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Henderson SE, Ryan AD, Atack LW, Campbell K. Model-based Mind Wandering in Older Adults: Age Differences in the Behavioral and Electrophysiological Correlates of Subjective and Objective Measures of Mind Wandering. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:2029-2044. [PMID: 38820559 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Mind wandering is typically characterized as a failure of attentional control, yet despite age-related executive function deficits, older adults typically report less mind wandering than younger adults during cognitive tasks and in daily life. Self-reported mind wandering episodes usually result in similar behavioral detriments in younger and older adults (e.g., greater RT variability, more task errors). However, the relatively few studies investigating the neural correlates of mind wandering and aging have revealed mixed findings, possibly because they typically rely on infrequent thought probes and, therefore, few trials for neural analyses. In the current study, we propose a method to recover more task data by categorizing trials from a commonly used sustained attention to response task according to RT variability. Behavioral data (n = 49 younger; n = 40 older) revealed that compared with younger adults, older adults reported fewer mind wandering episodes, but showed similar behavioral impacts thereof. Furthermore, in both age groups, subjective reports of mind wandering predicted the more objective sorting of trials into "on-" and "off-task" according to RT variability. Using these objectively sorted trials, we investigated two commonly reported EEG measures of mind wandering (diminished P1 and P3 amplitude) in 26 younger and 24 older adults. Although the P1 did not differ between on- and off-task trials for either group, the P3 was diminished for off-task trials in both age groups (albeit significantly less in older adults) suggesting preserved perceptual but reduced higher-order processing during off-task periods in both groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A Dawn Ryan
- Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Luke W Atack
- Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
- McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Zaky MH, Shoorangiz R, Poudel GR, Yang L, Innes CRH, Jones RD. Conscious but not thinking-Mind-blanks during visuomotor tracking: An fMRI study of endogenous attention lapses. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26781. [PMID: 39023172 PMCID: PMC11256154 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Attention lapses (ALs) are complete lapses of responsiveness in which performance is briefly but completely disrupted and during which, as opposed to microsleeps, the eyes remain open. Although the phenomenon of ALs has been investigated by behavioural and physiological means, the underlying cause of an AL has largely remained elusive. This study aimed to investigate the underlying physiological substrates of behaviourally identified endogenous ALs during a continuous visuomotor task, primarily to answer the question: Were the ALs during this task due to extreme mind-wandering or mind-blanks? The data from two studies were combined, resulting in data from 40 healthy non-sleep-deprived subjects (20M/20F; mean age 27.1 years, 20-45). Only 17 of the 40 subjects were used in the analysis due to a need for a minimum of two ALs per subject. Subjects performed a random 2-D continuous visuomotor tracking task for 50 and 20 min in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. Tracking performance, eye-video, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were recorded simultaneously. A human expert visually inspected the tracking performance and eye-video recordings to identify and categorise lapses of responsiveness as microsleeps or ALs. Changes in neural activity during 85 ALs (17 subjects) relative to responsive tracking were estimated by whole-brain voxel-wise fMRI and by haemodynamic response (HR) analysis in regions of interest (ROIs) from seven key networks to reveal the neural signature of ALs. Changes in functional connectivity (FC) within and between the key ROIs were also estimated. Networks explored were the default mode network, dorsal attention network, frontoparietal network, sensorimotor network, salience network, visual network, and working memory network. Voxel-wise analysis revealed a significant increase in blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity in the overlapping dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and supplementary motor area region but no significant decreases in activity; the increased activity is considered to represent a recovery-of-responsiveness process following an AL. This increased activity was also seen in the HR of the corresponding ROI. Importantly, HR analysis revealed no trend of increased activity in the posterior cingulate of the default mode network, which has been repeatedly demonstrated to be a strong biomarker of mind-wandering. FC analysis showed decoupling of external attention, which supports the involuntary nature of ALs, in addition to the neural recovery processes. Other findings were a decrease in HR in the frontoparietal network before the onset of ALs, and a decrease in FC between default mode network and working memory network. These findings converge to our conclusion that the ALs observed during our task were involuntary mind-blanks. This is further supported behaviourally by the short duration of the ALs (mean 1.7 s), which is considered too brief to be instances of extreme mind-wandering. This is the first study to demonstrate that at least the majority of complete losses of responsiveness on a continuous visuomotor task are, if not due to microsleeps, due to involuntary mind-blanks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed H. Zaky
- Christchurch Neurotechnology Research ProgrammeNew Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Electronics and Communications EngineeringArab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime TransportAlexandriaEgypt
- Wearables, Biosensing, and Biosignal Processing LaboratoryArab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime TransportAlexandriaEgypt
| | - Reza Shoorangiz
- Christchurch Neurotechnology Research ProgrammeNew Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of MedicineUniversity of OtagoChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Govinda R. Poudel
- Christchurch Neurotechnology Research ProgrammeNew Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand
- Mary Mackillop Institute for Health ResearchAustralian Catholic UniversityMelbourneAustralia
| | - Le Yang
- Christchurch Neurotechnology Research ProgrammeNew Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Carrie R. H. Innes
- Christchurch Neurotechnology Research ProgrammeNew Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Richard D. Jones
- Christchurch Neurotechnology Research ProgrammeNew Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of MedicineUniversity of OtagoChristchurchNew Zealand
- School of Psychology, Speech and HearingUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
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Rasmussen T, Filmer HL, Dux PE. On the role of prefrontal and parietal cortices in mind wandering and dynamic thought. Cortex 2024; 178:249-268. [PMID: 39053349 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.06.017] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Mind wandering is a common phenomenon in our daily lives and can have both an adaptive and detrimental impact. Recently, a dynamic framework has been proposed to characterise the heterogeneity of internal thoughts, suggesting there are three distinct thought types which can change over time - freely moving, deliberately constrained, and automatically constrained (thoughts). There is currently very little evidence on how different types of dynamic thought are represented in the brain. Previous research has applied non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to causally implicate the prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal lobule in mind wandering. However, a more recently developed and nuanced technique, high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS), delivers more focal stimulation able to target specific brain regions. Therefore, the current study investigated the effect of anodal HD-tDCS applied to the left prefrontal and right inferior parietal cortices (with the occipital cortex included as an active control) on mind wandering, and specifically, the causal neural substrates of the three internal dynamic thought types. This was a single session study using a novel task which allows investigation into how dynamic thoughts are associated with behavioural variability and the recruitment of executive control operations across the three brain regions. There was no evidence to support our hypothesised effect of stimulation reducing task unrelated thought. Furthermore, the hypothesis driven analyses found no evidence of stimulation affecting the dynamic thought types, nor any evidence for our hypothesised effects of stimulation reducing behavioural variability and increasing randomness. There was only evidence for a relationship between these two measures of performance when participants thoughts were freely moving. However, there was evidence from our exploratory analyses that anodal stimulation to the prefrontal cortex decreased freely moving thought and anodal stimulation to the parietal lobule decreased deliberately constrained thought, relative to the sham conditions. The exploratory analyses also suggested stimulation may increase freely moving thought in the occipital cortex. Overall, these findings suggest stimulation does not affect the dynamic thought types, however there is preliminary evidence to support the heterogenous nature of mind wandering, whereby different brain regions may be causally implicated in distinct dynamic thought types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Rasmussen
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia.
| | - Hannah L Filmer
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul E Dux
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
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Tang S, Li Z. EEG complexity measures for detecting mind wandering during video-based learning. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8209. [PMID: 38589498 PMCID: PMC11001605 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58889-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
This study explores the efficacy of various EEG complexity measures in detecting mind wandering during video-based learning. Employing a modified probe-caught method, we recorded EEG data from participants engaged in viewing educational videos and subsequently focused on the discrimination between mind wandering (MW) and non-MW states. We systematically investigated various EEG complexity metrics, including metrics that reflect a system's regularity like multiscale permutation entropy (MPE), and metrics that reflect a system's dimensionality like detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). We also compare these features to traditional band power (BP) features. Data augmentation methods and feature selection were applied to optimize detection accuracy. Results show BP features excelled (mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.646) in datasets without eye-movement artifacts, while MPE showed similar performance (mean AUC 0.639) without requiring removal of eye-movement artifacts. Combining all kinds of features improved decoding performance to 0.66 mean AUC. Our findings demonstrate the potential of these complexity metrics in EEG analysis for mind wandering detection, highlighting their practical implications in educational contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohua Tang
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- International Academic Center of Complex Systems, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zheng Li
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China.
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Heinilä E, Hyvärinen A, Parkkonen L, Parviainen T. Penalized canonical correlation analysis reveals a relationship between temperament traits and brain oscillations during mind wandering. Brain Behav 2024; 14:e3428. [PMID: 38361323 PMCID: PMC10869894 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There has been a growing interest in studying brain activity under naturalistic conditions. However, the relationship between individual differences in ongoing brain activity and psychological characteristics is not well understood. We investigated this connection, focusing on the association between oscillatory activity in the brain and individually characteristic dispositional traits. Given the variability of unconstrained resting states among individuals, we devised a paradigm that could harmonize the state of mind across all participants. METHODS We constructed task contrasts that included focused attention (FA), self-centered future planning, and rumination on anxious thoughts triggered by visual imagery. Magnetoencephalography was recorded from 28 participants under these 3 conditions for a duration of 16 min. The oscillatory power in the alpha and beta bands was converted into spatial contrast maps, representing the difference in brain oscillation power between the two conditions. We performed permutation cluster tests on these spatial contrast maps. Additionally, we applied penalized canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to study the relationship between brain oscillation patterns and behavioral traits. RESULTS The data revealed that the FA condition, as compared to the other conditions, was associated with higher alpha and beta power in the temporal areas of the left hemisphere and lower alpha and beta power in the parietal areas of the right hemisphere. Interestingly, the penalized CCA indicated that behavioral inhibition was positively correlated, whereas anxiety was negatively correlated, with a pattern of high oscillatory power in the bilateral precuneus and low power in the bilateral temporal regions. This unique association was found in the anxious-thoughts condition when contrasted with the focused-attention condition. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest individual temperament traits significantly affect brain engagement in naturalistic conditions. This research underscores the importance of considering individual traits in neuroscience and offers an effective method for analyzing brain activity and psychological differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erkka Heinilä
- Faculty of Information TechnologyUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Aapo Hyvärinen
- Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Université Paris‐Saclay, Inria, CEAGif‐sur‐YvetteFrance
| | - Lauri Parkkonen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical EngineeringAalto University School of ScienceEspooFinland
| | - Tiina Parviainen
- Centre of Interdisciplinary Brain Research, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and PsychologyUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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Wamsley EJ, Collins M. Effect of cognitive load on time spent offline during wakefulness. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae022. [PMID: 38300213 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae022] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Humans continuously alternate between online attention to the current environment and offline attention to internally generated thought and imagery. This may be a fundamental feature of the waking brain, but remains poorly understood. Here, we took a data-driven approach to defining online and offline states of wakefulness, using machine learning methods applied to measures of sensory responsiveness, subjective report, electroencephalogram (EEG), and pupil diameter. We tested the effect of cognitive load on the structure and prevalence of online and offline states, hypothesizing that time spent offline would increase as cognitive load of an ongoing task decreased. We also expected that alternation between online and offline states would persist even in the absence of a cognitive task. As in prior studies, we arrived at a three-state model comprised of one online state and two offline states. As predicted, when cognitive load was high, more time was spent online. Also as predicted, the same three states were present even when participants were not performing a task. These observations confirm our method is successful at isolating seconds-long periods of offline time. Varying cognitive load may be a useful way to manipulate time spent in at least one of these offline states in future experimental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin J Wamsley
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Johns Hall 206K, Greenville, SC 29613, United States
| | - Megan Collins
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Johns Hall 206K, Greenville, SC 29613, United States
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Kucyi A, Anderson N, Bounyarith T, Braun D, Shareef-Trudeau L, Treves I, Braga RM, Hsieh PJ, Hung SM. Individual variability in neural representations of mind-wandering. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.20.576471. [PMID: 38328109 PMCID: PMC10849545 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.20.576471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Mind-wandering is a frequent, daily mental activity, experienced in unique ways in each person. Yet neuroimaging evidence relating mind-wandering to brain activity, for example in the default mode network (DMN), has relied on population-rather than individual-based inferences due to limited within-individual sampling. Here, three densely-sampled individuals each reported hundreds of mind-wandering episodes while undergoing multi-session functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found reliable associations between mind-wandering and DMN activation when estimating brain networks within individuals using precision functional mapping. However, the timing of spontaneous DMN activity relative to subjective reports, and the networks beyond DMN that were activated and deactivated during mind-wandering, were distinct across individuals. Connectome-based predictive modeling further revealed idiosyncratic, whole-brain functional connectivity patterns that consistently predicted mind-wandering within individuals but did not fully generalize across individuals. Predictive models of mind-wandering and attention that were derived from larger-scale neuroimaging datasets largely failed when applied to densely-sampled individuals, further highlighting the need for personalized models. Our work offers novel evidence for both conserved and variable neural representations of self-reported mind-wandering in different individuals. The previously-unrecognized inter-individual variations reported here underscore the broader scientific value and potential clinical utility of idiographic approaches to brain-experience associations.
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Martarelli CS, Ovalle-Fresa R. In sight, out of mind? Disengagement at encoding gradually reduces recall of location. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:42-56. [PMID: 36803300 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231159656] [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: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Disengaging from the external world-a phenomenon referred to as mind wandering-is a common experience that has been shown to be associated with detriments in cognitive performance across a large range of tasks. In the current web-based study, we used a continuous delayed estimation paradigm to investigate the impact of task disengagement at encoding on subsequent recall of location. Task disengagement was assessed with thought probes on a dichotomous (off- vs. on-task) and a continuous response scale (from 0% to 100% on-task). This approach allowed us to consider perceptual decoupling in both a dichotomous and a graded manner. In the first study (n = 54), we found a negative relationship between levels of task disengagement at encoding and subsequent recall of location measured in degrees. This finding supports a graded perceptual decoupling process rather than a decoupling that happens in an all-or-none manner. In the second study (n = 104), we replicated this finding. An analysis of 22 participants showing enough off-task trials to fit the data with the standard mixture model revealed that in this particular subsample, being disengaged from the task at encoding was related to worse long-term memory performance in terms of likelihood to recall but not in terms of precision with which information is recalled. Overall, the findings suggest a graded nature of task disengagement that covaries with fine-grained differences in subsequent recall of location. Going forwards, it will be important to test the validity of continuous measures of mind-wandering.
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Wong YS, Yu J. Left superior parietal lobe mediates the link between spontaneous mind-wandering tendency and task-switching performance. Biol Psychol 2024; 185:108726. [PMID: 38036262 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108726] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
While increasing studies have documented the link between mind wandering and task switching, less is known about which brain regions mediate this relationship. Using the MPI-Leipzig Mind-Brain-Body dataset (N = 173), we investigated the association between trait-level tendencies of mind wandering, task-switching performance, structural connectivity, and resting-state functional connectivity. At the behavioral level, we found that higher spontaneous mind-wandering trait scores were associated with shorter reaction times on both repeat and switch trials. The whole brain cortical thickness analysis revealed a strong mediating role of the left superior parietal lobe, which is part of the dorsal attention network, in the link between spontaneous mind-wandering tendency and task-switching performance. The resting-state functional connectivity analysis further demonstrated that this association was partly mediated by the negative dorsal attention network-default mode network functional connectivity. No significant mediating effects were found for deliberate mind-wandering tendency. Overall, the findings highlight the pivotal role of the left superior parietal lobe in activating new mental set during mind-wandering and task-switching processes, providing another evidence in favor of a role for switching in mind wandering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Sheng Wong
- Department of Psychology and Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Science of Learning in Education Centre, Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
| | - Junhong Yu
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Kucyi A, Kam JWY, Andrews-Hanna JR, Christoff K, Whitfield-Gabrieli S. Recent advances in the neuroscience of spontaneous and off-task thought: implications for mental health. NATURE MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 1:827-840. [PMID: 37974566 PMCID: PMC10653280 DOI: 10.1038/s44220-023-00133-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
People spend a remarkable 30-50% of awake life thinking about something other than what they are currently doing. These experiences of being "off-task" can be described as spontaneous thought when mental dynamics are relatively flexible. Here we review recent neuroscience developments in this area and consider implications for mental wellbeing and illness. We provide updated overviews of the roles of the default mode network and large-scale network dynamics, and we discuss emerging candidate mechanisms involving hippocampal memory (sharp-wave ripples, replay) and neuromodulatory (noradrenergic and serotonergic) systems. We explore how distinct brain states can be associated with or give rise to adaptive and maladaptive forms of thought linked to distinguishable mental health outcomes. We conclude by outlining new directions in the neuroscience of spontaneous and off-task thought that may clarify mechanisms, lead to personalized biomarkers, and facilitate therapy developments toward the goals of better understanding and improving mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Kucyi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University
| | - Julia W. Y. Kam
- Department of Psychology and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary
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Luna FG, Aguirre MJ, Martín-Arévalo E, Ibáñez A, Lupiáñez J, Barttfeld P. Event-related potentials associated with attentional networks evidence changes in executive and arousal vigilance. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14272. [PMID: 36812133 PMCID: PMC11177283 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Attention is regulated by three independent but interacting networks, that is, alerting, comprising phasic alertness and vigilance, orienting, and executive control. Previous studies analyzing event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with attentional networks have focused on phasic alertness, orienting, and executive control, without an independent measure of vigilance. ERPs associated with vigilance have been instead measured in separate studies and via different tasks. The present study aimed to differentiate ERPs associated with attentional networks by simultaneously measuring vigilance along with phasic alertness, orienting, and executive control. Forty participants (34 women, age: M = 25.96; SD = 4.96) completed two sessions wherein the electroencephalogram was recorded while they completed the Attentional Networks Test for Interactions and Vigilance-executive and arousal components, a task that measures phasic alertness, orienting, and executive control along with executive (i.e., detection of infrequent critical signals) and arousal (i.e., sustaining a fast reaction to environmental stimuli) vigilance. ERPs previously associated with attentional networks were replicated here: (a) N1, P2, and contingent negative variation for phasic alertness; (b) P1, N1, and P3 for orienting; and (c) N2 and slow positivity for executive control. Importantly, different ERPs were associated with vigilance: while the executive vigilance decrement was associated with an increase in P3 and slow positivity across time-on-task, arousal vigilance loss was associated with reduced N1 and P2 amplitude. The present study shows that attentional networks can be described by different ERPs simultaneously observed in a single session, including independent measures of executive and arousal vigilance on its assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gabriel Luna
- Cognitive Science Group, Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIPsi, CONICET-UNC), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María Julieta Aguirre
- Cognitive Science Group, Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIPsi, CONICET-UNC), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Elisa Martín-Arévalo
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Latin American Institute for Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés & CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), US and Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin, Ireland
| | - Juan Lupiáñez
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Pablo Barttfeld
- Cognitive Science Group, Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIPsi, CONICET-UNC), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
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Tang S, Liang Y, Li Z. Mind wandering state detection during video-based learning via EEG. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1182319. [PMID: 37323927 PMCID: PMC10267732 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1182319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the potential of technology for detecting mind wandering, particularly during video-based distance learning, with the ultimate benefit of improving learning outcomes. To overcome the challenges of previous mind wandering research in ecological validity, sample balance, and dataset size, this study utilized practical electroencephalography (EEG) recording hardware and designed a paradigm consisting of viewing short-duration video lectures under a focused learning condition and a future planning condition. Participants estimated statistics of their attentional state at the end of each video, and we combined this rating scale feedback with self-caught key press responses during video watching to obtain binary labels for classifier training. EEG was recorded using an 8-channel system, and spatial covariance features processed by Riemannian geometry were employed. The results demonstrate that a radial basis function kernel support vector machine classifier, using Riemannian-processed covariance features from delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands, can detect mind wandering with a mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.876 for within-participant classification and AUC of 0.703 for cross-lecture classification. Furthermore, our results suggest that a short duration of training data is sufficient to train a classifier for online decoding, as cross-lecture classification remained at an average AUC of 0.689 when using 70% of the training set (about 9 min). The findings highlight the potential for practical EEG hardware in detecting mind wandering with high accuracy, which has potential application to improving learning outcomes during video-based distance learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohua Tang
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- International Academic Center of Complex Systems, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Yutong Liang
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zheng Li
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
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13
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He H, Hong L, Sajda P. Pupillary response is associated with the reset and switching of functional brain networks during salience processing. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011081. [PMID: 37172067 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The interface between processing internal goals and salient events in the environment involves various top-down processes. Previous studies have identified multiple brain areas for salience processing, including the salience network (SN), dorsal attention network, and the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. However, interactions among these systems in salience processing remain unclear. Here, we simultaneously recorded pupillometry, EEG, and fMRI during an auditory oddball paradigm. The analyses of EEG and fMRI data uncovered spatiotemporally organized target-associated neural correlates. By modeling the target-modulated effective connectivity, we found that the target-evoked pupillary response is associated with the network directional couplings from late to early subsystems in the trial, as well as the network switching initiated by the SN. These findings indicate that the SN might cooperate with the pupil-indexed LC-NE system in the reset and switching of cortical networks, and shed light on their implications in various cognitive processes and neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengda He
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Linbi Hong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Paul Sajda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
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14
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Zhu Y, Parviainen T, Heinilä E, Parkkonen L, Hyvärinen A. Unsupervised representation learning of spontaneous MEG data with Nonlinear ICA. Neuroimage 2023; 274:120142. [PMID: 37120044 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) data show complex but structured spatiotemporal patterns. However, the neurophysiological basis of these signal patterns is not fully known and the underlying signal sources are mixed in MEG measurements. Here, we developed a method based on the nonlinear independent component analysis (ICA), a generative model trainable with unsupervised learning, to learn representations from resting-state MEG data. After being trained with a large dataset from the Cam-CAN repository, the model has learned to represent and generate patterns of spontaneous cortical activity using latent nonlinear components, which reflects principal cortical patterns with specific spectral modes. When applied to the downstream classification task of audio-visual MEG, the nonlinear ICA model achieves competitive performance with deep neural networks despite limited access to labels. We further validate the generalizability of the model across different datasets by applying it to an independent neurofeedback dataset for decoding the subject's attentional states, providing a real-time feature extraction and decoding mindfulness and thought-inducing tasks with an accuracy of around 70% at the individual level, which is much higher than obtained by linear ICA or other baseline methods. Our results demonstrate that nonlinear ICA is a valuable addition to existing tools, particularly suited for unsupervised representation learning of spontaneous MEG activity which can then be applied to specific goals or tasks when labelled data are scarce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjie Zhu
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, 00076 Espoo, Finland
| | - Tiina Parviainen
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Erkka Heinilä
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Lauri Parkkonen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, 00076 Espoo, Finland
| | - Aapo Hyvärinen
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland.
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15
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Martínez-Pérez V, Andreu A, Sandoval-Lentisco A, Tortajada M, Palmero LB, Castillo A, Campoy G, Fuentes LJ. Vigilance decrement and mind-wandering in sustained attention tasks: Two sides of the same coin? Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1122406. [PMID: 37056308 PMCID: PMC10086236 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1122406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundDecrements in performance and the propensity for increased mind-wandering (i.e., task-unrelated thoughts) across time-on-task are two pervasive phenomena observed when people perform vigilance tasks. In the present study, we asked whether processes that lead to vigilance decrement and processes that foster the propensity for mind-wandering (MW) can be dissociated or whether they share a common mechanism. In one experiment, we introduced two critical manipulations: increasing task demands and applying anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.MethodSeventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups resulting from the factorial combination of task demand (low, high) and stimulation (anodal, sham). Participants completed the sustained attention to response task (SART), which included thought probes on intentional and unintentional MW. In addition, we investigated the crucial role of alpha oscillations in a novel approach. By assessing pre-post resting EEG, we explored whether participants’ variability in baseline alpha power predicted performance in MW and vigilance decrement related to tDCS or task demands, respectively, and whether such variability was a stable characteristic of participants.ResultsOur results showed a double dissociation, such that task demands exclusively affected vigilance decrement, while anodal tDCS exclusively affected the rate of MW. Furthermore, the slope of the vigilance decrement function and MW rate (overall, intentional and unintentional) did not correlate. Critically, resting state alpha-band activity predicted tDCS-related gains in unintentional MW alone, but not in vigilance decrement, and remained stable after participants completed the task.ConclusionThese results show that when a sustained attention task involving executive vigilance, such as the SART, is designed to elicit both vigilance decrement effects and MW, the processes leading to vigilance decrement should be differentiated from those responsible for MW, a claim that is supported by the double dissociation observed here and the lack of correlation between the measures chosen to assess both phenomena. Furthermore, the results provide the first evidence of how individual differences in alpha power at baseline may be of crucial importance in predicting the effects of tDCS on MW propensity.
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16
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Nawani H, Mittner M, Csifcsák G. Modulation of mind wandering using transcranial direct current stimulation: A meta-analysis based on electric field modeling. Neuroimage 2023; 272:120051. [PMID: 36965860 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120051] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Mind wandering (MW) is a heterogeneous construct involving task-unrelated thoughts. Recently, the interest in modulating MW propensity via non-invasive brain stimulation techniques has increased. Single-session transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in healthy controls has led to mixed results in modulating MW propensity, possibly due to methodological heterogeneity. Therefore, our aim was to conduct a systematic meta-analysis to examine the influence of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) and right inferior parietal lobule (rIPL) targeted tDCS on MW propensity. Importantly, by computational modeling of tDCS-induced electric fields, we accounted for differences in tDCS-dose across studies that varied strongly in their applied methodology. Fifteen single-session, sham-controlled tDCS studies published until October 2021 were included. All studies involved healthy adult participants and used cognitive tasks combined with MW thought-probes. Heterogeneity in tDCS electrode placement, stimulation polarity and intensity were controlled for by means of electric field simulations, while overall methodological quality was assessed via an extended risk of bias (RoB) assessment. We found that RoB was the strongest predictor of study outcomes. Moreover, the rIPL was the most promising cortical area for influencing MW, with stronger anodal electric fields in this region being negatively associated with MW propensity. Electric field strength in the lDLPFC was not related to MW propensity. We identified several severe methodological problems that could have contributed to overestimated effect sizes in this literature, an issue that needs urgent attention in future research in this area. Overall, there is no reliable evidence for tDCS influencing MW in the healthy. However, the analysis also revealed that increasing neural excitability in the rIPL via tDCS might be associated with reduced MW propensity. In an exploratory approach, we also found some indication that targeting prefrontal regions outside the lDLPFC with tDCS could lead to increased MW propensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hema Nawani
- Institute for Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
| | | | - Gábor Csifcsák
- Institute for Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
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17
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Cnudde K, Kim G, Murch WS, Handy TC, Protzner AB, Kam JWY. EEG complexity during mind wandering: A multiscale entropy investigation. Neuropsychologia 2023; 180:108480. [PMID: 36621593 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108480] [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: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Our attention often drifts away from the ongoing task to task-unrelated thoughts, a phenomenon commonly referred to as mind wandering. Ample studies dedicated to delineating its electrophysiological correlates have revealed distinct event-related potentials (ERP) and spectral patterns associated with mind wandering. It remains less clear whether the complexity of the electroencephalography (EEG) changes when our minds wander, a metric that captures the predictability of the time series at varying timescales. Accordingly, this study investigated whether mind wandering impacts EEG signal complexity. We further explored whether such effects differ across timescales, and change in a context-dependent manner as indexed by global and local levels of processing. To address this, we recorded participants' EEG while they completed Navon's global and local processing task and occasionally reported whether they were on-task or mind wandering throughout the task. We found that brain signal complexity as indexed by multiscale entropy decreased at medium timescales in centro-parietal regions and increased at coarse timescales in anterior and posterior regions during mind wandering, as compared to the on-task state, for global processing. Moreover, global processing showed increased complexity at fine to medium timescales compared to local processing. Finally, behavioral performance revealed a context-dependent effect in accuracy measures, with mind wandering showing lower accuracy compared to the on-task state only during the local condition. Taken together, these results indicate that changes in brain signal complexity across timescales may be an important feature of mind wandering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Cnudde
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4.
| | - Gahyun Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - W Spencer Murch
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4; Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd W, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3G 1M8
| | - Todd C Handy
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Andrea B Protzner
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4; Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 4Z6
| | - Julia W Y Kam
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4; Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
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18
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Simola J, Silander T, Harju M, Lahti O, Makkonen E, Pätsi LM, Smallwood J. Context independent reductions in external processing during self-generated episodic social cognition. Cortex 2023; 159:39-53. [PMID: 36610108 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.11.010] [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: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Ongoing cognition supports behavioral flexibility by facilitating behavior in the moment, and through the consideration of future actions. These different modes of cognition are hypothesized to vary with the correlation between brain activity and external input, since evoked responses are reduced when cognition switches to topics unrelated to the current task. This study examined whether these reduced evoked responses change as a consequence of the task environment in which the experience emerges. We combined electroencephalography (EEG) recording with multidimensional experience sampling (MDES) to assess the electrophysiological correlates of ongoing thought in task contexts which vary on their need to maintain continuous representations of task information for satisfactory performance. We focused on an event-related potential (ERP) known as the parietal P3 that had a greater amplitude in our tasks relying on greater external attention. A principal component analysis (PCA) of the MDES data revealed four patterns of ongoing thought: off-task episodic social cognition, deliberate on-task thought, imagery, and emotion. Participants reported more off-task episodic social cognition and mental imagery under low external demands and more deliberate on-task thought under high external task demands. Importantly, the occurrence of off-task episodic social cognition was linked to similar reductions in the amplitude of the P3 regardless of external task. These data suggest the amplitude of the P3 may often be a general feature of external task-related content and suggest attentional decoupling from sensory inputs are necessary for certain types of perceptually-decoupled, self-generated thoughts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaana Simola
- Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (HCAS), University of Helsinki, Fabianinkatu 24 (P.O. Box 4), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Education, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 3A (P.O. Box 9), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 5A (P.O. Box 9), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Timo Silander
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8 (P.O. Box 63), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Harju
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8 (P.O. Box 63), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Outi Lahti
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8 (P.O. Box 63), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emilia Makkonen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8 (P.O. Box 63), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leea-Maria Pätsi
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8 (P.O. Box 63), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Humphrey Hall, 62 Arch Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
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19
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Pavlovian-based neurofeedback enhances meta-awareness of mind-wandering. Neural Netw 2023; 158:239-248. [PMID: 36473291 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2022.11.024] [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: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Absorption in mind-wandering (MW) may worsen our mood and can cause psychological disorders. Researchers indicate the possibility that meta-awareness of MW prevents these mal-effects and enhances favorable consequences of MW, such as boosting creativity; thus, meta-awareness has attracted psychological and clinical attention. However, few studies have investigated the nature of meta-awareness of MW, because there has been no method to isolate and operate this ability. Therefore, we propose a new approach to manipulate the ability of meta-awareness. We used Pavlovian conditioning, tying to it an occurrence of MW and a neutral tone sound inducing the meta-awareness of MW. To perform paired presentations of the unconditioned stimulus (neutral tone) and the conditioned stimulus (perception accompanying MW), we detected participants' natural occurrence of MW via electroencephalogram and a machine-learning estimation method. The double-blinded randomized controlled trial with 37 participants found that a single 20-min conditioning session significantly increased the meta-awareness of MW as assessed by behavioral and neuroscientific measures. The core protocol of the proposed method is real-time feedback on participants' neural information, and in that sense, we can refer to it as neurofeedback. However, there are some differences from typical neurofeedback protocols, and we discuss them in this paper. Our novel classical conditioning is expected to contribute to future research on the modulation effect of meta-awareness on MW.
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20
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Trasmundi SB, Toro J. Mind wandering in reading: An embodied approach. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1061437. [PMID: 36936615 PMCID: PMC10017976 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1061437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last 20 years, the study of mind wandering has attracted the attention of a growing number of researchers from fields like psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience. Mind wandering has been characterized in multiple ways: as task-unrelated, unintentional, stimulus-independent, or unguided thought processes. Those accounts have mostly focused on the identification of neurocognitive mechanisms that enable the emergence of mind-wandering episodes. Reading is one activity in which mind wandering frequently occurs, and it is widely accepted that mind wandering is detrimental for reading flow, comprehension and the capacity to make inferences based on the text. This mind wandering scepsis in reading is based on two unchallenged views: (i) that reading is a disembodied, mental activity of information processing, and (ii) that mind wandering is essentially characterized as a task-unrelated and involuntary thought process that disrupts all kinds of goal-oriented behavior. However, recent developments within cognitive science treat the mind as embodied and thus challenge both ontological and epistemological assumptions about what mind wandering is, where it is located, and how it is being studied empirically during reading. In this article we integrate embodied accounts of mind wandering and reading to show how reading benefits from nested mind wandering processes. Empirically, we investigate how a reader can move successfully in and out of different embodied processes and mesh different cognitive strategies over time, including some forms of mind wandering. While such changes in reading are frequently deemed dysfunctional, we suggest an alternative interpretation: Rather than seeking constant flow and fluency, we propose that reading is multi-actional and benefits from drawing on different cognitive strategies spanning mind wandering processes and goal-oriented behavior. In that sense, we suggest that mind wandering has a potential for enriching cognitive processes underlying reading, such as imagining and reflection. We exemplify these insights through analyses of data obtained in ethnographic and semi-experimental studies of reading practices. We conclude that to capture cognitive phenomena within an embodied framework, a richer methodology must be developed. Such a methodology must not only be capable of accounting for brains, bodies, and contexts in isolation, but must consider an overall brain-body-environment system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bro Trasmundi
- Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Language, Culture, History and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Sarah Bro Trasmundi,
| | - Juan Toro
- Department of Language, Culture, History and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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21
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Relationships between resting-state EEG functional networks organization and individual differences in mind wandering. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21224. [PMID: 36482176 PMCID: PMC9731960 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25851-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When performing cognitively demanding tasks, people tend to experience momentary distractions or personal associations that intercept their stream of consciousness. This phenomenon is known as Mind Wandering (MW) and it has become a subject of neuroscientific investigations. Off-task thoughts can be analyzed during task performance, but currently, MW is also understood as a dimension of individual differences in cognitive processing. We wanted to recognize the intrinsically-organized functional networks that could be considered the neuronal basis for MW dispositional variability. To achieve this goal we recruited a group of normal adults, and eventually divided the group in half, based on participants' scores on the scale measuring dispositional MW. Next, these groups were compared regarding the arrangement of preselected intrinsic functional networks, which were reconstructed based on multi-channel signal-source resting-state EEG. It appeared that subjects who tend to mind wander often exhibited decreased synchronization within the default mode network, and, simultaneously, strengthened connectivity between 'on-task' networks of diverse functional specificity. Such within- and between networks integrity patterns might suggest that greater Mind Wanderers present an atypical organization of resting-state brain activity, which may translate into attenuated resources needed to maintain attentional control in task-related conditions.
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22
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Yang H, Paller KA, van Vugt M. The steady state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) tracks "sticky" thinking, but not more general mind-wandering. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:892863. [PMID: 36034124 PMCID: PMC9402933 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.892863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For a large proportion of our daily lives, spontaneously occurring thoughts tend to disengage our minds from goal-directed thinking. Previous studies showed that EEG features such as the P3 and alpha oscillations can predict mind-wandering to some extent, but only with accuracies of around 60%. A potential candidate for improving prediction accuracy is the Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP), which is used frequently in single-trial contexts such as brain-computer interfaces as a marker of the direction of attention. In this study, we modified the sustained attention to response task (SART) that is usually employed to measure spontaneous thought to incorporate the SSVEP elicited by a 12.5-Hz flicker. We then examined whether the SSVEP could track and allow for the prediction of the stickiness and task-relatedness dimensions of spontaneous thought. Our results show that the SSVEP evoked by flickering words was able to distinguish between more and less sticky thinking but not between whether a participant was on- or off-task. This suggests that the SSVEP is able to track spontaneous thinking when it is strongly disengaged from the task (as in the sticky form of off-task thinking) but not off-task thought in general. Future research should determine the exact dimensions of spontaneous thought to which the SSVEP is most sensitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Yang
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Ken A. Paller
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Marieke van Vugt
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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23
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Madore KP, Wagner AD. Readiness to remember: predicting variability in episodic memory. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:707-723. [PMID: 35786366 PMCID: PMC9622362 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Learning and remembering are fundamental to our lives, so what causes us to forget? Answers often highlight preparatory processes that precede learning, as well as mnemonic processes during the act of encoding or retrieval. Importantly, evidence now indicates that preparatory processes that precede retrieval attempts also have powerful influences on memory success or failure. Here, we review recent work from neuroimaging, electroencephalography, pupillometry, and behavioral science to propose an integrative framework of retrieval-period dynamics that explains variance in remembering in the moment and across individuals as a function of interactions among preparatory attention, goal coding, and mnemonic processes. Extending this approach, we consider how a 'readiness to remember' (R2R) framework explains variance in high-level functions of memory and mnemonic disruptions in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin P Madore
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Anthony D Wagner
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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24
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The initial Polish adaptation of the Mind Wandering Questionnaire: translation and verification of the scale internal consistency. CURRENT PROBLEMS OF PSYCHIATRY 2022. [DOI: 10.2478/cpp-2022-0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction: The aim of the current study was to present the results of the first step of the Mind Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ) adaptation to the Polish sample. The adaptation involved performing translation of the scale, verification of the translated items’ accessibility and the analysis of the internal consistency.
Material and methods: MWQ in original form is a single-factor short self-assessing questionnaire composed of five items with a 6-point Likert-type answering scale. The translation of items was performed by a professional language expert according to psychometric rules. The research group included 70 healthy young adults (students), aged 21.53, an equal number of males and females.
Results: The adapted questionnaire exhibited a single-factorial structure and satisfactory parameters of internal consistency: Cronbach’s alpha was 0.78, all individual items were significantly correlated with MWQ total score, and the mean value of correlation reached 0.74. The mean value of the adopted MWQ total score reached 15.84 (SD = 4.11).
The study showing the initial step of the questionnaire adaptation revealed that the scale in the Polish version has an internal structure comparable with the original one, and its internal consistency exhibited good parameters.
Conclusions: In the next steps of the scale full adaptation, a convergent validity assessment should be carried out together with correlations with other scales assessing psychological constructs and dimensions of individual differences associated with Mind Wandering, such as neuroticism and impulsiveness.
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25
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Jana S, Aron AR. Mind Wandering Impedes Response Inhibition by Affecting the Triggering of the Inhibitory Process. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:1068-1085. [PMID: 35699435 PMCID: PMC9437729 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211055371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mind wandering is a state in which our mental focus shifts toward task-unrelated thoughts. Although it is known that mind wandering has a detrimental effect on concurrent task performance (e.g., decreased accuracy), its effect on executive functions is poorly studied. Yet the latter question is relevant to many real-world situations, such as rapid stopping during driving. Here, we studied how mind wandering would affect the requirement to subsequently stop an incipient motor response. In healthy adults, we tested whether mind wandering affected stopping and, if so, which component of stopping was affected: the triggering of the inhibitory brake or the implementation of the brake following triggering. We observed that during mind wandering, stopping latency increased, as did the percentage of trials with failed triggering. Indeed, 67% of the variance of the increase in stopping latency was explained by increased trigger failures. Thus, mind wandering primarily affects stopping by affecting the triggering of the brake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumitash Jana
- Department of Psychology,
University of California San Diego
- Department of Humanities &
Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
| | - Adam R. Aron
- Department of Psychology,
University of California San Diego
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26
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Spontaneous mind-wandering tendencies linked to cognitive flexibility in young adults. Conscious Cogn 2022; 102:103335. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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27
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Cárdenas-Egúsquiza AL, Berntsen D. Sleep well, mind wander less: A systematic review of the relationship between sleep outcomes and spontaneous cognition. Conscious Cogn 2022; 102:103333. [PMID: 35623268 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Despite an upsurge of research on spontaneous cognition, little is known about its associations with sleep-related outcomes. This systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, examined the relationship between sleep and spontaneous thoughts, across different definitions and measurements of sleep outcomes and spontaneous cognition, and a diversity of methodologies. Twenty-one articles with survey and/or experimental designs were identified. Self-reported disturbed sleep-comprising poor sleep quality, more insomnia symptoms, more daytime sleepiness and a tendency towards eveningness-and experimentally induced sleep deprivation were associated with a tendency to engage in disruptive mind wandering and daydreaming, but not positive-constructive daydreaming. Findings regarding circadian fluctuation in spontaneous thoughts were mixed and inconclusive. This systematic review bridges the gap between the sleep and spontaneous cognition research by contributing to the understanding of potential psychological and cognitive mechanisms of spontaneous cognition, as well as by elucidating the emotional and cognitive consequences of disturbed sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Lucía Cárdenas-Egúsquiza
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Denmark.
| | - Dorthe Berntsen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Denmark
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28
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Kam JWY, Rahnuma T, Park YE, Hart CM. Electrophysiological markers of mind wandering: A systematic review. Neuroimage 2022; 258:119372. [PMID: 35700946 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to mentally wander away from the external environment is a remarkable feature of the human mind. Although recent years have witnessed a surge of interest in examining mind wandering using EEG, there is no comprehensive review that summarizes and accounts for the variable findings. Accordingly, we conducted a systematic review that synthesizes evidence from EEG studies that examined the electrophysiological measures of mind wandering. Our search yielded 42 studies that met eligibility criteria. The reviewed literature converges on a reduction in the amplitude of canonical ERP components (i.e., P1, N1 and P3) as the most reliable markers of mind wandering. Spectral findings were less robust, but point towards greater activity in lower frequency bands, (i.e., delta, theta, and alpha), as well as a decrease in beta band activity, during mind wandering compared to on-task states. The variability in these findings appears to be modulated by the task context. To integrate these findings, we propose an electrophysiological account of mind wandering that explains how the brain supports this inner experience. Conclusions drawn from this work will inform future endeavours in basic science to map out electrophysiological patterns underlying mind wandering and in translational science using EEG to predict the occurrence of this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Y Kam
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary. 2500 University Dr. NW., Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary. 3330 Hospital Dr. NW., Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
| | - T Rahnuma
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary. 3330 Hospital Dr. NW., Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Y E Park
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary. 2500 University Dr. NW., Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - C M Hart
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary. 2500 University Dr. NW., Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
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29
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Self-reported mind wandering reflects executive control and selective attention. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:2167-2180. [PMID: 35672655 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02110-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mind wandering is ubiquitous in everyday life and has a pervasive and profound impact on task-related performance. A range of psychological processes have been proposed to underlie these performance-related decrements, including failures of executive control, volatile information processing, and shortcomings in selective attention to critical task-relevant stimuli. Despite progress in the development of such theories, existing descriptive analyses have limited capacity to discriminate between the theories. We propose a cognitive-model based analysis that simultaneously explains self-reported mind wandering and task performance. We quantitatively compare six explanations of poor performance in the presence of mind wandering. The competing theories are distinguished by whether there is an impact on executive control and, if so, how executive control acts on information processing, and whether there is an impact on volatility of information processing. Across two experiments using the sustained attention to response task, we find quantitative evidence that mind wandering is associated with two latent factors. Our strongest conclusion is that executive control is impaired: increased mind wandering is associated with reduced ability to inhibit habitual response tendencies. Our nuanced conclusion is that executive control deficits manifest in reduced ability to selectively attend to the information value of rare but task-critical events.
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30
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Revisiting consciousness: Distinguishing between states of conscious focused attention and mind wandering with EEG. Conscious Cogn 2022; 101:103332. [PMID: 35453102 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Fluctuating between external conscious processing and mind wandering is inherent to the human condition. Past research showed that in tasks requiring sustained attention, mind wandering episodes in which attention is directed internally constrain conscious processing of external stimuli. Conversely, conscious processing of internal stimuli is enhanced during mind wandering. To investigate this, we developed and administered a visuomotor tracking task in which participants were instructed to track the path of a stimulus on a screen with a mouse while responding to rare targets. Prior to reports of mind wandering we found the following: The P3 event-related potential component for targets, indicative of conscious stimulus processing, was attenuated at electrodes Cz and Pz. Moreover, alpha power, indicative of internal mental states, increased globally. Theta power increased along the centroparietal area, and beta decreased along right frontal and right centroparietal areas. Interestingly, trait mind wandering was positively correlated with delta power and gamma power, but negatively correlated with the theta-beta ratio. These results demonstrate that mind wandering is characterized by distinct neural signatures at both a state and trait level.
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31
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Pfeffer T, Keitel C, Kluger DS, Keitel A, Russmann A, Thut G, Donner TH, Gross J. Coupling of pupil- and neuronal population dynamics reveals diverse influences of arousal on cortical processing. eLife 2022; 11:e71890. [PMID: 35133276 PMCID: PMC8853659 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluctuations in arousal, controlled by subcortical neuromodulatory systems, continuously shape cortical state, with profound consequences for information processing. Yet, how arousal signals influence cortical population activity in detail has so far only been characterized for a few selected brain regions. Traditional accounts conceptualize arousal as a homogeneous modulator of neural population activity across the cerebral cortex. Recent insights, however, point to a higher specificity of arousal effects on different components of neural activity and across cortical regions. Here, we provide a comprehensive account of the relationships between fluctuations in arousal and neuronal population activity across the human brain. Exploiting the established link between pupil size and central arousal systems, we performed concurrent magnetoencephalographic (MEG) and pupillographic recordings in a large number of participants, pooled across three laboratories. We found a cascade of effects relative to the peak timing of spontaneous pupil dilations: Decreases in low-frequency (2-8 Hz) activity in temporal and lateral frontal cortex, followed by increased high-frequency (>64 Hz) activity in mid-frontal regions, followed by monotonic and inverted U relationships with intermediate frequency-range activity (8-32 Hz) in occipito-parietal regions. Pupil-linked arousal also coincided with widespread changes in the structure of the aperiodic component of cortical population activity, indicative of changes in the excitation-inhibition balance in underlying microcircuits. Our results provide a novel basis for studying the arousal modulation of cognitive computations in cortical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Pfeffer
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience GroupBarcelonaSpain
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Neurophysiology and PathophysiologyHamburgGermany
| | - Christian Keitel
- University of Stirling, PsychologyStirlingUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of GlasgowGlasgowUnited Kingdom
| | - Daniel S Kluger
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, MalmedywegMuensterGermany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of MünsterMuensterGermany
| | - Anne Keitel
- University of Dundee, PsychologyDundeeUnited Kingdom
| | - Alena Russmann
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Neurophysiology and PathophysiologyHamburgGermany
| | - Gregor Thut
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of GlasgowGlasgowUnited Kingdom
| | - Tobias H Donner
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Neurophysiology and PathophysiologyHamburgGermany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of GlasgowGlasgowUnited Kingdom
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, MalmedywegMuensterGermany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of MünsterMuensterGermany
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32
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Polychroni N, Herrojo Ruiz M, Terhune DB. Introspection confidence predicts EEG decoding of self-generated thoughts and meta-awareness. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:2311-2327. [PMID: 35122359 PMCID: PMC8996352 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The neurophysiological bases of mind wandering (MW)-an experiential state wherein attention is disengaged from the external environment in favour of internal thoughts-and state meta-awareness are poorly understood. In parallel, the relationship between introspection confidence in experiential state judgements and neural representations remains unclear. Here, we recorded EEG while participants completed a listening task within which they made experiential state judgements and rated their confidence. Alpha power was reliably greater during MW episodes, with unaware MW further associated with greater delta and theta power. Multivariate pattern classification analysis revealed that MW and meta-awareness can be decoded from the distribution of power in these three frequency bands. Critically, we show that individual decoding accuracies positively correlate with introspection confidence. Our results reaffirm the role of alpha oscillations in MW, implicate lower frequencies in meta-awareness, and are consistent with the proposal that introspection confidence indexes neurophysiological discriminability of representational states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naya Polychroni
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
| | - Maria Herrojo Ruiz
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK.,Center for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Devin B Terhune
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
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33
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Groot JM, Csifcsák G, Wientjes S, Forstmann BU, Mittner M. Catching Wandering Minds with Tapping Fingers: Neural and Behavioral Insights into Task-unrelated Cognition. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4447-4463. [PMID: 35034114 PMCID: PMC9574234 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
When the human mind wanders, it engages in episodes during which attention is focused on self-generated thoughts rather than on external task demands. Although the sustained attention to response task is commonly used to examine relationships between mind wandering and executive functions, limited executive resources are required for optimal task performance. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between mind wandering and executive functions more closely by employing a recently developed finger-tapping task to monitor fluctuations in attention and executive control through task performance and periodical experience sampling during concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and pupillometry. Our results show that mind wandering was preceded by increases in finger-tapping variability, which was correlated with activity in dorsal and ventral attention networks. The entropy of random finger-tapping sequences was related to activity in frontoparietal regions associated with executive control, demonstrating the suitability of this paradigm for studying executive functioning. The neural correlates of behavioral performance, pupillary dynamics, and self-reported attentional state diverged, thus indicating a dissociation between direct and indirect markers of mind wandering. Together, the investigation of these relationships at both the behavioral and neural level provided novel insights into the identification of underlying mechanisms of mind wandering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine M Groot
- Department of Psychology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø 9037 , Norway
- Integrative Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018 WB , The Netherlands
| | - Gábor Csifcsák
- Department of Psychology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø 9037 , Norway
| | - Sven Wientjes
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Ghent, Ghent 9000 , Belgium
| | - Birte U Forstmann
- Integrative Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018 WB , The Netherlands
| | - Matthias Mittner
- Address correspondence to Matthias Mittner, Department of Psychology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Huginbakken 32, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
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34
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The EEG spectral properties of meditation and mind wandering differ between experienced meditators and novices. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118669. [PMID: 34688899 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous literature suggests that individuals with meditation training become less distracted during meditation practice. In this study, we assess whether putative differences in the subjective experience of meditation between meditators and non-meditators are reflected in EEG spectral modulations. For this purpose, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) during rest and two breath focus meditations (with and without experience sampling) in a group of 29 adult participants with more than 3 years of meditation experience and a control group of 29 participants without any meditation experience. Experience sampling in one of the meditation conditions allowed us to disentangle periods of breath focus from mind wandering (i.e. moments of distraction driven by task-irrelevant thoughts) during meditation practice. Overall, meditators reported a greater level of focus and reduced mind wandering during meditation practice than controls. In line with these reports, EEG spectral modulations associated with meditation and mind wandering also differed significantly between meditators and controls. While meditators (but not controls) showed a significant decrease in individual alpha frequency / amplitude and a steeper 1/f slope during meditation relative to rest, controls (but not meditators) showed a relative increase in individual alpha amplitude during mind wandering relative to breath focus periods. Together, our results show that the subjective experience of meditation and mind wandering differs between meditators and novices and that this is reflected in oscillatory and non-oscillatory properties of EEG.
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35
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Jubera-Garcia E, Gevers W, Van Opstal F. Local build-up of sleep pressure could trigger mind wandering: Evidence from sleep, circadian and mind wandering research. Biochem Pharmacol 2021; 191:114478. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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36
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Dimitrova M, Wagatsuma H, Krastev A, Vrochidou E, Nunez-Gonzalez JD. A Review of Possible EEG Markers of Abstraction, Attentiveness, and Memorisation in Cyber-Physical Systems for Special Education. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:715962. [PMID: 34532347 PMCID: PMC8439420 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.715962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) for special education rely on effective mental and brain processing during the lesson, performed with the assistance of humanoid robots. The improved diagnostic ability of the CPS is a prerogative of the system for efficient technological support of the pedagogical process. The article focuses on the available knowledge of possible EEG markers of abstraction, attentiveness, and memorisation (in some cases combined with eye tracking) related to predicting effective mental and brain processing during the lesson. The role of processing abstraction is emphasised as the learning mechanism, which is given priority over the other mechanisms by the cognitive system. The main markers in focus are P1, N170, Novelty P3, RewP, N400, and P600. The description of the effects is accompanied by the analysis of some implications for the design of novel educational scenarios in inclusive classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Dimitrova
- Department of Interactive Robotics and Control Systems, Institute of Robotics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Hiroaki Wagatsuma
- Department of Human Intelligence Systems, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology (KYUTECH), Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Aleksandar Krastev
- Department of Interactive Robotics and Control Systems, Institute of Robotics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Eleni Vrochidou
- Human-Machines Interaction (HUMAIN) Lab, Department of Computer Science, International Hellenic University (IHU), Kavala, Greece
| | - J. David Nunez-Gonzalez
- Engineering School of Gipuzkoa—Eibar Section, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain
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37
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Mäki-Marttunen V. Pupil-based States of Brain Integration across Cognitive States. Neuroscience 2021; 471:61-71. [PMID: 34303781 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Arousal is a potent mechanism that provides the brain with functional flexibility and adaptability to external conditions. Within the wake state, arousal levels driven by activity in the neuromodulatory systems are related to specific signatures of neural activation and brain synchrony. However, direct evidence is still lacking on the varying effects of arousal on macroscopic brain characteristics and across a variety of cognitive states in humans. Using a concurrent fMRI-pupillometry approach, we used pupil size as a proxy for arousal and obtained patterns of brain integration associated with increasing arousal levels. We carried out this analysis on resting-state data and data from two attentional tasks implicating different cognitive processes. We found that an increasing level of arousal was related to a state of increased brain integration. This effect was prominent in the salience, visual and default-mode networks in all conditions, while other regions showed task-specificity. Increased integration in the salience network was also related to faster pupil dilation in the two attentional tasks. Furthermore, task performance was related to arousal level, with lower accuracy at higher level of arousal. Taken together, our study provides evidence in humans for pupil size as an index of brain network state, and supports the role of arousal as a switch that drives brain coordination in specific brain regions according to the cognitive state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Mäki-Marttunen
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Postboks 1094, Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway; Cognitive Psychology Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Pieter de la Court, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands.
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38
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Local Oscillatory Brain Dynamics of Mind Wandering in Schizophrenia. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11070910. [PMID: 34356145 PMCID: PMC8304325 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11070910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of studies have focused on brain dynamics underlying mind wandering (MW) states in healthy people. However, there is limited understanding of how the oscillatory dynamics accompanying MW states and task-focused states are characterized in clinical populations. In this study, we explored EEG local synchrony of MW associated with schizophrenia, under the premise that changes in attention that arise during MW are associated with a different pattern of brain activity. To this end, we measured the power of EEG oscillations in different frequency bands, recorded while participants watched short video clips. In the group of participants diagnosed with schizophrenia, the power in MW states was significantly lower than during task-focused states, mainly in the frontal and posterior regions. However, in the group of healthy controls, the differences in power between the task-focused and MW states occurred exclusively in the posterior region. Furthermore, the power of the frequency bands during MW and during episodes of task-focused attention correlated with cognitive variables such as processing speed and working memory. These findings on dynamic changes of local synchronization in different frequency bands and areas of the cortex can improve our understanding of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia.
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39
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Wolff A, Chen L, Tumati S, Golesorkhi M, Gomez-Pilar J, Hu J, Jiang S, Mao Y, Longtin A, Northoff G. Prestimulus dynamics blend with the stimulus in neural variability quenching. Neuroimage 2021; 238:118160. [PMID: 34058331 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural responses to the same stimulus show significant variability over trials, with this variability typically reduced (quenched) after a stimulus is presented. This trial-to-trial variability (TTV) has been much studied, however how this neural variability quenching is influenced by the ongoing dynamics of the prestimulus period is unknown. Utilizing a human intracranial stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) data set, we investigate how prestimulus dynamics, as operationalized by standard deviation (SD), shapes poststimulus activity through trial-to-trial variability (TTV). We first observed greater poststimulus variability quenching in those real trials exhibiting high prestimulus variability as observed in all frequency bands. Next, we found that the relative effect of the stimulus was higher in the later (300-600ms) than the earlier (0-300ms) poststimulus period. Lastly, we replicate our findings in a separate EEG dataset and extend them by finding that trials with high prestimulus variability in the theta and alpha bands had faster reaction times. Together, our results demonstrate that stimulus-related activity, including its variability, is a blend of two factors: 1) the effects of the external stimulus itself, and 2) the effects of the ongoing dynamics spilling over from the prestimulus period - the state at stimulus onset - with the second dwarfing the influence of the first.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemarie Wolff
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada.
| | - Liang Chen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Wulumuqi Middle Rd, Shanghai, China.
| | - Shankar Tumati
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Mehrshad Golesorkhi
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Javier Gomez-Pilar
- Biomedical Engineering Group, Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineering, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Jie Hu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Wulumuqi Middle Rd, Shanghai, China
| | - Shize Jiang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Wulumuqi Middle Rd, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Wulumuqi Middle Rd, Shanghai, China
| | - André Longtin
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Physics Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada; Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
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40
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Kucyi A, Esterman M, Capella J, Green A, Uchida M, Biederman J, Gabrieli JDE, Valera EM, Whitfield-Gabrieli S. Prediction of stimulus-independent and task-unrelated thought from functional brain networks. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1793. [PMID: 33741956 PMCID: PMC7979817 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22027-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural substrates of "mind wandering" have been widely reported, yet experiments have varied in their contexts and their definitions of this psychological phenomenon, limiting generalizability. We aimed to develop and test the generalizability, specificity, and clinical relevance of a functional brain network-based marker for a well-defined feature of mind wandering-stimulus-independent, task-unrelated thought (SITUT). Combining functional MRI (fMRI) with online experience sampling in healthy adults, we defined a connectome-wide model of inter-regional coupling-dominated by default-frontoparietal control subnetwork interactions-that predicted trial-by-trial SITUT fluctuations within novel individuals. Model predictions generalized in an independent sample of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In three additional resting-state fMRI studies (total n = 1115), including healthy individuals and individuals with ADHD, we demonstrated further prediction of SITUT (at modest effect sizes) defined using multiple trait-level and in-scanner measures. Our findings suggest that SITUT is represented within a common pattern of brain network interactions across time scales and contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Kucyi
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Michael Esterman
- National Center for PTSD & Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James Capella
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Allison Green
- Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mai Uchida
- Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph Biederman
- Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eve M Valera
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
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41
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Tagliazucchi E, Zamberlan F, Cavanna F, de la Fuente L, Romero C, Sanz Perl Y, Pallavicini C. Baseline Power of Theta Oscillations Predicts Mystical-Type Experiences Induced by DMT in a Natural Setting. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:720066. [PMID: 34803754 PMCID: PMC8602571 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.720066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a classic psychedelic capable of inducing short-lasting but profound changes in consciousness. As with other psychedelics, the experience induced by DMT strongly depends upon contextual factors, yet the neurobiological determinants of this variability remain unknown. The present study investigated changes in neural oscillations elicited by inhaled DMT, and whether baseline electroencephalography (EEG) recordings could predict the subjective effects reported by the participants. Healthy volunteers (N = 35) were measured with EEG before and during the acute effects of DMT consumed in a natural setting. Source-localized neural oscillations were correlated with the results of multiple questionnaires employed to assess the subjective effects of the drug. DMT resulted in a marked reduction of alpha and beta oscillations, and increased posterior spectral power in the delta, theta and gamma bands. The power of fronto-temporal theta oscillations was inversely correlated with scales indexing feelings of unity and transcendence, which are an integral part of the phenomenology of mystical-type experiences. The robustness of these results was supported using a machine learning model for regression trained and tested following a cross-validation procedure. These results are consistent with the observation that the state of mind prior to consuming a psychedelic drug influences the ensuing subjective experience of the user. They also suggest that baseline EEG screenings before administration of a serotonergic psychedelic could be useful to estimate the likelihood of inducing mystical-type experiences, previously linked to sustained positive effects in well-being and improved outcome of therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires (IFIBA-National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Latin American Brain Health Institute, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Federico Zamberlan
- Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires (IFIBA-National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Federico Cavanna
- Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires (IFIBA-National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Fundación Para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura de la Fuente
- Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires (IFIBA-National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Celeste Romero
- Centro de Estudios de la Cultura Cannábica, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Yonatan Sanz Perl
- Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires (IFIBA-National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carla Pallavicini
- Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires (IFIBA-National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Fundación Para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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