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Huang Q, Luo M, Mi Y, Luo H. "Leader-Follower" Dynamic Perturbation Manipulates Multi-Item Working Memory in Humans. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0472-22.2023. [PMID: 37914409 PMCID: PMC10668215 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0472-22.2023] [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: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Manipulating working memory (WM) is a central yet challenging notion. Previous studies suggest that WM items with varied memory strengths reactivate at different latencies, supporting a time-based mechanism. Motivated by this view, here we developed a purely bottom-up "Leader-Follower" behavioral approach to manipulate WM in humans. Specifically, task-irrelevant flickering color disks that are bound to each of the memorized items are presented during the delay period, and the ongoing luminance sequences of the color disks follow a Leader-Follower relationship, that is, a hundreds of milliseconds temporal lag. We show that this dynamic behavioral approach leads to better memory performance for the item associated with the temporally advanced luminance sequence (Leader) than the item with the temporally lagged luminance sequence (Follower), yet with limited effectiveness. Together, our findings constitute evidence for the essential role of temporal dynamics in WM operation and offer a promising, noninvasive WM manipulation approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoli Huang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Department of Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Minghao Luo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yuanyuan Mi
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Huan Luo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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2
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Chen N, Ai H, Lu X. Context-dependent attentional spotlight in pulvinar-V1 interaction. Neuroimage 2023; 279:120341. [PMID: 37619793 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120341] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention is often described as a mental spotlight that enhances information processing at the attended location. Using fMRI, we investigated background connectivity between the pulvinar and V1 in relation to focused versus diffused attention allocation, in weak and strong crowding contexts. Our findings revealed that focused attention led to enhanced correlations between the pulvinar and V1. Notably, this modulation was initiated by the pulvinar, and the strength of the modulation was dependent on the saliency of the target. These findings suggest that the pulvinar initiates information reweighting to V1, which underlies attentional selection in cluttered scenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nihong Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China; THU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hailin Ai
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Xincheng Lu
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
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3
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Shine JM, Lewis LD, Garrett DD, Hwang K. The impact of the human thalamus on brain-wide information processing. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:416-430. [PMID: 37237103 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00701-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The thalamus is a small, bilateral structure in the diencephalon that integrates signals from many areas of the CNS. This critical anatomical position allows the thalamus to influence whole-brain activity and adaptive behaviour. However, traditional research paradigms have struggled to attribute specific functions to the thalamus, and it has remained understudied in the human neuroimaging literature. Recent advances in analytical techniques and increased accessibility to large, high-quality data sets have brought forth a series of studies and findings that (re-)establish the thalamus as a core region of interest in human cognitive neuroscience, a field that otherwise remains cortico-centric. In this Perspective, we argue that using whole-brain neuroimaging approaches to investigate the thalamus and its interaction with the rest of the brain is key for understanding systems-level control of information processing. To this end, we highlight the role of the thalamus in shaping a range of functional signatures, including evoked activity, interregional connectivity, network topology and neuronal variability, both at rest and during the performance of cognitive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Shine
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Laura D Lewis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Douglas D Garrett
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Hwang
- Cognitive Control Collaborative, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
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4
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Liu X, Melcher D. The effect of familiarity on behavioral oscillations in face perception. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10145. [PMID: 37349366 PMCID: PMC10287701 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34812-6] [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: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on behavioral oscillations demonstrate that visual sensitivity fluctuates over time and visual processing varies periodically, mirroring neural oscillations at the same frequencies. Do these behavioral oscillations reflect fixed and relatively automatic sensory sampling, or top-down processes such as attention or predictive coding? To disentangle these theories, the current study used a dual-target rapid serial visual presentation paradigm, where participants indicated the gender of a face target embedded in streams of distractors presented at 30 Hz. On critical trials, two identical targets were presented with varied stimulus onset asynchrony from 200 to 833 ms. The target was either familiar or unfamiliar faces, divided into different blocks. We found a 4.6 Hz phase-coherent fluctuation in gender discrimination performance across both trial types, consistent with previous reports. In addition, however, we found an effect at the alpha frequency, with behavioral oscillations in the familiar blocks characterized by a faster high-alpha peak than for the unfamiliar face blocks. These results are consistent with the combination of both a relatively stable modulation in the theta band and faster modulation of the alpha oscillations. Therefore, the overall pattern of perceptual sampling in visual perception may depend, at least in part, on task demands. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 16/08/2022. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/A98UF .
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Liu
- New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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5
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Mo C, Lu J, Shi C, Fang F. Neural representations of competing stimuli along the dorsal and ventral visual pathways during binocular rivalry. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2734-2747. [PMID: 35689650 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac238] [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: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Binocular rivalry arises when two discrepant stimuli are simultaneously presented to different eyes, during which observers consciously experience vivid perceptual alternations without physical changes in visual inputs. Neural dynamics tracking such perceptual alternations have been identified at both early and late visual areas, leading to the fundamental debate concerning the primary neural substrate underlying binocular rivalry. One promising hypothesis that might reconcile these seemingly paradoxical findings is a gradual shift from interocular competition between monocular neurons to pattern competition among binocular neurons. Here, we examined this hypothesis by investigating how neural representations of rivalrous stimuli evolved along the visual pathway. We found that representations of the dominant and the suppressed stimuli initially co-existed in V1, which were enhanced and attenuated respectively in extrastriate visual areas. Notably, neural activity in V4 was dictated by the representation of the dominant stimulus, while the representation of the suppressed stimulus was only partially inhibited in dorsal areas V3A and MT+. Our findings revealed a progressive transition from the co-existing representations of the rivalrous inputs to the dictatorial representation of the dominant stimulus in the ventral pathway, and advocated different cortical evolutionary patterns of visual representations between the dorsal and the ventral pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ce Mo
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Junshi Lu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
| | - Chao Shi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
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6
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Chota S, Leto C, van Zantwijk L, Van der Stigchel S. Attention rhythmically samples multi-feature objects in working memory. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14703. [PMID: 36038570 PMCID: PMC9424255 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18819-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention allows us to selectively enhance processing of specific locations or features in our external environment while filtering out irrelevant information. It is currently hypothesized that this is achieved through boosting of relevant sensory signals which biases the competition between neural representations. Recent neurophysiological and behavioral studies revealed that attention is a fundamentally rhythmic process, tightly linked to neural oscillations in frontoparietal networks. Instead of continuously highlighting a single object or location, attention rhythmically alternates between multiple relevant representations at a frequency of 3–8 Hz. However, attention cannot only be directed towards the external world but also towards internal visual working memory (VWM) representations, e.g. when selecting one of several search templates to find corresponding objects in the external world. Two recent studies demonstrate that single-feature objects in VWM are attended in a similar rhythmic fashion as perceived objects. Here we add to the literature by showing that non-spatial retro-cues initiate comparable theta-rhythmic sampling of multi-feature objects in VWM. Our findings add to the converging body of evidence that external and internal visual representations are accessed by similar rhythmic attentional mechanisms and present a potential solution to the binding problem in working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samson Chota
- Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Carlo Leto
- Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Laura van Zantwijk
- Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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7
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Chen G, Gong P. A spatiotemporal mechanism of visual attention: Superdiffusive motion and theta oscillations of neural population activity patterns. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl4995. [PMID: 35452293 PMCID: PMC9032965 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl4995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence has demonstrated that during visual spatial attention sampling, neural activity and behavioral performance exhibit large fluctuations. To understand the origin of these fluctuations and their functional role, here, we introduce a mechanism based on the dynamical activity pattern (attention spotlight) emerging from neural circuit models in the transition regime between different dynamical states. This attention activity pattern with rich spatiotemporal dynamics flexibly samples from different stimulus locations, explaining many key aspects of temporal fluctuations such as variable theta oscillations of visual spatial attention. Moreover, the mechanism expands our understanding of how visual attention exploits spatially complex fluctuations characterized by superdiffusive motion in space and makes experimentally testable predictions. We further illustrate that attention sampling based on such spatiotemporal fluctuations provides profound functional advantages such as adaptive switching between exploitation and exploration activities and is particularly efficient at sampling natural scenes with multiple salient objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guozhang Chen
- School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- ARC Center of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Institute of Theoretical Computer Science, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Pulin Gong
- School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- ARC Center of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Corresponding author.
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8
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The dynamics of microsaccade amplitude reflect shifting of covert attention. Conscious Cogn 2022; 101:103322. [PMID: 35395549 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Attention flexibly shifts between spatial locations to accommodate task demands. The present study examined if the dynamics of attentional shifting are seen in microsaccades whose direction has been shown to accompany the shifts of covert attention. In a spatial cueing task, the cue predicted the target location on 100%, 75%, or 50% of the trials. The results revealed that microsaccade rate and amplitude were both reduced following cue onset and then rebounded. Both microsaccade rate and amplitude were biased towards the opposite direction of the cue and then returned to the cued direction. Importantly, the cue validity modulated the temporal profile of microsaccade amplitude but had little impact on the temporal profile of microsaccade rate. In line with this, the cueing effect measured with target response accuracy was correlated with the microsaccade amplitude only. These results indicate that the temporal dynamics of microsaccade amplitude reflect shifting of covert attention.
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9
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Jia J, Fan Y, Luo H. Alpha-Band Phase Modulates Bottom-up Feature Processing. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1260-1268. [PMID: 34411242 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies reveal that attention operates in a rhythmic manner, that is, sampling each location or feature alternatively over time. However, most evidence derives from top-down tasks, and it remains elusive whether bottom-up processing also entails dynamic coordination. Here, we developed a novel feature processing paradigm and combined time-resolved behavioral measurements and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings to address the question. Specifically, a salient color in a multicolor display serves as a noninformative cue to capture attention and presumably reset the oscillations of feature processing. We then measured the behavioral performance of a probe stimulus associated with either high- or low-salient color at varied temporal lags after the cue. First, the behavioral results (i.e., reaction time) display an alpha-band (~8 Hz) profile with a consistent phase lag between high- and low-salient conditions. Second, simultaneous EEG recordings show that behavioral performance is modulated by the phase of alpha-band neural oscillation at the onset of the probes. Finally, high- and low-salient probes are associated with distinct preferred phases of alpha-band neural oscillations. Taken together, our behavioral and neural results convergingly support a central function of alpha-band rhythms in feature processing, that is, features with varied saliency levels are processed at different phases of alpha neural oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianrong Jia
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders of Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310015, China.,Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China.,Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China
| | - Ying Fan
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Huan Luo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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10
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Benedetto A, Binda P, Costagli M, Tosetti M, Morrone MC. Predictive visuo-motor communication through neural oscillations. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3401-3408.e4. [PMID: 34111403 PMCID: PMC8360767 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms coordinating action and perception over time are poorly understood. The sensory cortex needs to prepare for upcoming changes contingent on action, and this requires temporally precise communication that takes into account the variable delays between sensory and motor processing. Several theorists1,2 have proposed synchronization of the endogenous oscillatory activity observed in most regions of the brain3 as the basis for an efficient and flexible communication protocol between distal brain areas,2,4 a concept known as "communication through coherence." Synchronization of endogenous oscillations5,6 occurs after a salient sensory stimulus, such as a flash or a sound,7-11 and after a voluntary action,12-18 and this directly impacts perception, causing performance to oscillate rhythmically over time. Here we introduce a novel fMRI paradigm to probe the neural sources of oscillations, based on the concept of perturbative signals, which overcomes the low temporal resolution of BOLD signals. The assumption is that a synchronized endogenous rhythm will modulate cortical excitability rhythmically, which should be reflected in the BOLD responses to brief stimuli presented at different phases of the oscillation cycle. We record rhythmic oscillations of V1 BOLD synchronized by a simple voluntary action, in phase with behaviorally measured oscillations in visual sensitivity in the theta range. The functional connectivity between V1 and M1 also oscillates at the same rhythm. By demonstrating oscillatory temporal coupling between primary motor and sensory cortices, our results strongly implicate communication through coherence to achieve precise coordination and to encode sensory-motor timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Benedetto
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genova, Genova, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Imago 7 Research Foundation, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
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11
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Kosciessa JQ, Lindenberger U, Garrett DD. Thalamocortical excitability modulation guides human perception under uncertainty. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2430. [PMID: 33893294 PMCID: PMC8065126 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22511-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge about the relevance of environmental features can guide stimulus processing. However, it remains unclear how processing is adjusted when feature relevance is uncertain. We hypothesized that (a) heightened uncertainty would shift cortical networks from a rhythmic, selective processing-oriented state toward an asynchronous ("excited") state that boosts sensitivity to all stimulus features, and that (b) the thalamus provides a subcortical nexus for such uncertainty-related shifts. Here, we had young adults attend to varying numbers of task-relevant features during EEG and fMRI acquisition to test these hypotheses. Behavioral modeling and electrophysiological signatures revealed that greater uncertainty lowered the rate of evidence accumulation for individual stimulus features, shifted the cortex from a rhythmic to an asynchronous/excited regime, and heightened neuromodulatory arousal. Crucially, this unified constellation of within-person effects was dominantly reflected in the uncertainty-driven upregulation of thalamic activity. We argue that neuromodulatory processes involving the thalamus play a central role in how the brain modulates neural excitability in the face of momentary uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Q Kosciessa
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany.
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Douglas D Garrett
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany.
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
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