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Bleau M, Paré S, Chebat DR, Kupers R, Nemargut JP, Ptito M. Neural substrates of spatial processing and navigation in blindness: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1010354. [PMID: 36340755 PMCID: PMC9630591 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1010354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Even though vision is considered the best suited sensory modality to acquire spatial information, blind individuals can form spatial representations to navigate and orient themselves efficiently in space. Consequently, many studies support the amodality hypothesis of spatial representations since sensory modalities other than vision contribute to the formation of spatial representations, independently of visual experience and imagery. However, given the high variability in abilities and deficits observed in blind populations, a clear consensus about the neural representations of space has yet to be established. To this end, we performed a meta-analysis of the literature on the neural correlates of spatial processing and navigation via sensory modalities other than vision, like touch and audition, in individuals with early and late onset blindness. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis of the neuroimaging literature revealed that early blind individuals and sighted controls activate the same neural networks in the processing of non-visual spatial information and navigation, including the posterior parietal cortex, frontal eye fields, insula, and the hippocampal complex. Furthermore, blind individuals also recruit primary and associative occipital areas involved in visuo-spatial processing via cross-modal plasticity mechanisms. The scarcity of studies involving late blind individuals did not allow us to establish a clear consensus about the neural substrates of spatial representations in this specific population. In conclusion, the results of our analysis on neuroimaging studies involving early blind individuals support the amodality hypothesis of spatial representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Bleau
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Samuel Paré
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (VCN Lab), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Ron Kupers
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Maurice Ptito
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Maurice Ptito,
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2
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Setti W, Cuturi LF, Cocchi E, Gori M. Spatial Memory and Blindness: The Role of Visual Loss on the Exploration and Memorization of Spatialized Sounds. Front Psychol 2022; 13:784188. [PMID: 35686077 PMCID: PMC9171105 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.784188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial memory relies on encoding, storing, and retrieval of knowledge about objects’ positions in their surrounding environment. Blind people have to rely on sensory modalities other than vision to memorize items that are spatially displaced, however, to date, very little is known about the influence of early visual deprivation on a person’s ability to remember and process sound locations. To fill this gap, we tested sighted and congenitally blind adults and adolescents in an audio-spatial memory task inspired by the classical card game “Memory.” In this research, subjects (blind, n = 12; sighted, n = 12) had to find pairs among sounds (i.e., animal calls) displaced on an audio-tactile device composed of loudspeakers covered by tactile sensors. To accomplish this task, participants had to remember the spatialized sounds’ position and develop a proper mental spatial representation of their locations. The test was divided into two experimental conditions of increasing difficulty dependent on the number of sounds to be remembered (8 vs. 24). Results showed that sighted participants outperformed blind participants in both conditions. Findings were discussed considering the crucial role of visual experience in properly manipulating auditory spatial representations, particularly in relation to the ability to explore complex acoustic configurations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Setti
- Unit for Visually Impaired People (U-VIP), Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Walter Setti,
| | - Luigi F. Cuturi
- Unit for Visually Impaired People (U-VIP), Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Monica Gori
- Unit for Visually Impaired People (U-VIP), Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
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3
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Luo D, Nie M, Wei Y, Hu F, Wu X. Forming the Concept of Direction Developmentally. IEEE Trans Cogn Dev Syst 2020. [DOI: 10.1109/tcds.2019.2955816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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4
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Rinaldi L, Ciricugno A, Merabet LB, Vecchi T, Cattaneo Z. The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10100662. [PMID: 32977398 PMCID: PMC7597958 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10100662] [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: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The human cerebral cortex is asymmetrically organized with hemispheric lateralization pervading nearly all neural systems of the brain. Whether the lack of normal visual development affects hemispheric specialization subserving the deployment of visuospatial attention asymmetries is controversial. In principle, indeed, the lack of early visual experience may affect the lateralization of spatial functions, and the blind may rely on a different sensory input compared to the sighted. In this review article, we thus present a current state-of-the-art synthesis of empirical evidence concerning the effects of visual deprivation on the lateralization of various spatial processes (i.e., including line bisection, mirror symmetry, and localization tasks). Overall, the evidence reviewed indicates that spatial processes are supported by a right hemispheric network in the blind, hence, analogously to the sighted. Such a right-hemisphere dominance, however, seems more accentuated in the blind as compared to the sighted as indexed by the greater leftward bias shown in different spatial tasks. This is possibly the result of the more pronounced involvement of the right parietal cortex during spatial tasks in blind individuals compared to the sighted, as well as of the additional recruitment of the right occipital cortex, which would reflect the cross-modal plastic phenomena that largely characterize the blind brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Rinaldi
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Science, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Lotfi B. Merabet
- The Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Tomaso Vecchi
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Science, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.C.); (Z.C.)
| | - Zaira Cattaneo
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.C.); (Z.C.)
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
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5
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Peña J, Sampedro A, Ibarretxe-Bilbao N, Zubiaurre-Elorza L, Aizpurua A, Ojeda N. The effect of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over bilateral posterior parietal cortex on divergent and convergent thinking. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15559. [PMID: 32968171 PMCID: PMC7511964 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72532-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Creativity pervades many areas of everyday life and is considered highly relevant in several human living domains. Previous literature suggests that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is related to creativity. However, none of previous studies have compared the effect of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over bilateral PPC on both verbal and visual divergent thinking (DT) and Remote Associates Test (RAT) in the same experimental design. Forty healthy participants were randomly assigned to tRNS (100–500 Hz) over bilateral PPC or sham group, for 15 min and current was set at 1.5 mA. Participants’ creativity skills were assessed before and after brain stimulation with the Unusual Uses and the Picture Completion subtests from the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking and the RAT. ANCOVA (baseline scores as covariate) results indicated that tRNS group had significantly higher scores at post-test in RAT and visual originality compared to sham group. Unusual Uses, on the other hand, was not significant. Improvement in RAT suggests the involvement of PPC during via insight solution which may reflect internally directed attention that helps the recombination of remotely associated information. The improvement in visual originality dimension from DT may be due to a higher internally directed attention while reducing externally oriented attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Peña
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Avda. Universidades 24, 48007, Bilbao, , Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Agurne Sampedro
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Avda. Universidades 24, 48007, Bilbao, , Basque Country, Spain
| | - Naroa Ibarretxe-Bilbao
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Avda. Universidades 24, 48007, Bilbao, , Basque Country, Spain
| | - Leire Zubiaurre-Elorza
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Avda. Universidades 24, 48007, Bilbao, , Basque Country, Spain
| | - Aralar Aizpurua
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Avda. Universidades 24, 48007, Bilbao, , Basque Country, Spain
| | - Natalia Ojeda
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Avda. Universidades 24, 48007, Bilbao, , Basque Country, Spain
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Ricciardi E, Bottari D, Ptito M, Röder B, Pietrini P. The sensory-deprived brain as a unique tool to understand brain development and function. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:78-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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7
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Zhang C, Lee TMC, Fu Y, Ren C, Chan CCH, Tao Q. Properties of cross-modal occipital responses in early blindness: An ALE meta-analysis. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:102041. [PMID: 31677587 PMCID: PMC6838549 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
ALE meta-analysis reveals distributed brain networks for object and spatial functions in individuals with early blindness. ALE contrast analysis reveals specific activations in the left cuneus and lingual gyrus for language function, suggesting a reverse hierarchical organization of the visual cortex for early blind individuals. The findings contribute to visual rehabilitation in blind individuals by revealing the function-dependent and sensory-independent networks during nonvisual processing.
Cross-modal occipital responses appear to be essential for nonvisual processing in individuals with early blindness. However, it is not clear whether the recruitment of occipital regions depends on functional domain or sensory modality. The current study utilized a coordinate-based meta-analysis to identify the distinct brain regions involved in the functional domains of object, spatial/motion, and language processing and the common brain regions involved in both auditory and tactile modalities in individuals with early blindness. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a total of 55 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The specific analyses revealed the brain regions that are consistently recruited for each function, such as the dorsal fronto-parietal network for spatial function and ventral occipito-temporal network for object function. This is consistent with the literature, suggesting that the two visual streams are preserved in early blind individuals. The contrast analyses found specific activations in the left cuneus and lingual gyrus for language function. This finding is novel and suggests a reverse hierarchical organization of the visual cortex for early blind individuals. The conjunction analyses found common activations in the right middle temporal gyrus, right precuneus and a left parieto-occipital region. Clinically, this work contributes to visual rehabilitation in early blind individuals by revealing the function-dependent and sensory-independent networks during nonvisual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiyun Zhang
- Psychology Department, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Tatia M C Lee
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, CHINA; Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, CHINA; The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunwei Fu
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Chaoran Ren
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Guangdong key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China; Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chetwyn C H Chan
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, CHINA.
| | - Qian Tao
- Psychology Department, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, China.
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8
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Ibáñez‐Marcelo E, Campioni L, Manzoni D, Santarcangelo EL, Petri G. Spectral and topological analyses of the cortical representation of the head position: Does hypnotizability matter? Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01277. [PMID: 31001933 PMCID: PMC6576149 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the EEG correlates of head positions (which have never been studied in humans) in participants with different psychophysiological characteristics, as encoded by their hypnotizability scores. This choice is motivated by earlier studies suggesting different processing of vestibular/neck proprioceptive information in subjects with high (highs) and low (lows) hypnotizability scores maintaining their head rotated toward one side (RH). METHODS We analyzed EEG signals recorded in 20 highs and 19 lows in basal conditions (head forward) and during RH using spectral analysis, which captures changes localized to specific recording sites, and topological data analysis (TDA), which instead describes large-scale differences in processing and representing sensorimotor information. RESULTS Spectral analysis revealed significant differences related to head position for alpha 1, beta 2, beta 3, and gamma bands, but not to hypnotizability. TDA instead revealed global hypnotizability-related differences in the strengths of the correlations among recording sites during RH. Significant changes were observed in lows on the left parieto-occipital side and in highs in right frontoparietal region. Significant differences between the two groups were found in the occipital region, where changes were larger in lows than in highs. CONCLUSIONS This study reports finding of the EEG correlates of changes in the head posture for the first time, indicating that hypnotizability is related to the head posture representation/processing on large-scale networks and that spectral and topological data analyses provide complementary results.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Campioni
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | - Diego Manzoni
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | - Enrica L. Santarcangelo
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | - Giovanni Petri
- ISI FoundationTurinItaly
- ISI Global Science FoundationNew YorkNYUSA
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9
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Ghanavati E, Salehinejad MA, Nejati V, Nitsche MA. Differential role of prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortices in verbal and figural fluency: Implications for the supramodal contribution of executive functions. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3700. [PMID: 30842493 PMCID: PMC6403289 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40273-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal and figural fluency are related to executive functions (EFs), but the extent to which they benefit from executive resources and their respective cortical representations is not clear. Moreover, different brain areas and cognitive functions are involved in fluency processing. This study investigated effects of modulation of cortical excitability in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC), left temporal area and right posterior parietal cortex (r-PPC) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), on verbal and figural fluency. Fifteen healthy adult participants received anodal l-DLPFC (F3), anodal left temporal (T3), anodal r-PPC (P4) and sham tDCS (15 min, 1.5 mA). After five minutes of stimulation, participants underwent the verbal fluency (i.e., semantic and phonemic fluency tasks) and figural fluency tasks. Participants significantly generated more words with phonemic cues during anodal l-DLPFC tDCS and more words with semantic cues during both anodal left temporal and anodal l-DLPFC tDCS. In contrast, they generated more unique figures under anodal r-PPC and anodal l-DLPFC tDCS. Our results implicate that prefrontal regions and EFs are shared anatomical correlates and cognitive processes relevant for both, verbal and figural fluency (supramodal contribution of DLPFC activation), whereas r-PPC and left temporal cortex are more specifically involved in figural and semantic fluency (modality-specific contribution).
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Ghanavati
- Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Mohammad Ali Salehinejad
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany. .,Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. .,International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Vahid Nejati
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. .,Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
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10
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Visuospatial imagery in healthy individuals with different hypnotizability levels. Neurosci Lett 2019; 690:158-161. [PMID: 30342994 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Hypnotizability is a psychophysiological trait associated with morpho-functional brain differences. Since also cerebellar peculiarities have been reported in individuals with different hypnotizability levels and the cerebellar function is relevant to spatial imagery, the present study was aimed at investigating possible hypnotizability-related differences in the ability of spatial imagery. Highly (highs, N = 31), low (lows, N = 17) and medium (mediums, N = 16) hypnotizable participants (classified by Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, form A) of both genders were submitted to a test of mental rotation, which requires the integrity of both executive and cerebellar structures. In order to disentangle the role of the cerebellum from that of executive circuits as much as possible, visuospatial and verbal working memory tests, which mainly reflect executive processes, were also performed. Healthy highs exhibited higher scores of mental rotation ability compared to mediums in the absence of significant differences in visual-spatial and verbal working memory. Lows reported intermediate scores not significantly different from both highs' and mediums'. Different cognitive strategies were observed in the three groups as the correlations between mental rotation, visuospatial and verbal working memory were different in highs, mediums and lows. In conclusion, present findings represent the first report of hypnotizability-related differences in a mental rotation task, which is relevant to several cognitive functions.
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11
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Visual and Motor Recovery After "Cognitive Therapeutic Exercises" in Cortical Blindness: A Case Study. J Neurol Phys Ther 2018. [PMID: 28628550 DOI: 10.1097/npt.0000000000000189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Spontaneous visual recovery is rare after cortical blindness. While visual rehabilitation may improve performance, no visual therapy has been widely adopted, as clinical outcomes are variable and rarely translate into improvements in activities of daily living (ADLs). We explored the potential value of a novel rehabilitation approach "cognitive therapeutic exercises" for cortical blindness. CASE DESCRIPTION The subject of this case study was 48-year-old woman with cortical blindness and tetraplegia after cardiac arrest. Prior to the intervention, she was dependent in ADLs and poorly distinguished shapes and colors after 19 months of standard visual and motor rehabilitation. Computed tomographic images soon after symptom onset demonstrated acute infarcts in both occipital cortices. INTERVENTION The subject underwent 8 months of intensive rehabilitation with "cognitive therapeutic exercises" consisting of discrimination exercises correlating sensory and visual information. OUTCOMES Visual fields increased; object recognition improved; it became possible to watch television; voluntary arm movements improved in accuracy and smoothness; walking improved; and ADL independence and self-reliance increased. Subtraction of neuroimaging acquired before and after rehabilitation showed that focal glucose metabolism increases bilaterally in the occipital poles. DISCUSSION This study demonstrates feasibility of "cognitive therapeutic exercises" in an individual with cortical blindness, who experienced impressive visual and sensorimotor recovery, with marked ADL improvement, more than 2 years after ischemic cortical damage.Video Abstract available for additional insights from the authors (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A173).
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de Borst AW, de Gelder B. Mental Imagery Follows Similar Cortical Reorganization as Perception: Intra-Modal and Cross-Modal Plasticity in Congenitally Blind. Cereb Cortex 2018; 29:2859-2875. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Cortical plasticity in congenitally blind individuals leads to cross-modal activation of the visual cortex and may lead to superior perceptual processing in the intact sensory domains. Although mental imagery is often defined as a quasi-perceptual experience, it is unknown whether it follows similar cortical reorganization as perception in blind individuals. In this study, we show that auditory versus tactile perception evokes similar intra-modal discriminative patterns in congenitally blind compared with sighted participants. These results indicate that cortical plasticity following visual deprivation does not influence broad intra-modal organization of auditory and tactile perception as measured by our task. Furthermore, not only the blind, but also the sighted participants showed cross-modal discriminative patterns for perception modality in the visual cortex. During mental imagery, both groups showed similar decoding accuracies for imagery modality in the intra-modal primary sensory cortices. However, no cross-modal discriminative information for imagery modality was found in early visual cortex of blind participants, in contrast to the sighted participants. We did find evidence of cross-modal activation of higher visual areas in blind participants, including the representation of specific-imagined auditory features in visual area V4.
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Affiliation(s)
- A W de Borst
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
- Brain and Emotion Lab, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - B de Gelder
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
- Brain and Emotion Lab, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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13
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Rinaldi L, Merabet LB, Vecchi T, Cattaneo Z. The spatial representation of number, time, and serial order following sensory deprivation: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 90:371-380. [PMID: 29746876 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The spatial representation of numerical and temporal information is thought to be rooted in our multisensory experiences. Accordingly, we may expect visual or auditory deprivation to affect the way we represent numerical magnitude and time spatially. Here, we systematically review recent findings on how blind and deaf individuals represent abstract concepts such as magnitude and time (e.g., past/future, serial order of events) in a spatial format. Interestingly, available evidence suggests that sensory deprivation does not prevent the spatial "re-mapping" of abstract information, but differences compared to normally sighted and hearing individuals may emerge depending on the specific dimension considered (i.e., numerical magnitude, time as past/future, serial order). Herein we discuss how the study of sensory deprived populations may shed light on the specific, and possibly distinct, mechanisms subserving the spatial representation of these concepts. Furthermore, we pinpoint unresolved issues that need to be addressed by future studies to grasp a full understanding of the spatial representation of abstract information associated with visual and auditory deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Rinaldi
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy.
| | - Lotfi B Merabet
- The Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Tomaso Vecchi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Zaira Cattaneo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
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14
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Tinti C, Chiesa S, Cavaglià R, Dalmasso S, Pia L, Schmidt S. On my right or on your left? Spontaneous spatial perspective taking in blind people. Conscious Cogn 2018; 62:1-8. [PMID: 29689492 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Spatial perspective taking is a human ability that permits to assume another person's spatial viewpoint. Data show that spatial perspective taking might arise even spontaneously by the mere presence of another person in the environment. We investigated whether this phenomenon is observable also in blind people. Blind and blindfolded sighted participants explored a tridimensional tactile map and memorized the localization of different landmarks. Then, after the presentation of sounds coming from three landmarks-positioned on the right, on the left, and in front-participants had to indicate the reciprocal position of the two lateral landmarks. Results showed that when the sound coming from the frontal landmark suggested the presence of a speaking (voice) or moving person (footsteps), several blind and sighted people adopted this person's perspective. These findings suggest that auditory stimuli can trigger spontaneous spatial perspective taking in sighted as well as in blind people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Tinti
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia Chiesa
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | - Lorenzo Pia
- SAMBA (SpAtial, Motor and Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; NIT (Neuroscience Institute of Turin), Turin, Italy.
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Ricciardi E, Menicagli D, Leo A, Costantini M, Pietrini P, Sinigaglia C. Peripersonal space representation develops independently from visual experience. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17673. [PMID: 29247162 PMCID: PMC5732274 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17896-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Our daily-life actions are typically driven by vision. When acting upon an object, we need to represent its visual features (e.g. shape, orientation, etc.) and to map them into our own peripersonal space. But what happens with people who have never had any visual experience? How can they map object features into their own peripersonal space? Do they do it differently from sighted agents? To tackle these questions, we carried out a series of behavioral experiments in sighted and congenitally blind subjects. We took advantage of a spatial alignment effect paradigm, which typically refers to a decrease of reaction times when subjects perform an action (e.g., a reach-to-grasp pantomime) congruent with that afforded by a presented object. To systematically examine peripersonal space mapping, we presented visual or auditory affording objects both within and outside subjects’ reach. The results showed that sighted and congenitally blind subjects did not differ in mapping objects into their own peripersonal space. Strikingly, this mapping occurred also when objects were presented outside subjects’ reach, but within the peripersonal space of another agent. This suggests that (the lack of) visual experience does not significantly affect the development of both one’s own and others’ peripersonal space representation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dario Menicagli
- MOMILab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, I-55100, Lucca, Italy
| | - Andrea Leo
- MOMILab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, I-55100, Lucca, Italy.,Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Pisa, I-56100, Italy
| | - Marcello Costantini
- Department of Neuroscience and Imaging and Clinical Science, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, I-66100, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies - ITAB, Foundation University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, I-66100, Italy.,Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Pietro Pietrini
- MOMILab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, I-55100, Lucca, Italy
| | - Corrado Sinigaglia
- Department of Philosophy, University of Milan, via Festa del Perdono 7, I-20122, Milano, Italy. .,CSSA, Centre for the Study of Social Action, University of Milan, Milan, I-20122, Italy.
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16
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Gamond L, Vecchi T, Ferrari C, Merabet LB, Cattaneo Z. Emotion processing in early blind and sighted individuals. Neuropsychology 2017; 31:516-524. [PMID: 28287776 DOI: 10.1037/neu0000360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Emotion processing is known to be mediated by a complex network of cortical and subcortical regions with evidence of specialized hemispheric lateralization within the brain. In light of prior evidence indicating that lateralization of cognitive functions (such as language) may depend on normal visual development, we investigated whether the lack of prior visual experience would have an impact on the development of specialized hemispheric lateralization in emotional processing. METHOD We addressed this issue by comparing performance in early blind and sighted controls on a dichotic listening task requiring the detection of specific emotional vocalizations (i.e., suggestive of happiness or sadness) presented independently to either ear. RESULTS Consistent with previous studies, we found that sighted individuals showed enhanced detection of positive vocalizations when presented in the right ear (i.e., processed within the left hemisphere) and negative vocalizations when presented in the left ear (i.e., right hemisphere). It is interesting to note that although blind individuals were as accurate as sighted controls in detecting the valance of the vocalization, performance was not consistent with any pattern of specialized hemispheric lateralization. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these results suggest that although the lack of prior visual experience may not lead to impaired emotion processing performance, the underlying neurophysiological substrate (i.e., degree of special hemispheric lateralization) may depend on normal visual development. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucile Gamond
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca
| | - Tomaso Vecchi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia
| | | | - Lotfi B Merabet
- The Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School
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17
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Finocchietti S, Cappagli G, Gori M. Auditory Spatial Recalibration in Congenital Blind Individuals. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:76. [PMID: 28261053 PMCID: PMC5309234 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Blind individuals show impairments for auditory spatial skills that require complex spatial representation of the environment. We suggest that this is partially due to the egocentric frame of reference used by blind individuals. Here we investigate the possibility of reducing the mentioned auditory spatial impairments with an audio-motor training. Our hypothesis is that the association between a motor command and the corresponding movement's sensory feedback can provide an allocentric frame of reference and consequently help blind individuals in understanding complex spatial relationships. Subjects were required to localize the end point of a moving sound before and after either 2-min of audio-motor training or a complete rest. During the training, subjects were asked to move their hand, and consequently the sound source, to freely explore the space around the setup and the body. Both congenital blind (N = 20) and blindfolded healthy controls (N = 28) participated in the study. Results suggest that the audio-motor training was effective in improving space perception of blind individuals. The improvement was not observed in those subjects that did not perform the training. This study demonstrates that it is possible to recalibrate the auditory spatial representation in congenital blind individuals with a short audio-motor training and provides new insights for rehabilitation protocols in blind people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Finocchietti
- Unit for Visually Impaired People, Center for Human Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Genoa, Italy
| | - Giulia Cappagli
- Unit for Visually Impaired People, Center for Human Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Genoa, Italy
| | - Monica Gori
- Unit for Visually Impaired People, Center for Human Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Genoa, Italy
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18
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Shen W, Yuan Y, Liu C, Zhang X, Luo J, Gong Z. Is creative insight task-specific? A coordinate-based meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on insightful problem solving. Int J Psychophysiol 2016; 110:81-90. [PMID: 27720998 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The question of whether creative insight varies across problem types has recently come to the forefront of studies of creative cognition. In the present study, to address the nature of creative insight, the coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation (ALE) technique was utilized to individually conduct three quantitative meta-analyses of neuroimaging experiments that used the compound remote associate (CRA) task, the prototype heuristic (PH) task and the Chinese character chunk decomposition (CCD) task. These tasks were chosen because they are frequently used to uncover the neurocognitive correlates of insight. Our results demonstrated that creative insight reliably activates largely non-overlapping brain regions across task types, with the exception of some shared regions: the CRA task mainly relied on the right parahippocampal gyrus, the superior frontal gyrus and the inferior frontal gyrus; the PH task primarily depended on the right middle occipital gyrus (MOG), the bilateral superior parietal lobule/precuneus, the left inferior parietal lobule, the left lingual gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus; and the CCD task activated a broad cerebral network consisting of most dorsolateral and medial prefrontal regions, frontoparietal regions and the right MOG. These results provide the first neural evidence of the task dependence of creative insight. The implications of these findings for resolving conflict surrounding the different theories of creative cognition and for defining insight as a set of heterogeneous processes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wangbing Shen
- School of Public Administration and Institute of Applied Psychology, Hohai University, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, China; School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China.
| | - Chang Liu
- School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China.
| | - Xiaojiang Zhang
- School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China
| | - Jing Luo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
| | - Zhe Gong
- School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China
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19
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Gohel B, Lee P, Jeong Y. Modality-specific spectral dynamics in response to visual and tactile sequential shape information processing tasks: An MEG study using multivariate pattern classification analysis. Brain Res 2016; 1644:39-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.04.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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Papale P, Chiesi L, Rampinini AC, Pietrini P, Ricciardi E. When Neuroscience 'Touches' Architecture: From Hapticity to a Supramodal Functioning of the Human Brain. Front Psychol 2016; 7:866. [PMID: 27375542 PMCID: PMC4899444 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decades, the rapid growth of functional brain imaging methodologies allowed cognitive neuroscience to address open questions in philosophy and social sciences. At the same time, novel insights from cognitive neuroscience research have begun to influence various disciplines, leading to a turn to cognition and emotion in the fields of planning and architectural design. Since 2003, the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture has been supporting 'neuro-architecture' as a way to connect neuroscience and the study of behavioral responses to the built environment. Among the many topics related to multisensory perceptual integration and embodiment, the concept of hapticity was recently introduced, suggesting a pivotal role of tactile perception and haptic imagery in architectural appraisal. Arguments have thus risen in favor of the existence of shared cognitive foundations between hapticity and the supramodal functional architecture of the human brain. Precisely, supramodality refers to the functional feature of defined brain regions to process and represent specific information content in a more abstract way, independently of the sensory modality conveying such information to the brain. Here, we highlight some commonalities and differences between the concepts of hapticity and supramodality according to the distinctive perspectives of architecture and cognitive neuroscience. This comparison and connection between these two different approaches may lead to novel observations in regard to people-environment relationships, and even provide empirical foundations for a renewed evidence-based design theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Papale
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, TriesteItaly
| | - Leonardo Chiesi
- Citylab – Laboratory of Social Research on Design, Architecture and Beyond, Department of Political and Social Sciences, School of Architecture, University of Florence, FlorenceItaly
| | - Alessandra C. Rampinini
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, University of Pisa, PisaItaly
| | | | - Emiliano Ricciardi
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, University of Pisa, PisaItaly
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