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Sylvester S, Sagehorn M, Gruber T, Atzmueller M, Schöne B. SHAP value-based ERP analysis (SHERPA): Increasing the sensitivity of EEG signals with explainable AI methods. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:6067-6081. [PMID: 38453828 PMCID: PMC11335964 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02335-7] [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] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Conventionally, event-related potential (ERP) analysis relies on the researcher to identify the sensors and time points where an effect is expected. However, this approach is prone to bias and may limit the ability to detect unexpected effects or to investigate the full range of the electroencephalography (EEG) signal. Data-driven approaches circumvent this limitation, however, the multiple comparison problem and the statistical correction thereof affect both the sensitivity and specificity of the analysis. In this study, we present SHERPA - a novel approach based on explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) designed to provide the researcher with a straightforward and objective method to find relevant latency ranges and electrodes. SHERPA is comprised of a convolutional neural network (CNN) for classifying the conditions of the experiment and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) as a post hoc explainer to identify the important temporal and spatial features. A classical EEG face perception experiment is employed to validate the approach by comparing it to the established researcher- and data-driven approaches. Likewise, SHERPA identified an occipital cluster close to the temporal coordinates for the N170 effect expected. Most importantly, SHERPA allows quantifying the relevance of an ERP for a psychological mechanism by calculating an "importance score". Hence, SHERPA suggests the presence of a negative selection process at the early and later stages of processing. In conclusion, our new method not only offers an analysis approach suitable in situations with limited prior knowledge of the effect in question but also an increased sensitivity capable of distinguishing neural processes with high precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Sylvester
- Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Merle Sagehorn
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Martin Atzmueller
- Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schöne
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany.
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
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Gillmeister H, Šmate I, Savva D, Li H, Parapadakis C, Adler J. Confrontation with others' emotions changes bodily resonance differently in those with low and high levels of depersonalization. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230248. [PMID: 39005042 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
We present novel research on the cortical dynamics of atypical perceptual and emotional processing in people with symptoms of depersonalization-derealization disorder (DP-DR). We used electroencephalography (EEG)/event-related potentials (ERPs) to delineate the early perceptual mechanisms underlying emotional face recognition and mirror touch in adults with low and high levels of DP-DR symptoms (low-DP and high-DP groups). Face-sensitive visual N170 showed markedly less differentiation for emotional versus neutral face-voice stimuli in the high- than in the low-DP group. This effect was related to self-reported bodily symptoms like disembodiment. Emotional face-voice primes altered mirror touch at somatosensory cortical components P45 and P100 differently in the two groups. In the high-DP group, mirror touch occurred only when seeing touch after being confronted with angry face-voice primes. Mirror touch in the low-DP group, however, was unaffected by preceding emotions. Modulation of mirror touch following angry others was related to symptoms of self-other confusion. Results suggest that others' negative emotions affect somatosensory processes in those with an altered sense of bodily self. Our findings are in line with the idea that disconnecting from one's body and self (core symptom of DP-DR) may be a defence mechanism to protect from the threat of negative feelings, which may be exacerbated through self-other confusion. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sensing and feeling: an integrative approach to sensory processing and emotional experience'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Gillmeister
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Ieva Šmate
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Dimitra Savva
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Haojie Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Christina Parapadakis
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Julia Adler
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
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Aldunate N, López V, Rojas-Thomas F, Villena-González M, Palacios I, Artigas C, Rodríguez E, Bosman CA. Emotional text messages affect the early processing of emoticons depending on their emotional congruence: evidence from the N170 and EPN event related potentials. Cogn Process 2024:10.1007/s10339-024-01223-y. [PMID: 39180634 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-024-01223-y] [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: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
Emoticons have been considered pragmatic cues that enhance emotional expressivity during computer-mediated communication. Yet, it is unclear how emoticons are processed in ambiguous text-based communication due to incongruences between the emoticon's emotional valence and its context. In this study, we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of contextual influence on the early emotional processing of emoticons, during an emotional congruence judgment task. Participants were instructed to judge the congruence between a text message expressing an emotional situation (positive or negative), and a subsequent emoticon expressing positive or negative emotions. We analyzed early event-related potentials elicited by emoticons related to face processing (N170) and emotional salience in visual perception processing (Early Posterior Negativity, EPN). Our results show that accuracy and Reaction Times depend on the interaction between the emotional valence of the context and the emoticon. Negative emoticons elicited a larger N170, suggesting that the emotional information of the emoticon is integrated at the early stages of the perceptual process. During emoticon processing, a valence effect was observed with enhanced EPN amplitudes in occipital areas for emoticons representing negative valences. Moreover, we observed a congruence effect in parieto-temporal sites within the same time-window, with larger amplitudes for the congruent condition. We conclude that, similar to face processing, emoticons are processed differently according to their emotional content and the context in which they are embedded. A congruent context might enhance the emotional salience of the emoticon (and therefore, its emotional expression) during the early stages of their processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Aldunate
- Laboratorio de Comportamiento Animal y Humano, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social, Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Vladimir López
- Escuela de Psicología, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe Rojas-Thomas
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Ismael Palacios
- Escuela de Psicología, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Estudios en Neurociencia Humana y Neuropsicología. Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudio Artigas
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Aut´onoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Eugenio Rodríguez
- Escuela de Psicología, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Conrado A Bosman
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, Center for Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Priority Program Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Bossi F, Ricciardelli P, Rivolta D. Stimulus Inversion and Emotional Expressions Independently Affect Face and Body Perception: An ERP Study. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2024; 32:2914-2927. [PMID: 39102324 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2024.3439129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Faces and bodies provide critical cues for social interaction and communication. Their structural encoding depends on configural processing, as suggested by the detrimental effect of stimulus inversion for both faces (i.e., face inversion effect - FIE) and bodies (body inversion effect - BIE). An occipito-temporal negative event-related potential (ERP) component peaking around 170 ms after stimulus onset (N170) is consistently elicited by human faces and bodies and is affected by the inversion of these stimuli. Albeit it is known that emotional expressions can boost structural encoding (resulting in larger N170 components for emotional than for neutral faces), little is known about body emotional expressions. Thus, the current study investigated the effects of different emotional expressions on structural encoding in combination with FIE and BIE. Three ERP components (P1, N170, P2) were recorded using a 128-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) when participants were presented with (upright and inverted) faces and bodies conveying four possible emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear) or no emotion (neutral). Results demonstrated that inversion and emotional expressions independently affected the Accuracy and amplitude of all ERP components (P1, N170, P2). In particular, faces showed specific effects of emotional expressions during the structural encoding stage (N170), while P2 amplitude (representing top-down conceptualisation) was modified by emotional body perception. Moreover, the task performed by participants (i.e., implicit vs. explicit processing of emotional information) differently influenced Accuracy and ERP components. These results support integrated theories of visual perception, thus speaking in favour of the functional independence of the two neurocognitive pathways (one for structural encoding and one for emotional expression analysis) involved in social stimuli processing. Results are discussed highlighting the neurocognitive and computational advantages of the independence between the two pathways.
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Petro NM, Webert LK, Springer SD, Okelberry HJ, John JA, Horne LK, Glesinger R, Rempe MP, Wilson TW. Optimal gamma-band entrainment of visual cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26775. [PMID: 38970249 PMCID: PMC11226544 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26775] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual entrainment is a powerful and widely used research tool to study visual information processing in the brain. While many entrainment studies have focused on frequencies around 14-16 Hz, there is renewed interest in understanding visual entrainment at higher frequencies (e.g., gamma-band entrainment). Notably, recent groundbreaking studies have demonstrated that gamma-band visual entrainment at 40 Hz may have therapeutic effects in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by stimulating specific neural ensembles, which utilize GABAergic signaling. Despite such promising findings, few studies have investigated the optimal parameters for gamma-band visual entrainment. Herein, we examined whether visual stimulation at 32, 40, or 48 Hz produces optimal visual entrainment responses using high-density magnetoencephalography (MEG). Our results indicated strong entrainment responses localizing to the primary visual cortex in each condition. Entrainment responses were stronger for 32 and 40 Hz relative to 48 Hz, indicating more robust synchronization of neural ensembles at these lower gamma-band frequencies. In addition, 32 and 40 Hz entrainment responses showed typical patterns of habituation across trials, but this effect was absent for 48 Hz. Finally, connectivity between visual cortex and parietal and prefrontal cortices tended to be strongest for 40 relative to 32 and 48 Hz entrainment. These results suggest that neural ensembles in the visual cortex may resonate at around 32 and 40 Hz and thus entrain more readily to photic stimulation at these frequencies. Emerging AD therapies, which have focused on 40 Hz entrainment to date, may be more effective at lower relative to higher gamma frequencies, although additional work in clinical populations is needed to confirm these findings. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Gamma-band visual entrainment has emerged as a therapeutic approach for eliminating amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, but its optimal parameters are unknown. We found stronger entrainment at 32 and 40 Hz compared to 48 Hz, suggesting neural ensembles prefer to resonate around these relatively lower gamma-band frequencies. These findings may inform the development and refinement of innovative AD therapies and the study of GABAergic visual cortical functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan M. Petro
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Lauren K. Webert
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Seth D. Springer
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
- College of MedicineUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraskaUSA
| | - Hannah J. Okelberry
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Jason A. John
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Lucy K. Horne
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Ryan Glesinger
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Maggie P. Rempe
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
- College of MedicineUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraskaUSA
| | - Tony W. Wilson
- Institute for Human NeuroscienceBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
- College of MedicineUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraskaUSA
- Department of Pharmacology and NeuroscienceCreighton UniversityOmahaNebraskaUSA
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Gagsch F, Valuch C, Albrecht T. Measuring attentional selection of object categories using hierarchical frequency tagging. J Vis 2024; 24:8. [PMID: 38990066 PMCID: PMC11246098 DOI: 10.1167/jov.24.7.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
In the present study, we used Hierarchical Frequency Tagging (Gordon et al., 2017) to investigate in electroencephalography how different levels of the neural processing hierarchy interact with category-selective attention during visual object recognition. We constructed stimulus sequences of cyclic wavelet scrambled face and house stimuli at two different frequencies (f1 = 0.8 Hz and f2 = 1 Hz). For each trial, two stimulus sequences of different frequencies were superimposed and additionally augmented by a sinusoidal contrast modulation with f3 = 12.5 Hz. This allowed us to simultaneously assess higher level processing using semantic wavelet-induced frequency-tagging (SWIFT) and processing in earlier visual levels using steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs), along with their intermodulation (IM) components. To investigate the category specificity of the SWIFT signal, we manipulated the category congruence between target and distractor by superimposing two sequences containing stimuli from the same or different object categories. Participants attended to one stimulus (target) and ignored the other (distractor). Our results showed successful tagging of different levels of the cortical hierarchy. Using linear mixed-effects modeling, we detected different attentional modulation effects on lower versus higher processing levels. SWIFT and IM components were substantially increased for target versus distractor stimuli, reflecting attentional selection of the target stimuli. In addition, distractor stimuli from the same category as targets elicited stronger SWIFT signals than distractor stimuli from a different category indicating category-selective attention. In contrast, for IM components, this category-selective attention effect was largely absent, indicating that IM components probably reflect more stimulus-specific processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Gagsch
- Georg-Elias-Müller Institute for Psychology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Valuch
- Georg-Elias-Müller Institute for Psychology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thorsten Albrecht
- Georg-Elias-Müller Institute for Psychology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
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Hu H, Wu B, Li H, Wang B, Wu X. Diversity and limitations of electroencephalogram and event-related potential applications in nursing research: A scoping review. Jpn J Nurs Sci 2024; 21:e12593. [PMID: 38441361 DOI: 10.1111/jjns.12593] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
AIMS This scoping review was conducted to provide a comprehensive summary of how electroencephalogram (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) have been used in nursing research, with the goal of mapping the themes and methods of nursing research involving EEGs or ERPs as a measurement tool. METHODS The eligibility criteria were determined according to the Population, Concept, and Context principle. A systematic electronic search of articles in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, and Scopus databases was carried out for the period from database establishment to November 21, 2022. The included studies were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. RESULTS The review process culminated in 45 articles, evidencing an increasing trend and dispersion characteristics of EEG in nursing research and reflecting five thematic domains of inquiry related to nursing. There was a deficiency of detailed reports of EEG recording and data analysis parameters in nursing research. The common EEG bands in nursing research were Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma. The ERP components used frequently were P3, P2, N1, N2, P1, N170, and feedback-related negativity. CONCLUSIONS The wide variety of EEG components used show broad potential for studying nursing questions. In the future, it will be necessary to increase the depth of the research content, the repeatability of the experiment and the standardization of the report. Nursing researchers should give full play to the characteristics of nursing and establish a systematic and complete EEG research system for nursing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiling Hu
- School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Bilin Wu
- School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Huijun Li
- Department of Nursing, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Binlin Wang
- School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Wu
- School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking University Health Science Centre for Evidence-Based Nursing: A JBI Centre of Excellence, Beijing, China
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8
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Del Bianco T, Lai MC, Mason L, Johnson MH, Charman T, Loth E, Banaschewski T, Buitelaar J, Murphy DGM, Jones EJH. Sex differences in social brain neural responses in autism: temporal profiles of configural face-processing within data-driven time windows. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14038. [PMID: 38890406 PMCID: PMC11189412 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64387-9] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Face-processing timing differences may underlie visual social attention differences between autistic and non-autistic people, and males and females. This study investigates the timing of the effects of neurotype and sex on face-processing, and their dependence on age. We analysed EEG data during upright and inverted photographs of faces from 492 participants from the Longitudinal European Autism Project (141 neurotypical males, 76 neurotypical females, 202 autistic males, 73 autistic females; age 6-30 years). We detected timings of sex/diagnosis effects on event-related potential amplitudes at the posterior-temporal channel P8 with Bootstrapped Cluster-based Permutation Analysis and conducted Growth Curve Analysis (GCA) to investigate the timecourse and dependence on age of neural signals. The periods of influence of neurotype and sex overlapped but differed in onset (respectively, 260 and 310 ms post-stimulus), with sex effects lasting longer. GCA revealed a smaller and later amplitude peak in autistic female children compared to non-autistic female children; this difference decreased in adolescence and was not significant in adulthood. No age-dependent neurotype difference was significant in males. These findings indicate that sex and neurotype influence longer latency face processing and implicates cognitive rather than perceptual processing. Sex may have more overarching effects than neurotype on configural face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Del Bianco
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Henry Wellcome Building, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
- School of Social Sciences and Professions, London Metropolitan University, London, UK.
| | - Meng-Chuan Lai
- Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health and Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Luke Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Henry Wellcome Building, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tony Charman
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Eva Loth
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Jan Buitelaar
- Donders Center of Medical Neurosciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Declan G M Murphy
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emily J H Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Henry Wellcome Building, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
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Teichmann L, Hebart MN, Baker CI. Dynamic representation of multidimensional object properties in the human brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.09.08.556679. [PMID: 37745325 PMCID: PMC10515754 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.08.556679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Our visual world consists of an immense number of unique objects and yet, we are easily able to identify, distinguish, interact, and reason about the things we see within a few hundred milliseconds. This requires that we integrate and focus on a wide array of object properties to support specific behavioral goals. In the current study, we examined how these rich object representations unfold in the human brain by modelling time-resolved MEG signals evoked by viewing single presentations of tens of thousands of object images. Based on millions of behavioral judgments, the object space can be captured in 66 dimensions that we use to guide our understanding of the neural representation of this space. We find that all dimensions are reflected in the time course of response with distinct temporal profiles for different object dimensions. These profiles fell into two broad types, with either a distinct and early peak (~125 ms) or a slow rise to a late peak (~300 ms). Further, early effects were stable across participants, in contrast to later effects which showed more variability, suggesting that early peaks may carry stimulus-specific and later peaks more participant-specific information. Dimensions with early peaks appeared to be primarily visual dimensions and those with later peaks more conceptual, suggesting that conceptual representations are more variable across people. Together, these data provide a comprehensive account of how behaviorally-relevant object properties unfold in the human brain and contribute to the rich nature of object vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Teichmann
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD, USA
| | - Martin N Hebart
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD, USA
- Vision and Computational Cognition Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Universities of Marburg, Giessen, and Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Chris I Baker
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD, USA
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Pouliot JJ, Ward RT, Traiser CM, Chiasson P, Gilbert FE, Keil A. Neurophysiological and Autonomic Dynamics of Threat Processing During Sustained Social Fear Generalization. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.16.589830. [PMID: 38659834 PMCID: PMC11042332 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.16.589830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Survival in dynamic environments requires that organisms learn to predict danger from situational cues. One key facet of threat prediction is generalization from a predictive cue to similar cues, ensuring that a cue-outcome contingency is applied beyond the original learning environment. Generalization has been observed in laboratory studies of aversive conditioning: behavioral and physiological processes generalize responses from a stimulus paired with threat (the CS+) to unpaired stimuli, with response magnitudes varying with CS+ similarity. In contrast, work focusing on sensory responses in visual cortex has found a sharpening pattern, in which responses to stimuli closely resembling the CS+ are maximally suppressed, potentially reflecting lateral inhibitory interactions with the CS+ representation. Originally demonstrated with simple visual cues, changes in visuocortical tuning have also been observed in threat generalization learning across facial identities. It is unclear to what extent these visuocortical changes represent transient or sustained effects and if generalization learning requires prior conditioning to the CS+. The present study addressed these questions using EEG and pupillometry in an aversive generalization paradigm involving hundreds of trials using a gradient of facial identities. Visuocortical ssVEP sharpening occurred after dozens of trials of generalization learning without prior differential conditioning, but diminished as learning continued. By contrast, generalization of alpha power suppression, pupil dilation, and self-reported valence and arousal was seen throughout the experiment. Findings are consistent with threat processing models emphasizing the role of changing visucocortical and attentional dynamics when forming, curating, and shaping fear memories as observers continue learning about stimulus-outcome contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Caitlin M. Traiser
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida; Department of Psychology, University of Florida
| | - Payton Chiasson
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida; Department of Psychology, University of Florida
| | - Faith E. Gilbert
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida; Department of Psychology, University of Florida
| | - Andreas Keil
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida; Department of Psychology, University of Florida
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Van Overwalle J, Geusens B, Van der Donck S, Boets B, Wagemans J. Discrimination sensitivity of visual shapes sharpens in autistic adults but only after explicit category learning. Mol Autism 2024; 15:23. [PMID: 38831439 PMCID: PMC11149306 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-024-00604-6] [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: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Categorization and its influence on perceptual discrimination are essential processes to organize information efficiently. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are suggested to display enhanced discrimination on the one hand, but also to experience difficulties with generalization and ignoring irrelevant differences on the other, which underlie categorization. Studies on categorization and discrimination in ASC have mainly focused on one process at a time, however, and typically only used either behavioral or neural measures in isolation. Here, we aim to investigate the interrelationships between these perceptual processes using novel stimuli sampled from a well-controlled artificial stimulus space. In addition, we complement standard behavioral psychophysical tasks with frequency-tagging EEG (FT-EEG) to obtain a direct, non-task related neural index of discrimination and categorization. METHODS The study was completed by 38 adults with ASC and 38 matched neurotypical (NT) individuals. First, we assessed baseline discrimination sensitivity by administering FT-EEG measures and a complementary behavioral task. Second, participants were trained to categorize the stimuli into two groups. Finally, participants again completed the neural and behavioral discrimination sensitivity measures. RESULTS Before training, NT participants immediately revealed a categorical tuning of discrimination, unlike ASC participants who showed largely similar discrimination sensitivity across the stimuli. During training, both autistic and non-autistic participants were able to categorize the stimuli into two groups. However, in the initial training phase, ASC participants were less accurate and showed more variability, as compared to their non-autistic peers. After training, ASC participants showed significantly enhanced neural and behavioral discrimination sensitivity across the category boundary. Behavioral indices of a reduced categorical processing and perception were related to the presence of more severe autistic traits. Bayesian analyses confirmed overall results. LIMITATIONS Data-collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Our behavioral and neural findings indicate that adults with and without ASC are able to categorize highly similar stimuli. However, while categorical tuning of discrimination sensitivity was spontaneously present in the NT group, it only emerged in the autistic group after explicit categorization training. Additionally, during training, adults with autism were slower at category learning. Finally, this multi-level approach sheds light on the mechanisms underlying sensory and information processing issues in ASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaana Van Overwalle
- Department of Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium.
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium.
| | - Birte Geusens
- Department of Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Stephanie Van der Donck
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Johan Wagemans
- Department of Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
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12
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Retter TL, Eraßmy L, Schiltz C. Identifying conceptual neural responses to symbolic numerals. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240589. [PMID: 38919064 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0589] [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: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The goal of measuring conceptual processing in numerical cognition is distanced by the possibility that neural responses to symbolic numerals are influenced by physical stimulus confounds. Here, we targeted conceptual responses to parity (even versus odd), using electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency-tagging with a symmetry/asymmetry design. Arabic numerals (2-9) were presented at 7.5 Hz in 50 s sequences; odd and even numbers were alternated to target differential, 'asymmetry' responses to parity at 3.75 Hz (7.5 Hz/2). Parity responses were probed with four different stimulus sets, increasing in intra-numeral stimulus variability, and with two control conditions composed of non-conceptual numeral alternations. Significant asymmetry responses were found over the occipitotemporal cortex to all conditions, even for the arbitrary controls. The large physical-differences control condition elicited the largest response in the stimulus set with the lowest variability (one font). Only in the stimulus set with the highest variability (20 drawn, coloured exemplars/numeral) did the response to parity surpass both control conditions. These findings show that physical differences across small sets of Arabic numerals can strongly influence, and even account for, automatic brain responses. However, carefully designed control conditions and highly variable stimulus sets may be used towards identifying truly conceptual neural responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia L Retter
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Science & Assessment, University of Luxembourg , Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Lucas Eraßmy
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Science & Assessment, University of Luxembourg , Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Christine Schiltz
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Science & Assessment, University of Luxembourg , Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
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13
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Li C, Xuan Y, Bruns P, Fu X. The role of arousal in the estimation of time-to-collision of threatening stimuli. Psych J 2024; 13:376-386. [PMID: 38655599 PMCID: PMC11169760 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.762] [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: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The accurate estimation of time-to-collision (TTC) is essential for the survival of organisms. Previous studies have revealed that the emotional properties of approaching stimuli can influence the estimation of TTC, indicating that approaching threatening stimuli are perceived to collide with the observers earlier than they actually do, and earlier than non-threatening stimuli. However, not only are threatening stimuli more negative in valence, but they also have higher arousal compared to non-threatening stimuli. Up to now, the effect of arousal on TTC estimation remains unclear. In addition, inconsistent findings may result from the different experimental settings employed in previous studies. To investigate whether the underestimation of TTC is attributed to threat or high arousal, three experiments with the same settings were conducted. In Experiment 1, the underestimation of TTC estimation of threatening stimuli was replicated when arousal was not controlled, in comparison to non-threatening stimuli. In Experiments 2 and 3, the underestimation effect of threatening stimuli disappeared when compared to positive stimuli with similar arousal. These findings suggest that being threatening alone is not sufficient to explain the underestimation effect, and arousal also plays a significant role in the TTC estimation of approaching stimuli. Further studies are required to validate the effect of arousal on TTC estimation, as no difference was observed in Experiment 3 between the estimated TTC of high and low arousal stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiwen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive ScienceInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yuming Xuan
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive ScienceInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Patrick Bruns
- Biological Psychology and NeuropsychologyUniversity of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Xiaolan Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive ScienceInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
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14
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Hense A, Peters A, Bruchmann M, Dellert T, Straube T. Electrophysiological correlates of sustained conscious perception. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10593. [PMID: 38719939 PMCID: PMC11078977 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61281-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research on the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) in visual perception revealed an early event-related potential (ERP), the visual awareness negativity (VAN), to be associated with stimulus awareness. However, due to the use of brief stimulus presentations in previous studies, it remains unclear whether awareness-related negativities represent a transient onset-related response or correspond to the duration of a conscious percept. Studies are required that allow prolonged stimulus presentation under aware and unaware conditions. The present ERP study aimed to tackle this challenge by using a novel stimulation design. Male and female human participants (n = 62) performed a visual task while task-irrelevant line stimuli were presented in the background for either 500 or 1000 ms. The line stimuli sometimes contained a face, which needed so-called visual one-shot learning to be seen. Half of the participants were informed about the presence of the face, resulting in faces being perceived by the informed but not by the uninformed participants. Comparing ERPs between the informed and uninformed group revealed an enhanced negativity over occipitotemporal electrodes that persisted for the entire duration of stimulus presentation. Our results suggest that sustained visual awareness negativities (SVAN) are associated with the duration of stimulus presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Hense
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany.
| | - Antje Peters
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Torge Dellert
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149, Münster, Germany
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15
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Sagehorn M, Johnsdorf M, Kisker J, Gruber T, Schöne B. Electrophysiological correlates of face and object perception: A comparative analysis of 2D laboratory and virtual reality conditions. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14519. [PMID: 38219244 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14519] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Human face perception is a specialized visual process with inherent social significance. The neural mechanisms reflecting this intricate cognitive process have evolved in spatially complex and emotionally rich environments. Previous research using VR to transfer an established face perception paradigm to realistic conditions has shown that the functional properties of face-sensitive neural correlates typically observed in the laboratory are attenuated outside the original modality. The present study builds on these results by comparing the perception of persons and objects under conventional laboratory (PC) and realistic conditions in VR. Adhering to established paradigms, the PC- and VR modalities both featured images of persons and cars alongside standard control images. To investigate the individual stages of realistic face processing, response times, the typical face-sensitive N170 component, and relevant subsequent components (L1, L2; pre-, post-response) were analyzed within and between modalities. The between-modality comparison of response times and component latencies revealed generally faster processing under realistic conditions. However, the obtained N170 latency and amplitude differences showed reduced discriminative capacity under realistic conditions during this early stage. These findings suggest that the effects commonly observed in the lab are specific to monitor-based presentations. Analyses of later and response-locked components showed specific neural mechanisms for identification and evaluation are employed when perceiving the stimuli under realistic conditions, reflected in discernible amplitude differences in response to faces and objects beyond the basic perceptual features. Conversely, the results do not provide evidence for comparable stimulus-specific perceptual processing pathways when viewing pictures of the stimuli under conventional laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merle Sagehorn
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Marike Johnsdorf
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Joanna Kisker
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schöne
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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16
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Maffei A, Gambarota F, Liotti M, Dell'Acqua R, Tsuchiya N, Sessa P. Conscious perception of fear in faces: Insights from high-density EEG and perceptual awareness scale with threshold stimuli. Cortex 2024; 174:93-109. [PMID: 38493568 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.010] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Contrary to the extensive research on processing subliminal and/or unattended emotional facial expressions, only a minority of studies have investigated the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) of emotions conveyed by faces. In the present high-density electroencephalography (EEG) study, we first employed a staircase procedure to identify each participant's perceptual threshold of the emotion expressed by the face and then compared the EEG signals elicited in trials where the participants were aware with the activity elicited in trials where participants were unaware of the emotions expressed by these, otherwise identical, faces. Drawing on existing knowledge of the neural mechanisms of face processing and NCCs, we hypothesized that activity in frontal electrodes would be modulated in relation to participants' awareness of facial emotional content. More specifically, we hypothesized that the NCC of fear seen on someone else's face could be detected as a modulation of a later and more anterior (i.e., at frontal sites) event-related potential (ERP) than the face-sensitive N170. By adopting a data-driven approach and cluster-based statistics to the analysis of EEG signals, the results were clear-cut in showing that visual awareness of fear was associated with the modulation of a frontal ERP component in a 150-300 msec interval. These insights are dissected and contextualized in relation to prevailing theories of visual consciousness and their proposed NCC benchmarks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Maffei
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Filippo Gambarota
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Mario Liotti
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Roberto Dell'Acqua
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Naotsugu Tsuchiya
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health & School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan; Laboratory Head, Laboratory of Qualia Structure, ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Paola Sessa
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
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17
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Luo X, Zhao D, Gao Y, Yang Z, Wang D, Mei G. Implicit weight bias: shared neural substrates for overweight and angry facial expressions revealed by cross-adaptation. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae128. [PMID: 38566513 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae128] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The perception of facial expression plays a crucial role in social communication, and it is known to be influenced by various facial cues. Previous studies have reported both positive and negative biases toward overweight individuals. It is unclear whether facial cues, such as facial weight, bias facial expression perception. Combining psychophysics and event-related potential technology, the current study adopted a cross-adaptation paradigm to examine this issue. The psychophysical results of Experiments 1A and 1B revealed a bidirectional cross-adaptation effect between overweight and angry faces. Adapting to overweight faces decreased the likelihood of perceiving ambiguous emotional expressions as angry compared to adapting to normal-weight faces. Likewise, exposure to angry faces subsequently caused normal-weight faces to appear thinner. These findings were corroborated by bidirectional event-related potential results, showing that adaptation to overweight faces relative to normal-weight faces modulated the event-related potential responses of emotionally ambiguous facial expression (Experiment 2A); vice versa, adaptation to angry faces relative to neutral faces modulated the event-related potential responses of ambiguous faces in facial weight (Experiment 2B). Our study provides direct evidence associating overweight faces with facial expression, suggesting at least partly common neural substrates for the perception of overweight and angry faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Luo
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian New District, Guiyang 550025China
| | - Danning Zhao
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian New District, Guiyang 550025China
| | - Yi Gao
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 654 Cherry St NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States
| | - Zhihao Yang
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian New District, Guiyang 550025China
| | - Da Wang
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian New District, Guiyang 550025China
| | - Gaoxing Mei
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian New District, Guiyang 550025China
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18
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Brysbaert M. Designing and evaluating tasks to measure individual differences in experimental psychology: a tutorial. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:11. [PMID: 38411837 PMCID: PMC10899130 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00540-2] [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: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Experimental psychology is witnessing an increase in research on individual differences, which requires the development of new tasks that can reliably assess variations among participants. To do this, cognitive researchers need statistical methods that many researchers have not learned during their training. The lack of expertise can pose challenges not only in designing good, new tasks but also in evaluating tasks developed by others. To bridge the gap, this article provides an overview of test psychology applied to performance tasks, covering fundamental concepts such as standardization, reliability, norming and validity. It provides practical guidelines for developing and evaluating experimental tasks, as well as for combining tasks to better understand individual differences. To further address common misconceptions, the article lists 11 prevailing myths. The purpose of this guide is to provide experimental psychologists with the knowledge and tools needed to conduct rigorous and insightful studies of individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Brysbaert
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
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19
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Teng CL, Cong L, Wang W, Cheng S, Wu M, Dang WT, Jia M, Ma J, Xu J, Hu WD. Disrupted properties of functional brain networks in major depressive disorder during emotional face recognition: an EEG study via graph theory analysis. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1338765. [PMID: 38415279 PMCID: PMC10897049 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1338765] [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: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormal brain networks in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in emotional processing. While any cognitive task consists of a series of stages, little is yet known about the topology of functional brain networks in MDD for these stages during emotional face recognition. To address this problem, electroencephalography (EEG)-based functional brain networks of MDD patients at different stages of facial information processing were investigated in this study. First, EEG signals were collected from 16 patients with MDD and 18 age-, gender-, and education-matched normal subjects when performing an emotional face recognition task. Second, the global field power (GFP) method was employed to divide group-averaged event-related potentials into different stages. Third, using the phase transfer entropy (PTE) approach, the brain networks of MDD patients and normal individuals were constructed for each stage in negative and positive face processing, respectively. Finally, we compared the topological properties of brain networks of each stage between the two groups using graph theory approaches. The results showed that the analyzed three stages of emotional face processing corresponded to specific neurophysiological phases, namely, visual perception, face recognition, and emotional decision-making. It was also demonstrated that depressed patients showed abnormally decreased characteristic path length at the visual perception stage of negative face recognition and normalized characteristic path length in the stage of emotional decision-making during positive face processing compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, while both the MDD and normal groups' brain networks were found to exhibit small-world network characteristics, the brain network of patients with depression tended to be randomized. Moreover, for patients with MDD, the centro-parietal region may lose its status as a hub in the process of facial expression identification. Together, our findings suggested that altered emotional function in MDD patients might be associated with disruptions in the topological organization of functional brain networks during emotional face recognition, which further deepened our understanding of the emotion processing dysfunction underlying MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Lin Teng
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lin Cong
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shan Cheng
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Min Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei-Tao Dang
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Min Jia
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jin Ma
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jin Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wen-Dong Hu
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
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20
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Rho G, Callara AL, Bossi F, Ognibene D, Cecchetto C, Lomonaco T, Scilingo EP, Greco A. Combining electrodermal activity analysis and dynamic causal modeling to investigate the visual-odor multimodal integration during face perception. J Neural Eng 2024; 21:016020. [PMID: 38290158 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad2403] [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: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Objective. This study presents a novel methodological approach for incorporating information related to the peripheral sympathetic response into the investigation of neural dynamics. Particularly, we explore how hedonic contextual olfactory stimuli influence the processing of neutral faces in terms of sympathetic response, event-related potentials and effective connectivity analysis. The objective is to investigate how the emotional valence of odors influences the cortical connectivity underlying face processing and the role of face-induced sympathetic arousal in this visual-olfactory multimodal integration.Approach. To this aim, we combine electrodermal activity (EDA) analysis and dynamic causal modeling to examine changes in cortico-cortical interactions.Results. The results reveal that stimuli arising sympathetic EDA responses are associated with a more negative N170 amplitude, which may be a marker of heightened arousal in response to faces. Hedonic odors, on the other hand, lead to a more negative N1 component and a reduced the vertex positive potential when they are unpleasant or pleasant. Concerning connectivity, unpleasant odors strengthen the forward connection from the inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) to the middle temporal gyrus, which is involved in processing changeable facial features. Conversely, the occurrence of sympathetic responses after a stimulus is correlated with an inhibition of this same connection and an enhancement of the backward connection from ITG to the fusiform face gyrus.Significance. These findings suggest that unpleasant odors may enhance the interpretation of emotional expressions and mental states, while faces capable of eliciting sympathetic arousal prioritize identity processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Rho
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center 'E. Piaggio', School of Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alejandro Luis Callara
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center 'E. Piaggio', School of Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Bossi
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Dimitri Ognibene
- Università Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Cinzia Cecchetto
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Tommaso Lomonaco
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Enzo Pasquale Scilingo
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center 'E. Piaggio', School of Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Greco
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center 'E. Piaggio', School of Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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21
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Richards JE, Guy MW, Hogan AL, Roberts JE. Neural correlates of face processing among preschoolers with fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, autism siblings, and typical development. Autism Res 2024; 17:89-108. [PMID: 37916532 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3045] [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: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
The current study examined patterns of event-related potential (ERP) responses during a face processing task in groups of preschoolers uniquely impacted by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including (1) children with ASD; (2) children with fragile X syndrome (FXS); (3) children with familial risk for ASD, but without a diagnosis (i.e., ASIBs); and (4) a low-risk control (LRC) group. Children with FXS have a high incidence of ASD diagnoses, but there have been no studies of the ERP response to faces in children with FXS and little work focused on children with ASD who have cognitive impairment. The current study examined children's ERP responses to faces and houses in four groups: LRC (N = 28, age = 5.2 years), ASIB (N = 23, age = 5.5 years), FXS (N = 19, age = 5.82 years), and ASD (N = 23, age = 5.5 years). The FXS and ASD groups were characterized by the presence of cognitive impairment. Pictures of upright and inverted faces and houses were presented while recording EEG with a 128-channel system. The N170 occurred at about 200 ms post stimulus onset, was largest on the posterior-lateral electrodes, and was larger for faces than houses. The P1 and N170 ERP components were larger for the FXS group than for the other three groups. The N170 ERP amplitude for the ASD and ASIB groups was smaller than both the LRC and FXS groups, and the LRC and FXS groups had the largest N170 responses on the right side. No difference was found in N170 latency between groups. The similarity of the ASD and ASIB responses suggest a common genetic or environmental origin of the reduced response. Although children with FXS have a high incidence of ASD outcomes, they differed from ASD and ASIB children in this study. Specifically, the children with FXS were hyperresponsive to all stimulus types while the ASD and ASIB groups showed attenuated responses for specific stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Richards
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Maggie W Guy
- Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Abigail L Hogan
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jane E Roberts
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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22
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Van der Donck S, Hendriks M, Vos S, Op de Beeck H, Boets B. Neural sensitivity to facial identity and facial expression discrimination in adults with autism. Autism Res 2023; 16:2110-2124. [PMID: 37823568 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3036] [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: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The fluent processing of faces can be challenging for autistic individuals. Here, we assessed the neural sensitivity to rapid changes in subtle facial cues in 23 autistic men and 23 age and IQ matched non-autistic (NA) controls using frequency-tagging electroencephalography (EEG). In oddball paradigms examining the automatic and implicit discrimination of facial identity and facial expression, base rate images were presented at 6 Hz, periodically interleaved every fifth image with an oddball image (i.e. 1.2 Hz oddball frequency). These distinctive frequency tags for base rate and oddball stimuli allowed direct and objective quantification of the neural discrimination responses. We found no large differences in the neural sensitivity of participants in both groups, not for facial identity discrimination, nor for facial expression discrimination. Both groups also showed a clear face-inversion effect, with reduced brain responses for inverted versus upright faces. Furthermore, sad faces generally elicited significantly lower neural amplitudes than angry, fearful and happy faces. The only minor group difference is the larger involvement of high-level right-hemisphere visual areas in NA men for facial expression processing. These findings are discussed from a developmental perspective, as they strikingly contrast with robust face processing deficits observed in autistic children using identical EEG paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Van der Donck
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michelle Hendriks
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuve, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Silke Vos
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hans Op de Beeck
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuve, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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23
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Brunet NM. Face processing and early event-related potentials: replications and novel findings. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1268972. [PMID: 37954936 PMCID: PMC10634455 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1268972] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
This research explores early Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) sensitivity to facial stimuli, investigating various facial features aimed to unveil underlying neural mechanisms. Two experiments, each involving 15 undergraduate students, utilized a multidimensional stimulus set incorporating race, gender, age, emotional expression, face masks, and stimulus orientation. Findings highlight significant modulations in N170 and P200 amplitudes and latencies for specific attributes, replicating prior research and revealing novel insights. Notably, age-related facial feature variations, facial inversion, and the presence of face masks significantly impact neural responses. Several speculative explanations are proposed to elucidate these results: First, the findings lend support to the idea that the increased N170 amplitude observed with facial inversion is closely tied to the activation of object-sensitive neurons. This is further bolstered by a similar amplitude increase noted when masks (effective objects) are added to faces. Second, the absence of an additional amplitude increase, when inverting face images with face masks suggests that neural populations may have reached a saturation point, limiting further enhancement. Third, the study reveals that the latency deficit in N170 induced by facial inversion is even more pronounced in the subsequent ERP component, the P200, indicating that face inversion may impact multiple stages of face processing. Lastly, the significant increase in P200 amplitude, typically associated with face typicality, for masked faces in this study aligns with previous research that demonstrated elevated P200 amplitudes for scrambled faces. This suggests that obscured faces may be processed as typical, potentially representing a default state in face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas M. Brunet
- Department of Psychology, California State University of San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, United States
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24
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Albrecht C, van de Vijver R, Bellebaum C. Learning new words via feedback-Association between feedback-locked ERPs and recall performance-An exploratory study. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14324. [PMID: 37144796 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14324] [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: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Feedback learning is thought to involve the dopamine system and its projection sites in the basal ganglia and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), regions associated with procedural learning. Under certain conditions, such as when feedback is delayed, feedback-locked activation is pronounced in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), which is associated with declarative learning. In event-related potential research, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) has been linked to immediate feedback processing, while the N170, possibly reflecting MTL activity, has been related to delayed feedback processing. In the current study, we performed an exploratory investigation on the relation between N170 and FRN amplitude and memory performance in a test for declarative memory (free recall), also exploring the role of feedback delay. To this end, we adapted a paradigm in which participants learned associations between non-objects and non-words with either immediate or delayed feedback, and added a subsequent free recall test. We indeed found that N170, but not FRN amplitudes, depended on later free recall performance, with smaller amplitudes for later remembered non-words. In an additional analysis with memory performance as dependent variable, the N170, but not the FRN amplitude predicted free recall, modulated by feedback timing and valence. This finding shows that the N170 reflects an important process during feedback processing, possibly related to expectations and their violation, but is distinct from the process reflected by the FRN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Albrecht
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ruben van de Vijver
- Institute of Linguistics and Information Science, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christian Bellebaum
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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25
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Quian Quiroga R, Boscaglia M, Jonas J, Rey HG, Yan X, Maillard L, Colnat-Coulbois S, Koessler L, Rossion B. Single neuron responses underlying face recognition in the human midfusiform face-selective cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5661. [PMID: 37704636 PMCID: PMC10499913 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41323-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Faces are critical for social interactions and their recognition constitutes one of the most important and challenging functions of the human brain. While neurons responding selectively to faces have been recorded for decades in the monkey brain, face-selective neural activations have been reported with neuroimaging primarily in the human midfusiform gyrus. Yet, the cellular mechanisms producing selective responses to faces in this hominoid neuroanatomical structure remain unknown. Here we report single neuron recordings performed in 5 human subjects (1 male, 4 females) implanted with intracerebral microelectrodes in the face-selective midfusiform gyrus, while they viewed pictures of familiar and unknown faces and places. We observed similar responses to faces and places at the single cell level, but a significantly higher number of neurons responding to faces, thus offering a mechanistic account for the face-selective activations observed in this region. Although individual neurons did not respond preferentially to familiar faces, a population level analysis could consistently determine whether or not the faces (but not the places) were familiar, only about 50 ms after the initial recognition of the stimuli as faces. These results provide insights into the neural mechanisms of face processing in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Quian Quiroga
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
- Centre for Systems Neuroscience, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
- Ruijin hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong university school of medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Marta Boscaglia
- Centre for Systems Neuroscience, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Jacques Jonas
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000, Nancy, France
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, F-54000, Nancy, France
| | - Hernan G Rey
- Centre for Systems Neuroscience, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Xiaoqian Yan
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000, Nancy, France
| | - Louis Maillard
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000, Nancy, France
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, F-54000, Nancy, France
| | - Sophie Colnat-Coulbois
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000, Nancy, France
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurochirurgie, F-54000, Nancy, France
| | - Laurent Koessler
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000, Nancy, France
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, F-54000, Nancy, France
| | - Bruno Rossion
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000, Nancy, France.
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, F-54000, Nancy, France.
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26
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Abreu AL, Fernández-Aguilar L, Ferreira-Santos F, Fernandes C. Increased N250 elicited by facial familiarity: An ERP study including the face inversion effect and facial emotion processing. Neuropsychologia 2023; 188:108623. [PMID: 37356541 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108623] [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: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
The present study aims to explore how familiarity modulates the neural processing of faces under different conditions: upright or inverted, neutral or emotional. To this purpose, 32 participants (25 female; age: M = 27.7 years, SD = 9.3) performed two face/emotion identification tasks during EEG recording. In the first task, to study facial processing, three different categories of facial stimuli were presented during a target detection task: famous familiar faces, faces of loved ones, and unfamiliar faces. To explore the face inversion effect according to each level of familiarity, these facial stimuli were also presented upside down. In the second task, to study emotional face processing, an emotional identification task on personally familiar and unfamiliar faces was conducted. The behavioural results showed an improved performance in the identification of facial expressions of emotion with the increase of facial familiarity, consistent with the previous literature. Regarding electrophysiological results, we found increased amplitudes of the P100, N170, and N250 for inverted compared to upright faces, independently of their degree of familiarity. Moreover, we did not find familiarity effects at the P100 and N170 time-windows, but we found that N250 amplitude was larger for personally familiar compared to unfamiliar faces. This result supports the reasoning that the facial familiarity increases the neural activity during the N250 time-window, which may be explained by the processing of additional information prompted by the viewing of our loved ones faces, in contrast to what happens with unfamiliar individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Abreu
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal; MindProber Labs, Porto, Portugal.
| | - L Fernández-Aguilar
- Department of Psychology, University of Castilla La Mancha, Albacete, Spain; Applied Cognitive Psychology Unit, Research Institute of Neurological Disabilities, University of Castilla La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - F Ferreira-Santos
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal
| | - C Fernandes
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal; Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal; Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP) & RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center (Porto.CCC), Portugal
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27
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Wu Y, Luo M, Zhang Y. The power of (surreptitiously) mentioning your mentor's name: Subliminal priming of mentor's name modulates N170 responses to blurred faces. Biol Psychol 2023; 182:108649. [PMID: 37495070 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108649] [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: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Using the event-related potentials (ERPs) technique and subliminal priming paradigm, the present study examined the influence of mentioning a mentor's name on graduate students. Fifty-eight graduate students were subliminally primed by mentor and stranger names before making pressure judgments of a series of unrelated blurred facial photos with neutral emotion. The face-sensitive N170 components were analyzed according to the pressure judgment × name prime conditions. The results showed that relative to stranger names, subliminal priming of mentor's name could modulate students' N170 reactions during facial processing. Specifically, the mentor-name priming attenuated N170 amplitudes for high-pressure judgment trials on the right hemisphere but heightened the overall N170 responses on the left hemisphere. Behavioral results also showed that the mentor-name priming slowed students' reaction time during pressure judgments; in addition, students' attitudes towards mentors were correlated with N170 amplitudes on high-pressure judgment conditions. These findings provided neuroscientific evidence demonstrating the psychological significance of mentors to graduate students. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wu
- School of Marxism, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Research Center for Educational Neuroscience, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Mingyan Luo
- School of Educational Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Research Center for Educational Neuroscience, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; School of Educational Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
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28
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Newton‐Fenner A, Hewitt D, Henderson J, Fallon N, Gu Y, Gorelkina O, Giesbrecht T, Stancak A. A comparison of reward processing during Becker-DeGroot-Marschak and Vickrey auctions: An ERP study. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14313. [PMID: 37076995 PMCID: PMC10909440 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14313] [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: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Vickrey auctions (VA) and Becker-DeGroot-Marschak auctions (BDM) are strategically equivalent demand-revealing mechanisms, differentiated only by a human opponent in the VA, and a random-number-generator opponent in the BDM. Game parameters are such that players are incentivized to reveal their private subjective values (SV) and behavior should be identical in both tasks. However, this has been repeatedly shown not to be the case. In this study, the neural correlates of outcome feedback processing during VA and BDM were directly compared using electroencephalography. Twenty-eight healthy participants bid for household products which were then divided into high- and low-SV categories. The VA included a human opponent deception to induce a social environment, while in reality a random-number-generator was used in both tasks. A P3 component peaking at 336 ms over midline parietal sites showed more positive amplitudes for high bid values, and for win outcomes in the VA but not the BDM. Both auctions also elicited a Reward Positivity potential, maximal at 275 ms along the central midline electrodes, that was not modulated by auction task or SV. Further, an exploratory N170 potential in the right occipitotemporal electrodes and a vertex positive potential component were stronger in the VA relative to the BDM. Results point to an enhanced cortical response to bid outcomes during VA task in a potential component associated with emotional control, and to the occurrence of face-sensitive potentials in VA but not in BDM auction. These findings suggest modulation of bid outcome processing by the social-competitive aspect of auction tasks. Directly comparing two prominent auction paradigms affords the opportunity to isolate the impact of social environment on competitive, risky decision-making. Findings suggest that feedback processing as early as 176 ms is facilitated by the presence of a human competitor, and later processing is modulated by social context and subjective value.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Newton‐Fenner
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- Institute of Risk and UncertaintyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - D. Hewitt
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative NeuroimagingUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - J. Henderson
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - N. Fallon
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Y. Gu
- Management SchoolUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- Henley Business SchoolUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | - O. Gorelkina
- Management SchoolUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | | | - A. Stancak
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- Institute of Risk and UncertaintyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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29
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Hosseini Houripasand M, Sabaghypour S, Farkhondeh Tale Navi F, Nazari MA. Time distortions induced by high-arousing emotional compared to low-arousing neutral faces: an event-related potential study. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:1836-1847. [PMID: 36607427 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01789-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Emotions influence our perception of time. Arousal and valence are considered different dimensions of emotions that might interactively affect the perception of time. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the possible time distortions induced by emotional (happy/angry) high-arousing faces compared to neutral, low-arousing faces. Previous works suggested that emotional stimuli enhance the amplitudes of several posterior components, such as Early Posterior Negativity (EPN) and Late Positive Potential (LPP). These components reflect several stages of emotional processing. To this end, we conducted an event-related potential (ERP) study with a temporal bisection task. We hypothesized that the partial dissociation of these ERP components would shed more light on the possible relations of valence and arousal on emotional facial regulation and their consequential effects on behavioral timing. The behavioral results demonstrated a significant effect for emotional stimuli, as happy faces were overestimated relative to angry faces. Our results also indicated higher temporal sensitivity for angry faces. The analyzed components (EPN and LLP) provided further insights into the qualitative differences between stimuli. Finally, the results were interpreted considering the internal clock model and two-stage processing of emotional stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saied Sabaghypour
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Ali Nazari
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Hemmat Highway, Tehran, 144961-4535, Iran.
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30
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Ludyga S, Gerber M, Bruggisser F, Leuenberger R, Brotzmann M, Trescher S, Förster M, Zou L, Herbrecht E, Hanke M. A randomized cross-over trial investigating the neurocognitive effects of acute exercise on face recognition in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2023; 16:1630-1639. [PMID: 37353966 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2977] [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: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Difficulties in face recognition contribute to social-cognitive problems in autistic children. Evidence on behavioral interventions targeting this cognitive domain is limited. In non-autistic individuals, a single exercise session is known to elicit temporary benefits for several cognitive functions. Our study investigates whether acute aerobic exercise influences face recognition in autistic children. In a randomized order, 29 participants completed a 20-min moderately-intense cycling bout on an ergometer and a control condition. Before and after each condition, participants categorized Mooney faces and instruments during a computerized cognitive task. Simultaneously, the N170 component of event-related potentials and pupil size were recorded using electroencephalography and eyetracking, respectively. As indicated by a greater increase of reaction time in the exercise compared to the control condition, the results revealed impaired face recognition following aerobic exercise. This effect was accompanied by a lower decrease of the positive N170 amplitude and a trend towards a greater constriction of the pupil size in the exercise compared to the control condition. Our findings highlight the interplay of the physiological state and face recognition in autistic children. Exercise-induced impairments in this social-cognitive ability may be due to an interference with the learning effect that is typically seen for the structural encoding of faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Ludyga
- Department of Sport, Exercise & Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus Gerber
- Department of Sport, Exercise & Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabienne Bruggisser
- Department of Sport, Exercise & Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Leuenberger
- Department of Sport, Exercise & Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mark Brotzmann
- University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB), Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Liye Zou
- School of Psychology, Body-Brain-Mind Laboratory, Shenzhen University, China
| | | | - Manuel Hanke
- Department of Sport, Exercise & Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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31
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Maffei A, Coccaro A, Jaspers-Fayer F, Goertzen J, Sessa P, Liotti M. EEG alpha band functional connectivity reveals distinct cortical dynamics for overt and covert emotional face processing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9951. [PMID: 37337009 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36860-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Current knowledge regarding how the focus of our attention during face processing influences neural responses largely comes from neuroimaging studies reporting on regional brain activations. The present study was designed to add novel insights to this research by studying how attention can differentially impact the way cortical regions interact during emotional face processing. High-density electroencephalogram was recorded in a sample of fifty-two healthy participants during an emotional face processing task. The task required participants to either attend to the expressions (i.e., overt processing) or attend to a perceptual distractor, which rendered the expressions task-irrelevant (i.e., covert processing). Functional connectivity in the alpha band was estimated in source space and modeled using graph theory to quantify whole-brain integration and segregation. Results revealed that overt processing of facial expressions is linked to reduced cortical segregation and increased cortical integration, this latter specifically for negative expressions of fear and sadness. Furthermore, we observed increased communication efficiency during overt processing of negative expressions between the core and the extended face processing systems. Overall, these findings reveal that attention makes the interaction among the nodes involved in face processing more efficient, also uncovering a connectivity signature of the prioritized processing mechanism of negative expressions, that is an increased cross-communication within the nodes of the face processing network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Maffei
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Ambra Coccaro
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | | | | | - Paola Sessa
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Mario Liotti
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
- Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
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32
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Chen NX, Wei P. Reward History Modulates the Processing of Task-Irrelevant Emotional Faces in a Demanding Task. Brain Sci 2023; 13:874. [PMID: 37371354 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13060874] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of the current study was to examine how reward-associated emotional facial distractors could capture attentional resources in a demanding visual task using event-related potentials (ERPs). In the learning phase, a high- or low-reward probability was paired with angry, happy, or neutral faces. Then, in the test phase, participants performed a face-irrelevant task with no reward at stake, in which they needed to discriminate the length of two lines presented in the center of the screen while faces that were taken from the learning phase were used as distractors presented in the periphery. The behavioral results revealed no effect of distractor emotional valence since the emotional information was task-irrelevant. The ERP results in the test phase revealed a significant main effect of distractor emotional valence for the parieto-occipital P200 (170-230 ms); the mean amplitudes in both the angry- and happy-face conditions were more positive than the neutral-face condition. Moreover, we found that the high-reward association enhanced both the N170 (140-180 ms) and EPN (260-330 ms) relative to the low-reward association condition. Finally, the N2pc (270-320 ms) also exhibited enhanced neural activity in the high-reward condition compared to the low-reward condition. The absence of emotional effects indicated that task-irrelevant emotional facial stimuli did not impact behavioral or neural responses in this highly demanding task. However, reward-associated information was processed when attention was directed elsewhere, suggesting that the processing of reward-associated information worked more in an automatic way, irrespective of the top-down task demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning-Xuan Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition and School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Ping Wei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition and School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
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33
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Baker J, Efthimiou T, Scherer R, Gartus A, Elsenaar A, Mehu M, Korb S. Measurement of the N170 during facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES). J Neurosci Methods 2023; 393:109877. [PMID: 37169226 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies on facial feedback effects typically employ props or posed facial expressions, which often lack temporal precision and muscle specificity. NEW METHOD Facial Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (fNMES) allows for a controlled influence of contractions of facial muscles, and may be used to advance our understanding of facial feedback effects, especially when combined with Electroencephalography (EEG). However, electrical stimulation introduces significant interference that can mask underlying brain dynamics. Whether established signal processing methods can allow for a reduction of said interference whilst retaining effects of interest, remains unexplored. RESULTS We addressed these questions focusing on the classic N170 visual evoked potential, a face-sensitive brain component: 20 participants viewed images of houses, and of sad, happy, and neutral faces. On half of the trials, fNMES was delivered to bilateral lower-face muscles during the presentation of visual stimuli. A larger N170 amplitude was found for faces relative to houses. Interestingly, this was the case both without and during fNMES, regardless of whether the fNMES artefact was removed or not. Moreover, sad facial expressions elicited a larger N170 amplitude relative to neutral facial expressions, both with and without fNMES. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS fNMES offers a more precise way of manipulating proprioceptive feedback from facial muscles, which affords greater diversity in experimental design for studies on facial feedback effects. CONCLUSIONS We show that the combining of fNMES and EEG can be achieved and may serve as a powerful means of exploring the impact of controlled proprioceptive inputs on various types of cognitive processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom.
| | - T Efthimiou
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - R Scherer
- School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - A Gartus
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - A Elsenaar
- The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands
| | - M Mehu
- Department of Psychology, Webster Vienna Private University, Vienna, Austria
| | - S Korb
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom; Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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34
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Sagehorn M, Johnsdorf M, Kisker J, Sylvester S, Gruber T, Schöne B. Real-life relevant face perception is not captured by the N170 but reflected in later potentials: A comparison of 2D and virtual reality stimuli. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1050892. [PMID: 37057177 PMCID: PMC10086431 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1050892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The perception of faces is one of the most specialized visual processes in the human brain and has been investigated by means of the early event-related potential component N170. However, face perception has mostly been studied in the conventional laboratory, i.e., monitor setups, offering rather distal presentation of faces as planar 2D-images. Increasing spatial proximity through Virtual Reality (VR) allows to present 3D, real-life-sized persons at personal distance to participants, thus creating a feeling of social involvement and adding a self-relevant value to the presented faces. The present study compared the perception of persons under conventional laboratory conditions (PC) with realistic conditions in VR. Paralleling standard designs, pictures of unknown persons and standard control images were presented in a PC- and a VR-modality. To investigate how the mechanisms of face perception differ under realistic conditions from those under conventional laboratory conditions, the typical face-specific N170 and subsequent components were analyzed in both modalities. Consistent with previous laboratory research, the N170 lost discriminatory power when translated to realistic conditions, as it only discriminated faces and controls under laboratory conditions. Most interestingly, analysis of the later component [230–420 ms] revealed more differentiated face-specific processing in VR, as indicated by distinctive, stimulus-specific topographies. Complemented by source analysis, the results on later latencies show that face-specific neural mechanisms are applied only under realistic conditions (A video abstract is available in the Supplementary material and via YouTube: https://youtu.be/TF8wiPUrpSY).
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Affiliation(s)
- Merle Sagehorn
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- *Correspondence: Merle Sagehorn,
| | - Marike Johnsdorf
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Joanna Kisker
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Sophia Sylvester
- Semantic Information Systems Research Group, Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schöne
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
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Aydin Ü, Cañigueral R, Tye C, McLoughlin G. Face processing in young adults with autism and ADHD: An event related potentials study. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1080681. [PMID: 36998627 PMCID: PMC10043418 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1080681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Atypicalities in perception and interpretation of faces and emotional facial expressions have been reported in both autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during childhood and adulthood. Investigation of face processing during young adulthood (18 to 25 years), a transition period to full-fledged adulthood, could provide important information on the adult outcomes of autism and ADHD. Methods In this study, we investigated event-related potentials (ERPs) related to visual face processing in autism, ADHD, and co-occurring autism and ADHD in a large sample of young adults (N = 566). The groups were based on the Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults 2.0 (DIVA-2) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). We analyzed ERPs from two passive viewing tasks previously used in childhood investigations: (1) upright and inverted faces with direct or averted gaze; (2) faces expressing different emotions. Results Across both tasks, we consistently found lower amplitude and longer latency of N170 in participants with autism compared to those without. Longer P1 latencies and smaller P3 amplitudes in response to emotional expressions and longer P3 latencies for upright faces were also characteristic to the autistic group. Those with ADHD had longer N170 latencies, specific to the face-gaze task. Individuals with both autism and ADHD showed additional alterations in gaze modulation and a lack of the face inversion effect indexed by a delayed N170. Conclusion Alterations in N170 for autistic young adults is largely consistent with studies on autistic adults, and some studies in autistic children. These findings suggest that there are identifiable and measurable socio-functional atypicalities in young adults with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ümit Aydin
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Roser Cañigueral
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Tye
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gráinne McLoughlin
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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36
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Kieseler ML, Duchaine B. Persistent prosopagnosia following COVID-19. Cortex 2023; 162:56-64. [PMID: 36966620 PMCID: PMC9995301 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.01.012] [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: 06/19/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 can cause psychological problems including loss of smell and taste, long-lasting memory, speech, and language impairments, and psychosis. Here, we provide the first report of prosopagnosia following symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Annie is a 28-year-old woman who had normal face recognition prior to contracting COVID-19 in March 2020. Two months later, she noticed face recognition difficulties while experiencing symptom relapses and her deficits with faces have persisted. On two tests of familiar face recognition and two tests of unfamiliar face recognition, Annie showed clear impairments. In contrast, she scored normally on tests assessing face detection, face identity perception, object recognition, scene recognition, and non-visual memory. Navigational deficits frequently co-occur with prosopagnosia, and Annie reports that her navigational abilities are substantially worse than before she became ill. Self-report survey data from 54 respondents with long COVID showed that a majority reported reductions in visual recognition and navigation abilities. In summary, Annie's results indicate that COVID-19 can produce severe and selective neuropsychological impairment similar to deficits seen following brain damage, and it appears that high-level visual impairments are not uncommon in people with long COVID.
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Intracerebral Electrophysiological Recordings to Understand the Neural Basis of Human Face Recognition. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020354. [PMID: 36831897 PMCID: PMC9954066 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how the human brain recognizes faces is a primary scientific goal in cognitive neuroscience. Given the limitations of the monkey model of human face recognition, a key approach in this endeavor is the recording of electrophysiological activity with electrodes implanted inside the brain of human epileptic patients. However, this approach faces a number of challenges that must be overcome for meaningful scientific knowledge to emerge. Here we synthesize a 10 year research program combining the recording of intracerebral activity (StereoElectroEncephaloGraphy, SEEG) in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex (VOTC) of large samples of participants and fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS), to objectively define, quantify, and characterize the neural basis of human face recognition. These large-scale studies reconcile the wide distribution of neural face recognition activity with its (right) hemispheric and regional specialization and extend face-selectivity to anterior regions of the VOTC, including the ventral anterior temporal lobe (VATL) typically affected by magnetic susceptibility artifacts in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Clear spatial dissociations in category-selectivity between faces and other meaningful stimuli such as landmarks (houses, medial VOTC regions) or written words (left lateralized VOTC) are found, confirming and extending neuroimaging observations while supporting the validity of the clinical population tested to inform about normal brain function. The recognition of face identity - arguably the ultimate form of recognition for the human brain - beyond mere differences in physical features is essentially supported by selective populations of neurons in the right inferior occipital gyrus and the lateral portion of the middle and anterior fusiform gyrus. In addition, low-frequency and high-frequency broadband iEEG signals of face recognition appear to be largely concordant in the human association cortex. We conclude by outlining the challenges of this research program to understand the neural basis of human face recognition in the next 10 years.
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Varlet M, Nozaradan S, Schmidt RC, Keller PE. Neural tracking of visual periodic motion. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:1081-1097. [PMID: 36788113 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Periodicity is a fundamental property of biological systems, including human movement systems. Periodic movements support displacements of the body in the environment as well as interactions and communication between individuals. Here, we use electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate the neural tracking of visual periodic motion, and more specifically, the relevance of spatiotemporal information contained at and between their turning points. We compared EEG responses to visual sinusoidal oscillations versus nonlinear Rayleigh oscillations, which are both typical of human movements. These oscillations contain the same spatiotemporal information at their turning points but differ between turning points, with Rayleigh oscillations having an earlier peak velocity, shown to increase an individual's capacity to produce accurately synchronized movements. EEG analyses highlighted the relevance of spatiotemporal information between the turning points by showing that the brain precisely tracks subtle differences in velocity profiles, as indicated by earlier EEG responses for Rayleigh oscillations. The results suggest that the brain is particularly responsive to velocity peaks in visual periodic motion, supporting their role in conveying behaviorally relevant timing information at a neurophysiological level. The results also suggest key functions of neural oscillations in the Alpha and Beta frequency bands, particularly in the right hemisphere. Together, these findings provide insights into the neural mechanisms underpinning the processing of visual periodic motion and the critical role of velocity peaks in enabling proficient visuomotor synchronization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Varlet
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia.,School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Sylvie Nozaradan
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Richard C Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter E Keller
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia.,Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark
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Revsine C, Gonzalez-Castillo J, Merriam EP, Bandettini PA, Ramírez FM. A unifying model for discordant and concordant results in human neuroimaging studies of facial viewpoint selectivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.08.527219. [PMID: 36945636 PMCID: PMC10028835 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.08.527219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Our ability to recognize faces regardless of viewpoint is a key property of the primate visual system. Traditional theories hold that facial viewpoint is represented by view-selective mechanisms at early visual processing stages and that representations become increasingly tolerant to viewpoint changes in higher-level visual areas. Newer theories, based on single-neuron monkey electrophysiological recordings, suggest an additional intermediate processing stage invariant to mirror-symmetric face views. Consistent with traditional theories, human studies combining neuroimaging and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) methods have provided evidence of view-selectivity in early visual cortex. However, contradictory results have been reported in higher-level visual areas concerning the existence in humans of mirror-symmetrically tuned representations. We believe these results reflect low-level stimulus confounds and data analysis choices. To probe for low-level confounds, we analyzed images from two popular face databases. Analyses of mean image luminance and contrast revealed biases across face views described by even polynomials-i.e., mirror-symmetric. To explain major trends across human neuroimaging studies of viewpoint selectivity, we constructed a network model that incorporates three biological constraints: cortical magnification, convergent feedforward projections, and interhemispheric connections. Given the identified low-level biases, we show that a gradual increase of interhemispheric connections across network layers is sufficient to replicate findings of mirror-symmetry in high-level processing stages, as well as view-tuning in early processing stages. Data analysis decisions-pattern dissimilarity measure and data recentering-accounted for the variable observation of mirror-symmetry in late processing stages. The model provides a unifying explanation of MVPA studies of viewpoint selectivity. We also show how common analysis choices can lead to erroneous conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cambria Revsine
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Javier Gonzalez-Castillo
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Elisha P Merriam
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Peter A Bandettini
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
- Functional MRI Core, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Fernando M Ramírez
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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40
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Bimler DL, Paramei GV. Gauging response time distributions to examine the effect of facial expression inversion. Front Psychol 2023; 14:957160. [PMID: 36910747 PMCID: PMC10000311 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.957160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction We used images of facial expressions (FEs) of emotion in a speeded Same/Different task to examine (i) distributional characteristics of response times (RTs) in relation to inter-stimulus similarity and (ii) the impact of inversion on FE processing. Methods Stimuli were seven emotion prototypes, posed by one male and one female, and eight intermediate morphs. Image pairs (N = 225) were presented for 500 ms, upright or inverted, in a block design, each 100 times. Results For both upright and inverted FEs, RTs were a non-monotonic function: median values were longest for stimulus pairs of intermediate similarity, decreasing for both more-dissimilar and more-similar pairs. RTs of "Same" and "Different" judgments followed ex-Gaussian distributions. The non-monotonicity is interpreted within a dual-process decision model framework as reflecting the infrequency of identical pairs, shifting the balance between the Same and Different processes. The effect of stimulus inversion was gauged by comparing RT-based multidimensional scaling solutions for the two presentation modes. Solutions for upright and inverted FEs showed little difference, with both displaying some evidence of categorical perception. The same features appeared in hierarchical clustering solutions. Discussion This outcome replicates and reinforces the solutions derived from accuracy of "Different" responses reported in our earlier companion paper. We attribute this lack of inversion effect to the brief exposure time, allowing low-level visual processing to dominate Same/Different decisions while elevating early featural analysis, which is insensitive to face orientation but enables initial positive/negative valence categorization of FEs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Galina V Paramei
- Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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41
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Vaitonytė J, Alimardani M, Louwerse MM. Scoping review of the neural evidence on the uncanny valley. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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42
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Proverbio AM, Tacchini M, Jiang K. Event-related brain potential markers of visual and auditory perception: A useful tool for brain computer interface systems. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1025870. [PMID: 36523756 PMCID: PMC9744781 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1025870] [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: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A majority of BCI systems, enabling communication with patients with locked-in syndrome, are based on electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency analysis (e.g., linked to motor imagery) or P300 detection. Only recently, the use of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) has received much attention, especially for face or music recognition, but neuro-engineering research into this new approach has not been carried out yet. The aim of this study was to provide a variety of reliable ERP markers of visual and auditory perception for the development of new and more complex mind-reading systems for reconstructing the mental content from brain activity. METHODS A total of 30 participants were shown 280 color pictures (adult, infant, and animal faces; human bodies; written words; checkerboards; and objects) and 120 auditory files (speech, music, and affective vocalizations). This paradigm did not involve target selection to avoid artifactual waves linked to decision-making and response preparation (e.g., P300 and motor potentials), masking the neural signature of semantic representation. Overall, 12,000 ERP waveforms × 126 electrode channels (1 million 512,000 ERP waveforms) were processed and artifact-rejected. RESULTS Clear and distinct category-dependent markers of perceptual and cognitive processing were identified through statistical analyses, some of which were novel to the literature. Results are discussed from the view of current knowledge of ERP functional properties and with respect to machine learning classification methods previously applied to similar data. CONCLUSION The data showed a high level of accuracy (p ≤ 0.01) in the discriminating the perceptual categories eliciting the various electrical potentials by statistical analyses. Therefore, the ERP markers identified in this study could be significant tools for optimizing BCI systems [pattern recognition or artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms] applied to EEG/ERP signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Mado Proverbio
- Laboratory of Cognitive Electrophysiology, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Tacchini
- Laboratory of Cognitive Electrophysiology, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Kaijun Jiang
- Laboratory of Cognitive Electrophysiology, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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43
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Roth-Paysen ML, Bröcker A, Bruchmann M, Straube T. Early and late electrophysiological correlates of gradual perceptual awareness in- and outside the Attentional Blink window. Neuroimage 2022; 263:119652. [PMID: 36167269 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate on the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) in the attentional blink (AB). Theoretical accounts propose that NCC during the attentional blink occur late in the processing hierarchy and that this quality is specific to the AB. We investigated this question by recording event-related potentials during an AB experiment with faces as T2. We analyzed ERPs to T2 stimuli inside (short lag) and outside (long lag) the AB window after carefully calibrating T2 stimuli to ensure equal visibility ratings across lags. We found that the N170, the visual awareness negativity (VAN), and the P3b showed an increased amplitude for seen compared to unseen face stimuli regardless of stimulus lag and that all these components scale linearly with subjective visibility. These findings suggest similar early and late mechanisms of graded perceptual awareness within and outside the AB across perceptual (N170, VAN) and post-perceptual (P3b) processing stages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anne Bröcker
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany
| | - Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany.
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany
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44
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Marlair C, Crollen V, Lochy A. A shared numerical magnitude representation evidenced by the distance effect in frequency-tagging EEG. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14559. [PMID: 36028649 PMCID: PMC9418351 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18811-7] [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: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans can effortlessly abstract numerical information from various codes and contexts. However, whether the access to the underlying magnitude information relies on common or distinct brain representations remains highly debated. Here, we recorded electrophysiological responses to periodic variation of numerosity (every five items) occurring in rapid streams of numbers presented at 6 Hz in randomly varying codes—Arabic digits, number words, canonical dot patterns and finger configurations. Results demonstrated that numerical information was abstracted and generalized over the different representation codes by revealing clear discrimination responses (at 1.2 Hz) of the deviant numerosity from the base numerosity, recorded over parieto-occipital electrodes. Crucially, and supporting the claim that discrimination responses reflected magnitude processing, the presentation of a deviant numerosity distant from the base (e.g., base “2” and deviant “8”) elicited larger right-hemispheric responses than the presentation of a close deviant numerosity (e.g., base “2” and deviant “3”). This finding nicely represents the neural signature of the distance effect, an interpretation further reinforced by the clear correlation with individuals’ behavioral performance in an independent numerical comparison task. Our results therefore provide for the first time unambiguously a reliable and specific neural marker of a magnitude representation that is shared among several numerical codes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Marlair
- Institute of Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, Place Cardinal Mercier 10, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Virginie Crollen
- Institute of Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, Place Cardinal Mercier 10, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Aliette Lochy
- Institute of Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, Place Cardinal Mercier 10, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Social and Educational Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Science and Assessment, Université du Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
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Arai T, Nittono H. Cosmetic makeup enhances facial attractiveness and affective neural responses. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272923. [PMID: 35969525 PMCID: PMC9377592 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it is well established that cosmetic makeup enhances perceived facial attractiveness, few studies have examined whether facial makeup modulates neural responses to face images. This study investigated behavioral and attractiveness-related brain responses to self-applied makeup, focusing on the N170, early posterior negativity, P300, and late positive potential components of event-related brain potentials. A total of 77 Japanese women participated in two experiments (N = 34 and 43 for Experiments 1 and 2, respectively). Experiment 1 assessed the effects of self-applied makeup on attractiveness-related event-related potential amplitudes using facial images during a makeup identification task in which makeup was directly relevant to task demands. Experiment 2 examined the effects of self-applied makeup using images of one’s own face and another female’s face when performing a gender classification task, where the presence of makeup had no explicit connection to facial gender classification. In both experiments, faces with makeup were rated as more attractive and elicited more negative early posterior negativity and more positive late positive potential components, regardless of the participant’s own face or another person’s face. These findings suggest that people are spontaneously motivated to pay visual attention to faces with makeup, which supports the idea that makeup adds reward value to the facial appearance of the human. Moreover, neural evidence empirically confirmed that the benefits of makeup are not just limited to how others see your face but also extend to how you see your own face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Arai
- Shiseido Co., Ltd. MIRAI Technology Institute, Kanagawa, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Hiroshi Nittono
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
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Kabdebon C, Fló A, de Heering A, Aslin R. The power of rhythms: how steady-state evoked responses reveal early neurocognitive development. Neuroimage 2022; 254:119150. [PMID: 35351649 PMCID: PMC9294992 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive and painless recording of cerebral activity, particularly well-suited for studying young infants, allowing the inspection of cerebral responses in a constellation of different ways. Of particular interest for developmental cognitive neuroscientists is the use of rhythmic stimulation, and the analysis of steady-state evoked potentials (SS-EPs) - an approach also known as frequency tagging. In this paper we rely on the existing SS-EP early developmental literature to illustrate the important advantages of SS-EPs for studying the developing brain. We argue that (1) the technique is both objective and predictive: the response is expected at the stimulation frequency (and/or higher harmonics), (2) its high spectral specificity makes the computed responses particularly robust to artifacts, and (3) the technique allows for short and efficient recordings, compatible with infants' limited attentional spans. We additionally provide an overview of some recent inspiring use of the SS-EP technique in adult research, in order to argue that (4) the SS-EP approach can be implemented creatively to target a wide range of cognitive and neural processes. For all these reasons, we expect SS-EPs to play an increasing role in the understanding of early cognitive processes. Finally, we provide practical guidelines for implementing and analyzing SS-EP studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Kabdebon
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Ana Fló
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CNRS ERL 9003, INSERM U992, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Adélaïde de Heering
- Center for Research in Cognition & Neuroscience (CRCN), Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Richard Aslin
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Kim JW, Brückner KE, Badenius C, Hamel W, Schaper M, Le Van Quyen M, El-Allawy-Zielke EK, Stodieck SRG, Hebel JM, Lanz M. Face-induced gamma oscillations and event-related potentials in patients with epilepsy: an intracranial EEG study. BMC Neurosci 2022; 23:36. [PMID: 35698042 PMCID: PMC9195313 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-022-00715-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To examine the pathological effect of a mesial temporal seizure onset zone (SOZ) on local and inter-regional response to faces in the amygdala and other structures of the temporal lobe. Methods Intracranial EEG data was obtained from the amygdala, hippocampus, fusiform gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus of nine patients with drug-refractory epilepsy during visual stimulation with faces and mosaics. We analyzed event-related potentials (ERP), gamma frequency power, phase-amplitude coupling and phase-slope-index and compared the results between patients with versus without a mesial temporal SOZ. Results In the amygdala and fusiform gyrus, faces triggered higher ERP amplitudes compared to mosaics in both patient groups and higher gamma power in patients without a mesial temporal SOZ. In the hippocampus, famous faces triggered higher gamma power for both groups combined but did not affect ERPs in either group. The differentiated ERP response to famous faces in the parahippocampal gyrus was more pronounced in patients without a mesial temporal SOZ. Phase-amplitude coupling and phase-slope-index results yielded bidirectional modulation between amygdala and fusiform gyrus, and predominately unidirectional modulation between parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus. Conclusions A mesial temporal SOZ was associated with an impaired response to faces in the amygdala, fusiform gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus in our patients. Compared to this, the response to faces in the hippocampus was impaired in patients with, as well as without, a mesial temporal SOZ. Our results support existing evidence for face processing deficits in patients with a mesial temporal SOZ and suggest the pathological effect of a mesial temporal SOZ on the amygdala to play a pivotal role in this matter in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Won Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. .,Epilepsy Center Hamburg, Protestant Hospital Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Katja E Brückner
- Epilepsy Center Hamburg, Protestant Hospital Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Celina Badenius
- Epilepsy Center Hamburg, Protestant Hospital Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hamel
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Miriam Schaper
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michel Le Van Quyen
- Laboratoire d'Imagerie Biomédicale (LIB), Inserm U1146 / Sorbonne Université UMCR2 / UMR7371 CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Jonas M Hebel
- Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Lanz
- Epilepsy Center Hamburg, Protestant Hospital Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany
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48
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Song S, Wu M, Feng C. Early Influence of Emotional Scenes on the Encoding of Fearful Expressions With Different Intensities: An Event-Related Potential Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:866253. [PMID: 35652009 PMCID: PMC9150066 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.866253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Contextual affective information influences the processing of facial expressions at the relatively early stages of face processing, but the effect of the context on the processing of facial expressions with varying intensities remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the influence of emotional scenes (fearful, happy, and neutral) on the processing of fear expressions at different levels of intensity (high, medium, and low) during the early stages of facial recognition using event-related potential (ERP) technology. EEG data were collected while participants performed a fearful facial expression recognition task. The results showed that (1) the recognition of high-intensity fear expression was higher than that of medium- and low-intensity fear expressions. Facial expression recognition was the highest when faces appeared in fearful scenes. (2) Emotional scenes modulated the amplitudes of N170 for fear expressions with different intensities. Specifically, the N170 amplitude, induced by high-intensity fear expressions, was significantly higher than that induced by low-intensity fear expressions when faces appeared in both neutral and fearful scenes. No significant differences were found between the N170 amplitudes induced by high-, medium-, and low-intensity fear expressions when faces appeared in happy scenes. These results suggest that individuals may tend to allocate their attention resources to the processing of face information when the valence between emotional context and expression conflicts i.e., when the conflict is absent (fear scene and fearful faces) or is low (neutral scene and fearful faces).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sutao Song
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Sutao Song,
| | - Meiyun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Chunliang Feng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- Chunliang Feng,
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49
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Dehaghani NS, Maess B, Khosrowabadi R, Lashgari R, Braeutigam S, Zarei M. Pre-stimulus Alpha Activity Modulates Face and Object Processing in the Intra-Parietal Sulcus, a MEG Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:831781. [PMID: 35585993 PMCID: PMC9108229 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.831781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Face perception is crucial in all social animals. Recent studies have shown that pre-stimulus oscillations of brain activity modulate the perceptual performance of face vs. non-face stimuli, specifically under challenging conditions. However, it is unclear if this effect also occurs during simple tasks, and if so in which brain regions. Here we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and a 1-back task in which participants decided if the two sequentially presented stimuli were the same or not in each trial. The aim of the study was to explore the effect of pre-stimulus alpha oscillation on the perception of face (human and monkey) and non-face stimuli. Our results showed that pre-stimulus activity in the left occipital face area (OFA) modulated responses in the intra-parietal sulcus (IPS) at around 170 ms after the presentation of human face stimuli. This effect was also found after participants were shown images of motorcycles. In this case, the IPS was modulated by pre-stimulus activity in the right OFA and the right fusiform face area (FFA). We conclude that pre-stimulus modulation of post-stimulus response also occurs during simple tasks and is therefore independent of behavioral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narjes Soltani Dehaghani
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Burkhard Maess
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Reza Khosrowabadi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Lashgari
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sven Braeutigam
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mojtaba Zarei
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, and Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Mojtaba Zarei
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50
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Key AP, Jones D, Corbett BA. Sex differences in automatic emotion regulation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2022; 15:712-728. [PMID: 35103402 PMCID: PMC9060299 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Autism may be underdiagnosed in females because their social difficulties are often less noticeable. This study explored sex differences in automatic facial emotion processing in 45 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (22 female, 23 male), age 10-16 years, performing active target detection task and Go/NoGo tasks where faces with positive and negative emotional expressions served as irrelevant distractors. The combined sample demonstrated more accurate performance on the target detection (response initiation) than the Go/NoGo task (response inhibition), replicating findings previously reported in typical participants. Females exhibited greater difficulty than males with response initiation in the target detection task, especially in the context of angry faces, while males found withholding a response in the Go/NoGo block with happy faces more challenging. Electrophysiological data revealed no sex differences or emotion discrimination effects during the early perceptual processing of faces indexed by the occipitotemporal N170. Autistic males demonstrated increased frontal N2 and parietal P3 amplitudes compared to females, suggesting greater neural resource allocation to automatic emotion regulation processes. The associations between standardized behavioral measures (autism severity, theory of mind skills) and brain responses also varied by sex: more adaptive social functioning was related to the speed of perceptual processing (N170 latency) in females and the extent of deliberate attention allocation (P3 amplitudes) in males. Together, these findings suggest that males and females with autism may rely on different strategies for social functioning and highlight the importance of considering sex differences in autism. LAY SUMMARY: Females with autism may exhibit less noticeable social difficulties than males. This study demonstrates that autistic females are more successful than males at inhibiting behavioral responses in emotional contexts, while males are more likely to initiate a response. At the neural level, social functioning in females is related to the speed of automatic perceptual processing of facial cues, and in males, to the extent of active attention allocation to the stimuli. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex differences in autism diagnosis and treatment selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra P. Key
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| | - Dorita Jones
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| | - Blythe A. Corbett
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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