1
|
Wu H, Zuo Z, Yuan Z, Zhou T, Zhuo Y, Zheng N, Chen B. Neural representation of gestalt grouping and attention effect in human visual cortex. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 399:109980. [PMID: 37783351 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109980] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The brain aggregates meaningless local sensory elements to form meaningful global patterns in a process called perceptual grouping. Current brain imaging studies have found that neural activities in V1 are modulated during visual grouping. However, how grouping is represented in each of the early visual areas, and how attention alters these representations, is still unknown. NEW METHOD We adopted MVPA to decode the specific content of perceptual grouping by comparing neural activity patterns between gratings and dot lattice stimuli which can be grouped with proximity law. Furthermore, we quantified the grouping effect by defining the strength of grouping, and assessed the effect of attention on grouping. RESULTS We found that activity patterns to proximity grouped stimuli in early visual areas resemble these to grating stimuli with the same orientations. This similarity exists even when there is no attention focused on the stimuli. The results also showed a progressive increase of representational strength of grouping from V1 to V3, and attention modulation to grouping is only significant in V3 among all the visual areas. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Most of the previous work on perceptual grouping has focused on how activity amplitudes are modulated by grouping. Using MVPA, the present work successfully decoded the contents of neural activity patterns corresponding to proximity grouping stimuli, thus shed light on the availability of content-decoding approach in the research on perceptual grouping. CONCLUSIONS Our work found that the content of the neural activity patterns during perceptual grouping can be decoded in the early visual areas under both attended and unattended task, and provide novel evidence that there is a cascade processing for proximity grouping through V1 to V3. The strength of grouping was larger in V3 than in any other visual areas, and the attention modulation to the strength of grouping was only significant in V3 among all the visual areas, implying that V3 plays an important role in proximity grouping.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wu
- School of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710048, China
| | - Zhentao Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Zejian Yuan
- National Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Hybrid Augmented Intelligence, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Tiangang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Nanning Zheng
- National Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Hybrid Augmented Intelligence, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Badong Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Hybrid Augmented Intelligence, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bailes SM, Gomez DEP, Setzer B, Lewis LD. Resting-state fMRI signals contain spectral signatures of local hemodynamic response timing. eLife 2023; 12:e86453. [PMID: 37565644 PMCID: PMC10506795 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86453] [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: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has proven to be a powerful tool for noninvasively measuring human brain activity; yet, thus far, fMRI has been relatively limited in its temporal resolution. A key challenge is understanding the relationship between neural activity and the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal obtained from fMRI, generally modeled by the hemodynamic response function (HRF). The timing of the HRF varies across the brain and individuals, confounding our ability to make inferences about the timing of the underlying neural processes. Here, we show that resting-state fMRI signals contain information about HRF temporal dynamics that can be leveraged to understand and characterize variations in HRF timing across both cortical and subcortical regions. We found that the frequency spectrum of resting-state fMRI signals significantly differs between voxels with fast versus slow HRFs in human visual cortex. These spectral differences extended to subcortex as well, revealing significantly faster hemodynamic timing in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus. Ultimately, our results demonstrate that the temporal properties of the HRF impact the spectral content of resting-state fMRI signals and enable voxel-wise characterization of relative hemodynamic response timing. Furthermore, our results show that caution should be used in studies of resting-state fMRI spectral properties, because differences in fMRI frequency content can arise from purely vascular origins. This finding provides new insight into the temporal properties of fMRI signals across voxels, which is crucial for accurate fMRI analyses, and enhances the ability of fast fMRI to identify and track fast neural dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sydney M Bailes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Daniel EP Gomez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General HospitalCharlestownUnited States
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Beverly Setzer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Laura D Lewis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General HospitalCharlestownUnited States
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rens G, Figley TD, Gallivan JP, Liu Y, Culham JC. Grasping with a Twist: Dissociating Action Goals from Motor Actions in Human Frontoparietal Circuits. J Neurosci 2023; 43:5831-5847. [PMID: 37474309 PMCID: PMC10423047 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0009-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In daily life, prehension is typically not the end goal of hand-object interactions but a precursor for manipulation. Nevertheless, functional MRI (fMRI) studies investigating manual manipulation have primarily relied on prehension as the end goal of an action. Here, we used slow event-related fMRI to investigate differences in neural activation patterns between prehension in isolation and prehension for object manipulation. Sixteen (seven males and nine females) participants were instructed either to simply grasp the handle of a rotatable dial (isolated prehension) or to grasp and turn it (prehension for object manipulation). We used representational similarity analysis (RSA) to investigate whether the experimental conditions could be discriminated from each other based on differences in task-related brain activation patterns. We also used temporal multivoxel pattern analysis (tMVPA) to examine the evolution of regional activation patterns over time. Importantly, we were able to differentiate isolated prehension and prehension for manipulation from activation patterns in the early visual cortex, the caudal intraparietal sulcus (cIPS), and the superior parietal lobule (SPL). Our findings indicate that object manipulation extends beyond the putative cortical grasping network (anterior intraparietal sulcus, premotor and motor cortices) to include the superior parietal lobule and early visual cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A simple act such as turning an oven dial requires not only that the CNS encode the initial state (starting dial orientation) of the object but also the appropriate posture to grasp it to achieve the desired end state (final dial orientation) and the motor commands to achieve that state. Using advanced temporal neuroimaging analysis techniques, we reveal how such actions unfold over time and how they differ between object manipulation (turning a dial) versus grasping alone. We find that a combination of brain areas implicated in visual processing and sensorimotor integration can distinguish between the complex and simple tasks during planning, with neural patterns that approximate those during the actual execution of the action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guy Rens
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada
- Laboratorium voor Neuro- en Psychofysiologie, Department of Neurosciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Teresa D Figley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada
| | - Jason P Gallivan
- Departments of Psychology & Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Yuqi Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Brain Sciences and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jody C Culham
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bailes SM, Gomez DEP, Setzer B, Lewis LD. Resting-state fMRI signals contain spectral signatures of local hemodynamic response timing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.25.525528. [PMID: 36747821 PMCID: PMC9900794 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.25.525528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has proven to be a powerful tool for noninvasively measuring human brain activity; yet, thus far, fMRI has been relatively limited in its temporal resolution. A key challenge is understanding the relationship between neural activity and the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal obtained from fMRI, generally modeled by the hemodynamic response function (HRF). The timing of the HRF varies across the brain and individuals, confounding our ability to make inferences about the timing of the underlying neural processes. Here we show that resting-state fMRI signals contain information about HRF temporal dynamics that can be leveraged to understand and characterize variations in HRF timing across both cortical and subcortical regions. We found that the frequency spectrum of resting-state fMRI signals significantly differs between voxels with fast versus slow HRFs in human visual cortex. These spectral differences extended to subcortex as well, revealing significantly faster hemodynamic timing in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus. Ultimately, our results demonstrate that the temporal properties of the HRF impact the spectral content of resting-state fMRI signals and enable voxel-wise characterization of relative hemodynamic response timing. Furthermore, our results show that caution should be used in studies of resting-state fMRI spectral properties, as differences can arise from purely vascular origins. This finding provides new insight into the temporal properties of fMRI signals across voxels, which is crucial for accurate fMRI analyses, and enhances the ability of fast fMRI to identify and track fast neural dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel E. P. Gomez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Beverly Setzer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Laura D. Lewis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Polimeni JR, Lewis LD. Imaging faster neural dynamics with fast fMRI: A need for updated models of the hemodynamic response. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 207:102174. [PMID: 34525404 PMCID: PMC8688322 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Fast fMRI enables the detection of neural dynamics over timescales of hundreds of milliseconds, suggesting it may provide a new avenue for studying subsecond neural processes in the human brain. The magnitudes of these fast fMRI dynamics are far greater than predicted by canonical models of the hemodynamic response. Several studies have established nonlinear properties of the hemodynamic response that have significant implications for fast fMRI. We first review nonlinear properties of the hemodynamic response function that may underlie fast fMRI signals. We then illustrate the breakdown of canonical hemodynamic response models in the context of fast neural dynamics. We will then argue that the canonical hemodynamic response function is not likely to reflect the BOLD response to neuronal activity driven by sparse or naturalistic stimuli or perhaps to spontaneous neuronal fluctuations in the resting state. These properties suggest that fast fMRI is capable of tracking surprisingly fast neuronal dynamics, and we discuss the neuroscientific questions that could be addressed using this approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Polimeni
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Laura D Lewis
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Vizioli L, Yacoub E, Lewis LD. How pushing the spatiotemporal resolution of fMRI can advance neuroscience. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 207:102184. [PMID: 34767874 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Vizioli
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States.
| | - Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Laura D Lewis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA United States; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Dowdle LT, Ghose G, Chen CCC, Ugurbil K, Yacoub E, Vizioli L. Statistical power or more precise insights into neuro-temporal dynamics? Assessing the benefits of rapid temporal sampling in fMRI. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 207:102171. [PMID: 34492308 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a non-invasive and widely used human neuroimaging method, is most known for its spatial precision. However, there is a growing interest in its temporal sensitivity. This is despite the temporal blurring of neuronal events by the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal, the peak of which lags neuronal firing by 4-6 seconds. Given this, the goal of this review is to answer a seemingly simple question - "What are the benefits of increased temporal sampling for fMRI?". To answer this, we have combined fMRI data collected at multiple temporal scales, from 323 to 1000 milliseconds, with a review of both historical and contemporary temporal literature. After a brief discussion of technological developments that have rekindled interest in temporal research, we next consider the potential statistical and methodological benefits. Most importantly, we explore how fast fMRI can uncover previously unobserved neuro-temporal dynamics - effects that are entirely missed when sampling at conventional 1 to 2 second rates. With the intrinsic link between space and time in fMRI, this temporal renaissance also delivers improvements in spatial precision. Far from producing only statistical gains, the array of benefits suggest that the continued temporal work is worth the effort.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Logan T Dowdle
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, 500 SE Harvard St, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States.
| | - Geoffrey Ghose
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
| | - Clark C C Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, 500 SE Harvard St, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
| | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
| | - Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
| | - Luca Vizioli
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, 500 SE Harvard St, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Choupan J, Douglas PK, Gal Y, Cohen MS, Reutens DC, Yang Z. Temporal embedding and spatiotemporal feature selection boost multi-voxel pattern analysis decoding accuracy. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 345:108836. [PMID: 32726664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In fMRI decoding, temporal embedding of spatial features of the brain allows the incorporation of brain activity dynamics into the multivariate pattern classification process, and provides enriched information about stimulus-specific response patterns and potentially improved prediction accuracy. NEW METHOD This study investigates the possibility of enhancing the classification performance by exploring temporal embedding, to identify the optimum combination of spatiotemporal features based on their classification performance. We investigated the importance of spatiotemporal feature selection using a slow event-related design adapted from the classic Haxby study (Haxby et al., 2001). Data were collected using a multiband fMRI sequence with temporal resolution of 0.568 s. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS A wide range of spatiotemporal observations were created as various combinations of spatiotemporal features. Using both random forest, and support vector machine, classifiers prediction accuracies for these combinations were then compared with the single spatial multivariate pattern approach that uses only a single temporal observation. RESULTS Our findings showed that, on average, spatiotemporal feature selection improved prediction accuracy. Moreover, the random forest algorithm outperformed the support vector machine and benefitted from temporal information to a greater extent. CONCLUSIONS As expected, the most influential temporal durations were found to be around the peak of the hemodynamic response function, a few seconds after the stimuli onset until -4 s after the peak of the hemodynamic response function. The superiority of spatiotemporal feature selection over single time-point spatial approaches invites future work to design optimal approaches that incorporate spatiotemporal dependencies into feature selection for decoding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeiran Choupan
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Department of Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, USA; Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Pamela K Douglas
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Modeling & Simulation, and Computer Science Departments, UCF, Florida, USA
| | - Yaniv Gal
- School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Mark S Cohen
- Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurology, Radiological Sciences, Biomedical Physics, Psychology, and Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Nanosystems Institute UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David C Reutens
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Zhengyi Yang
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|