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Coronel-Oliveros C, Medel V, Orellana S, Rodiño J, Lehue F, Cruzat J, Tagliazucchi E, Brzezicka A, Orio P, Kowalczyk-Grębska N, Ibáñez A. Gaming expertise induces meso‑scale brain plasticity and efficiency mechanisms as revealed by whole-brain modeling. Neuroimage 2024; 293:120633. [PMID: 38704057 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120633] [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: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Video games are a valuable tool for studying the effects of training and neural plasticity on the brain. However, the underlying mechanisms related to plasticity-associated brain structural changes and their impact on brain dynamics are unknown. Here, we used a semi-empirical whole-brain model to study structural neural plasticity mechanisms linked to video game expertise. We hypothesized that video game expertise is associated with neural plasticity-mediated changes in structural connectivity that manifest at the meso‑scale level, resulting in a more segregated functional network topology. To test this hypothesis, we combined structural connectivity data of StarCraft II video game players (VGPs, n = 31) and non-players (NVGPs, n = 31), with generic fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project and computational models, to generate simulated fMRI recordings. Graph theory analysis on simulated data was performed during both resting-state conditions and external stimulation. VGPs' simulated functional connectivity was characterized by a meso‑scale integration, with increased local connectivity in frontal, parietal, and occipital brain regions. The same analyses at the level of structural connectivity showed no differences between VGPs and NVGPs. Regions that increased their connectivity strength in VGPs are known to be involved in cognitive processes crucial for task performance such as attention, reasoning, and inference. In-silico stimulation suggested that differences in FC between VGPs and NVGPs emerge in noisy contexts, specifically when the noisy level of stimulation is increased. This indicates that the connectomes of VGPs may facilitate the filtering of noise from stimuli. These structural alterations drive the meso‑scale functional changes observed in individuals with gaming expertise. Overall, our work sheds light on the mechanisms underlying structural neural plasticity triggered by video game experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Coronel-Oliveros
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres, Peñalolén, Santiago 2640, Chile; Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California US and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 287, Chile
| | - Vicente Medel
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres, Peñalolén, Santiago 2640, Chile; Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett St, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; Department of Neuroscience, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Independencia, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sebastián Orellana
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 287, Chile
| | - Julio Rodiño
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 287, Chile; Brain Dynamics Laboratory, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Valparaíso, General Cruz 222, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Fernando Lehue
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 287, Chile
| | - Josephine Cruzat
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres, Peñalolén, Santiago 2640, Chile
| | - Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres, Peñalolén, Santiago 2640, Chile; Buenos Aires Physics Institute and Physics Department, University of Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 - Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Aneta Brzezicka
- Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19/31, Warsaw, 03-815, Poland
| | - Patricio Orio
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 287, Chile; Instituto de Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Gran Bretaña 1091, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile.
| | - Natalia Kowalczyk-Grębska
- Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19/31, Warsaw, 03-815, Poland.
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres, Peñalolén, Santiago 2640, Chile; Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California US and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Vito Dumas 284, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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Coronel-Oliveros C, Medel V, Orellana S, Rodiño J, Lehue F, Cruzat J, Tagliazucchi E, Brzezicka A, Orio P, Kowalczyk-Grębska N, Ibáñez A. Gaming expertise induces meso-scale brain plasticity and efficiency mechanisms as revealed by whole-brain modeling Gaming expertise, neuroplasticity and functional dynamics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.21.554072. [PMID: 38077041 PMCID: PMC10705274 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.21.554072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Video games are a valuable tool for studying the effects of training and neural plasticity on the brain. However, the underlaying mechanisms related to plasticity-induced brain structural changes and their impact in brain dynamics are unknown. Here, we used a semi-empirical whole-brain model to study structural neural plasticity mechanisms linked to video game expertise. We hypothesized that video game expertise is associated with neural plasticity-mediated changes in structural connectivity that manifest at the meso-scale level, resulting in a more segregated functional network topology. To test this hypothesis, we combined structural connectivity data of StarCraft II video game players (VGPs, n = 31) and non-players (NVGPs, n = 31), with generic fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project and computational models, with the aim of generating simulated fMRI recordings. Graph theory analysis on simulated data was performed during both resting-state conditions and external stimulation. VGPs' simulated functional connectivity was characterized by a meso-scale integration, with increased local connectivity in frontal, parietal and occipital brain regions. The same analyses at the level of structural connectivity showed no differences between VGPs and NVGPs. Regions that increased their connectivity strength in VGPs are known to be involved in cognitive processes crucial for task performance such as attention, reasoning, and inference. In-silico stimulation suggested that differences in FC between VGPs and NVGPs emerge in noisy contexts, specifically when the noisy level of stimulation is increased. This indicates that the connectomes of VGPs may facilitate the filtering of noise from stimuli. These structural alterations drive the meso-scale functional changes observed in individuals with gaming expertise. Overall, our work sheds light into the mechanisms underlying structural neural plasticity triggered by video game experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Coronel-Oliveros
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Penalolen, Santiago (Chile)
- Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California US and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington 287, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso (Chile)
| | - Vicente Medel
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Penalolen, Santiago (Chile)
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett St, Camperdown NSW 2050 (Australia)
- Department of Neuroscience, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Independencia, Santiago (Chile)
| | - Sebastián Orellana
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington 287, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso (Chile)
| | - Julio Rodiño
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington 287, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso (Chile)
- Brain Dynamics Laboratory, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Valparaíso, General Cruz 222, Valparaíso (Chile)
| | - Fernando Lehue
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington 287, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso (Chile)
| | - Josephine Cruzat
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Penalolen, Santiago (Chile)
| | - Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Penalolen, Santiago (Chile)
- Buenos Aires Physics Institute and Physics Department, University of Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 - Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires (Argentina)
| | - Aneta Brzezicka
- Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19/31, 03-815 Warsaw (Poland)
| | - Patricio Orio
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Universidad de Valparaíso, Harrington 287, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso (Chile)
- Instituto de Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Gran Bretaña 1091, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso (Chile)
| | - Natalia Kowalczyk-Grębska
- Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19/31, 03-815 Warsaw (Poland)
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Penalolen, Santiago (Chile)
- Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California US and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés & CONICET, Vito Dumas 284, Provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina)
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2 (Ireland)
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Schuurmans JP, Bennett MA, Petras K, Goffaux V. Backward masking reveals coarse-to-fine dynamics in human V1. Neuroimage 2023; 274:120139. [PMID: 37137434 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120139] [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: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural images exhibit luminance variations aligned across a broad spectrum of spatial frequencies (SFs). It has been proposed that, at early stages of processing, the coarse signals carried by the low SF (LSF) of the visual input are sent rapidly from primary visual cortex (V1) to ventral, dorsal and frontal regions to form a coarse representation of the input, which is later sent back to V1 to guide the processing of fine-grained high SFs (i.e., HSF). We used functional resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the role of human V1 in the coarse-to-fine integration of visual input. We disrupted the processing of the coarse and fine content of full-spectrum human face stimuli via backward masking of selective SF ranges (LSFs: <1.75cpd and HSFs: >1.75cpd) at specific times (50, 83, 100 or 150ms). In line with coarse-to-fine proposals, we found that (1) the selective masking of stimulus LSF disrupted V1 activity in the earliest time window, and progressively decreased in influence, while (2) an opposite trend was observed for the masking of stimulus' HSF. This pattern of activity was found in V1, as well as in ventral (i.e. the Fusiform Face area, FFA), dorsal and orbitofrontal regions. We additionally presented subjects with contrast negated stimuli. While contrast negation significantly reduced response amplitudes in the FFA, as well as coupling between FFA and V1, coarse-to-fine dynamics were not affected by this manipulation. The fact that V1 response dynamics to strictly identical stimulus sets differed depending on the masked scale adds to growing evidence that V1 role goes beyond the early and quasi-passive transmission of visual information to the rest of the brain. It instead indicates that V1 may yield a 'spatially registered common forum' or 'blackboard' that integrates top-down inferences with incoming visual signals through its recurrent interaction with high-level regions located in the inferotemporal, dorsal and frontal regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien P Schuurmans
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), UC Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Matthew A Bennett
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), UC Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Institute of Neuroscience (IONS), UC Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Kirsten Petras
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Valérie Goffaux
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), UC Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Institute of Neuroscience (IONS), UC Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Canoluk MU, Moors P, Goffaux V. Contributions of low- and high-level contextual mechanisms to human face perception. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0285255. [PMID: 37130144 PMCID: PMC10153715 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Contextual modulations at primary stages of visual processing depend on the strength of local input. Contextual modulations at high-level stages of (face) processing show a similar dependence to local input strength. Namely, the discriminability of a facial feature determines the amount of influence of the face context on that feature. How high-level contextual modulations emerge from primary mechanisms is unclear due to the scarcity of empirical research systematically addressing the functional link between the two. We tested (62) young adults' ability to process local input independent of the context using contrast detection and (upright and inverted) morphed facial feature matching tasks. We first investigated contextual modulation magnitudes across tasks to address their shared variance. A second analysis focused on the profile of performance across contextual conditions. In upright eye matching and contrast detection tasks, contextual modulations only correlated at the level of their profile (averaged Fisher-Z transformed r = 1.18, BF10 > 100), but not magnitude (r = .15, BF10 = .61), suggesting the functional independence but similar working principles of the mechanisms involved. Both the profile (averaged Fisher-Z transformed r = .32, BF10 = 9.7) and magnitude (r = .28, BF10 = 4.58) of the contextual modulations correlated between inverted eye matching and contrast detection tasks. Our results suggest that non-face-specialized high-level contextual mechanisms (inverted faces) work in connection to primary contextual mechanisms, but that the engagement of face-specialized mechanisms for upright faces obscures this connection. Such combined study of low- and high-level contextual modulations sheds new light on the functional relationship between different levels of the visual processing hierarchy, and thus on its functional organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Umut Canoluk
- Research Institute for Psychological Science (IPSY), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Pieter Moors
- Department of Brain and Cognition, Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valerie Goffaux
- Research Institute for Psychological Science (IPSY), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Lacroix A, Harquel S, Mermillod M, Vercueil L, Alleysson D, Dutheil F, Kovarski K, Gomot M. The Predictive Role of Low Spatial Frequencies in Automatic Face Processing: A Visual Mismatch Negativity Investigation. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:838454. [PMID: 35360280 PMCID: PMC8963370 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.838454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual processing is thought to function in a coarse-to-fine manner. Low spatial frequencies (LSF), conveying coarse information, would be processed early to generate predictions. These LSF-based predictions would facilitate the further integration of high spatial frequencies (HSF), conveying fine details. The predictive role of LSF might be crucial in automatic face processing, where high performance could be explained by an accurate selection of clues in early processing. In the present study, we used a visual Mismatch Negativity (vMMN) paradigm by presenting an unfiltered face as standard stimulus, and the same face filtered in LSF or HSF as deviant, to investigate the predictive role of LSF vs. HSF during automatic face processing. If LSF are critical for predictions, we hypothesize that LSF deviants would elicit less prediction error (i.e., reduced mismatch responses) than HSF deviants. Results show that both LSF and HSF deviants elicited a mismatch response compared with their equivalent in an equiprobable sequence. However, in line with our hypothesis, LSF deviants evoke significantly reduced mismatch responses compared to HSF deviants, particularly at later stages. The difference in mismatch between HSF and LSF conditions involves posterior areas and right fusiform gyrus. Overall, our findings suggest a predictive role of LSF during automatic face processing and a critical involvement of HSF in the fusiform during the conscious detection of changes in faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline Lacroix
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, Grenoble, France
- *Correspondence: Adeline Lacroix
| | - Sylvain Harquel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, Grenoble, France
- Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Martial Mermillod
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, Grenoble, France
| | - Laurent Vercueil
- Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, InsermU1216, CHU Grenoble, Grenoble, France
| | - David Alleysson
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, Grenoble, France
| | - Frédéric Dutheil
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LaPSCo, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Klara Kovarski
- Hôpital Fondation Rothschild, I3N, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Marie Gomot
- UMR 1253 iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France
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Hunter P. Understanding redundancy and resilience: Redundancy in life is provided by distributing functions across networks rather than back-up systems: Redundancy in life is provided by distributing functions across networks rather than back-up systems. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e54742. [PMID: 35156768 PMCID: PMC8892264 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202254742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how evolution generates and maintains redundancy to cope with damage and loss of function in living systems could inspire applications from new therapies to resilient computer networks.
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