual experience. Around 1% and 3% of the population experience extreme aphantasia and hyperphantasia, respectively. Aphantasia runs in families, often affects imagery across several sense modalities, and is variably associated with reduced autobiographical memory, face recognition difficulty, and autism. Visual dreaming is often preserved. Subtypes of extreme imagery appear to be likely but are not yet well defined. Initial results suggest that alterations in connectivity between the frontoparietal and visual networks may provide the neural substrate for visual imagery extremes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Zeman
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK.
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4
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Clancy KJ, Devignes Q, Ren B, Pollmann Y, Nielsen SR, Howell K, Kumar P, Belleau EL, Rosso IM. Spatiotemporal dynamics of hippocampal-cortical networks underlying the unique phenomenological properties of trauma-related intrusive memories. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02486-9. [PMID: 38454081 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02486-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Trauma-related intrusive memories (TR-IMs) possess unique phenomenological properties that contribute to adverse post-traumatic outcomes, positioning them as critical intervention targets. However, transdiagnostic treatments for TR-IMs are scarce, as their underlying mechanisms have been investigated separate from their unique phenomenological properties. Extant models of more general episodic memory highlight dynamic hippocampal-cortical interactions that vary along the anterior-posterior axis of the hippocampus (HPC) to support different cognitive-affective and sensory-perceptual features of memory. Extending this work into the unique properties of TR-IMs, we conducted a study of eighty-four trauma-exposed adults who completed daily ecological momentary assessments of TR-IM properties followed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Spatiotemporal dynamics of anterior and posterior hippocampal (a/pHPC)-cortical networks were assessed using co-activation pattern analysis to investigate their associations with different properties of TR-IMs. Emotional intensity of TR-IMs was inversely associated with the frequency and persistence of an aHPC-default mode network co-activation pattern. Conversely, sensory features of TR-IMs were associated with more frequent co-activation of the HPC with sensory cortices and the ventral attention network, and the reliving of TR-IMs in the "here-and-now" was associated with more persistent co-activation of the pHPC and the visual cortex. Notably, no associations were found between HPC-cortical network dynamics and conventional symptom measures, including TR-IM frequency or retrospective recall, underscoring the utility of ecological assessments of memory properties in identifying their neural substrates. These findings provide novel insights into the neural correlates of the unique features of TR-IMs that are critical for the development of individualized, transdiagnostic treatments for this pervasive, difficult-to-treat symptom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Clancy
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Quentin Devignes
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Boyu Ren
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory for Psychiatric Biostatistics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Yara Pollmann
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Sienna R Nielsen
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kristin Howell
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Poornima Kumar
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily L Belleau
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isabelle M Rosso
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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5
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Spagna A, Heidenry Z, Miselevich M, Lambert C, Eisenstadt BE, Tremblay L, Liu Z, Liu J, Bartolomeo P. Visual mental imagery: Evidence for a heterarchical neural architecture. Phys Life Rev 2024; 48:113-131. [PMID: 38217888 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.12.012] [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: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Theories of Visual Mental Imagery (VMI) emphasize the processes of retrieval, modification, and recombination of sensory information from long-term memory. Yet, only few studies have focused on the behavioral mechanisms and neural correlates supporting VMI of stimuli from different semantic domains. Therefore, we currently have a limited understanding of how the brain generates and maintains mental representations of colors, faces, shapes - to name a few. Such an undetermined scenario renders unclear the organizational structure of neural circuits supporting VMI, including the role of the early visual cortex. We aimed to fill this gap by reviewing the scientific literature of five semantic domains: visuospatial, face, colors, shapes, and letters imagery. Linking theory to evidence from over 60 different experimental designs, this review highlights three main points. First, there is no consistent activity in the early visual cortex across all VMI domains, contrary to the prediction of the dominant model. Second, there is consistent activity of the frontoparietal networks and the left hemisphere's fusiform gyrus during voluntary VMI irrespective of the semantic domain investigated. We propose that these structures are part of a domain-general VMI sub-network. Third, domain-specific information engages specific regions of the ventral and dorsal cortical visual pathways. These regions partly overlap with those found in visual perception studies (e.g., fusiform face area for faces imagery; lingual gyrus for color imagery). Altogether, the reviewed evidence suggests the existence of domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms of VMI selectively engaged by stimulus-specific properties (e.g., colors or faces). These mechanisms would be supported by an organizational structure mixing vertical and horizontal connections (heterarchy) between sub-networks for specific stimulus domains. Such a heterarchical organization of VMI makes different predictions from current models of VMI as reversed perception. Our conclusions set the stage for future research, which should aim to characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics and interactions among key regions of this architecture giving rise to visual mental images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Spagna
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Zoe Heidenry
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | | | - Chloe Lambert
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | | | - Laura Tremblay
- Department of Psychology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California; Department of Neurology, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, California
| | - Zixin Liu
- Department of Human Development, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jianghao Liu
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 10027, France; Dassault Systèmes, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France
| | - Paolo Bartolomeo
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 10027, France
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6
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Weber S, Christophel T, Görgen K, Soch J, Haynes J. Working memory signals in early visual cortex are present in weak and strong imagers. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26590. [PMID: 38401134 PMCID: PMC10893972 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26590] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that visual images are memorized across brief periods of time by vividly imagining them as if they were still there. In line with this, the contents of both working memory and visual imagery are known to be encoded already in early visual cortex. If these signals in early visual areas were indeed to reflect a combined imagery and memory code, one would predict them to be weaker for individuals with reduced visual imagery vividness. Here, we systematically investigated this question in two groups of participants. Strong and weak imagers were asked to remember images across brief delay periods. We were able to reliably reconstruct the memorized stimuli from early visual cortex during the delay. Importantly, in contrast to the prediction, the quality of reconstruction was equally accurate for both strong and weak imagers. The decodable information also closely reflected behavioral precision in both groups, suggesting it could contribute to behavioral performance, even in the extreme case of completely aphantasic individuals. Our data thus suggest that working memory signals in early visual cortex can be present even in the (near) absence of phenomenal imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Weber
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin and Berlin Center for Advanced NeuroimagingCharité ‐ Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of the Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Research Training Group “Extrospection” and Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Research Cluster of Excellence “Science of Intelligence”Technische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Thomas Christophel
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin and Berlin Center for Advanced NeuroimagingCharité ‐ Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of the Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Department of PsychologyHumboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Kai Görgen
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin and Berlin Center for Advanced NeuroimagingCharité ‐ Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of the Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Research Cluster of Excellence “Science of Intelligence”Technische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Joram Soch
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin and Berlin Center for Advanced NeuroimagingCharité ‐ Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of the Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Institute of Psychology, Otto von Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
| | - John‐Dylan Haynes
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin and Berlin Center for Advanced NeuroimagingCharité ‐ Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of the Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Research Training Group “Extrospection” and Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Research Cluster of Excellence “Science of Intelligence”Technische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- Department of PsychologyHumboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Collaborative Research Center “Volition and Cognitive Control”Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
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7
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Monzel M, Karneboge J, Reuter M. The role of dopamine in visual imagery-An experimental pharmacological study. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25262. [PMID: 37849328 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25262] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Mental imagery enables people to simulate experiences in their minds without the presence of an external stimulus. The underlying biochemical mechanisms are poorly understood but there is vague evidence that dopamine may play a significant role. A better understanding at the biochemical level could help to unravel the mechanisms of mental imagery and related phenomena such as aphantasia (= lack of voluntary mental imagery), but also opens up possibilities for interventions to enhance or restore mental imagery. To test the hypothesis that acute dopamine depletion leads to a decrease in the strength of mental imagery, N = 22 male participants will be administered an amino acid mixture containing branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and tryptophan (TRP) to transiently reduce dopamine synthesis and further N = 22 male participants will receive a placebo. Plasma prolactin (PRL) levels are determined as a peripheral marker of brain dopamine function. The strength of mental imagery will be measured before and after ingestion of the BCAA/TRP mixture using the method of mental imagery priming. Additional exploratory analyses will use genetic data to investigate possible effects of variations on dopaminergic gene loci (e.g., DAT1) on dopamine levels and strength of mental imagery. The results show […].
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Affiliation(s)
- Merlin Monzel
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jana Karneboge
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Reuter
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Center for Economics and Neuroscience (CENs), Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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8
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Blomkvist A, Marks DF. Defining and 'diagnosing' aphantasia: Condition or individual difference? Cortex 2023; 169:220-234. [PMID: 37948876 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Research into the newly-coined 'condition' of 'aphantasia', an individual difference involving the self-reported absence of voluntary visual imagery, has taken off in recent years, and more and more people are 'self-diagnosing' as aphantasic. Yet, there is no consensus on whether aphantasia should really be described as a 'condition', and there is no battery of psychometric instruments to detect or 'diagnose' aphantasia. Instead, researchers currently rely on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) to 'diagnose' aphantasia. We review here fundamental and methodological problems affecting aphantasia research stemming from an inadequate focus on how we should define aphantasia, whether aphantasia is a pathological condition, and the extensive use of VVIQ as a 'diagnostic test' for aphantasia. Firstly, we draw attention to 'literature blindness' for visual imagery research from the 1960s-1990s concerning individual differences in visual imagery vividness. Secondly, despite aphantasia being defined as a 'condition' where voluntary visual imagery is absent as indicated by the lowest score on the VVIQ, aphantasia studies inconsistently employ samples comprised of a mixture of participants with no visual imagery and low visual imagery, and we argue that this hinders the uncovering of the underlying cause of aphantasia. Thirdly, the scores used to designate the boundary between aphantasia and non-aphantasia are arbitrary and differ between studies, compromising the possibility for cross-study comparison of results. Fourthly, the problems of 'diagnosing' aphantasia are not limited to the academic sphere, as one can 'self-diagnose' online, for example by using the variant-VVIQ on the Aphantasia Network website. However, the variant-VVIQ departs from the original in ways likely to impact validity and accuracy, which could lead people to falsely believe they have been 'diagnosed' with aphantasia by a scientifically-validated measure. Fifthly, we discuss the hypothesis that people who believe they have been 'diagnosed' with aphantasia might be vulnerable to health anxiety, distress, and stigma. We conclude with a discussion about some fundamental aspects of how to classify a disorder, and suggest the need for a new psychometric measure of aphantasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Blomkvist
- Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Sciences, Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK.
| | - David F Marks
- 13200 Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
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9
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Monzel M, Dance C, Azañón E, Simner J. Aphantasia within the framework of neurodivergence: Some preliminary data and the curse of the confidence gap. Conscious Cogn 2023; 115:103567. [PMID: 37708622 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Aphantasia is a neurocognitive phenomenon affecting voluntary visual imagery, such that it is either entirely absent, or markedly impaired. Using both the social and medical models of disability, this article discusses the extent to which aphantasia can be understood as a disorder or just a form of neutral neurodivergence, given that imagery plays a central role in thinking and memory for most other people. Preliminary school performance data are presented, showing that low imagery does not necessarily complicate life, especially given compensatory strategies and low societal barriers. In addition, we discuss the consequences of labelling aphantasia a disorder with regard to self- and public stigma, and we provide further data regarding a confidence gap, by which aphantasics perceive themselves as performing worse than they objectively do. We conclude that aphantasia should be understood as neutral neurodivergence and that labelling it a disorder is not only wrong, but potentially harmful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merlin Monzel
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 9, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Carla Dance
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, BN1 9QJ, UK
| | - Elena Azañón
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health, Jena-Magdeburg-Halle
| | - Julia Simner
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, BN1 9QJ, UK
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Zaleskiewicz T, Traczyk J, Sobkow A, Fulawka K, Megías-Robles A. Visualizing risky situations induces a stronger neural response in brain areas associated with mental imagery and emotions than visualizing non-risky situations. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1207364. [PMID: 37795209 PMCID: PMC10546025 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1207364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In an fMRI study, we tested the prediction that visualizing risky situations induces a stronger neural response in brain areas associated with mental imagery and emotions than visualizing non-risky and more positive situations. We assumed that processing mental images that allow for "trying-out" the future has greater adaptive importance for risky than non-risky situations, because the former can generate severe negative outcomes. We identified several brain regions that were activated when participants produced images of risky situations and these regions overlap with brain areas engaged in visual, speech, and movement imagery. We also found that producing images of risky situations, in contrast to non-risky situations, was associated with increased neural activation in the insular cortex and cerebellum-the regions involved, among other functions, in emotional processing. Finally, we observed an increased BOLD signal in the cingulate gyrus associated with reward-based decision making and monitoring of decision outcomes. In summary, risky situations increased neural activation in brain areas involved in mental imagery, emotional processing, and decision making. These findings imply that the evaluation of everyday risky situations may be driven by emotional responses that result from mental imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Zaleskiewicz
- Faculty of Psychology in Wrocław, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Jakub Traczyk
- Faculty of Psychology in Wrocław, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Agata Sobkow
- Faculty of Psychology in Wrocław, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Kamil Fulawka
- Faculty of Psychology in Wrocław, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wrocław, Poland
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11
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Kraus J, Výborová E, Silani G. The effect of intranasal oxytocin on social reward processing in humans: a systematic review. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1244027. [PMID: 37779612 PMCID: PMC10536251 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1244027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the neurobiology of social reward processing is fundamental, holding promises for reducing maladaptive/dysfunctional social behaviors and boosting the benefits associated with a healthy social life. Current research shows that processing of social (vs. non-social) rewards may be driven by oxytocinergic signaling. However, studies in humans often led to mixed results. This review aimed to systematically summarize available experimental results that assessed the modulation of social reward processing by intranasal oxytocin (IN-OXY) administration in humans. The literature search yielded 385 results, of which 19 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The effects of IN-OXY on subjective, behavioral, and (neuro)physiological output variables are discussed in relation to moderating variables-reward phase, reward type, onset and dosage, participants' sex/gender, and clinical condition. Results indicate that IN-OXY is mostly effective during the consumption ("liking") of social rewards. These effects are likely exerted by modulating the activity of the prefrontal cortex, insula, precuneus, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, and striatum. Finally, we provide suggestions for designing future oxytocin studies. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021278945, identifier CRD42021278945.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Kraus
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Eliška Výborová
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Giorgia Silani
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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12
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Wilson H, Golbabaee M, Proulx MJ, Charles S, O'Neill E. EEG-based BCI Dataset of Semantic Concepts for Imagination and Perception Tasks. Sci Data 2023; 10:386. [PMID: 37322034 PMCID: PMC10272218 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02287-9] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a widely-used neuroimaging technique in Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) due to its non-invasive nature, accessibility and high temporal resolution. A range of input representations has been explored for BCIs. The same semantic meaning can be conveyed in different representations, such as visual (orthographic and pictorial) and auditory (spoken words). These stimuli representations can be either imagined or perceived by the BCI user. In particular, there is a scarcity of existing open source EEG datasets for imagined visual content, and to our knowledge there are no open source EEG datasets for semantics captured through multiple sensory modalities for both perceived and imagined content. Here we present an open source multisensory imagination and perception dataset, with twelve participants, acquired with a 124 EEG channel system. The aim is for the dataset to be open for purposes such as BCI related decoding and for better understanding the neural mechanisms behind perception, imagination and across the sensory modalities when the semantic category is held constant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Wilson
- Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
| | - Mohammad Golbabaee
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TW, UK
| | | | - Stephen Charles
- Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Eamonn O'Neill
- Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
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13
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Zaleskiewicz T, Traczyk J, Sobkow A. Decision making and mental imagery: A conceptual synthesis and new research directions. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2023.2198066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Zaleskiewicz
- SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Center for Research in Economic Behavior (CREB), Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Traczyk
- SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Center for Research on Improving Decision Making, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Agata Sobkow
- SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Center for Research on Improving Decision Making, Wroclaw, Poland
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14
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Proverbio AM, Tacchini M, Jiang K. What do you have in mind? ERP markers of visual and auditory imagery. Brain Cogn 2023; 166:105954. [PMID: 36657242 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2023.105954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the psychophysiological markers of imagery processes through EEG/ERP recordings. Visual and auditory stimuli representing 10 different semantic categories were shown to 30 healthy participants. After a given interval and prompted by a light signal, participants were asked to activate a mental image corresponding to the semantic category for recording synchronized electrical potentials. Unprecedented electrophysiological markers of imagination were recorded in the absence of sensory stimulation. The following peaks were identified at specific scalp sites and latencies, during imagination of infants (centroparietal positivity, CPP, and late CPP), human faces (anterior negativity, AN), animals (anterior positivity, AP), music (P300-like), speech (N400-like), affective vocalizations (P2-like) and sensory (visual vs auditory) modality (PN300). Overall, perception and imagery conditions shared some common electro/cortical markers, but during imagery the category-dependent modulation of ERPs was long latency and more anterior, with respect to the perceptual condition. These ERP markers might be precious tools for BCI systems (pattern recognition, classification, or A.I. algorithms) applied to patients affected by consciousness disorders (e.g., in a vegetative or comatose state) or locked-in-patients (e.g., spinal or SLA patients).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Mado Proverbio
- Cognitive Electrophysiology lab, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
| | - Marta Tacchini
- Cognitive Electrophysiology lab, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - Kaijun Jiang
- Cognitive Electrophysiology lab, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
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15
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Blazhenkova O, Kanero J, Duman I, Umitli O. Read and Imagine: Visual Imagery Experience Evoked by First versus Second Language. Psychol Rep 2023:332941231158059. [PMID: 36799268 DOI: 10.1177/00332941231158059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
This research examined visual imagery evoked during reading in relation to language. Following the previous reports that bilinguals experience less vivid imagery in their second language (L2) than first language (L1), we studied how visual imagery is affected by the language in use, characteristics of text, and readers' individual differences. In L1 and L2, 382 bilinguals read object texts describing pictorial properties of objects such as color and shape, spatial texts describing spatial properties such as spatial relations and locations, and excerpts from novels. They rated imagery vividness after each segment and the whole text, and rated the specific imagery characteristics (e.g., color, spatial relations). Regardless of the types of text or the timing of rating, the vividness of imagery was higher in L1 than in L2. However, English proficiency also predicted vividness in L2. Further, vividness in the object and spatial trials were predicted by the individual's object and spatial imagery skills. The effect of language on imagery depends on the text nature and difficulty, when and how vividness is measured, and individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olesya Blazhenkova
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, 52991Sabanci University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Junko Kanero
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, 52991Sabanci University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Irem Duman
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, 52991Sabanci University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Ozgenur Umitli
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, 52991Sabanci University, Istanbul, Türkiye
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16
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Marks DF. The Action Cycle Theory of Perception and Mental Imagery. Vision (Basel) 2023; 7:vision7010012. [PMID: 36810316 PMCID: PMC9944880 DOI: 10.3390/vision7010012] [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: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The Action Cycle Theory (ACT) is an enactive theory of the perception and a mental imagery system that is comprised of six modules: Schemata, Objects, Actions, Affect, Goals and Others' Behavior. The evidence supporting these six connected modules is reviewed in light of research on mental imagery vividness. The six modules and their interconnections receive empirical support from a wide range of studies. All six modules of perception and mental imagery are influenced by individual differences in vividness. Real-world applications of ACT show interesting potential to improve human wellbeing in both healthy people and patients. Mental imagery can be applied in creative ways to make new collective goals and actions for change that are necessary to maximize the future prospects of the planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- David F Marks
- Independent Researcher, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 13200 Arles, France
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17
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Repetitive Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Motor Imagery Changes Resting-State EEG Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12111548. [DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12111548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation is a novel non-invasive technique for applying repetitive magnetic stimulation to the peripheral nerves and muscles. Contrarily, a person imagines that he/she is exercising during motor imagery. Resting-state electroencephalography can evaluate the ability of motor imagery; however, the effects of motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation on resting-state electroencephalography are unknown. We examined the effects of motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation on the vividness of motor imagery and resting-state electroencephalography. The participants were divided into a motor imagery group and motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation group. They performed 60 motor imagery tasks involving wrist dorsiflexion movement. In the motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation group, we applied repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation to the extensor carpi radialis longus muscle during motor imagery. We measured the vividness of motor imagery and resting-state electroencephalography before and after the task. Both groups displayed a significant increase in the vividness of motor imagery. The motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation group exhibited increased β activity in the anterior cingulate cortex by source localization for electroencephalography. Hence, combined motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation changes the resting-state electroencephalography activity and may promote motor imagery.
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18
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Costa RM, Campos P, Wiborg M, Rebôlo C, Wittmann M, Kornmeier J. Prevalence of visual snow and relation to attentional absorption. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276971. [PMID: 36342911 PMCID: PMC9639836 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual snow is a condition of unclear prevalence characterized by tiny flickering dots throughout the entire visual field. It appears to result from visual cortex hyperactivity and possibly correlates with propensity to be engrossed in sensory and imaginary experiences (absorption). The prevalence and correlates of visual snow, and emotional reactions to it, were explored in the general Portuguese population with three studies with online surveys. In Study 1, 564 participants were shown an animated graphic simulation of visual snow and asked to rate how frequently they have similar percepts on a scale anchored by 0% and 100% of their waking time. They also reported their degree of distress and fascination resulting from visual snow. Absorption was measured with the Modified Tellegen Absorption Scale. 44% of respondents reported they see visual snow at least 10% of the time, and 20% reported seeing it between 80% and 100% of the time. Similar to findings in clinical samples, the frequency of visual snow correlated with tinnitus frequency and entoptic phenomena, but not with ophthalmologic problems. It was confirmed that visual snow is related to absorption. Although distress caused by visual snow was generally absent or minimal in our samples, a substantial minority (28%) reported moderate to high levels of distress. High fascination with visual snow was reported by 9%. In Studies 2 and 3, visual snow was measured by means of verbal descriptions without graphic simulation (“visual field full of tiny dots of light” and “world seen with many dots of light”, respectively). The results were similar to those in Study 1, but seeing visual snow 80%-100% of the time was less frequent (6.5% in Study 2 and 3.6% in Study 3). Visual snow has been insufficiently investigated. More research is needed to uncover underlying neurophysiological mechanisms and psychological and behavioral correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Miguel Costa
- William James Center for Research, Ispa–Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | - Marc Wittmann
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kornmeier
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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19
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Eckstein KN, Rosenbaum D, Zehender N, Pleiss S, Platzbecker S, Martinelli A, Herrmann ML, Wildgruber D. Induced feelings of external influence during instructed imaginations in healthy subjects. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1005479. [PMID: 36389532 PMCID: PMC9664387 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1005479] [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: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The psychopathological phenomenon of delusions of influence comprises variable disturbances of the self-environment-border leading to the feeling of external influence on thoughts, feelings, impulses or behaviors. Delusions of influence are a hallmark in psychotic illness, but nevertheless, attenuated forms can also appear in healthy individuals. Here we present a newly developed paradigm to induce and assess feelings of external influence during instructed imaginations in healthy individuals. In the current study, we asked 60 healthy individuals to visually imagine different objects. To induce feelings of external influence, we applied one of three different physical setups (low-amplitude transcranial direct current stimulation, eye contact, or skin-to-skin hand touch), and informed the participants whether or not an external influence was attempted during the respective trial. The physical setup (setup vs. no setup, Z = -3.847, p < 0.001, r = 0.497) as well as the information given to the participants (confirmation vs. negation, Z = -5.218, p < 0.001, r = 0.674) alone were able to modulate the feeling of external influence in all three interventions. The impact of information (whether influence was attempted or not attempted) significantly exceeded the impact of the physical setup on the ratings of experienced external influence (Z = -2.394, p = 0.016, r = 0.310). Moreover, the response latency correlated with the estimated feeling of external influence (r S = 0.392, p = 0.002). Additional analyses addressed the influence of the emotional content of imagined objects and examined the intensity and emotional valence of the imaginations. Further supplemental analyses correlated external influence estimation of the participants with other psychopathological measures (trait markers for supernatural beliefs, proneness to hallucinations, and delusions and attributional style). In conclusion, this study endorses a quantitative model of psychopathological characteristics, in this case feelings of external influence that can be induced by external cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin N. Eckstein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,*Correspondence: Kathrin N. Eckstein,
| | - David Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nadine Zehender
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sonja Pleiss
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sharon Platzbecker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anne Martinelli
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,School of Psychology, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Matthias L. Herrmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dirk Wildgruber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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20
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Ficco L, Müller VI, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR. Socio‐cognitive, expertise‐based and appearance‐based accounts of the other‐‘race’ effect in face perception: A label‐based systematic review of neuroimaging results. Br J Psychol 2022; 114 Suppl 1:45-69. [DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- Department of Linguistics and Cultural Evolution International Max Planck Research School for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
| | - Veronika I. Müller
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine (INM‐7) Research Centre Jülich Jülich Germany
| | - Jürgen M. Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- Department of Linguistics and Cultural Evolution International Max Planck Research School for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
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21
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Spatial transformation in mental rotation tasks in aphantasia. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:2096-2107. [PMID: 35680760 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02126-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Aphantasia refers to the inability to summon images to one's own mind's eye, resulting in selective deficits of voluntary object imagery. In the present study, we investigated whether M. X., a case of acquired aphantasia, can still retain some form of spatial transformation processes even though he is unable to subjectively experience voluntary object imagery. M. X. and a group of control participants were asked to complete a letter mental rotation task (MRT), typically used to assess the nature of the spatial transformation, while behavioural and electrophysiological responses were recorded. M. X. was able to complete the MRTs as accurately as controls, showing the pattern of increasing RTs as a function of rotation angle typical of MRTs. However, event-related potential (ERP) results showed systematic differences between M. X. and controls. On canonical letter trials, the rotation-related negativity (RRN), an ERP component considered as the psychophysiological correlate of the spatial transformation of mental rotation (MR), was present in both M. X. and controls and similarly modulated by rotation angle. However, no such modulation was observed for M. X. on mirror-reversed letter trials. These findings suggest that, at least under specific experimental conditions, the inability to create a depictive representation of the stimuli does not prevent the engagement of spatial transformation in aphantasia. However, the ability to apply spatial transformation varies with tasks and might be accounted for by the specific type of mental representation that can be accessed.
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22
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Barhoun P, Fuelscher I, Do M, He JL, Cerins A, Bekkali S, Youssef GJ, Corp D, Major BP, Meaney D, Enticott PG, Hyde C. The role of the primary motor cortex in motor imagery: A theta burst stimulation study. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14077. [PMID: 35503930 PMCID: PMC9540768 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
While mentally simulated actions activate similar neural structures to overt movement, the role of the primary motor cortex (PMC) in motor imagery remains disputed. The aim of the study was to use continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to modulate corticospinal activity to investigate the putative role of the PMC in implicit motor imagery in young adults with typical and atypical motor ability. A randomized, double blind, sham‐controlled, crossover, offline cTBS protocol was applied to 35 young adults. During three separate sessions, adults with typical and low motor ability (developmental coordination disorder [DCD]), received active cTBS to the PMC and supplementary motor area (SMA), and sham stimulation to either the PMC or SMA. Following stimulation, participants completed measures of motor imagery (i.e., hand rotation task) and visual imagery (i.e., letter number rotation task). Although active cTBS significantly reduced corticospinal excitability in adults with typical motor ability, neither task performance was altered following active cTBS to the PMC or SMA, compared to performance after sham cTBS. These results did not differ across motor status (i.e., typical motor ability and DCD). These findings are not consistent with our hypothesis that the PMC (and SMA) is directly involved in motor imagery. Instead, previous motor cortical activation observed during motor imagery may be an epiphenomenon of other neurophysiological processes and/or activity within brain regions involved in motor imagery. This study highlights the need to consider multi‐session theta burst stimulation application and its neural effects when probing the putative role of motor cortices in motor imagery. A controlled continuous theta burst stimulation protocol was adopted to examine the role of the primary motor cortex in motor imagery. While corticospinal excitability was suppressed in individuals with typical motor ability, no changes in imagery performance were detected after applying active stimulation to the motor regions. This suggests that motor regions may not be causally implicated in motor imagery and/or that multiple stimulation sessions may be required when inducing cognitive‐behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Barhoun
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ian Fuelscher
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael Do
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jason L He
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andris Cerins
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Soukayna Bekkali
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - George J Youssef
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel Corp
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brendan P Major
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dwayne Meaney
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter G Enticott
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christian Hyde
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
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23
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Tullo MG, Almgren H, Van de Steen F, Sulpizio V, Marinazzo D, Galati G. Individual differences in mental imagery modulate effective connectivity of scene-selective regions during resting state. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:1831-1842. [PMID: 35312868 PMCID: PMC9098601 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02475-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Successful navigation relies on the ability to identify, perceive, and correctly process the spatial structure of a scene. It is well known that visual mental imagery plays a crucial role in navigation. Indeed, cortical regions encoding navigationally relevant information are also active during mental imagery of navigational scenes. However, it remains unknown whether their intrinsic activity and connectivity reflect the individuals' ability to imagine a scene. Here, we primarily investigated the intrinsic causal interactions among scene-selective brain regions such as Parahipoccampal Place Area (PPA), Retrosplenial Complex, and Occipital Place Area (OPA) using Dynamic Causal Modelling for resting-state functional magnetic resonance data. Second, we tested whether resting-state effective connectivity parameters among scene-selective regions could reflect individual differences in mental imagery in our sample, as assessed by the self-reported Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire. We found an inhibitory influence of occipito-medial on temporal regions, and an excitatory influence of more anterior on more medial and posterior brain regions. Moreover, we found that a key role in imagery is played by the connection strength from OPA to PPA, especially in the left hemisphere, since the influence of the signal between these scene-selective regions positively correlated with good mental imagery ability. Our investigation contributes to the understanding of the complexity of the causal interaction among brain regions involved in navigation and provides new insight in understanding how an essential ability, such as mental imagery, can be explained by the intrinsic fluctuation of brain signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giulia Tullo
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via Benevento, 6, 00161, Roma, RM, Italy. .,Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy. .,PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Hannes Almgren
- Department of Data Analysis, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Frederik Van de Steen
- Department of Data Analysis, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,AIMS, Center For Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Valentina Sulpizio
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Marinazzo
- Department of Data Analysis, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gaspare Galati
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via Benevento, 6, 00161, Roma, RM, Italy.,Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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24
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Skokowski P. Sensing Qualia. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:795405. [PMID: 35359622 PMCID: PMC8962373 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.795405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Accounting for qualia in the natural world is a difficult business, and it is worth understanding why. A close examination of several theories of mind—Behaviorism, Identity Theory, Functionalism, and Integrated Information Theory—will be discussed, revealing shortcomings for these theories in explaining the contents of conscious experience: qualia. It will be argued that in order to overcome the main difficulty of these theories the senses should be interpreted as physical detectors. A new theory, Grounded Functionalism, will be proposed, which retains multiple realizability while allowing for a scientifically based approach toward accounting for qualia in the natural world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Skokowski
- St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Symbolic Systems, Center for the Explanation of Consciousness, Stanford, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Paul Skokowski
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25
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Sambuco N, Bradley MM, Lang PJ. Narrative imagery: Emotional modulation in the default mode network. Neuropsychologia 2022; 164:108087. [PMID: 34785150 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) is activated when constructing and imagining narrative events, with functional brain activity in the medial-prefrontal cortex hypothesized to be modulated during emotional processing by adding value (or pleasure) to the episodic representation. However, since enhanced reactivity during emotional, compared to neutral, content is a more frequent finding in both the brain and body in physiological, neural, and behavioral measures, the current study directly assesses the effects of pleasure and emotion during narrative imagery in the DMN by using a within-subject design to first identify the DMN during resting state and then assess activation during pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant imagery. Replicating previous findings, enhanced functional activity in the medial prefrontal cortex was found when imagining pleasant, compared to unpleasant, events. On the other hand, emotion-related activation was found when imagining either pleasant or unpleasant, compared to neutral, events in other nodes of the DMN including the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), angular gyrus, anterior hippocampus, lateral temporal cortex, temporal pole, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC). Pervasive emotional modulation in the DMN is consistent with the view that a primary function of event retrieval and construction is to remember, recreate, and imagine motivationally relevant events important for planning adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Sambuco
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Margaret M Bradley
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Peter J Lang
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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26
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Abstract
What are mental images needed for? A variety of everyday situations calls for us to plan ahead; one of the clever ways our mind prepares and strategizes our next move is through mental simulation. A powerful tool in running these simulations is visual mental imagery, which can be conceived as a way to activate and maintain an internal representation of the to-be-imagined object, giving rise to predictions. Therefore, under normal conditions imagination is primarily an endogenous process, and only more rarely can mental images be activated exogenously, for example, by means of intracerebral stimulation. A large debate is still ongoing regarding the neural substrates supporting mental imagery, with the neuropsychological and neuroimaging literature agreeing in some cases, but not others. This chapter reviews the neuroscientific literature on mental imagery, and attempts to reappraise the neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence by drawing a model of mental imagery informed by both structural and functional brain data. Overall, the role of regions in the ventral temporal cortex, especially of the left hemisphere, stands out unequivocally as a key substrate in mental imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Spagna
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York City, NY, United States.
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27
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I remember it like it was yesterday: Age-related differences in the subjective experience of remembering. Psychon Bull Rev 2021; 29:1223-1245. [PMID: 34918271 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-02048-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
It has been frequently described that older adults subjectively report the vividness of their memories as being as high, or even higher, than young adults, despite poorer objective memory performance. Here, we review studies that examined age-related differences in the subjective experience of memory vividness. By examining vividness calibration and resolution, studies using different types of approaches converge to suggest that older adults overestimate the intensity of their vividness ratings relative to young adults, and that they rely on retrieved memory details to a lesser extent to judge vividness. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying these observations. Inflation of memory vividness with regard to the richness of memory content may stem from age-differences in vividness criterion or scale interpretation and psycho-social factors. The reduced reliance on episodic memory details in older adults may stem from age-related differences in how they monitor these details to make their vividness ratings. Considered together, these findings emphasize the importance of examining age-differences in memory vividness using different analytical methods and they provide valuable evidence that the subjective experience of remembering is more than the reactivation of memory content. In this vein, we recommend that future studies explore the links between memory vividness and other subjective memory scales (e.g., ratings of details or memory confidence) in healthy aging and/or other populations, as it could be used as a window to better characterize the cognitive processes that underpin the subjective assessment of the quality of recollected events.
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28
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Dance CJ, Ipser A, Simner J. The prevalence of aphantasia (imagery weakness) in the general population. Conscious Cogn 2021; 97:103243. [PMID: 34872033 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Visual mental imagery is the ability to create a quasi-perceptual visual picture in the mind's eye. For people with the rare trait of aphantasia, this ability is entirely absent or markedly impaired. Here, we aim to clarify the prevalence of aphantasia in the general population, while overcoming limitations of previous research (e.g., recruitment biases). In Experiment 1, we screened a cohort of undergraduate students (n502) using the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (Marks, 1973) and found that 4.2% had aphantasia. To establish the reliability of our estimate, we then screened a new sample of people (n502) at an online crowdsourcing marketplace, again finding that approximately four percent (3.6%) had aphantasia. Overall, our combined prevalence from over a thousand people of 3.9% - which shows no gender bias - provides a useful index for how commonly aphantasia occurs, based on measures and diagnostic thresholds in line with contemporary aphantasia literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Dance
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, BN1 9QJ, UK.
| | - A Ipser
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, BN1 9QJ, UK
| | - J Simner
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, BN1 9QJ, UK
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29
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Duan S, Lawrence A, Valmaggia L, Moll J, Zahn R. Maladaptive blame-related action tendencies are associated with vulnerability to major depressive disorder. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 145:70-76. [PMID: 34875461 PMCID: PMC8756141 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Biases towards self-blaming emotions, such as self-contempt/disgust, were previously associated with vulnerability to major depressive disorder (MDD). Self-blaming emotions are thought to prompt specific action tendencies (e.g. "feeling like hiding"), which are likely to be more important for psychosocial functioning than the emotions themselves. Systematic investigations, however, of these action tendencies in MDD are lacking. Here, we investigated the role of blame-related action tendencies for MDD vulnerability and their relationship with blame-related emotions. 76 participants with medication-free remitted MDD and 44 healthy control (HC) participants without a history of MDD completed the value-related moral sentiment task, which measured their blame-related emotions during hypothetical social interactions and a novel task to assess their blame-related action tendencies (feeling like hiding, apologising, creating a distance from oneself, attacking oneself, creating a distance from other, attacking other, no action). As predicted, the MDD group showed a maladaptive profile of action tendencies: a higher proneness to feeling like hiding and creating a distance from themselves compared with the HC group. In contrast, feeling like apologising was less common in the MDD than the HC group. Apologising for one's wrongdoing was associated with all self-blaming emotions including shame, guilt, self-contempt/disgust and self-indignation. Hiding was associated with both shame and guilt. Our study shows that MDD vulnerability was associated with specific maladaptive action tendencies which were independent of the type of emotion, thus unveiling novel cognitive markers and neurocognitive treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suqian Duan
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, Centre for Affective Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Lawrence
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, Centre for Affective Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Lucia Valmaggia
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, Centre for Affective Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jorge Moll
- Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit, D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), 22280-080, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Roland Zahn
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, Centre for Affective Disorders, King's College London, London, UK; Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit, D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), 22280-080, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK.
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30
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Perceived and mentally rotated contents are differentially represented in cortical depth of V1. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1069. [PMID: 34521987 PMCID: PMC8440580 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02582-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary visual cortex (V1) in humans is known to represent both veridically perceived external input and internally-generated contents underlying imagery and mental rotation. However, it is unknown how the brain keeps these contents separate thus avoiding a mixture of the perceived and the imagined which could lead to potentially detrimental consequences. Inspired by neuroanatomical studies showing that feedforward and feedback connections in V1 terminate in different cortical layers, we hypothesized that this anatomical compartmentalization underlies functional segregation of external and internally-generated visual contents, respectively. We used high-resolution layer-specific fMRI to test this hypothesis in a mental rotation task. We found that rotated contents were predominant at outer cortical depth bins (i.e. superficial and deep). At the same time perceived contents were represented stronger at the middle cortical bin. These results identify how through cortical depth compartmentalization V1 functionally segregates rather than confuses external from internally-generated visual contents. These results indicate that feedforward and feedback manifest in distinct subdivisions of the early visual cortex, thereby reflecting a general strategy for implementing multiple cognitive functions within a single brain region. In order to test whether there is a cortical depth compartmentalization in the processing of external and internally-generated visual contents, Iamshchinina et al use high-resolution fMRI at 7 T in participants performing a mental rotation task. They demonstrate that feedforward and feedback representations during mental rotation manifest at differentiable grey matter depth in early visual cortex, thereby reflecting a general strategy for implementing multiple cognitive functions within a single brain region.
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31
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Croijmans I, Wang QJ. Do you want a description with that wine? The role of wine mental imagery in consumer's desire to drink using the revised Vividness of Wine Imagery Questionnaire (
VWIQ‐II
). J SENS STUD 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/joss.12712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilja Croijmans
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
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32
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Keogh R, Wicken M, Pearson J. Visual working memory in aphantasia: Retained accuracy and capacity with a different strategy. Cortex 2021; 143:237-253. [PMID: 34482017 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Visual working memory paradigms involve retaining and manipulating visual information in mind over a period of seconds. Evidence suggests that visual imagery (sensory recruitment) is a strategy used by many to retain visual information during such tasks, leading some researchers to propose that visual imagery and visual working memory may be one and the same. If visual imagery is essential to visual working memory task performance there should be large ramifications for a special population of individuals who do not experience visual imagery, aphantasia. Here we assessed visual working memory task performance in this population using a number of different lab and clinical working memory tasks. We found no differences in capacity limits for visual, general number or spatial working memory for aphantasic individuals compared to controls. Further, aphantasic individuals showed no significant differences in performance on visual components of clinical working memory tests as compared to verbal components. However, there were significant differences in the reported strategies used by aphantasic individuals across all memory tasks. Additionally, aphantasic individual's visual memory accuracy did not demonstrate a significant oblique orientation effect, which is proposed to occur due to sensory recruitment, further supporting their non-visual imagery strategy reports. Taken together these data demonstrate that aphantasic individuals are not impaired on visual working memory tasks, suggesting visual imagery and working memory are not one and the same, with imagery (and sensory recruitment) being just one of the tools that can be used to solve visual working memory tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Keogh
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia; Macquarie University, Department of Cognitive Sciences, Australia.
| | - Marcus Wicken
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia
| | - Joel Pearson
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia
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33
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Leng X, Qin C, Lin H, Li M, Zhao K, Wang H, Duan F, An J, Wu D, Liu Q, Qiu S. Altered Topological Properties of Static/Dynamic Functional Networks and Cognitive Function After Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Using Resting-State fMRI. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:690743. [PMID: 34335167 PMCID: PMC8316765 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.690743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives The purpose of this study was to (1) explore the changes in topological properties of static and dynamic brain functional networks after nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) radiotherapy (RT) using rs-fMRI and graph theoretical analysis, (2) explore the correlation between cognitive function and changes in brain function, and (3) add to the understanding of the pathogenesis of radiation brain injury (RBI). Methods Fifty-four patients were divided into 3 groups according to time after RT: PT1 (0–6 months); PT2 (>6 to ≤12 months); and PT3 (>12 months). 29 normal controls (NCs) were included. The subjects’ topological properties were evaluated by graph-theoretic network analysis, the functional connectivity of static functional networks was calculated using network-based statistics, and the dynamic functional network matrix was subjected to cluster analysis. Finally, correlation analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between the altered network parameters and cognitive function. Results Assortativity, hierarchy, and network efficiency were significantly abnormal in the PT1 group compared with the NC or PT3 group. The small-world variance in the PT3 group was smaller than that in NCs. The Nodal ClustCoeff of Postcentral_R in the PT2 group was significantly smaller than that in PT3 and NC groups. Functional connectivities were significantly reduced in the patient groups. Most of the functional connectivities of the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) were shown to be significantly reduced in all three patient groups. Most of the functional connectivities of the insula showed significantly reduced in the PT1 and PT3 groups, and most of the functional connectivities in brain regions such as frontal and parietal lobes showed significantly reduced in the PT2 and PT3 groups. These abnormal functional connectivities were correlated with scores on multiple scales that primarily assessed memory, executive ability, and overall cognitive function. The frequency F of occurrence of various states in each subject differed significantly, and the interaction effect of group and state was significant. Conclusion The disruption of static and dynamic functional network stability, reduced network efficiency and reduced functional connectivity may be potential biomarkers of RBI. Our findings may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of RBI from the perspective of functional networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Leng
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunhong Qin
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huan Lin
- Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mingrui Li
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kui Zhao
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongzhuo Wang
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fuhong Duan
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie An
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Donglin Wu
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qihui Liu
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shijun Qiu
- Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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34
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Bumgardner AL, Yuan K, Chiu AV. I cannot picture it in my mind: acquired aphantasia after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma. Oxf Med Case Reports 2021; 2021:omab019. [PMID: 34055356 PMCID: PMC8143657 DOI: 10.1093/omcr/omab019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aphantasia, the loss of mental imagery, is a rare disorder and even more infrequent when acquired. No previous cases have been identified that were caused by transplant-related treatment. We describe a case of acquired aphantasia in a 62-year-old male with refractory IgG kappa multiple myeloma after receiving an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) following high-dose melphalan with a complicated hospital admission. The etiology of aphantasia remains unidentified, but we provide viable explanations to include direct effects from ASCT treatment and indirect effects from transplant-related complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L Bumgardner
- Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Program, National Capital Consortium, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kyle Yuan
- F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alden V Chiu
- Hematology-Oncology Service, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
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35
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Milton F, Fulford J, Dance C, Gaddum J, Heuerman-Williamson B, Jones K, Knight KF, MacKisack M, Winlove C, Zeman A. Behavioral and Neural Signatures of Visual Imagery Vividness Extremes: Aphantasia versus Hyperphantasia. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 2:tgab035. [PMID: 34296179 PMCID: PMC8186241 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although Galton recognized in the 1880s that some individuals lack visual imagery, this phenomenon was mostly neglected over the following century. We recently coined the terms "aphantasia" and "hyperphantasia" to describe visual imagery vividness extremes, unlocking a sustained surge of public interest. Aphantasia is associated with subjective impairment of face recognition and autobiographical memory. Here we report the first systematic, wide-ranging neuropsychological and brain imaging study of people with aphantasia (n = 24), hyperphantasia (n = 25), and midrange imagery vividness (n = 20). Despite equivalent performance on standard memory tests, marked group differences were measured in autobiographical memory and imagination, participants with hyperphantasia outperforming controls who outperformed participants with aphantasia. Face recognition difficulties and autistic spectrum traits were reported more commonly in aphantasia. The Revised NEO Personality Inventory highlighted reduced extraversion in the aphantasia group and increased openness in the hyperphantasia group. Resting state fMRI revealed stronger connectivity between prefrontal cortices and the visual network among hyperphantasic than aphantasic participants. In an active fMRI paradigm, there was greater anterior parietal activation among hyperphantasic and control than aphantasic participants when comparing visualization of famous faces and places with perception. These behavioral and neural signatures of visual imagery vividness extremes validate and illuminate this significant but neglected dimension of individual difference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fraser Milton
- Discipline of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Jon Fulford
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Carla Dance
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - James Gaddum
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | | | - Kealan Jones
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Kathryn F Knight
- Discipline of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Matthew MacKisack
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Crawford Winlove
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Adam Zeman
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
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36
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Lee SW, Kim E, Chung Y, Cha H, Song H, Chang Y, Lee SJ. Believing is seeing: an fMRI study of thought-action fusion in healthy male adults. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:300-310. [PMID: 32125617 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00257-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Thought-action fusion (TAF) is a tendency of individuals to establish causal relations between their own thoughts and external reality. TAF can lead to maladaptive behaviors typically observed in obsessional thoughts. However, neural mechanisms underlying TAF are still unknown. In this study, 38 healthy men were informed that MR signals were able to detect thoughts of the word 'apple' and that this recognition could result in the administration of electrical shocks to a person outside the scanner. During MR acquisition, they were asked to suppress or not suppress the thought of 'apple' while sham electrical shocks were or were not administered to the other person. The main effect of the sham administration of electrical shock to another person was shown in the bilateral lingual gyri, fusiform gyri, and middle occipital cortices (FDR corrected p < 0.05). Also, fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, and middle occipital cortex activity correlated with scores of guilty feeling only when participants consciously tried to think of apple as less as possible. Our study demonstrates that visual association areas may play primary roles in TAF. The simple belief and visual imagery that one's thought may lead to someone's injury activated visual areas of the brain where, in turn, brain activity is associated with feelings of guilt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang Won Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, Daegu, South Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Eunji Kim
- Department of Medical & Biological Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Younjae Chung
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Hyunsil Cha
- Department of Medical & Biological Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Huijin Song
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering Research, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Yongmin Chang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea. .,Department of Radiology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, South Korea.
| | - Seung Jae Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea. .,Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, South Korea.
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37
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Chen Q, Lv X, Zhang S, Lin J, Song J, Cao B, Weng Y, Li L, Huang R. Altered properties of brain white matter structural networks in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 14:2745-2761. [PMID: 31900892 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00224-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies revealed radiation-induced brain injury in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the years after radiotherapy (RT). These injuries may be associated with structural and functional alterations. However, differences in the brain structural connectivity of NPC patients at different times after RT, especially in the early-delayed period, remain unclear. We acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from three groups of NPC patients, 25 in the pre-RT (before RT) group, 22 in the early-delayed (1-6 months) period (post-RT-ED) group, and 33 in the late-delayed (>6 months) period (post-RT-LD) group. Then, we constructed brain white matter (WM) structural networks and used graph theory to compare their between-group differences. The NPC patients in the post-RT-ED group showed decreased global properties when compared with the pre-RT group. We also detected the nodes with between-group differences in nodal parameters. The nodes that differed between the post-RT-ED and pre-RT groups were mainly located in the default mode (DMN) and central executive networks (CEN); those that differed between the post-RT-LD and pre-RT groups were located in the limbic system; and those that differed between the post-RT-LD and post-RT-ED groups were mainly in the DMN. These findings may indicate that radiation-induced brain injury begins in the early-delayed period and that a reorganization strategy begins in the late-delayed period. Our findings may provide new insight into the pathogenesis of radiation-induced brain injury in normal-appearing brain tissue from the network perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinyuan Chen
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaofei Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, People's Republic of China
| | - Shufei Zhang
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiabao Lin
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Song
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Bolin Cao
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Yihe Weng
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ruiwang Huang
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China.
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38
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Dance C, Jaquiery M, Eagleman D, Porteous D, Zeman A, Simner J. What is the relationship between Aphantasia, Synaesthesia and Autism? Conscious Cogn 2021; 89:103087. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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39
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Spagna A, Hajhajate D, Liu J, Bartolomeo P. Visual mental imagery engages the left fusiform gyrus, but not the early visual cortex: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging evidence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 122:201-217. [PMID: 33422567 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The dominant neural model of visual mental imagery (VMI) stipulates that memories from the medial temporal lobe acquire sensory features in early visual areas. However, neurological patients with damage restricted to the occipital cortex typically show perfectly vivid VMI, while more anterior damages extending into the temporal lobe, especially in the left hemisphere, often cause VMI impairments. Here we present two major results reconciling neuroimaging findings in neurotypical subjects with the performance of brain-damaged patients: (1) A large-scale meta-analysis of 46 fMRI studies, of which 27 investigated specifically visual mental imagery, revealed that VMI engages fronto-parietal networks and a well-delimited region in the left fusiform gyrus. (2) A Bayesian analysis showed no evidence for imagery-related activity in early visual cortices. We propose a revised neural model of VMI that draws inspiration from recent cytoarchitectonic and lesion studies, whereby fronto-parietal networks initiate, modulate, and maintain activity in a core temporal network centered on the fusiform imagery node, a high-level visual region in the left fusiform gyrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Spagna
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, NY, 10027, USA; Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Dounia Hajhajate
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Jianghao Liu
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013, Paris, France; Dassault Systèmes, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France
| | - Paolo Bartolomeo
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013, Paris, France.
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Keogh R, Pearson J, Zeman A. Aphantasia: The science of visual imagery extremes. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 178:277-296. [PMID: 33832681 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-821377-3.00012-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Visual imagery allows us to revisit the appearance of things in their absence and to test out virtual combinations of sensory experience. Visual imagery has been linked to many cognitive processes, such as autobiographical and visual working memory. Imagery also plays symptomatic and mechanistic roles in neurologic and mental disorders and is utilized in treatment. A large network of brain activity spanning frontal, parietal, temporal, and visual cortex is involved in generating and maintain images in mind. The ability to visualize has extreme variations, ranging from completely absent (aphantasia) to photo-like (hyperphantasia). The anatomy and functionality of visual cortex, including primary visual cortex, have been associated with individual differences in visual imagery ability, pointing to a potential correlate for both aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Preliminary evidence suggests that lifelong aphantasia is associated with prosopagnosia and reduction in autobiographical memory; hyperphantasia is associated with synesthesia. Aphantasic individuals can also be highly imaginative and are able to complete many tasks that were previously thought to rely on visual imagery, demonstrating that visualization is only one of many ways of representing things in their absence. The study of extreme imagination reminds us how easily invisible differences can escape detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Keogh
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Joel Pearson
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam Zeman
- Cognitive Neurology Research Group, University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
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41
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Fazekas P. Hallucinations as intensified forms of mind-wandering. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 376:20190700. [PMID: 33308066 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper argues for a novel way of thinking about hallucinations as intensified forms of mind-wandering. Starting from the observation that hallucinations are associated with hyperactive sensory areas underlying the content of hallucinatory experiences and a confusion with regard to the reality of the source of these experiences, the paper first reviews the different factors that might contribute to the impairment of reality monitoring. The paper then focuses on the sensory characteristics determining the vividness of an experience, reviews their relationship to the sensory hyperactivity observed in hallucinations, and investigates under what circumstances they can drive reality judgements. Finally, based on these considerations, the paper presents its main proposal according to which hallucinations are intensified forms of mind-wandering that are amplified along their sensory characteristics, and sketches a possible model of what factors might determine if an internally and involuntarily generated perceptual representation is experienced as a hallucination or as an instance of mind-wandering. This article is part of the theme issue 'Offline perception: voluntary and spontaneous perceptual experiences without matching external stimulation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fazekas
- Centre for Philosophical Psychology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus Universitet, Aarhus, Denmark
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42
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Rosenbaum D, Int-Veen I, Kroczek A, Hilsendegen P, Velten-Schurian K, Bihlmaier I, Fallgatter AJ, Ehlis AC. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of spontaneous and induced rumination in major depression: An fNIRS study. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21520. [PMID: 33299001 PMCID: PMC7725822 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78317-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In the current study, we investigated the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) at rest and during a rumination induction. Specifically, we explored the differences of cortical blood oxygenation using fNIRS in subjects with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HC). Rumination was assessed as state and trait measure, as well as with a qualitative semi-structured interview. Qualitative and quantitative measures of rumination indicated that the MDD group showed elevated rumination regarding state and trait measures. Furthermore, rumination differed qualitatively between the groups. The MDD group showed higher levels of general rumination and increased rumination during the rumination induction. However, the MDD group did not show a carry-over effect of elevated rumination after the induction paradigm to the following resting-state measurement. On a neuronal level, we observed a general hypoactivity in the MDD group compared to the HC group. Moreover, both groups showed increased ALFF during the rumination induction compared to the rest phase, especially in temporo-parietal areas. However, no interaction effect of MDD status and rumination induction was found. The current findings are discussed with respect to the literature of paradigms used in the investigation of rumination and suggestions on general improvements in rumination research are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Isabell Int-Veen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Agnes Kroczek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Paula Hilsendegen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Velten-Schurian
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Isabel Bihlmaier
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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43
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Bainbridge WA, Hall EH, Baker CI. Distinct Representational Structure and Localization for Visual Encoding and Recall during Visual Imagery. Cereb Cortex 2020; 31:1898-1913. [PMID: 33285563 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
During memory recall and visual imagery, reinstatement is thought to occur as an echoing of the neural patterns during encoding. However, the precise information in these recall traces is relatively unknown, with previous work primarily investigating either broad distinctions or specific images, rarely bridging these levels of information. Using ultra-high-field (7T) functional magnetic resonance imaging with an item-based visual recall task, we conducted an in-depth comparison of encoding and recall along a spectrum of granularity, from coarse (scenes, objects) to mid (e.g., natural, manmade scenes) to fine (e.g., living room, cupcake) levels. In the scanner, participants viewed a trial-unique item, and after a distractor task, visually imagined the initial item. During encoding, we observed decodable information at all levels of granularity in category-selective visual cortex. In contrast, information during recall was primarily at the coarse level with fine-level information in some areas; there was no evidence of mid-level information. A closer look revealed segregation between voxels showing the strongest effects during encoding and those during recall, and peaks of encoding-recall similarity extended anterior to category-selective cortex. Collectively, these results suggest visual recall is not merely a reactivation of encoding patterns, displaying a different representational structure and localization from encoding, despite some overlap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilma A Bainbridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.,Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Elizabeth H Hall
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Chris I Baker
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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44
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Alamia A, Timmermann C, Nutt DJ, VanRullen R, Carhart-Harris RL. DMT alters cortical travelling waves. eLife 2020; 9:e59784. [PMID: 33043883 PMCID: PMC7577737 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs are potent modulators of conscious states and therefore powerful tools for investigating their neurobiology. N,N, Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) can rapidly induce an extremely immersive state of consciousness characterized by vivid and elaborate visual imagery. Here, we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of the DMT-induced altered state from a pool of participants receiving DMT and (separately) placebo (saline) while instructed to keep their eyes closed. Consistent with our hypotheses, results revealed a spatio-temporal pattern of cortical activation (i.e. travelling waves) similar to that elicited by visual stimulation. Moreover, the typical top-down alpha-band rhythms of closed-eyes rest were significantly decreased, while the bottom-up forward wave was significantly increased. These results support a recent model proposing that psychedelics reduce the 'precision-weighting of priors', thus altering the balance of top-down versus bottom-up information passing. The robust hypothesis-confirming nature of these findings imply the discovery of an important mechanistic principle underpinning psychedelic-induced altered states.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher Timmermann
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial CollegeLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Rufin VanRullen
- Cerco, CNRS Université de ToulouseToulouseFrance
- Artificial and Natural Intelligence Toulouse Institute (ANITI)ToulouseFrance
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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Vetik S, Tulver K, Lints D, Bachmann T. Among the Two Kinds of Metacognitive Evaluation, Only One Is Predictive of Illusory Object Perception. Perception 2020; 49:1043-1056. [PMID: 32903160 DOI: 10.1177/0301006620954322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between expectation-induced hallucination proneness and self-confidence in performance was studied in a visual perception task. Participants were prompted either to recognize briefly shown faces as male or female or to rate the subjective vividness of a square surrounding the face. Importantly, in a few critical trials, the square was absent. Upon completion, participants rated their performance in the face recognition task; they were also asked whether they were sure that their estimation was correct. Out of 35 participants, 33 "hallucinated" on at least one trial, rating the square as visible when it was actually absent. Negative correlation between hallucination proneness and self-confidence in performance (metacognitive rating) was found: The more hallucinations a participant experienced, the less confident he/she was in his/her performance in the face recognition task. Most subjects underestimated their performance; higher ratings were also more accurate. Thus, higher hallucination proneness was associated with more inaccurate ratings of one's own perception. However, confidence in self-ratings as measured by the second follow-up question was unrelated to both, hallucination proneness and self-confidence in performance, supporting the view that there is no unitary mechanism of metacognitive evaluations and extending this view to the domain of visual hallucinatory perception.
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46
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Zeman A, Milton F, Della Sala S, Dewar M, Frayling T, Gaddum J, Hattersley A, Heuerman-Williamson B, Jones K, MacKisack M, Winlove C. Phantasia–The psychological significance of lifelong visual imagery vividness extremes. Cortex 2020; 130:426-440. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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47
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Does hippocampal volume explain performance differences on hippocampal-dependant tasks? Neuroimage 2020; 221:117211. [PMID: 32739555 PMCID: PMC7762813 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence is mixed about whether hippocampal volume affects cognitive task performance. This is particularly the case concerning individual differences in healthy people. We collected structural MRI data from 217 healthy people. They also had widely-varying performance on cognitive tasks linked to the hippocampus. In-depth analyses showed little evidence hippocampal volume affected task performance.
Marked disparities exist across healthy individuals in their ability to imagine scenes, recall autobiographical memories, think about the future and navigate in the world. The importance of the hippocampus in supporting these critical cognitive functions has prompted the question of whether differences in hippocampal grey matter volume could be one source of performance variability. Evidence to date has been somewhat mixed. In this study we sought to mitigate issues that commonly affect these types of studies. Data were collected from a large sample of 217 young, healthy adult participants, including whole brain structural MRI data (0.8 mm isotropic voxels) and widely-varying performance on scene imagination, autobiographical memory, future thinking and navigation tasks. We found little evidence that hippocampal grey matter volume was related to task performance in this healthy sample. This was the case using different analysis methods (voxel-based morphometry, partial correlations), when whole brain or hippocampal regions of interest were examined, when comparing different sub-groups (divided by gender, task performance, self-reported ability), and when using latent variables derived from across the cognitive tasks. Hippocampal grey matter volume may not, therefore, significantly influence performance on tasks known to require the hippocampus in healthy people. Perhaps only in extreme situations, as in the case of licensed London taxi drivers, are measurable ability-related hippocampus volume changes consistently exhibited.
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48
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Fazekas P, Nemeth G, Overgaard M. Perceptual Representations and the Vividness of Stimulus-Triggered and Stimulus-Independent Experiences. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020; 15:1200-1213. [PMID: 32673147 DOI: 10.1177/1745691620924039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, researchers from independent subfields have begun to engage with the idea that the same cortical regions that contribute to on-line perception are recruited during and underlie off-line activities such as information maintenance in working memory, mental imagery, hallucinations, dreaming, and mind wandering. Accumulating evidence suggests that in all of these cases the activity of posterior brain regions provides the contents of experiences. This article is intended to move one step further by exploring specific links between the vividness of experiences, which is a characteristic feature of consciousness regardless of its actual content, and certain properties of the content-specific neural-activity patterns. Investigating the mechanisms that underlie mental imagery and its relation to working memory and the processes responsible for mind wandering and its similarities to dreaming form two clusters of research that are in the forefront of the recent scientific study of mental phenomena, yet communication between these two clusters has been surprisingly sparse. Here our aim is to foster such information exchange by articulating a hypothesis about the fine-grained phenomenological structure determining subjective vividness and its possible neural basis that allows us to shed new light on these mental phenomena by bringing them under a common framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fazekas
- Centre for Philosophical Psychology, University of Antwerp.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University
| | - Georgina Nemeth
- Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University
| | - Morten Overgaard
- Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University
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49
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Convolutional neural networks and genetic algorithm for visual imagery classification. Phys Eng Sci Med 2020; 43:973-983. [PMID: 32662039 DOI: 10.1007/s13246-020-00894-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems establish a channel for direct communication between the brain and the outside world without having to use the peripheral nervous system. While most BCI systems use evoked potentials and motor imagery, in the present work we present a technique that employs visual imagery. Our technique uses neural networks to classify the signals produced in visual imagery. To this end, we have used densely connected neural and convolutional networks, together with a genetic algorithm to find the best parameters for these networks. The results we obtained are a 60% success rate in the classification of four imagined objects (a tree, a dog, an airplane and a house) plus a state of relaxation, thus outperforming the state of the art in visual imagery classification.
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50
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Sambuco N, Bradley MM, Herring DR, Lang PJ. Common circuit or paradigm shift? The functional brain in emotional scene perception and emotional imagery. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13522. [PMID: 32011742 PMCID: PMC7446773 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Meta-analytic and experimental studies investigating the neural basis of emotion often compare functional activation in different emotional induction contexts, assessing evidence for a "core affect" or "salience" network. Meta-analyses necessarily aggregate effects across diverse paradigms and different samples, which ignore potential neural differences specific to the method of affect induction. Data from repeated measures designs are few, reporting contradictory results with a small N. In the current study, functional brain activity is assessed in a large (N = 61) group of healthy participants during two common emotion inductions-scene perception and narrative imagery-to evaluate cross-paradigm consistency. Results indicate that limbic and paralimbic regions, together with visual and parietal cortex, are reliably engaged during emotional scene perception. For emotional imagery, in contrast, enhanced functional activity is found in several cerebellar regions, hippocampus, caudate, and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, consistent with the conception that imagery is an action disposition. Taken together, the data suggest that a common emotion network is not engaged across paradigms, but that the specific neural regions activated during emotional processing can vary significantly with the context of the emotional induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Sambuco
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Margaret M Bradley
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - David R Herring
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Peter J Lang
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
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