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Peters A, Bruchmann M, Dellert T, Moeck R, Schlossmacher I, Straube T. Stimulus awareness is associated with secondary somatosensory cortex activation in an inattentional numbness paradigm. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22575. [PMID: 38114726 PMCID: PMC10730535 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49857-w] [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: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
While inattentional blindness and deafness studies have revealed neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) without the confound of task relevance in the visual and auditory modality, comparable studies for the somatosensory modality are lacking. Here, we investigated NCC using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in an inattentional numbness paradigm. Participants (N = 44) received weak electrical stimulation on the left hand while solving a demanding visual task. Half of the participants were informed that task-irrelevant weak tactile stimuli above the detection threshold would be applied during the experiment, while the other half expected stimuli below the detection threshold. Unexpected awareness assessments after the experiment revealed that altogether 10 participants did not consciously perceive the somatosensory stimuli during the visual task. Awareness was not significantly modulated by prior information. The fMRI data show that awareness of stimuli led to increased activation in the contralateral secondary somatosensory cortex. We found no significant effects of stimulus awareness in the primary somatosensory cortex or frontoparietal areas. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that somatosensory stimulus awareness is mainly based on activation in higher areas of the somatosensory cortex and does not require strong activation in extended anterior or posterior networks, which is usually seen when perceived stimuli are task-relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Peters
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Münster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, 48149, Münster, Germany.
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany.
| | - Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Münster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Torge Dellert
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Münster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Robert Moeck
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Münster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Insa Schlossmacher
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Münster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Münster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
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Conscious interpretation: A distinct aspect for the neural markers of the contents of consciousness. Conscious Cogn 2023; 108:103471. [PMID: 36736210 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Progress in the science of consciousness depends on the experimental paradigms and varieties of contrastive analysis available to researchers. Here we highlight paradigms where the object is represented in consciousness as a set of its features but the interpretation of this set alternates in consciousness. We group experimental paradigms with this property under the label "conscious interpretation". We compare the paradigms studying conscious interpretation of the already consciously perceived objects with other types of experimental paradigms. We review previous and recent studies investigating this interpretative aspect of consciousness and propose future directions. We put forward the hypothesis that there are types of stimuli with a hierarchy of interpretations for which the rule applies: conscious experience is drawn towards higher-level interpretation and reverting back to the lower level of interpretation is impossible. We discuss how theories of consciousness might incorporate knowledge and constraints arising from the characteristics of conscious interpretation.
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3
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Philip BA, Valyear KF, Cirstea CM, Baune NA, Kaufman C, Frey SH. Changes in Primary Somatosensory Cortex Following Allogeneic Hand Transplantation or Autogenic Hand Replantation. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2022; 1:919694. [PMID: 36590253 PMCID: PMC9802660 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2022.919694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Former amputees who undergo allogeneic hand transplantation or autogenic hand replantation (jointly, "hand restoration") present a unique opportunity to measure the range of post-deafferentation plastic changes in the nervous system, especially primary somatosensory cortex (S1). However, few such patients exist, and previous studies compared single cases to small groups of typical adults. Here, we studied 5 individuals (n = 8 sessions: a transplant with 2 sessions, a transplant with 3 sessions, and three replants with 1 session each). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure S1 responsiveness to controlled pneumatic tactile stimulation delivered to each patient's left and right fingertips and lower face. These data were compared with responses acquired from typical adults (n = 29) and current unilateral amputees (n = 19). During stimulation of the affected hand, patients' affected S1 (contralateral to affected hand) responded to stimulation in a manner similar both to amputees and to typical adults. The presence of contralateral responses indicated grossly typical S1 function, but responses were universally at the low end of the range of typical variability. Patients' affected S1 showed substantial individual variability in responses to stimulation of the intact hand: while all patients fell within the range of typical adults, some patient sessions (4/8) had substantial ipsilateral responses similar to those exhibited by current amputees. Unlike hand restoration patients, current amputees exhibited substantial S1 reorganization compared to typical adults, including bilateral S1 responses to stimulation of the intact hand. In all three participant groups, we assessed tactile localization by measuring individuals' ability to identify the location of touch on the palm and fingers. Curiously, while transplant patients improved their tactile sensory localization over time, this was uncorrelated with changes in S1 responses to tactile stimuli. Overall, our results provide the first description of cortical responses to well-controlled tactile stimulation after hand restoration. Our case studies indicate that hand restoration patients show S1 function within the range of both typical adults and amputees, but with low-amplitude and individual-specific responses that indicate a wide range of potential cortical neurological changes following de-afferentation and re-afferentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Philip
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Kenneth F. Valyear
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Carmen M. Cirstea
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Nathan A. Baune
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Christina Kaufman
- Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Scott H. Frey
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
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Gusso MM, Christison-Lagay KL, Zuckerman D, Chandrasekaran G, Kronemer SI, Ding JZ, Freedman NC, Nohama P, Blumenfeld H. More than a feeling: Scalp EEG and eye signals in conscious tactile perception. Conscious Cogn 2022; 105:103411. [PMID: 36156359 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the neural basis of consciousness is a fundamental goal of neuroscience, and sensory perception is often used as a proxy for consciousness in empirical studies. However, most studies rely on reported perception of visual stimuli. Here we present behavior, high density scalp EEG and eye metric recordings collected simultaneously during a novel tactile threshold perception task. We found significant N80, N140 and P300 event related potentials in perceived trials and in perceived versus not perceived trials. Significance was limited to a P100 and P300 in not perceived trials. We also found an increase in pupil diameter and blink rate and a decrease in microsaccade rate following perceived relative to not perceived tactile stimuli. These findings support the use of eye metrics as a measure of physiological arousal associated with conscious perception. Eye metrics may also represent a novel path toward the creation of tactile no-report tasks in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana M Gusso
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia em Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, R. Imaculada Conceição, 1155, Prado Velho, Curitiba, Paraná 80215-901, Brazil
| | - Kate L Christison-Lagay
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - David Zuckerman
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Ganesh Chandrasekaran
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Sharif I Kronemer
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Departments of Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Julia Z Ding
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Noah C Freedman
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Percy Nohama
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia em Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, R. Imaculada Conceição, 1155, Prado Velho, Curitiba, Paraná 80215-901, Brazil
| | - Hal Blumenfeld
- Departments of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Departments of Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Departments of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
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Wilding M, Körner C, Ischebeck A, Zaretskaya N. Increased insula activity precedes the formation of subjective illusory Gestalt. Neuroimage 2022; 257:119289. [PMID: 35537599 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119289] [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: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The constructive nature of human perception sometimes leads us to perceiving rather complex impressions from simple sensory input: for example, recognizing animal contours in cloud formations or seeing living creatures in shadows of objects. A special type of bistable stimuli gives us a rare opportunity to study the neural mechanisms behind this process. Such stimuli can be visually interpreted either as simple or as more complex illusory content on the basis of the same sensory input. Previous studies demonstrated increased activity in the superior parietal cortex during the perception of an illusory Gestalt impression compared to a simpler interpretation. Here, we examined the role of slow fluctuations of resting-state fMRI activity in shaping the subsequent illusory interpretation by investigating activity related to the illusory Gestalt not only during, but also prior to its perception. We presented 31 participants with a bistable motion stimulus, which can be perceived either as four moving dot pairs (local) or two moving illusory squares (global). fMRI was used to measure brain activity in a slow event-related design. We observed stronger IPS and putamen responses to the stimulus when participants perceived the global interpretation compared to the local, confirming the findings of previous studies. Most importantly, we also observed that the global stimulus interpretation was preceded by an increased activity of the bilateral dorsal insula, which is known to process saliency and gate information for conscious access. Our data suggest an important role of the dorsal insula in shaping complex illusory interpretations of the sensory input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilena Wilding
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Christof Körner
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Anja Ischebeck
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Natalia Zaretskaya
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12, 8010 Graz, Austria.
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Liu Y, Xi P, Li B, Zhang M, Liu H, Tang R, Xin S, Huang Q, He J, Liu Z, Yuan Z, Lang Y. Effect of neuromorphic transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (nTENS) of cortical functional networks on tactile perceptions: An event-related electroencephalogram study. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 35263714 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac5bf6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is generally applied for tactile feedback in the field of prosthetics. The distinct mechanisms of evoked tactile perception between stimulus patterns in conventional TENS (cTENS) and neuromorphic TENS (nTENS) are relatively unknown. This is the first study to investigate the neurobiological effect of nTENS for cortical functional mechanism in evoked tactile perception. METHODS Twenty-one healthy participants were recruited in this study. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded while the participants underwent a tactile discrimination task. One cTENS pattern (square pattern) and two nTENS patterns (electromyography and single motor unit patterns) were applied to evoke tactile perception in four fingers, including the right and left index and little fingers. EEG was preprocessed and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) were determined. Then, source-level functional networks based on graph theory were evaluated, including clustering coefficient, path length, global efficiency, and local efficiency in six frequency bands. RESULTS Behavioral results suggested that the single motor units (SMU) pattern of nTENS was the most natural tactile perception. SEPs results revealed that SMU pattern exhibited significant shorter latency in P1 and N1 components than the other patterns, while nTENS patterns have significantly longer latency in P3 component than cTENS pattern. Cortical functional networks showed that the SMU pattern had the lowest short path and highest efficiency in beta and gamma bands. CONCLUSION This study highlighted that distinct TENS patterns could affect brain activities. The new characteristics in tactile manifestation of nTENS would provide insights for the application of tactile perception restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafei Liu
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, No.5 South Zhongguancun street, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, CHINA
| | - Pengcheng Xi
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, No.5 South Zhongguancun street, Haidian District, Beijing, Beijing, 100081, CHINA
| | - Bo Li
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5, South Street, Zhongguancun, Haidian District, Beijing, Bei Jing, Bei Jing, 100081, CHINA
| | - Minjian Zhang
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, No.5 South Zhongguancun street, Haidian District, Beijing, Beijing, 100081, CHINA
| | - Honghao Liu
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, No.5 South Zhongguancun street, Haidian District, Beijing, Beijing, 100081, CHINA
| | - Rongyu Tang
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, No.1 Zhanlanguan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, Beijing, 100044, CHINA
| | - Shan Xin
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, NO.1, Zhanlanguan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, Beijing, 100044, CHINA
| | - Qiang Huang
- Beijing Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, No.5 South Zhongguancun street, Haidian District, Beijing, Beijing, 100081, CHINA
| | - Jiping He
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, No.5 South Zhongguancun street, Haidian District, Beijing, Beijing, 100081, CHINA
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- Beijing institute of basic medical sciences, 27 Taiping Road, HaidianDistrict, Beijing, Beijing, 100850, CHINA
| | - Zengqiang Yuan
- Beijing institute of basic medical sciences, 27 Taiping Road, HaidianDistrict, Beijing, 100850, CHINA
| | - Yiran Lang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Haidian Dist. Zhongguancun South Street No. 5, Beijing, 100081, CHINA
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Grund M, Al E, Pabst M, Dabbagh A, Stephani T, Nierhaus T, Gaebler M, Villringer A. Respiration, Heartbeat, and Conscious Tactile Perception. J Neurosci 2022; 42:643-656. [PMID: 34853084 PMCID: PMC8805629 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0592-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that timing of sensory stimulation during the cardiac cycle interacts with perception. Given the natural coupling of respiration and cardiac activity, we investigated here their joint effects on tactile perception. Forty-one healthy female and male human participants reported conscious perception of finger near-threshold electrical pulses (33% null trials) and decision confidence while electrocardiography, respiratory activity, and finger photoplethysmography were recorded. Participants adapted their respiratory cycle to expected stimulus onsets to preferentially occur during late inspiration/early expiration. This closely matched heart rate variation (sinus arrhythmia) across the respiratory cycle such that most frequent stimulation onsets occurred during the period of highest heart rate probably indicating highest alertness and cortical excitability. Tactile detection rate was highest during the first quadrant after expiration onset. Interindividually, stronger respiratory phase-locking to the task was associated with higher detection rates. Regarding the cardiac cycle, we confirmed previous findings that tactile detection rate was higher during diastole than systole and newly specified its minimum at 250-300 ms after the R-peak corresponding to the pulse wave arrival in the finger. Expectation of stimulation induced a transient heart deceleration which was more pronounced for unconfident decision ratings. Interindividually, stronger poststimulus modulations of heart rate were linked to higher detection rates. In summary, we demonstrate how tuning to the respiratory cycle and integration of respiratory-cardiac signals are used to optimize performance of a tactile detection task.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mechanistic studies on perception and cognition tend to focus on the brain neglecting contributions of the body. Here, we investigated how respiration and heartbeat influence tactile perception: respiration phase-locking to expected stimulus onsets corresponds to highest heart rate (and presumably alertness/cortical excitability) and correlates with detection performance. Tactile detection varies across the heart cycle with a minimum when the pulse reaches the finger and a maximum in diastole. Taken together with our previous finding of unchanged early event-related potentials across the cardiac cycle, we conclude that these effects are not a peripheral physiological artifact but a result of cognitive processes that model our body's internal state, make predictions to guide behavior, and might also tune respiration to serve the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Grund
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Esra Al
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- DFG Research Training Group 2386 Extrospection, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
| | - Marc Pabst
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Alice Dabbagh
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Pain Perception Group, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Tilman Stephani
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School NeuroCom, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Till Nierhaus
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Michael Gaebler
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
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Huang CW, Lin CH, Lin YH, Tsai HY, Tseng MT. Neural Basis of Somatosensory Spatial and Temporal Discrimination in Humans: The Role of Sensory Detection. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1480-1493. [PMID: 34427294 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While detecting somatic stimuli from the external environment, an accurate determination of their spatial and temporal properties is essential for human behavior. Whether and how detection relates to human capacity for somatosensory spatial discrimination (SD) and temporal discrimination (TD) remains unclear. Here, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning when simply detecting vibrotactile stimuli of the leg, judging their location (SD), or deciding their number in time (TD). By conceptualizing tactile discrimination as consisting of detection and determination processes, we found that tactile detection elicited activation specifically involved in SD within the right inferior and superior parietal lobules, 2 regions previously implicated in the control of spatial attention. These 2 regions remained activated in the determination process, during which functional connectivity between these 2 regions predicted individual SD ability. In contrast, tactile detection produced little activation specifically related to TD. Participants' TD ability was implemented in brain regions implicated in coding temporal structures of somatic stimuli (primary somatosensory cortex) and time estimation (anterior cingulate, pre-supplementary motor area, and putamen). Together, our findings indicate a close link between somatosensory detection and SD (but not TD) at the neural level, which aids in explaining why we can promptly respond toward detected somatic stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Wei Huang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Hsien Lin
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yun Tsai
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Tsung Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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Herman AM, Palmer C, Azevedo RT, Tsakiris M. Neural divergence and convergence for attention to and detection of interoceptive and somatosensory stimuli. Cortex 2020; 135:186-206. [PMID: 33385747 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Body awareness is constructed by signals originating from within and outside the body. How do these apparently divergent signals converge? We developed a signal detection task to study the neural convergence and divergence of interoceptive and somatosensory signals. Participants focused on either cardiac or tactile events and reported their presence or absence. Beyond some evidence of divergence, we observed a robust overlap in the pattern of activation evoked across both conditions in frontal areas including the insular cortex, as well as parietal and occipital areas, and for both attention and detection of these signals. Psycho-physiological interaction analysis revealed that right insular cortex connectivity was modulated by the conscious detection of cardiac compared to somatosensory sensations, with greater connectivity to occipito-parietal regions when attending to cardiac signals. Our findings speak in favour of the inherent convergence of bodily-related signals and move beyond the apparent antagonism between exteroception and interoception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra M Herman
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.
| | - Clare Palmer
- ABCD Coordinating Center, Center for Human Development (CHD), University of California, San Diego, USA
| | | | - Manos Tsakiris
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK; The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK; Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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