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Knight RS, Chen T, Center EG, Gratton G, Fabiani M, Savazzi S, Mazzi C, Beck DM. Bypassing input to V1 in visual awareness: A TMS-EROS investigation. Neuropsychologia 2024; 198:108864. [PMID: 38521150 PMCID: PMC11194103 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108864] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Early visual cortex (V1-V3) is believed to be critical for normal visual awareness by providing the necessary feedforward input. However, it remains unclear whether visual awareness can occur without further involvement of early visual cortex, such as re-entrant feedback. It has been challenging to determine the importance of feedback activity to these areas because of the difficulties in dissociating this activity from the initial feedforward activity. Here, we applied single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left posterior parietal cortex to elicit phosphenes in the absence of direct visual input to early visual cortex. Immediate neural activity after the TMS pulse was assessed using the event-related optical signal (EROS), which can measure activity under the TMS coil without artifacts. Our results show that: 1) The activity in posterior parietal cortex 50 ms after TMS was related to phosphene awareness, and 2) Activity related to awareness was observed in a small portion of V1 140 ms after TMS, but in contrast (3) Activity in V2 was a more robust correlate of awareness. Together, these results are consistent with interactive models proposing that sustained and recurrent loops of activity between cortical areas are necessary for visual awareness to emerge. In addition, we observed phosphene-related activations of the anteromedial cuneus and lateral occipital cortex, suggesting a functional network subserving awareness comprising these regions, the parietal cortex and early visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramisha S Knight
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois.405 N Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, USA; Aptima, Inc. 2555 University Blvd, Fairborn, OH, USA
| | - Tao Chen
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois.405 N Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois. 601 E John Street, Champaign, IL, USA.
| | - Evan G Center
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois.405 N Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois. 601 E John Street, Champaign, IL, USA; Center for Ubiquitous Computing, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Gabriele Gratton
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois.405 N Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois. 601 E John Street, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Monica Fabiani
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois.405 N Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois. 601 E John Street, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Silvia Savazzi
- Perception and Awareness (PandA) Lab, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Mazzi
- Perception and Awareness (PandA) Lab, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Diane M Beck
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois.405 N Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois. 601 E John Street, Champaign, IL, USA.
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Ding J, Ye Z, Xu F, Hu X, Yu H, Zhang S, Tu Y, Zhang Q, Sun Q, Hua T, Lu ZL. Effects of top-down influence suppression on behavioral and V1 neuronal contrast sensitivity functions in cats. iScience 2022; 25:103683. [PMID: 35059603 PMCID: PMC8760559 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
To explore the relative contributions of higher-order and primary visual cortex (V1) to visual perception, we compared cats' behavioral and V1 neuronal contrast sensitivity functions (CSF) and threshold versus external noise contrast (TvC) functions before and after top-down influence of area 7 (A7) was modulated with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We found that suppressing top-down influence of A7 with cathode-tDCS, but not sham-tDCS, reduced behavioral and neuronal contrast sensitivity in the same range of spatial frequencies and increased behavioral and neuronal contrast thresholds in the same range of external noise levels. The neuronal CSF and TvC functions were highly correlated with their behavioral counterparts both before and after the top-down suppression. Analysis of TvC functions using the Perceptual Template Model (PTM) indicated that top-down influence of A7 increased both behavioral and V1 neuronal contrast sensitivity by reducing internal additive noise and the impact of external noise. Top-down suppression lowers both behavioral and V1 neuronal CSF functions Top-down suppression raises both behavioral and V1 neuronal TvC functions The neuronal CSFs and TvCs are highly correlated with their behavioral counterparts Top-down influence lowers internal additive noise and impact of external noise in V1
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Ding
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Zheng Ye
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Fei Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Xiangmei Hu
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Hao Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Shen Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Yanni Tu
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Qiuyu Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Qingyan Sun
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Tianmiao Hua
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Zhong-Lin Lu
- Divison of Arts and Sciences, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200122, China.,Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200062, China
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Guo K, Calver L, Soornack Y, Bourke P. Valence-dependent Disruption in Processing of Facial Expressions of Emotion in Early Visual Cortex—A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:906-916. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Our visual inputs are often entangled with affective meanings in natural vision, implying the existence of extensive interaction between visual and emotional processing. However, little is known about the neural mechanism underlying such interaction. This exploratory transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study examined the possible involvement of the early visual cortex (EVC, Area V1/V2/V3) in perceiving facial expressions of different emotional valences. Across three experiments, single-pulse TMS was delivered at different time windows (50–150 msec) after a brief 10-msec onset of face images, and participants reported the visibility and perceived emotional valence of faces. Interestingly, earlier TMS at ∼90 msec only reduced the face visibility irrespective of displayed expressions, but later TMS at ∼120 msec selectively disrupted the recognition of negative facial expressions, indicating the involvement of EVC in the processing of negative expressions at a later time window, possibly beyond the initial processing of fed-forward facial structure information. The observed TMS effect was further modulated by individuals' anxiety level. TMS at ∼110–120 msec disrupted the recognition of anger significantly more for those scoring relatively low in trait anxiety than the high scorers, suggesting that cognitive bias influences the processing of facial expressions in EVC. Taken together, it seems that EVC is involved in structural encoding of (at least) negative facial emotional valence, such as fear and anger, possibly under modulation from higher cortical areas.
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Pavan A, Ghin F, Donato R, Campana G, Mather G. The neural basis of form and form-motion integration from static and dynamic translational Glass patterns: A rTMS investigation. Neuroimage 2017. [PMID: 28633972 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A long-held view of the visual system is that form and motion are independently analysed. However, there is physiological and psychophysical evidence of early interaction in the processing of form and motion. In this study, we used a combination of Glass patterns (GPs) and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to investigate in human observers the neural mechanisms underlying form-motion integration. GPs consist of randomly distributed dot pairs (dipoles) that induce the percept of an oriented stimulus. GPs can be either static or dynamic. Dynamic GPs have both a form component (i.e., orientation) and a non-directional motion component along the orientation axis. GPs were presented in two temporal intervals and observers were asked to discriminate the temporal interval containing the most coherent GP. rTMS was delivered over early visual area (V1/V2) and over area V5/MT shortly after the presentation of the GP in each interval. The results showed that rTMS applied over early visual areas affected the perception of static GPs, but the stimulation of area V5/MT did not affect observers' performance. On the other hand, rTMS was delivered over either V1/V2 or V5/MT strongly impaired the perception of dynamic GPs. These results suggest that early visual areas seem to be involved in the processing of the spatial structure of GPs, and interfering with the extraction of the global spatial structure also affects the extraction of the motion component, possibly interfering with early form-motion integration. However, visual area V5/MT is likely to be involved only in the processing of the motion component of dynamic GPs. These results suggest that motion and form cues may interact as early as V1/V2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pavan
- University of Lincoln, School of Psychology, Brayford Pool, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK.
| | - Filippo Ghin
- University of Lincoln, School of Psychology, Brayford Pool, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK
| | - Rita Donato
- University of Padova, Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Gianluca Campana
- University of Padova, Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - George Mather
- University of Lincoln, School of Psychology, Brayford Pool, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK
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Xu J, Yue S, Menchinelli F, Guo K. What has been missed for predicting human attention in viewing driving clips? PeerJ 2017; 5:e2946. [PMID: 28168112 PMCID: PMC5291110 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research progress on the topic of human visual attention allocation in scene perception and its simulation is based mainly on studies with static images. However, natural vision requires us to extract visual information that constantly changes due to egocentric movements or dynamics of the world. It is unclear to what extent spatio-temporal regularity, an inherent regularity in dynamic vision, affects human gaze distribution and saliency computation in visual attention models. In this free-viewing eye-tracking study we manipulated the spatio-temporal regularity of traffic videos by presenting them in normal video sequence, reversed video sequence, normal frame sequence, and randomised frame sequence. The recorded human gaze allocation was then used as the 'ground truth' to examine the predictive ability of a number of state-of-the-art visual attention models. The analysis revealed high inter-observer agreement across individual human observers, but all the tested attention models performed significantly worse than humans. The inferior predictability of the models was evident from indistinguishable gaze prediction irrespective of stimuli presentation sequence, and weak central fixation bias. Our findings suggest that a realistic visual attention model for the processing of dynamic scenes should incorporate human visual sensitivity with spatio-temporal regularity and central fixation bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Xu
- School of Computer Science, University of Lincoln , Lincoln , United Kingdom
| | - Shigang Yue
- School of Computer Science, University of Lincoln , Lincoln , United Kingdom
| | | | - Kun Guo
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln , Lincoln , United Kingdom
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