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Dijkstra N, Mazor M, Fleming SM. Confidence ratings do not distinguish imagination from reality. J Vis 2024; 24:13. [PMID: 38814936 PMCID: PMC11146086 DOI: 10.1167/jov.24.5.13] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Perceptual reality monitoring refers to the ability to distinguish internally triggered imagination from externally triggered reality. Such monitoring can take place at perceptual or cognitive levels-for example, in lucid dreaming, perceptual experience feels real but is accompanied by a cognitive insight that it is not real. We recently developed a paradigm to reveal perceptual reality monitoring errors during wakefulness in the general population, showing that imagined signals can be erroneously attributed to perception during a perceptual detection task. In the current study, we set out to investigate whether people have insight into perceptual reality monitoring errors by additionally measuring perceptual confidence. We used hierarchical Bayesian modeling of confidence criteria to characterize metacognitive insight into the effects of imagery on detection. Over two experiments, we found that confidence criteria moved in tandem with the decision criterion shift, indicating a failure of reality monitoring not only at a perceptual but also at a metacognitive level. These results further show that such failures have a perceptual rather than a decisional origin. Interestingly, offline queries at the end of the experiment revealed global, task-level insight, which was uncorrelated with local, trial-level insight as measured with confidence ratings. Taken together, our results demonstrate that confidence ratings do not distinguish imagination from reality during perceptual detection. Future research should further explore the different cognitive dimensions of insight into reality judgments and how they are related.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Dijkstra
- Department of Imaging Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- https://sites.google.com/view/nadinedijkstra
| | - Matan Mazor
- All Souls College and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- matanmazor.github.io
| | - Stephen M Fleming
- Department of Imaging Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- https://metacoglab.org/
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Mahr JB. How to Become a Memory: The Individual and Collective Aspects of Mnemicity. Top Cogn Sci 2024; 16:225-240. [PMID: 37066599 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Human adults distinguish their mental event simulations along various dimensions-most prominently according to their "mnemicity": we track whether these simulations are outcomes of past personal experiences or not (i.e., whether we are "remembering" or "imagining"). This distinction between memory and imagination is commonly thought to reflect a deep architectural distinction in the mind. Against this idea, I argue that mnemicity is not based on a fundamentalstructural difference between memories and imaginations but is instead the result of metacognitive attribution and social construction. On this attributional view, mnemicity is likely a uniquely human capacity that both serves collective functions and has been shaped by collective norms. First, on the individual level, mnemicity attribution is an outcome of metacognitive learning: it relies on acquired interpretations of the phenomenal features of mental event simulations. Such interpretations are in part acquired through interactive reminiscing with other community members. Further, how the distinction between memory and imagination is drawn is likely sensitive to cultural norms about what remembering is, when it is appropriate to claim to remember, what can be remembered, and what remembering entails. As a result, how individuals determine whether they remember or imagine is bound to be deeply enculturated. Second, mnemicity attribution solves an important collective challenge: who to grant epistemic authority about the past. Solving this challenge is important because-for humans-the past represents not just an opportunity to learn about the future but to coordinate present social realities. How a community determines such social realities both draws on individuals' remembering and in turn shapes when, what, and how individuals remember.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes B Mahr
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University
- Department of Philosophy, York University
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3
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Perret M, Neige C, Brunelin J, Mondino M. Unraveling the brain mechanisms of source monitoring with non-invasive brain stimulation: A systematic review. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2024; 24:100449. [PMID: 38406179 PMCID: PMC10884508 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100449] [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: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background/Objective Source monitoring refers to the ability to determine the source of memories and encompasses three subprocesses: internal source monitoring, reality monitoring, and external source monitoring. Neuroimaging studies provide valuable insights about neural correlates of source monitoring, but the causal relationship between brain and behavior is lacking. This study aimed to identify brain circuits involved in source monitoring by synthesizing the effects of brain stimulation on source monitoring as a function of the targeted brain regions or circuits. Method We conducted a systematic review of interventional studies that have examined the effects of brain stimulation on source monitoring across six databases. The principal outcome was the difference of source monitoring performance between active and control stimulation conditions. Results 23 studies (920 healthy participants and 54 patients with schizophrenia) were included. Our findings revealed the involvement of i) the lateral prefrontal and temporoparietal cortices in internal source monitoring, ii) the medial prefrontal and temporoparietal cortices in reality monitoring, and iii) the precuneus and the left angular gyrus in external source monitoring. Conclusions These findings deepen our understanding of the brain mechanisms of source monitoring and highlight specific stimulation targets to alleviate source monitoring deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Perret
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, PSYR2, F-69500 Bron, France
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69500 Bron, France
| | - Cécilia Neige
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, PSYR2, F-69500 Bron, France
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69500 Bron, France
| | - Jerome Brunelin
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, PSYR2, F-69500 Bron, France
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69500 Bron, France
| | - Marine Mondino
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, PSYR2, F-69500 Bron, France
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69500 Bron, France
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Ranjan S, Odegaard B. Reality monitoring and metacognitive judgments in a false-memory paradigm. Neurosci Res 2024; 201:3-17. [PMID: 38007192 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2023.11.007] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
How well do we distinguish between different memory sources when the information from imagination and perception is similar? And how do metacognitive (confidence) judgments differ across different sources of experiences? To study these questions, we developed a reality monitoring task using semantically related words from the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm of false memories. In an orientation phase, participants either perceived word pairs or had to voluntarily imagine the second word of a word pair. In a test phase, participants viewed words and had to judge whether the paired word was previously perceived, imagined, or new. Results revealed an interaction between memory source and judgment type on both response rates and confidence judgments: reality monitoring was better for new and perceived (compared to imagined) sources, and participants often incorrectly reported imagined experiences to be perceived. Individuals exhibited similar confidence between correct imagined source judgments and incorrect imagined sources reported to be perceived. Modeling results indicated that the observed judgments were likely due to an externalizing bias (i.e., a bias to judge the memory source as perceived). Additionally, we found that overall metacognitive ability was best in the perceived source. Together, these results reveal a source-dependent effect on response rates and confidence ratings, and provide evidence that observers are surprisingly prone to externalizing biases when monitoring their own memories.
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Scalabrini A, Cavicchioli M, Benedetti F, Mucci C, Northoff G. The nested hierarchical model of self and its non-relational vs relational posttraumatic manifestation: an fMRI meta-analysis of emotional processing. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02520-w. [PMID: 38514803 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02520-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Different kinds of traumatic experiences like natural catastrophes vs. relational traumatic experiences (e.g., sex/physical abuse, interpersonal partner violence) are involved in the development of the self and PTSD psychopathological manifestations. Looking at a neuroscience approach, it has been proposed a nested hierarchical model of self, which identifies three neural-mental networks: (i) interoceptive; (ii) exteroceptive; (iii) mental. However, it is still unclear how the self and its related brain networks might be affected by non-relational vs relational traumatic experiences. Departing from this background, the current study aims at conducting a meta-analytic review of task-dependent fMRI studies (i.e., emotional processing task) among patients with PTSD due to non-relational (PTSD-NR) and relational (PTSD-R) traumatic experiences using two approaches: (i) a Bayesian network meta-analysis for a region-of-interest-based approach; (ii) a coordinated-based meta-analysis. Our findings suggested that the PTSD-NR mainly recruited areas ascribed to the mental self to process emotional stimuli. Whereas, the PTSD-R mainly activated regions associated with the intero-exteroceptive self. Accordingly, the PTSD-R compared to the PTSD-NR might not reach a higher symbolic capacity to process stimuli with an emotional valence. These results are also clinically relevant in support of the development of differential treatment approaches for non-relational vs. relational PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Scalabrini
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, P.le S. Agostino, 2, Bergamo, 24129, Italy.
| | - Marco Cavicchioli
- University Vita- Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Via Olgettina, 58, Milan, 20132, Italy.
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- University Vita- Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Via Olgettina, 58, Milan, 20132, Italy
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Stamira d'Ancona, 20, 20127, Milan, Italy
| | - Clara Mucci
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, P.le S. Agostino, 2, Bergamo, 24129, Italy
| | - Georg Northoff
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa. Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K412, Canada
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Pavlova MK. A dual process model of spontaneous conscious thought. Conscious Cogn 2024; 118:103631. [PMID: 38157770 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103631] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
In the present article, I review theory and evidence on the psychological mechanisms of mind wandering, paying special attention to its relation with executive control. I then suggest applying a dual-process framework (i.e., automatic vs. controlled processing) to mind wandering and goal-directed thought. I present theoretical arguments and empirical evidence in favor of the view that mind wandering is based on automatic processing, also considering its relation to the concept of working memory. After that, I outline three scenarios for an interplay between mind wandering and goal-directed thought during task performance (parallel automatic processing, off-task thought substituting on-task thought, and non-disruptive mind wandering during controlled processing) and address the ways in which the mind-wandering and focused-attention spells can terminate. Throughout the article, I formulate empirical predictions. In conclusion, I discuss how automatic and controlled processing may be balanced in human conscious cognition.
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Foffani G. To be or not to be hallucinating: Implications of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences and lucid dreaming for brain disorders. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgad442. [PMID: 38178978 PMCID: PMC10766414 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The boundaries between waking and sleeping-when falling asleep (hypnagogic) or waking up (hypnopompic)-can be challenging for our ability to monitor and interpret reality. Without proper understanding, bizarre but relatively normal hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences can be misinterpreted as psychotic hallucinations (occurring, by definition, in the fully awake state), potentially leading to stigma and misdiagnosis in clinical contexts and to misconception and bias in research contexts. This Perspective proposes that conceptual and practical understanding for differentiating hallucinations from hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences may be offered by lucid dreaming, the state in which one is aware of dreaming while sleeping. I first introduce a possible systematization of the phenomenological range of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences that can occur in the transition from awake to REM dreaming (including hypnagogic perceptions, transition symptoms, sleep paralysis, false awakenings, and out-of-body experiences). I then outline how metacognitive strategies used by lucid dreamers to gain/confirm oneiric lucidity could be tested for better differentiating hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences from hallucinations. The relevance of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences and lucid dreaming is analyzed for schizophrenia and narcolepsy, and discussed for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Lewy-body disorders (i.e. Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies), offering testable hypotheses for empirical investigation. Finally, emotionally positive lucid dreams triggered or enhanced by training/induction strategies or by a pathological process may have intrinsic therapeutic value if properly recognized and guided. The overall intention is to raise awareness and foster further research about the possible diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences and lucid dreaming for brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guglielmo Foffani
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid 28938, Spain
- Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, Toledo 45004, Spain
- CIBERNED, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28031, Spain
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Schmid FR, Kriegleder MF. Explanatory power by vagueness. Challenges to the strong prior hypothesis on hallucinations exemplified by the Charles-Bonnet-Syndrome. Conscious Cogn 2024; 117:103620. [PMID: 38104388 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103620] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Predictive processing models are often ascribed a certain generality in conceptually unifying the relationships between perception, action, and cognition or the potential to posit a 'grand unified theory' of the mind. The limitations of this unification can be seen when these models are applied to specific cognitive phenomena or phenomenal consciousness. Our article discusses these shortcomings for predictive processing models of hallucinations by the example of the Charles-Bonnet-Syndrome. This case study shows that the current predictive processing account omits essential characteristics of stimulus-independent perception in general, which has critical phenomenological implications. We argue that the most popular predictive processing model of hallucinatory conditions - the strong prior hypothesis - fails to fully account for the characteristics of nonveridical perceptual experiences associated with Charles-Bonnet-Syndrome. To fill this explanatory gap, we propose that the strong prior hypothesis needs to include reality monitoring to apply to more than just veridical percepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Roman Schmid
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Austria; Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior and Neuroscience, University of Vienna, Austria.
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9
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Damiani S, Cavicchioli M, Guiot C, Donadeo A, Scalabrini A, Grecuzzo V, Bergamaschini I, Provenzani U, Politi P, Fusar-Poli P. The noise in our brain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of neuroimaging and signal-detection studies on source monitoring in psychosis. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 169:142-151. [PMID: 38039688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Noisy thoughts or perceptions are characteristics of psychosis (PSY) and, they are deeply related to source monitoring (SM) - the ability to discriminate the origin of internal/external experiences. METHODS This MOOSE, PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis compared SM performances in PSY compared to healthy controls (HC) focusing on signal-to-noise discrimination in order to: i) test whether neuroimaging procedures (fMRI/EEG) might be a group-specific source of noise for SM; ii) compare error- and accuracy-based indexes; iii) to meta-analyze signal-detection measures (i.e., discrimination index and response bias); iv) to determine the best index capturing SM deficits in psychosis. We conducted a 3-level meta-analysis for each aim to estimate pooled effect-sizes (Cohen's d). SM type, source discrimination and stimulus modality were used as meta-regressors. Heterogeneity (I2), publication bias (Egger's test) and multiple comparisons (Bonferroni correction) were considered. RESULTS Sixteen neuroimaging, 44 error/accuracy-based behavioral and 7 signal-detection trials were included (2297 PSY, age range = 18.78-52.6; 1745 HC, age range = 21.1-53.3). The noise generated by neuroimaging procedures slightly influenced error, but not accuracy. Accuracy-based (d = -0.83), but not error-based, indexes showed significant and large SM impairments in PSY compared to HC. Overall SM performance differences between PSY and HC were larger in discrimination index (d = -0.65) and accuracy (d = -0.61), followed by response bias (d = -0.59, ns) and error-based (d = 0.35) indexes. CONCLUSION Although both accuracy and discrimination indexes differentiate patients with PSY from HC, discrimination index is more reliable and may better capture the bi-directional nature of the internal/external source confusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Damiani
- University of Pavia, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Italy.
| | - Marco Cavicchioli
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Department of Psychology, Italy
| | - Cecilia Guiot
- University of Pavia, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Italy
| | - Alberto Donadeo
- University of Pavia, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Italy
| | - Andrea Scalabrini
- University of Bergamo, Department of Human and Social Science, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Pierluigi Politi
- University of Pavia, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Italy
| | - Paolo Fusar-Poli
- University of Pavia, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Italy; Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; OASIS Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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10
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Casartelli L, Maronati C, Cavallo A. From neural noise to co-adaptability: Rethinking the multifaceted architecture of motor variability. Phys Life Rev 2023; 47:245-263. [PMID: 37976727 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, the source and the functional meaning of motor variability have attracted considerable attention in behavioral and brain sciences. This construct classically combined different levels of description, variable internal robustness or coherence, and multifaceted operational meanings. We provide here a comprehensive review of the literature with the primary aim of building a precise lexicon that goes beyond the generic and monolithic use of motor variability. In the pars destruens of the work, we model three domains of motor variability related to peculiar computational elements that influence fluctuations in motor outputs. Each domain is in turn characterized by multiple sub-domains. We begin with the domains of noise and differentiation. However, the main contribution of our model concerns the domain of adaptability, which refers to variation within the same exact motor representation. In particular, we use the terms learning and (social)fitting to specify the portions of motor variability that depend on our propensity to learn and on our largely constitutive propensity to be influenced by external factors. A particular focus is on motor variability in the context of the sub-domain named co-adaptability. Further groundbreaking challenges arise in the modeling of motor variability. Therefore, in a separate pars construens, we attempt to characterize these challenges, addressing both theoretical and experimental aspects as well as potential clinical implications for neurorehabilitation. All in all, our work suggests that motor variability is neither simply detrimental nor beneficial, and that studying its fluctuations can provide meaningful insights for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Casartelli
- Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Italy
| | - Camilla Maronati
- Move'n'Brains Lab, Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Cavallo
- Move'n'Brains Lab, Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy; C'MoN Unit, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
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11
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Mihali A, Broeker M, Ragalmuto FDM, Horga G. Introspective inference counteracts perceptual distortion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7826. [PMID: 38030601 PMCID: PMC10687029 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42813-2] [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: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introspective agents can recognize the extent to which their internal perceptual experiences deviate from the actual states of the external world. This ability, also known as insight, is critically required for reality testing and is impaired in psychosis, yet little is known about its cognitive underpinnings. We develop a Bayesian modeling framework and a psychophysics paradigm to quantitatively characterize this type of insight while people experience a motion after-effect illusion. People can incorporate knowledge about the illusion into their decisions when judging the actual direction of a motion stimulus, compensating for the illusion (and often overcompensating). Furthermore, confidence, reaction-time, and pupil-dilation data all show signatures consistent with inferential adjustments in the Bayesian insight model. Our results suggest that people can question the veracity of what they see by making insightful inferences that incorporate introspective knowledge about internal distortions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andra Mihali
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
- Columbia University, Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Marianne Broeker
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Columbia University, Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA
- Columbia University, Teachers College, New York, NY, USA
- University of Oxford, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford, UK
| | - Florian D M Ragalmuto
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Columbia University, Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA
- Vrije Universiteit, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Berliner FortbildungsAkademie, Berlin, DE, Germany
| | - Guillermo Horga
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
- Columbia University, Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA.
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12
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Haarsma J, Deveci N, Corbin N, Callaghan MF, Kok P. Expectation Cues and False Percepts Generate Stimulus-Specific Activity in Distinct Layers of the Early Visual Cortex. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7946-7957. [PMID: 37739797 PMCID: PMC10669763 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0998-23.2023] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Perception has been proposed to result from the integration of feedforward sensory signals with internally generated feedback signals. Feedback signals are believed to play an important role in driving false percepts, that is, seeing things that are not actually there. Feedforward and feedback influences on perception can be studied using layer-specific fMRI, which we used here to interrogate neural activity underlying high-confidence false percepts while healthy human participants (N = 25, male and female) performed a perceptual orientation discrimination task. Auditory cues implicitly signaled the most likely upcoming orientation (referred to here as expectations). These expectations induced orientation-specific templates in the deep and superficial layers of V2, without affecting perception. In contrast, the orientation of falsely perceived stimuli with high confidence was reflected in the middle input layers of V2, suggesting a feedforward signal contributing to false percepts. The prevalence of high-confidence false percepts was related to everyday hallucination severity in a separate online sample (N = 100), suggesting a possible link with abnormal perceptual experiences. These results reveal a potential feedforward mechanism underlying false percepts, reflected by spontaneous stimulus-like activity in the input layers of the visual cortex, independent of top-down signals reflecting cued orientations.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT False percepts have been suggested to arise through excessive feedback signals. However, feedforward contributions to false percepts have remained largely understudied. Laminar fMRI has been shown to be useful in distinguishing feedforward from feedback activity as it allows the imaging of different cortical layers. In the present study we demonstrate that although cued orientations are encoded in the feedback layers of the visual cortex, the content of the false percepts are encoded in the feedforward layers and did not rely on these cued orientations. This shows that false percepts can in principle emerge from random feedforward signals in the visual cortex, with possible implications for disorders hallmarked by hallucinations like schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost Haarsma
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Narin Deveci
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Nadege Corbin
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
- Centre de Résonance Magnétique des Systèmes Biologiques, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5536, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Bordeaux, 33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - Martina F Callaghan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Kok
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
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Hu Y, Yu Q. Spatiotemporal dynamics of self-generated imagery reveal a reverse cortical hierarchy from cue-induced imagery. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113242. [PMID: 37831604 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual imagery allows for the construction of rich internal experience in our mental world. However, it has remained poorly understood how imagery experience derives volitionally as opposed to being cue driven. Here, using electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we systematically investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of self-generated imagery by having participants volitionally imagining one of the orientations from a learned pool. We contrast self-generated imagery with cue-induced imagery, where participants imagined line orientations based on associative cues acquired previously. Our results reveal overlapping neural signatures of cue-induced and self-generated imagery. Yet, these neural signatures display substantially differential sensitivities to the two types of imagery: self-generated imagery is supported by an enhanced involvement of the anterior cortex in representing imagery contents. By contrast, cue-induced imagery is supported by enhanced imagery representations in the posterior visual cortex. These results jointly support a reverse cortical hierarchy in generating and maintaining imagery contents in self-generated versus externally cued imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiheng Hu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qing Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
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14
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Maynes R, Faulkner R, Callahan G, Mims CE, Ranjan S, Stalzer J, Odegaard B. Metacognitive awareness in the sound-induced flash illusion. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220347. [PMID: 37545312 PMCID: PMC10404924 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0347] [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: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hundreds (if not thousands) of multisensory studies provide evidence that the human brain can integrate temporally and spatially discrepant stimuli from distinct modalities into a singular event. This process of multisensory integration is usually portrayed in the scientific literature as contributing to our integrated, coherent perceptual reality. However, missing from this account is an answer to a simple question: how do confidence judgements compare between multisensory information that is integrated across multiple sources, and multisensory information that comes from a single, congruent source in the environment? In this paper, we use the sound-induced flash illusion to investigate if confidence judgements are similar across multisensory conditions when the numbers of auditory and visual events are the same, and the numbers of auditory and visual events are different. Results showed that congruent audiovisual stimuli produced higher confidence than incongruent audiovisual stimuli, even when the perceptual report was matched across the two conditions. Integrating these behavioural findings with recent neuroimaging and theoretical work, we discuss the role that prefrontal cortex may play in metacognition, multisensory causal inference and sensory source monitoring in general. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolph Maynes
- University of Florida, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
| | - Ryan Faulkner
- University of Florida, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
| | - Grace Callahan
- University of Florida, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
| | - Callie E. Mims
- University of Florida, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
- Psychology Department, University of South Alabama, Mobile, 36688, AL, USA
| | - Saurabh Ranjan
- University of Florida, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
| | - Justine Stalzer
- University of Florida, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
| | - Brian Odegaard
- University of Florida, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
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15
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Li S, Zeng X, Shao Z, Yu Q. Neural Representations in Visual and Parietal Cortex Differentiate between Imagined, Perceived, and Illusory Experiences. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6508-6524. [PMID: 37582626 PMCID: PMC10513072 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0592-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans constantly receive massive amounts of information, both perceived from the external environment and imagined from the internal world. To function properly, the brain needs to correctly identify the origin of information being processed. Recent work has suggested common neural substrates for perception and imagery. However, it has remained unclear how the brain differentiates between external and internal experiences with shared neural codes. Here we tested this question in human participants (male and female) by systematically investigating the neural processes underlying the generation and maintenance of visual information from voluntary imagery, veridical perception, and illusion. The inclusion of illusion allowed us to differentiate between objective and subjective internality: while illusion has an objectively internal origin and can be viewed as involuntary imagery, it is also subjectively perceived as having an external origin like perception. Combining fMRI, eye-tracking, multivariate decoding, and encoding approaches, we observed superior orientation representations in parietal cortex during imagery compared with perception, and conversely in early visual cortex. This imagery dominance gradually developed along a posterior-to-anterior cortical hierarchy from early visual to parietal cortex, emerged in the early epoch of imagery and sustained into the delay epoch, and persisted across varied imagined contents. Moreover, representational strength of illusion was more comparable to imagery in early visual cortex, but more comparable to perception in parietal cortex, suggesting content-specific representations in parietal cortex differentiate between subjectively internal and external experiences, as opposed to early visual cortex. These findings together support a domain-general engagement of parietal cortex in internally generated experience.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How does the brain differentiate between imagined and perceived experiences? Combining fMRI, eye-tracking, multivariate decoding, and encoding approaches, the current study revealed enhanced stimulus-specific representations in visual imagery originating from parietal cortex, supporting the subjective experience of imagery. This neural principle was further validated by evidence from visual illusion, wherein illusion resembled perception and imagery at different levels of cortical hierarchy. Our findings provide direct evidence for the critical role of parietal cortex as a domain-general region for content-specific imagery, and offer new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the differentiation between subjectively internal and external experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyi Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xuemei Zeng
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Zhujun Shao
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qing Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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16
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Mahfoud D, Hallit S, Haddad C, Fekih-Romdhane F, Haddad G. The moderating effect of cognitive impairment on the relationship between inner speech and auditory verbal hallucinations among chronic patients with schizophrenia. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:431. [PMID: 37316820 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-04940-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Even though there is an increasing amount of evidence from behavioral and neuroimaging studies to suggest that pathological inner speech plays a role in the emergence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH), studies investigating the mechanisms underlying this relationship are rather scarce. Examining moderators might inform the development of new treatment options for AVH. We sought to extend the existing knowledge by testing the moderating role of cognitive impairment in the association between inner speech and hallucinations in a sample of Lebanese patients with schizophrenia. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted from May till August 2022, enrolling 189 chronic patients. RESULTS Moderation analysis revealed that, after controlling for delusions, the interaction of experiencing voices of other people in inner speech by cognitive performance was significantly associated with AVH. In people having low (Beta = 0.69; t = 5.048; p < .001) and moderate (Beta = 0.45; t = 4.096; p < .001) cognitive performance, the presence of voices of other people in inner speech was significantly associated with more hallucinations. This association was not significant in patients with high cognitive function (Beta = 0.21; t = 1.417; p = .158). CONCLUSION This preliminarily study suggests that interventions aiming at improving cognitive performance may also have a beneficial effect in reducing hallucinations in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Souheil Hallit
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O. Box 446, Jounieh, Lebanon.
- Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan.
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon.
| | - Chadia Haddad
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d'Épidémiologie Clinique Et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- School of Health Sciences, Modern University for Business and Science, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Feten Fekih-Romdhane
- The Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry "Ibn Omrane", Razi Hospital, 2010, Manouba, Tunisia
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Georges Haddad
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O. Box 446, Jounieh, Lebanon
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon
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17
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Auksztulewicz R, Rajendran VG, Peng F, Schnupp JWH, Harper NS. Omission responses in local field potentials in rat auditory cortex. BMC Biol 2023; 21:130. [PMID: 37254137 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01592-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-invasive recordings of gross neural activity in humans often show responses to omitted stimuli in steady trains of identical stimuli. This has been taken as evidence for the neural coding of prediction or prediction error. However, evidence for such omission responses from invasive recordings of cellular-scale responses in animal models is scarce. Here, we sought to characterise omission responses using extracellular recordings in the auditory cortex of anaesthetised rats. We profiled omission responses across local field potentials (LFP), analogue multiunit activity (AMUA), and single/multi-unit spiking activity, using stimuli that were fixed-rate trains of acoustic noise bursts where 5% of bursts were randomly omitted. RESULTS Significant omission responses were observed in LFP and AMUA signals, but not in spiking activity. These omission responses had a lower amplitude and longer latency than burst-evoked sensory responses, and omission response amplitude increased as a function of the number of preceding bursts. CONCLUSIONS Together, our findings show that omission responses are most robustly observed in LFP and AMUA signals (relative to spiking activity). This has implications for models of cortical processing that require many neurons to encode prediction errors in their spike output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryszard Auksztulewicz
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Dept of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R..
| | | | - Fei Peng
- Dept of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R
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18
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Stephan-Otto C, Núñez C, Lombardini F, Cambra-Martí MR, Ochoa S, Senior C, Brébion G. Neurocognitive bases of self-monitoring of inner speech in hallucination prone individuals. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6251. [PMID: 37069194 PMCID: PMC10110610 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32042-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia patients might be seen as internal verbal productions mistaken for perceptions as a result of over-salient inner speech and/or defective self-monitoring processes. Similar cognitive mechanisms might underpin verbal hallucination proneness in the general population. We investigated, in a non-clinical sample, the cerebral activity associated with verbal hallucinatory predisposition during false recognition of familiar words -assumed to stem from poor monitoring of inner speech-vs. uncommon words. Thirty-seven healthy participants underwent a verbal recognition task. High- and low-frequency words were presented outside the scanner. In the scanner, the participants were then required to recognize the target words among equivalent distractors. Results showed that verbal hallucination proneness was associated with higher rates of false recognition of high-frequency words. It was further associated with activation of language and decisional brain areas during false recognitions of low-, but not high-, frequency words, and with activation of a recollective brain area during correct recognitions of low-, but not high-, frequency words. The increased tendency to report familiar words as targets, along with a lack of activation of the language, recollective, and decisional brain areas necessary for their judgement, suggests failure in the self-monitoring of inner speech in verbal hallucination-prone individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Stephan-Otto
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Christian Núñez
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
| | | | | | - Susana Ochoa
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carl Senior
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
- University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, UK.
| | - Gildas Brébion
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.
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19
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Dijkstra N, Fleming SM. Subjective signal strength distinguishes reality from imagination. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1627. [PMID: 36959279 PMCID: PMC10036541 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37322-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are voracious imaginers, with internal simulations supporting memory, planning and decision-making. Because the neural mechanisms supporting imagery overlap with those supporting perception, a foundational question is how reality and imagination are kept apart. One possibility is that the intention to imagine is used to identify and discount self-generated signals during imagery. Alternatively, because internally generated signals are generally weaker, sensory strength is used to index reality. Traditional psychology experiments struggle to investigate this issue as subjects can rapidly learn that real stimuli are in play. Here, we combined one-trial-per-participant psychophysics with computational modelling and neuroimaging to show that imagined and perceived signals are in fact intermixed, with judgments of reality being determined by whether this intermixed signal is strong enough to cross a reality threshold. A consequence of this account is that when virtual or imagined signals are strong enough, they become subjectively indistinguishable from reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Dijkstra
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Stephen M Fleming
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK
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20
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Miyamoto K, Rushworth MFS, Shea N. Imagining the future self through thought experiments. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:446-455. [PMID: 36801162 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.01.005] [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: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
The ability of the mind to conceptualize what is not present is essential. It allows us to reason counterfactually about what might have happened had events unfolded differently or had another course of action been taken. It allows us to think about what might happen - to perform 'Gedankenexperimente' (thought experiments) - before we act. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms mediating this ability are poorly understood. We suggest that the frontopolar cortex (FPC) keeps track of and evaluates alternative choices (what we might have done), whereas the anterior lateral prefrontal cortex (alPFC) compares simulations of possible future scenarios (what we might do) and evaluates their reward values. Together, these brain regions support the construction of suppositional scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Miyamoto
- Laboratory for Imagination and Executive Functions, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan.
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicholas Shea
- Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK; Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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21
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Comparative effects of hypnotic suggestion and imagery instruction on bodily awareness. Conscious Cogn 2023; 108:103473. [PMID: 36706563 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Bodily awareness is informed by both sensory data and prior knowledge. Although misleading sensory signals have been repeatedly shown to affect bodily awareness, only scant attention has been given to the influence of cognitive variables. Hypnotic suggestion has recently been shown to impact visuospatial and sensorimotor representations of body-part size although the mechanisms subserving this effect are yet to be identified. Mental imagery might play a causal or facilitative role in this effect, as it has been shown to influence body awareness in previous studies. Nonetheless, current views ascribe only an epiphenomenal role to imagery in the implementation of hypnotic suggestions. This study compared the effects of hypnotic suggestion and imagery instruction for influencing the visuospatial and sensorimotor aspects of body-size representation. Both experimental manipulations produced significant increases (elongation) in both representations compared to baseline, although the effects were larger in the hypnotic suggestion condition. The effects of both manipulations were highly correlated across participants, suggesting overlapping mechanisms. Self-reports suggested that the use of voluntary imagery did not significantly contribute to the efficacy of either manipulation. Rather, top-down effects on body representations seem to be partly driven by response expectancies, spontaneous imagery, and hypnotic suggestibility in both conditions. These results are in line with current theories of suggestion and raise fundamental questions regarding the mechanisms driving the influence of cognition on body representations.
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22
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Suzuki K, Mariola A, Schwartzman DJ, Seth AK. Using Extended Reality to Study the Experience of Presence. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 65:255-285. [PMID: 36592275 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_401] [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] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Extended reality (XR), encompassing various forms of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), has become a powerful experimental tool in consciousness research due to its capability to create holistic and immersive experiences of oneself and surrounding environments through simulation. One hallmark of a successful XR experience is when it elicits a strong sense of presence, which can be thought of as a subjective sense of reality of the self and the world. Although XR research has shed light on many factors that may influence presence (or its absence) in XR environments, there remains much to be discovered about the detailed and diverse phenomenology of presence, and the neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie it. In this chapter, we analyse the concept of presence and relate it to the way in which humans may generate and maintain a stable sense of reality during both natural perception and virtual experiences. We start by reviewing the concept of presence as developed in XR research, covering both factors that may influence presence and potential ways of measuring presence. We then discuss the phenomenological characteristics of presence in human consciousness, drawing on clinical examples where presence is disturbed. Next, we describe two experiments using XR that investigated the effects of sensorimotor contingency and affordances on a specific form of presence related to the sense of objects as really existing in the world, referred to as 'objecthood'. We then go beyond perceptual presence to discuss the concept of 'conviction about reality', which corresponds to people's beliefs about the reality status of their perceptual experiences. We finish by exploring how the novel XR method of 'Substitutional Reality' can allow experimental investigation of these topics, opening new experimental directions for studying presence beyond the 'as-if' experience of fully simulated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Suzuki
- Center for Human Nature, Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience (CHAIN), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
| | - Alberto Mariola
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - David J Schwartzman
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Anil K Seth
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Program on Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
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23
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Stoliker D, Egan GF, Friston KJ, Razi A. Neural Mechanisms and Psychology of Psychedelic Ego Dissolution. Pharmacol Rev 2022; 74:876-917. [PMID: 36786290 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.121.000508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies of psychedelics have advanced our understanding of hierarchical brain organization and the mechanisms underlying their subjective and therapeutic effects. The primary mechanism of action of classic psychedelics is binding to serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors. Agonist activity at these receptors leads to neuromodulatory changes in synaptic efficacy that can have a profound effect on hierarchical message-passing in the brain. Here, we review the cognitive and neuroimaging evidence for the effects of psychedelics: in particular, their influence on selfhood and subject-object boundaries-known as ego dissolution-surmised to underwrite their subjective and therapeutic effects. Agonism of 5-HT2A receptors, located at the apex of the cortical hierarchy, may have a particularly powerful effect on sentience and consciousness. These effects can endure well after the pharmacological half-life, suggesting that psychedelics may have effects on neural plasticity that may play a role in their therapeutic efficacy. Psychologically, this may be accompanied by a disarming of ego resistance that increases the repertoire of perceptual hypotheses and affords alternate pathways for thought and behavior, including those that undergird selfhood. We consider the interaction between serotonergic neuromodulation and sentience through the lens of hierarchical predictive coding, which speaks to the value of psychedelics in understanding how we make sense of the world and specific predictions about effective connectivity in cortical hierarchies that can be tested using functional neuroimaging. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Classic psychedelics bind to serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors. Their agonist activity at these receptors leads to neuromodulatory changes in synaptic efficacy, resulting in a profound effect on information processing in the brain. Here, we synthesize an abundance of brain imaging research with pharmacological and psychological interpretations informed by the framework of predictive coding. Moreover, predictive coding is suggested to offer more sophisticated interpretations of neuroimaging findings by bridging the role between the 5-HT2A receptors and large-scale brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devon Stoliker
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health (D.S., G.F.E., A.R.) and Monash Biomedical Imaging (G.F.E., A.R.), Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL, London, United Kingdom (K.J.F., A.R.); and CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada (A.R.)
| | - Gary F Egan
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health (D.S., G.F.E., A.R.) and Monash Biomedical Imaging (G.F.E., A.R.), Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL, London, United Kingdom (K.J.F., A.R.); and CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada (A.R.)
| | - Karl J Friston
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health (D.S., G.F.E., A.R.) and Monash Biomedical Imaging (G.F.E., A.R.), Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL, London, United Kingdom (K.J.F., A.R.); and CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada (A.R.)
| | - Adeel Razi
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health (D.S., G.F.E., A.R.) and Monash Biomedical Imaging (G.F.E., A.R.), Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL, London, United Kingdom (K.J.F., A.R.); and CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada (A.R.)
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24
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Fox S, Kotelba A. Organizational Neuroscience of Industrial Adaptive Behavior. Behav Sci (Basel) 2022; 12:131. [PMID: 35621428 PMCID: PMC9137780 DOI: 10.3390/bs12050131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Organizational neuroscience is recognized in organizational behavior literature as offering an interpretive framework that can shed new light on existing organizational challenges. In this paper, findings from neuroscience studies concerned with adaptive behavior for ecological fitness are applied to explore industrial adaptive behavior. This is important because many companies are not able to manage dynamics between adaptability and stability. The reported analysis relates business-to-business signaling in competitive environments to three levels of inference. In accordance with neuroscience studies concerned with adaptive behavior, trade-offs between complexity and accuracy in business-to-business signaling and inference are explained. In addition, signaling and inference are related to risks and ambiguities in competitive industrial markets. Overall, the paper provides a comprehensive analysis of industrial adaptive behavior in terms of relevant neuroscience constructs. In doing so, the paper makes a contribution to the field of organizational neuroscience, and to research concerned with industrial adaptive behavior. The reported analysis is relevant to organizational adaptive behavior that involves combining human intelligence and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Fox
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, FI-02150 Espoo, Finland;
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25
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Dijkstra N, Kok P, Fleming SM. Imagery adds stimulus-specific sensory evidence to perceptual detection. J Vis 2022; 22:11. [PMID: 35175306 PMCID: PMC8857619 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.2.11] [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] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Internally generated imagery and externally triggered perception rely on overlapping sensory processes. This overlap poses a challenge for perceptual reality monitoring: determining whether sensory signals reflect reality or imagination. In this study, we used psychophysics to investigate how imagery and perception interact to determine visual experience. Participants were instructed to detect oriented gratings that gradually appeared in noise while simultaneously either imagining the same grating, a grating perpendicular to the to-be-detected grating, or nothing. We found that, compared to both incongruent imagery and no imagery, congruent imagery caused a leftward shift of the psychometric function relating stimulus contrast to perceptual threshold. We discuss how this effect can best be explained by a model in which imagery adds sensory signal to the perceptual input, thereby increasing the visibility of perceived stimuli. These results suggest that, in contrast to changes in sensory signals caused by self-generated movement, the brain does not discount the influence of self-generated sensory signals on perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Dijkstra
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.,
| | - Peter Kok
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.,
| | - Stephen M Fleming
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK.,
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