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Zang Z, Chi X, Luan M, Hu S, Zhou K, Liu J. Inter-individual, hemispheric and sex variability of brain activations during numerosity processing. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:459-475. [PMID: 38197958 PMCID: PMC10917853 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02747-3] [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: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Numerosity perception is a fundamental and innate cognitive function shared by both humans and many animal species. Previous research has primarily focused on exploring the spatial and functional consistency of neural activations that were associated with the processing of numerosity information. However, the inter-individual variability of brain activations of numerosity perception remains unclear. In the present study, with a large-sample functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset (n = 460), we aimed to localize the functional regions related to numerosity perceptions and explore the inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences within these brain regions. Fifteen subject-specific activated regions, including the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS), insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), premotor area (PM), middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), were delineated in each individual and then used to create a functional probabilistic atlas to quantify individual variability in brain activations of numerosity processing. Though the activation percentages of most regions were higher than 60%, the intersections of most regions across individuals were considerably lower, falling below 50%, indicating substantial variations in brain activations related to numerosity processing among individuals. Furthermore, significant hemispheric and sex differences in activation location, extent, and magnitude were also found in these regions. Most activated regions in the right hemisphere had larger activation volumes and activation magnitudes, and were located more lateral and anterior than their counterparts in the left hemisphere. In addition, in most of these regions, males displayed stronger activations than females. Our findings demonstrate large inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences in brain activations related to numerosity processing, and our probabilistic atlas can serve as a robust functional and spatial reference for mapping the numerosity-related neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyao Zang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xiaoyue Chi
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Mengkai Luan
- Department of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, 650 Qing Yuan Huan Road, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyuan Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Ke Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Jia Liu
- Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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Kirschhock ME, Nieder A. Numerical Representation for Action in Crows Obeys the Weber-Fechner Law. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:1322-1335. [PMID: 37883792 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231201624] [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: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The psychophysical laws governing the judgment of perceived numbers of objects or events, called the number sense, have been studied in detail. However, the behavioral principles of equally important numerical representations for action are largely unexplored in both humans and animals. We trained two male carrion crows (Corvus corone) to judge numerical values of instruction stimuli from one to five and to flexibly perform a matching number of pecks. Our quantitative analysis of the crows' number production performance shows the same behavioral regularities that have previously been demonstrated for the judgment of sensory numerosity, such as the numerical distance effect, the numerical magnitude effect, and the logarithmical compression of the number line. The presence of these psychophysical phenomena in crows producing number of pecks suggests a unified sensorimotor number representation system underlying the judgment of the number of external stimuli and internally generated actions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen
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Ylinen A, Wikman P, Leminen M, Alho K. Task-dependent cortical activations during selective attention to audiovisual speech. Brain Res 2022; 1775:147739. [PMID: 34843702 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Selective listening to speech depends on widespread networks of the brain, but how the involvement of different neural systems in speech processing is affected by factors such as the task performed by a listener and speech intelligibility remains poorly understood. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to systematically examine the effects that performing different tasks has on neural activations during selective attention to continuous audiovisual speech in the presence of task-irrelevant speech. Participants viewed audiovisual dialogues and attended either to the semantic or the phonological content of speech, or ignored speech altogether and performed a visual control task. The tasks were factorially combined with good and poor auditory and visual speech qualities. Selective attention to speech engaged superior temporal regions and the left inferior frontal gyrus regardless of the task. Frontoparietal regions implicated in selective auditory attention to simple sounds (e.g., tones, syllables) were not engaged by the semantic task, suggesting that this network may not be not as crucial when attending to continuous speech. The medial orbitofrontal cortex, implicated in social cognition, was most activated by the semantic task. Activity levels during the phonological task in the left prefrontal, premotor, and secondary somatosensory regions had a distinct temporal profile as well as the highest overall activity, possibly relating to the role of the dorsal speech processing stream in sub-lexical processing. Our results demonstrate that the task type influences neural activations during selective attention to speech, and emphasize the importance of ecologically valid experimental designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artturi Ylinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Patrik Wikman
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA
| | - Miika Leminen
- Analytics and Data Services, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kimmo Alho
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
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Leodori G, Formica A, Zhu X, Conte A, Belvisi D, Cruccu G, Hallett M, Berardelli A. The third-stimulus temporal discrimination threshold: focusing on the temporal processing of sensory input within primary somatosensory cortex. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118:2311-2317. [PMID: 28747470 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00947.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold (STDT) has been used in recent years to investigate time processing of sensory information, but little is known about the physiological correlates of somatosensory temporal discrimination. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the time interval required to discriminate between two stimuli varies according to the number of stimuli in the task. We used the third-stimulus temporal discrimination threshold (ThirdDT), defined as the shortest time interval at which an individual distinguishes a third stimulus following a pair of stimuli delivered at the STDT. The STDT and ThirdDT were assessed in 31 healthy subjects. In a subgroup of 10 subjects, we evaluated the effects of the stimuli intensity on the ThirdDT. In a subgroup of 16 subjects, we evaluated the effects of S1 continuous theta-burst stimulation (S1-cTBS) on the STDT and ThirdDT. Results show that ThirdDT is shorter than STDT. We found a positive correlation between STDT and ThirdDT values. As long as the stimulus intensity was within the perceivable and painless range, it did not affect ThirdDT values. S1-cTBS significantly affected both STDT and ThirdDT, although the latter was affected to a greater extent and for a longer period of time. We conclude that the interval needed to discriminate between time-separated tactile stimuli is related to the number of stimuli used in the task. STDT and ThirdDT are encoded in S1, probably by a shared tactile temporal encoding mechanism whose performance rapidly changes during the perception process. ThirdDT is a new method to measure somatosensory temporal discrimination.NEW & NOTEWORTHY To investigate whether the time interval required to discriminate between stimuli varies according to changes in the stimulation pattern, we used the third-stimulus temporal discrimination threshold (ThirdDT). We found that the somatosensory temporal discrimination acuity varies according to the number of stimuli in the task. The ThirdDT is a new method to measure somatosensory temporal discrimination and a possible index of inhibitory activity at the S1 level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Leodori
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Xiaoying Zhu
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; and
| | - Antonella Conte
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
| | | | - Giorgio Cruccu
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Alfredo Berardelli
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy; .,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
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Wu T, Liu J, Hallett M, Zheng Z, Chan P. Cerebellum and integration of neural networks in dual-task processing. Neuroimage 2012; 65:466-75. [PMID: 23063842 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2012] [Revised: 09/23/2012] [Accepted: 10/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Performing two tasks simultaneously (dual-task) is common in human daily life. The neural correlates of dual-task processing remain unclear. In the current study, we used a dual motor and counting task with functional MRI (fMRI) to determine whether there are any areas additionally activated for dual-task performance. Moreover, we investigated the functional connectivity of these added activated areas, as well as the training effect on brain activity and connectivity. We found that the right cerebellar vermis, left lobule V of the cerebellar anterior lobe and precuneus are additionally activated for this type of dual-tasking. These cerebellar regions had functional connectivity with extensive motor- and cognitive-related regions. Dual-task training induced less activation in several areas, but increased the functional connectivity between these cerebellar regions and numbers of motor- and cognitive-related areas. Our findings demonstrate that some regions within the cerebellum can be additionally activated with dual-task performance. Their role in dual motor and cognitive task processes is likely to integrate motor and cognitive networks, and may be involved in adjusting these networks to be more efficient in order to perform dual-tasking properly. The connectivity of the precuneus differs from the cerebellar regions. A possible role of the precuneus in dual-tasks may be to monitor the operation of active brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wu
- Department of Neurobiology, Key Laboratory on Neurodegenerative Disorders of Ministry of Education, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
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Takahashi T, Kansaku K, Wada M, Shibuya S, Kitazawa S. Neural Correlates of Tactile Temporal-Order Judgment in Humans: an fMRI Study. Cereb Cortex 2012; 23:1952-64. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Lam JM, Wächter T, Globas C, Karnath HO, Luft AR. Predictive value and reward in implicit classification learning. Hum Brain Mapp 2012; 34:176-85. [PMID: 22419392 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.21431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2010] [Revised: 06/16/2011] [Accepted: 07/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning efficacy depends on its emotional context. The contents learned and the feedback received during training tinges this context. The objective here was to investigate the influence of content and feedback on the efficacy of implicit learning and to explore using functional imaging how these factors are processed in the brain. Twenty-one participants completed 150 trials of a probabilistic classification task (predicting sun or rain based on combinations of playing cards). Smileys or frowneys were presented as feedback. In 10 of these subjects, the task was performed during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Card combinations predicting sun were remembered better than those predicting rain. Similarly, positive feedback fortified learning more than negative feedback. The presentation of smileys recruited bilateral nucleus accumbens, sensorimotor cortex, and posterior cingulum more than negative feedback did. The higher the predictive value of a card combination, the more activation was found in the lateral cerebellum. Both context and feedback influence implicit classification learning. Similar to motor skill acquisition, positive feedback during classification learning is processed in part within the sensorimotor cortex, potentially reflecting the activation of a dopaminergic projection to motor cortex (Hosp et al., 2011). Activation of the lateral cerebellum during learning of combinations with high predictive value may reflect the formation of an internal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith M Lam
- Clinical Neurorehabilitation, Department of Neurology, University of Zürich and Rehabilitation Initiative and Technology Center of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Ardila A. On the evolution of calculation abilities. FRONTIERS IN EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE 2010; 2. [PMID: 20725520 PMCID: PMC2912036 DOI: 10.3389/fnevo.2010.00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2010] [Accepted: 06/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Some numerical knowledge, such as the immediate recognition of small quantities, is observed in animals. The development of arithmetical abilities found in man's evolution as well as in child's development represents a long process following different stages. Arithmetical abilities are relatively recent in human history and are clearly related with counting, i.e., saying aloud a series of number words that correspond to a collection of objects. Counting probably began with finger sequencing, and that may explain the 10-base found in most numerical systems. From a neuropsychological perspective, there is a strong relationship between numerical knowledge and finger recognition, and both are impaired in cases of left posterior parietal damage (angular or Gerstmann's syndrome). Writing numbers appeared earlier in human history than written language. Positional digit value is clearly evident in Babylonians, and around 1,000 BC the zero was introduced. Contemporary neuroimaging techniques, specifically fMRI, have demonstrated that the left parietal lobe, particularly the intraparietal sulcus, is systematically activated during a diversity of tasks; other areas, particularly the frontal lobe, are also involved in processing numerical information and solving arithmetical problems. It can be conjectured that numerical abilities continue evolving due to advances in mathematical knowledge and the introduction of new technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Ardila
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Florida International University, Miami FL, USA
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Abstract
Background Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed that putatively unimodal regions of visual cortex can be activated during auditory tasks in sighted as well as in blind subjects. However, the task determinants and functional significance of auditory occipital activations (AOAs) remains unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings We examined AOAs in an intermodal selective attention task to distinguish whether they were stimulus-bound or recruited by higher-level cognitive operations associated with auditory attention. Cortical surface mapping showed that auditory occipital activations were localized to retinotopic visual cortex subserving the far peripheral visual field. AOAs depended strictly on the sustained engagement of auditory attention and were enhanced in more difficult listening conditions. In contrast, unattended sounds produced no AOAs regardless of their intensity, spatial location, or frequency. Conclusions/Significance Auditory attention, but not passive exposure to sounds, routinely activated peripheral regions of visual cortex when subjects attended to sound sources outside the visual field. Functional connections between auditory cortex and visual cortex subserving the peripheral visual field appear to underlie the generation of AOAs, which may reflect the priming of visual regions to process soon-to-appear objects associated with unseen sound sources.
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Bakker M, De Lange F, Helmich R, Scheeringa R, Bloem B, Toni I. Cerebral correlates of motor imagery of normal and precision gait. Neuroimage 2008; 41:998-1010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2007] [Revised: 02/08/2008] [Accepted: 03/10/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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Kansaku K, Carver B, Johnson A, Matsuda K, Sadato N, Hallett M. The role of the human ventral premotor cortex in counting successive stimuli. Exp Brain Res 2006; 178:339-50. [PMID: 17051376 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-006-0736-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2006] [Accepted: 09/26/2006] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Adult humans have the ability to count large numbers of successive stimuli exactly. What brain areas underlie this uniquely human process? To identify the candidate brain areas, we first used functional magnetic resonance imaging, and found that the upper part of the left ventral premotor cortex was preferentially activated during counting of successive sensory stimuli presented 10-22 times, while the area was not activated during small number counting up to 4. We then used transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess the necessity of this area, and found that stimulation of this area preferentially disrupted subjects' exact large number enumeration. Stimulation to the area affected neither subjects' number word perception nor their ability to perform a non-numerical sequential letter task. While further investigation is necessary to determine the precise role of the left ventral premotor cortex, the results suggest that the area is indispensably involved for large number counting of successive stimuli, at least for the types of tasks in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Kansaku
- Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1428, USA.
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