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Cho H, Adamek M, Willie JT, Brunner P. Novel cyclic homogeneous oscillation detection method for high accuracy and specific characterization of neural dynamics. eLife 2024; 12:RP91605. [PMID: 39240267 PMCID: PMC11379461 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91605] [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] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining the presence and frequency of neural oscillations is essential to understanding dynamic brain function. Traditional methods that detect peaks over 1/f noise within the power spectrum fail to distinguish between the fundamental frequency and harmonics of often highly non-sinusoidal neural oscillations. To overcome this limitation, we define fundamental criteria that characterize neural oscillations and introduce the cyclic homogeneous oscillation (CHO) detection method. We implemented these criteria based on an autocorrelation approach to determine an oscillation's fundamental frequency. We evaluated CHO by verifying its performance on simulated non-sinusoidal oscillatory bursts and validated its ability to determine the fundamental frequency of neural oscillations in electrocorticographic (ECoG), electroencephalographic (EEG), and stereoelectroencephalographic (SEEG) signals recorded from 27 human subjects. Our results demonstrate that CHO outperforms conventional techniques in accurately detecting oscillations. In summary, CHO demonstrates high precision and specificity in detecting neural oscillations in time and frequency domains. The method's specificity enables the detailed study of non-sinusoidal characteristics of oscillations, such as the degree of asymmetry and waveform of an oscillation. Furthermore, CHO can be applied to identify how neural oscillations govern interactions throughout the brain and to determine oscillatory biomarkers that index abnormal brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hohyun Cho
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, United States
| | - Markus Adamek
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, United States
| | - Jon T Willie
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, United States
| | - Peter Brunner
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, United States
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2
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Becker C, Conduit R, Chouinard PA, Laycock R. EEG correlates of static and dynamic face perception: the role of naturalistic motion. Neuropsychologia 2024:108986. [PMID: 39218391 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108986] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Much of our understanding of how the brain processes dynamic faces comes from research that compares static photographs to dynamic morphs, which exhibit simplified, computer-generated motion. By comparing static, video recorded, and dynamic morphed expressions, we aim to identify the neural correlates of naturalistic facial dynamism, using time-domain and time-frequency analysis. Dynamic morphs were made from the neutral and peak frames of video recorded transitions of happy and fearful expressions, which retained expression change and removed asynchronous and non-linear features of naturalistic facial motion. We found that dynamic morphs elicited increased N400 amplitudes and lower LPP amplitudes compared to other stimulus types. Video recordings elicited higher LPP amplitudes and greater frontal delta activity compared to other stimuli. Thematic analysis of participant interviews using a large language model revealed that participants found it difficult to assess the genuineness of morphed expressions, and easier to analyse the genuineness of happy compared to fearful expressions. Our findings suggest that animating real faces with artificial motion may violate expectations (N400) and reduce the social salience (LPP) of dynamic morphs. Results also suggest that delta oscillations in the frontal region may be involved with the perception of naturalistic facial motion in happy and fearful expressions. Overall, our findings highlight the sensitivity of neural mechanisms required for face perception to subtle changes in facial motion characteristics, which has important implications for neuroimaging research using faces with simplified motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey Becker
- RMIT University, School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, STEM college, 225-254 Plenty Rd, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.
| | - Russell Conduit
- RMIT University, School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, STEM college, 225-254 Plenty Rd, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.
| | - Philippe A Chouinard
- La Trobe University, Department of Psychology, Counselling, & Therapy, 75 Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia.
| | - Robin Laycock
- RMIT University, School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, STEM college, 225-254 Plenty Rd, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.
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3
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Su Z, Zhang H, Wang Y, Chen B, Zhang Z, Wang B, Liu J, Shi Y, Zhao X. Neural oscillation in bipolar disorder: a systematic review of resting-state electroencephalography studies. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1424666. [PMID: 39238928 PMCID: PMC11375681 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1424666] [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: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric disease with high rates of misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis, resulting in a significant disease burden on both individuals and society. Abnormal neural oscillations have garnered significant attention as potential neurobiological markers of BD. However, untangling the mechanisms that subserve these baseline alternations requires measurement of their electrophysiological underpinnings. This systematic review investigates consistent abnormal resting-state EEG power of BD and conducted an initial exploration into how methodological approaches might impact the study outcomes. This review was conducted in Pubmed-Medline and Web-of-Science in March 2024 to summarize the oscillation changes in resting-state EEG (rsEEG) of BD. We focusing on rsEEG to report spectral power in different frequency bands. We identified 10 studies, in which neural oscillations was compared with healthy individuals (HCs). We found that BD patients had abnormal oscillations in delta, theta, beta, and gamma bands, predominantly characterized by increased power, indicating potential widespread neural dysfunction, involving multiple neural networks and cognitive processes. However, the outcomes regarding alpha oscillation in BD were more heterogeneous, which is thought to be potentially influenced by the disease severity and the diversity of samples. Furthermore, we conducted an initial exploration into how demographic and methodological elements might impact the study outcomes, underlining the importance of implementing standardized data collection methods. Key aspects we took into account included gender, age, medication usage, medical history, the method of frequency band segmentation, and situation of eye open/eye close during the recordings. Therefore, in the face of abnormal multiple oscillations in BD, we need to adopt a comprehensive research approach, consider the multidimensional attributes of the disease and the heterogeneity of samples, and pay attention to the standardized experimental design to improve the reliability and reproducibility of the research results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyao Su
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- The second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Haoran Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yingtan Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Bingxu Chen
- Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhizhen Zhang
- School of Mathematical Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuwei Shi
- The second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Xixi Zhao
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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4
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Suresh T, Iwane F, Zhang M, McElmurry M, Manesiya M, Freedberg MV, Hussain SJ. Motor sequence learning-induced corticospinal plasticity is biased towards sensorimotor mu rhythm peak phases. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.31.606022. [PMID: 39211097 PMCID: PMC11361050 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.31.606022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Motor cortical (M1) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) increases corticospinal output and improves motor learning when delivered during sensorimotor mu rhythm trough but not peak phases, suggesting that mechanisms supporting motor learning may be most active during mu trough phases. If so, learning-related corticospinal plasticity should be most evident during mu trough phases. Healthy adults were assigned to either a sequence or control group. Participants in the sequence group practiced the implicit serial reaction time task (SRTT), which contained an embedded, repeating 12-item sequence. Participants in the control group practiced a version of the SRTT that contained no sequence. We measured mu phase-independent and phase-dependent MEP amplitudes using EEG-informed single-pulse TMS before, immediately, and 30 minutes after the SRTT in both groups. All participants performed a retention test one hour after SRTT acquisition. In both groups, mu phase-independent MEP amplitudes increased following SRTT acquisition, but the pattern of mu phase-dependent MEP amplitude increases after SRTT acquisition differed between groups. MEP amplitude changes from baseline to 30 minutes after SRTT acquisition more strongly differed across phases in the control relative to the sequence group, with the control group showing smaller increases in peak- than trough-specific MEPs. Contrary to our original hypothesis, results revealed that sequence learning recruits peak- rather than trough-specific neurophysiological mechanisms. Overall, these findings suggest that mu peak phases may provide protected time windows for motor memory consolidation and demonstrate the presence of a mu phase-dependent motor learning mechanism in the human brain. Significance statement Recent work suggests that the neurophysiological mechanisms supporting motor learning may be most active during sensorimotor mu rhythm trough phases. Here, we evaluated this possibility by measuring mu phase-dependent corticospinal plasticity induced by motor sequence learning. Results provide first evidence that motor sequence learning produced corticospinal plasticity that was more pronounced during mu peak than trough phases, demonstrating the presence of a phase-dependent learning mechanism within the human motor system.
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5
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Bayones L, Zainos A, Alvarez M, Romo R, Franci A, Rossi-Pool R. Orthogonality of sensory and contextual categorical dynamics embedded in a continuum of responses from the second somatosensory cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316765121. [PMID: 38990946 PMCID: PMC11260089 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316765121] [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: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
How does the brain simultaneously process signals that bring complementary information, like raw sensory signals and their transformed counterparts, without any disruptive interference? Contemporary research underscores the brain's adeptness in using decorrelated responses to reduce such interference. Both neurophysiological findings and artificial neural networks support the notion of orthogonal representation for signal differentiation and parallel processing. Yet, where, and how raw sensory signals are transformed into more abstract representations remains unclear. Using a temporal pattern discrimination task in trained monkeys, we revealed that the second somatosensory cortex (S2) efficiently segregates faithful and transformed neural responses into orthogonal subspaces. Importantly, S2 population encoding for transformed signals, but not for faithful ones, disappeared during a nondemanding version of this task, which suggests that signal transformation and their decoding from downstream areas are only active on-demand. A mechanistic computation model points to gain modulation as a possible biological mechanism for the observed context-dependent computation. Furthermore, individual neural activities that underlie the orthogonal population representations exhibited a continuum of responses, with no well-determined clusters. These findings advocate that the brain, while employing a continuum of heterogeneous neural responses, splits population signals into orthogonal subspaces in a context-dependent fashion to enhance robustness, performance, and improve coding efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Bayones
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City04510, Mexico
| | - Antonio Zainos
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City04510, Mexico
| | - Manuel Alvarez
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City04510, Mexico
| | | | - Alessio Franci
- Departmento de Matemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City04510, Mexico
- Montefiore Institute, University of Liège, Liège4000, Belgique
- Wallon ExceLlence (WEL) Research Institute, Wavre1300, Belgique
| | - Román Rossi-Pool
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City04510, Mexico
- Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City04510, Mexico
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6
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Zioga I, Kenett YN, Giannopoulos A, Luft CDB. The role of alpha oscillations in free- and goal-directed semantic associations. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26770. [PMID: 38970217 PMCID: PMC11226545 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26770] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Alpha oscillations are known to play a central role in several higher-order cognitive functions, especially selective attention, working memory, semantic memory, and creative thinking. Nonetheless, we still know very little about the role of alpha in the generation of more remote semantic associations, which is key to creative and semantic cognition. Furthermore, it remains unclear how these oscillations are shaped by the intention to "be creative," which is the case in most creativity tasks. We aimed to address these gaps in two experiments. In Experiment 1, we compared alpha oscillatory activity (using a method which distinguishes genuine oscillatory activity from transient events) during the generation of free associations which were more vs. less distant from a given concept. In Experiment 2, we replicated these findings and also compared alpha oscillatory activity when people were generating free associations versus associations with the instruction to be creative (i.e. goal-directed). We found that alpha was consistently higher during the generation of more distant semantic associations, in both experiments. This effect was widespread, involving areas in both left and right hemispheres. Importantly, the instruction to be creative seems to increase alpha phase synchronisation from left to right temporal brain areas, suggesting that intention to be creative changed the flux of information in the brain, likely reflecting an increase in top-down control of semantic search processes. We conclude that goal-directed generation of remote associations relies on top-down mechanisms compared to when associations are freely generated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Zioga
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and BehaviourRadboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Yoed N. Kenett
- Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion—Israel Institute of TechnologyHaifaIsrael
| | - Anastasios Giannopoulos
- School of Electrical and Computer EngineeringNational Technical University of Athens (NTUA) AthensAthensGreece
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7
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Thiele C, Rufener KS, Repplinger S, Zaehle T, Ruhnau P. Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) influences event-related alpha activity during mental rotation. Psychophysiology 2024:e14651. [PMID: 38997805 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14651] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques offer therapeutic potential for neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, current methods are often limited in their stimulation depth. The novel transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) aims to overcome this limitation by non-invasively targeting deeper brain regions. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tTIS in modulating alpha activity during a mental rotation task. The effects of tTIS were compared with transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and a sham control. Participants were randomly assigned to a tTIS, tACS, or sham group. They performed alternating blocks of resting and mental rotation tasks before, during, and after stimulation. During the stimulation blocks, participants received 20 min of stimulation adjusted to their individual alpha frequency (IAF). We assessed shifts in resting state alpha power, event-related desynchronization (ERD) of alpha activity during mental rotation, as well as resulting improvements in behavioral performance. Our results indicate tTIS and tACS to be effective in modulating cortical alpha activity during mental rotation, leading to an increase in ERD from pre- to poststimulation as well as compared to sham stimulation. However, this increase in ERD was not correlated with enhanced mental rotation performance, and resting state alpha power remained unchanged. Our findings underscore the complex nature of tTIS and tACS efficacy, indicating that stimulation effects are more observable during active cognitive tasks, while their impacts are less pronounced on resting neuronal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Thiele
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, University Clinic of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Katharina S Rufener
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine of Childhood and Adolescents, Otto-von-Guericke-University, University Clinic of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Repplinger
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, University Clinic of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tino Zaehle
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, University Clinic of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Ruhnau
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- School of Psychology and Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
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Yang B, Liu H, Jiang T, Yu S. Fluctuation in cortical excitation/inhibition modulates capability of attention across time scales ranging from hours to seconds. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae309. [PMID: 39076112 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae309] [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: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Sustained attention, as the basis of general cognitive ability, naturally varies across different time scales, spanning from hours, e.g. from wakefulness to drowsiness state, to seconds, e.g. trial-by-trail fluctuation in a task session. Whether there is a unified mechanism underneath such trans-scale variability remains unclear. Here we show that fluctuation of cortical excitation/inhibition (E/I) is a strong modulator to sustained attention in humans across time scales. First, we observed the ability to attend varied across different brain states (wakefulness, postprandial somnolence, sleep deprived), as well as within any single state with larger swings. Second, regardless of the time scale involved, we found highly attentive state was always linked to more balanced cortical E/I characterized by electroencephalography (EEG) features, while deviations from the balanced state led to temporal decline in attention, suggesting the fluctuation of cortical E/I as a common mechanism underneath trans-scale attentional variability. Furthermore, we found the variations of both sustained attention and cortical E/I indices exhibited fractal structure in the temporal domain, exhibiting features of self-similarity. Taken together, these results demonstrate that sustained attention naturally varies across different time scales in a more complex way than previously appreciated, with the cortical E/I as a shared neurophysiological modulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binghao Yang
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 95, Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 230, Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 95, Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 230, Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tianzi Jiang
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 95, Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 230, Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
- Xiaoxiang Institute for Brain Health and Yongzhou Central Hospital, No. 151, Xiaoshui West Road, Lingling District, Yongzhou 425000, Hunan Province, China
| | - Shan Yu
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 95, Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 230, Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- Lead contact. Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 95, Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, China
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Tröndle M, Langer N. Decomposing neurophysiological underpinnings of age-related decline in visual working memory. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 139:30-43. [PMID: 38593526 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.03.004] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Exploring the neural basis of age-related decline in working memory is vital in our aging society. Previous electroencephalographic studies suggested that the contralateral delay activity (CDA) may be insensitive to age-related decline in lateralized visual working memory (VWM) performance. Instead, recent evidence indicated that task-induced alpha power lateralization decreases in older age. However, the relationship between alpha power lateralization and age-related decline of VWM performance remains unknown, and recent studies have questioned the validity of these findings due to confounding factors of the aperiodic signal. Using a sample of 134 participants, we replicated the age-related decrease of alpha power lateralization after adjusting for the aperiodic signal. Critically, the link between task performance and alpha power lateralization was found only when correcting for aperiodic signal biases. Functionally, these findings suggest that age-related declines in VWM performance may be related to the decreased ability to prioritize relevant over irrelevant information. Conversely, CDA amplitudes were stable across age groups, suggesting a distinct neural mechanism possibly related to preserved VWM encoding or early maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Tröndle
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Methods of Plasticity Research, Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP) Dynamic of Healthy Aging, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Nicolas Langer
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Methods of Plasticity Research, Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP) Dynamic of Healthy Aging, Zurich, Switzerland
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10
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Ten Oever S, Titone L, te Rietmolen N, Martin AE. Phase-dependent word perception emerges from region-specific sensitivity to the statistics of language. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320489121. [PMID: 38805278 PMCID: PMC11161766 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320489121] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Neural oscillations reflect fluctuations in excitability, which biases the percept of ambiguous sensory input. Why this bias occurs is still not fully understood. We hypothesized that neural populations representing likely events are more sensitive, and thereby become active on earlier oscillatory phases, when the ensemble itself is less excitable. Perception of ambiguous input presented during less-excitable phases should therefore be biased toward frequent or predictable stimuli that have lower activation thresholds. Here, we show such a frequency bias in spoken word recognition using psychophysics, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and computational modelling. With MEG, we found a double dissociation, where the phase of oscillations in the superior temporal gyrus and medial temporal gyrus biased word-identification behavior based on phoneme and lexical frequencies, respectively. This finding was reproduced in a computational model. These results demonstrate that oscillations provide a temporal ordering of neural activity based on the sensitivity of separable neural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Ten Oever
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, NijmegenXD 6525, The Netherlands
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, NijmegenEN 6525, The Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, EV 6229, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenzo Titone
- Research Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, LeipzigD-04303, Germany
| | - Noémie te Rietmolen
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, NijmegenXD 6525, The Netherlands
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, NijmegenEN 6525, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea E. Martin
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, NijmegenXD 6525, The Netherlands
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, NijmegenEN 6525, The Netherlands
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11
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Hebron H, Lugli B, Dimitrova R, Jaramillo V, Yeh LR, Rhodes E, Grossman N, Dijk DJ, Violante IR. A closed-loop auditory stimulation approach selectively modulates alpha oscillations and sleep onset dynamics in humans. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002651. [PMID: 38889194 PMCID: PMC11185466 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Alpha oscillations play a vital role in managing the brain's resources, inhibiting neural activity as a function of their phase and amplitude, and are changed in many brain disorders. Developing minimally invasive tools to modulate alpha activity and identifying the parameters that determine its response to exogenous modulators is essential for the implementation of focussed interventions. We introduce Alpha Closed-Loop Auditory Stimulation (αCLAS) as an EEG-based method to modulate and investigate these brain rhythms in humans with specificity and selectivity, using targeted auditory stimulation. Across a series of independent experiments, we demonstrate that αCLAS alters alpha power, frequency, and connectivity in a phase, amplitude, and topography-dependent manner. Using single-pulse-αCLAS, we show that the effects of auditory stimuli on alpha oscillations can be explained within the theoretical framework of oscillator theory and a phase-reset mechanism. Finally, we demonstrate the functional relevance of our approach by showing that αCLAS can interfere with sleep onset dynamics in a phase-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Hebron
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
- Surrey Sleep Research Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London and the University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice Lugli
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Radost Dimitrova
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Valeria Jaramillo
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
- Surrey Sleep Research Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London and the University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa R. Yeh
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Edward Rhodes
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Nir Grossman
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Derk-Jan Dijk
- Surrey Sleep Research Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London and the University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Ines R. Violante
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
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12
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Peylo C, Romberg-Taylor C, Behnke L, Sauseng P. Dynamic alpha power modulations and slow negative potentials track natural shifts of spatio-temporal attention. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14498. [PMID: 38071405 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14498] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Alpha power modulations and slow negative potentials have previously been associated with anticipatory processes in spatial and temporal top-down attention. In typical experimental designs, however, neural responses triggered by transient stimulus onsets can interfere with attention-driven activity patterns and our interpretation of such. Here, we investigated these signatures of spatio-temporal attention in a dynamic paradigm free from potentially confounding stimulus-driven activity using electroencephalography. Participants attended the cued side of a bilateral stimulus rotation and mentally counted how often one of two remembered sample orientations (i.e., the target) was displayed while ignoring the uncued side and non-target orientation. Afterwards, participants performed a delayed match-to-sample task, in which they indicated if the orientation of a probe stimulus matched the corresponding sample orientation (previously target or non-target). We observed dynamic alpha power reductions and slow negative waves around task-relevant points in space and time (i.e., onset of the target orientation in the cued hemifield) over posterior electrodes contralateral to the locus of attention. In contrast to static alpha power lateralization, these dynamic signatures correlated with subsequent memory performance (primarily detriments for matching probes of the non-target orientation), suggesting a preferential allocation of attention to task-relevant locations and time points at the expense of reduced resources and impaired performance for information outside the current focus of attention. Our findings suggest that humans can naturally and dynamically focus their attention at relevant points in space and time and that such spatio-temporal attention shifts can be reflected by dynamic alpha power modulations and slow negative potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charline Peylo
- Department of Psychology, Universität Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Larissa Behnke
- Department of Psychology, Universität Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Paul Sauseng
- Department of Psychology, Universität Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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13
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Jensen O. Distractor inhibition by alpha oscillations is controlled by an indirect mechanism governed by goal-relevant information. COMMUNICATIONS PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 2:36. [PMID: 38665356 PMCID: PMC11041682 DOI: 10.1038/s44271-024-00081-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The role of alpha oscillations (8-13 Hz) in cognition is intensively investigated. While intracranial animal recordings demonstrate that alpha oscillations are associated with decreased neuronal excitability, it is been questioned whether alpha oscillations are under direct control from frontoparietal areas to suppress visual distractors. We here point to a revised mechanism in which alpha oscillations are controlled by an indirect mechanism governed by the load of goal-relevant information - a view compatible with perceptual load theory. We will outline how this framework can be further tested and discuss the consequences for network dynamics and resource allocation in the working brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Jensen
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B152TT UK
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14
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Williams JG, Harrison WJ, Beale HA, Mattingley JB, Harris AM. Effects of neural oscillation power and phase on discrimination performance in a visual tilt illusion. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1801-1809.e4. [PMID: 38569544 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.014] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Neural oscillations reflect fluctuations in the relative excitation/inhibition of neural systems1,2,3,4,5 and are theorized to play a critical role in canonical neural computations6,7,8,9 and cognitive processes.10,11,12,13,14 These theories have been supported by findings that detection of visual stimuli fluctuates with the phase of oscillations prior to stimulus onset.15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23 However, null results have emerged in studies seeking to demonstrate these effects in visual discrimination tasks,24,25,26,27 raising questions about the generalizability of these phenomena to wider neural processes. Recently, we suggested that methodological limitations may mask effects of phase in higher-level sensory processing.28 To test the generality of phasic influences on perception requires a task that involves stimulus discrimination while also depending on early sensory processing. Here, we examined the influence of oscillation phase on the visual tilt illusion, in which a center grating has its perceived orientation biased away from the orientation of a surround grating29 due to lateral inhibitory interactions in early visual processing.30,31,32 We presented center gratings at participants' subjective vertical angle and had participants report whether the grating appeared tilted clockwise or counterclockwise from vertical on each trial while measuring their brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG). In addition to effects of alpha power and aperiodic slope, we observed robust associations between orientation perception and alpha and theta phase, consistent with fluctuating illusion magnitude across the oscillatory cycle. These results confirm that oscillation phase affects the complex processing involved in stimulus discrimination, consistent with its purported role in canonical computations that underpin cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica G Williams
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Building 79, Upland Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, McElwain Building, Campbell Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - William J Harrison
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Building 79, Upland Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, McElwain Building, Campbell Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
| | - Henry A Beale
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Building 79, Upland Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jason B Mattingley
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Building 79, Upland Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, McElwain Building, Campbell Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, West Tower, 661 University Ave., Suite 505, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Anthony M Harris
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Building 79, Upland Road, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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15
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Ronconi L, Balestrieri E, Baldauf D, Melcher D. Distinct Cortical Networks Subserve Spatio-temporal Sampling in Vision through Different Oscillatory Rhythms. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:572-589. [PMID: 37172123 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Although visual input arrives continuously, sensory information is segmented into (quasi-)discrete events. Here, we investigated the neural correlates of spatiotemporal binding in humans with magnetoencephalography using two tasks where separate flashes were presented on each trial but were perceived, in a bistable way, as either a single or two separate events. The first task (two-flash fusion) involved judging one versus two flashes, whereas the second task (apparent motion: AM) involved judging coherent motion versus two stationary flashes. Results indicate two different functional networks underlying two unique aspects of temporal binding. In two-flash fusion trials, involving an integration window of ∼50 msec, evoked responses differed as a function of perceptual interpretation by ∼25 msec after stimuli offset. Multivariate decoding of subjective perception based on prestimulus oscillatory phase was significant for alpha-band activity in the right medial temporal (V5/MT) area, with the strength of prestimulus connectivity between early visual areas and V5/MT being predictive of performance. In contrast, the longer integration window (∼130 msec) for AM showed evoked field differences only ∼250 msec after stimuli offset. Phase decoding of the perceptual outcome in AM trials was significant for theta-band activity in the right intraparietal sulcus. Prestimulus theta-band connectivity between V5/MT and intraparietal sulcus best predicted AM perceptual outcome. For both tasks, phase effects found could not be accounted by concomitant variations in power. These results show a strong relationship between specific spatiotemporal binding windows and specific oscillations, linked to the information flow between different areas of the where and when visual pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ronconi
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Elio Balestrieri
- University of Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeld Center for Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, Münster, Germany
| | | | - David Melcher
- New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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16
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Chen L, Cichy RM, Kaiser D. Coherent categorical information triggers integration-related alpha dynamics. J Neurophysiol 2024; 131:619-625. [PMID: 38416707 PMCID: PMC11305630 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00450.2023] [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: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
To create coherent visual experiences, the brain spatially integrates the complex and dynamic information it receives from the environment. We previously demonstrated that feedback-related alpha activity carries stimulus-specific information when two spatially and temporally coherent naturalistic inputs can be integrated into a unified percept. In this study, we sought to determine whether such integration-related alpha dynamics are triggered by categorical coherence in visual inputs. In an EEG experiment, we manipulated the degree of coherence by presenting pairs of videos from the same or different categories through two apertures in the left and right visual hemifields. Critically, video pairs could be video-level coherent (i.e., stem from the same video), coherent in their basic-level category, coherent in their superordinate category, or incoherent (i.e., stem from videos from two entirely different categories). We conducted multivariate classification analyses on rhythmic EEG responses to decode between the video stimuli in each condition. As the key result, we significantly decoded the video-level coherent and basic-level coherent stimuli, but not the superordinate coherent and incoherent stimuli, from cortical alpha rhythms. This suggests that alpha dynamics play a critical role in integrating information across space, and that cortical integration processes are flexible enough to accommodate information from different exemplars of the same basic-level category.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our brain integrates dynamic inputs across the visual field to create coherent visual experiences. Such integration processes have previously been linked to cortical alpha dynamics. In this study, the integration-related alpha activity was observed not only when snippets from the same video were presented, but also when different video snippets from the same basic-level category were presented, highlighting the flexibility of neural integration processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixiang Chen
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Mathematical Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | | | - Daniel Kaiser
- Mathematical Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg, Germany
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17
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Deodato M, Melcher D. Correlations between Visual Temporal Resolution and Individual Alpha Peak Frequency: Evidence that Internal and Measurement Noise Drive Null Findings. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:590-601. [PMID: 37043238 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
The brain organizes the continuous flow of sensory input by parsing it into discrete events. In the case of two flashes separated by a brief ISI, for example, perception may be of a single flash or two distinct flashes, depending on the ISI but also on the speed of processing. A number of studies have reported evidence that participants with a higher EEG peak alpha frequency are able to detect the presence of two flashes separated by short intervals, whereas those with slower alpha report only one flash. Other studies have not found this correlation. We investigated potential factors that might mask the relationship between individual alpha frequency and visual perception. We recorded resting-state EEG from a large sample of participants (n = 50) and measured the temporal resolution of visual perception with the two-flash fusion task. We found that individual alpha frequency over posterior channels predicted the two-flash fusion threshold, in line with previous studies, but this correlation was significant only when taking into account the steepness of the psychophysical curve of the two-flash task. Participants with a relatively shallow psychophysical curve, likely reflecting high sensory and/or decision noise, failed to show this relationship. These findings replicate previous reports of a correlation between alpha frequency and visual temporal resolution, while also suggesting that an explanation of two-flash fusion performance that neglects the role of internal noise might be insufficient to account for all individual differences.
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18
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Cho H, Adamek M, Willie JT, Brunner P. Novel Cyclic Homogeneous Oscillation Detection Method for High Accuracy and Specific Characterization of Neural Dynamics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.04.560843. [PMID: 38562725 PMCID: PMC10983872 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.04.560843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Detecting temporal and spectral features of neural oscillations is essential to understanding dynamic brain function. Traditionally, the presence and frequency of neural oscillations are determined by identifying peaks over 1/f noise within the power spectrum. However, this approach solely operates within the frequency domain and thus cannot adequately distinguish between the fundamental frequency of a non-sinusoidal oscillation and its harmonics. Non-sinusoidal signals generate harmonics, significantly increasing the false-positive detection rate - a confounding factor in the analysis of neural oscillations. To overcome these limitations, we define the fundamental criteria that characterize a neural oscillation and introduce the Cyclic Homogeneous Oscillation (CHO) detection method that implements these criteria based on an auto-correlation approach that determines the oscillation's periodicity and fundamental frequency. We evaluated CHO by verifying its performance on simulated sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal oscillatory bursts convolved with 1/f noise. Our results demonstrate that CHO outperforms conventional techniques in accurately detecting oscillations. Specifically, we determined the sensitivity and specificity of CHO as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We further assessed CHO by testing it on electrocorticographic (ECoG, 8 subjects) and electroencephalographic (EEG, 7 subjects) signals recorded during the pre-stimulus period of an auditory reaction time task and on electrocorticographic signals (6 SEEG subjects and 6 ECoG subjects) collected during resting state. In the reaction time task, the CHO method detected auditory alpha and pre-motor beta oscillations in ECoG signals and occipital alpha and pre-motor beta oscillations in EEG signals. Moreover, CHO determined the fundamental frequency of hippocampal oscillations in the human hippocampus during the resting state (6 SEEG subjects). In summary, CHO demonstrates high precision and specificity in detecting neural oscillations in time and frequency domains. The method's specificity enables the detailed study of non-sinusoidal characteristics of oscillations, such as the degree of asymmetry and waveform of an oscillation. Furthermore, CHO can be applied to identify how neural oscillations govern interactions throughout the brain and to determine oscillatory biomarkers that index abnormal brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hohyun Cho
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Markus Adamek
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jon T. Willie
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Peter Brunner
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, USA
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19
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Trajkovic J, Di Gregorio F, Thut G, Romei V. Transcranial magnetic stimulation effects support an oscillatory model of ERP genesis. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1048-1058.e4. [PMID: 38377998 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.069] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Whether prestimulus oscillatory brain activity contributes to the generation of post-stimulus-evoked neural responses has long been debated, but findings remain inconclusive. We first investigated the hypothesized relationship via EEG recordings during a perceptual task with this correlational evidence causally probed subsequently by means of online rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation. Both approaches revealed a close link between prestimulus individual alpha frequency (IAF) and P1 latency, with faster IAF being related to shorter latencies, best explained via phase-reset mechanisms. Moreover, prestimulus alpha amplitude predicted P3 size, best explained via additive (correlational and causal evidence) and baseline shift mechanisms (correlational evidence), each with distinct prestimulus alpha contributors. Finally, in terms of performance, faster prestimulus IAF and shorter P1 latencies were both associated with higher task accuracy, while lower prestimulus alpha amplitudes and higher P3 amplitudes were associated with higher confidence ratings. Our results are in favor of the oscillatory model of ERP genesis and modulation, shedding new light on the mechanistic relationship between prestimulus oscillations and functionally relevant evoked components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Trajkovic
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena 47521, Italy; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Francesco Di Gregorio
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena 47521, Italy
| | - Gregor Thut
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QB, UK
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena 47521, Italy; Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid 28015, Spain.
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20
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Orellana V. D, Donoghue JP, Vargas-Irwin CE. Low frequency independent components: Internal neuromarkers linking cortical LFPs to behavior. iScience 2024; 27:108310. [PMID: 38303697 PMCID: PMC10831875 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Local field potentials (LFPs) in the primate motor cortex have been shown to reflect information related to volitional movements. However, LFPs are composite signals that receive contributions from multiple neural sources, producing a complex mix of component signals. Using a blind source separation approach, we examined the components of neural activity recorded using multielectrode arrays in motor areas of macaque monkeys during a grasping and lifting task. We found a set of independent components in the low-frequency LFP with high temporal and spatial consistency associated with each task stage. We observed that ICs often arise from electrodes distributed across multiple cortical areas and provide complementary information to external behavioral markers, specifically in task stage detection and trial alignment. Taken together, our results show that it is possible to separate useful independent components of the LFP associated with specific task-related events, potentially representing internal markers of transition between cortical network states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Orellana V.
- Engineering Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
- Faculty of Energy, Universidad Nacional de Loja, Loja 110101, Ecuador
| | - John P. Donoghue
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Robert J and Nancy D Carney Institute for Brain Science, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI 02908, USA
| | - Carlos E. Vargas-Irwin
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Robert J and Nancy D Carney Institute for Brain Science, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI 02908, USA
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21
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Vicente U, Ara A, Palacín-Lois M, Marco-Pallarés J. Neurophysiological correlates of interpersonal discrepancy and social adjustment in an interactive decision-making task in dyads. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1272841. [PMID: 38420174 PMCID: PMC10899479 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1272841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The pursuit of convergence and the social behavioral adjustment of conformity are fundamental cooperative behaviors that help people adjust their mental frameworks to reach a common goal. However, while social psychology has extensively studied conformity by its influence context, there is still plenty to investigate about the neural cognitive mechanisms involved in this behavior. Methods We proposed a paradigm with two phases, a pre-activation phase to enhance cooperative tendencies and, later, a social decision-making phase in which dyads had to make a perceptual estimation in three consecutive trials and could converge in their decisions without an explicit request or reward to do so. In Study 1, 80 participants were divided in two conditions. In one condition participants did the pre-activation phase alone, while in the other condition the two participants did it with their partners and could interact freely. In Study 2, we registered the electroencephalographical (EEG) activity of 36 participants in the social decision-making phase. Results Study 1 showed behavioral evidence of higher spontaneous convergence in participants who interacted in the pre-activation phase. Event related Potentials (ERP) recorded in Study 2 revealed signal differences in response divergence in different time intervals. Time-frequency analysis showed theta, alpha, and beta evidence related to cognitive control, attention, and reward processing associated with social convergence. Discussion Current results support the spontaneous convergence of behavior in dyads, with increased behavioral adjustment in those participants who have previously cooperated. In addition, neurophysiological components were associated with discrepancy levels between participants, and supported the validity of the experimental paradigm to study spontaneous social behavioral adaptation in experimental settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unai Vicente
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Social and Quantitative Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alberto Ara
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- BRAMS: International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - María Palacín-Lois
- Department of Social and Quantitative Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Marco-Pallarés
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
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22
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Caffarra S, Kanopka K, Kruper J, Richie-Halford A, Roy E, Rokem A, Yeatman JD. Development of the Alpha Rhythm Is Linked to Visual White Matter Pathways and Visual Detection Performance. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0684232023. [PMID: 38124006 PMCID: PMC11059423 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0684-23.2023] [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: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Alpha is the strongest electrophysiological rhythm in awake humans at rest. Despite its predominance in the EEG signal, large variations can be observed in alpha properties during development, with an increase in alpha frequency over childhood and adulthood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these changes in alpha rhythm are related to the maturation of visual white matter pathways. We capitalized on a large diffusion MRI (dMRI)-EEG dataset (dMRI n = 2,747, EEG n = 2,561) of children and adolescents of either sex (age range, 5-21 years old) and showed that maturation of the optic radiation specifically accounts for developmental changes of alpha frequency. Behavioral analyses also confirmed that variations of alpha frequency are related to maturational changes in visual perception. The present findings demonstrate the close link between developmental variations in white matter tissue properties, electrophysiological responses, and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sendy Caffarra
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford 94305, California
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Stanford 94305, California
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Klint Kanopka
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Stanford 94305, California
| | - John Kruper
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle 91905, Washington
- eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-1570, Washington
| | - Adam Richie-Halford
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford 94305, California
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Stanford 94305, California
| | - Ethan Roy
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Stanford 94305, California
| | - Ariel Rokem
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle 91905, Washington
- eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-1570, Washington
| | - Jason D Yeatman
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford 94305, California
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Stanford 94305, California
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23
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Gosti G, Milanetti E, Folli V, de Pasquale F, Leonetti M, Corbetta M, Ruocco G, Della Penna S. A recurrent Hopfield network for estimating meso-scale effective connectivity in MEG. Neural Netw 2024; 170:72-93. [PMID: 37977091 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2023.11.027] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The architecture of communication within the brain, represented by the human connectome, has gained a paramount role in the neuroscience community. Several features of this communication, e.g., the frequency content, spatial topology, and temporal dynamics are currently well established. However, identifying generative models providing the underlying patterns of inhibition/excitation is very challenging. To address this issue, we present a novel generative model to estimate large-scale effective connectivity from MEG. The dynamic evolution of this model is determined by a recurrent Hopfield neural network with asymmetric connections, and thus denoted Recurrent Hopfield Mass Model (RHoMM). Since RHoMM must be applied to binary neurons, it is suitable for analyzing Band Limited Power (BLP) dynamics following a binarization process. We trained RHoMM to predict the MEG dynamics through a gradient descent minimization and we validated it in two steps. First, we showed a significant agreement between the similarity of the effective connectivity patterns and that of the interregional BLP correlation, demonstrating RHoMM's ability to capture individual variability of BLP dynamics. Second, we showed that the simulated BLP correlation connectomes, obtained from RHoMM evolutions of BLP, preserved some important topological features, e.g, the centrality of the real data, assuring the reliability of RHoMM. Compared to other biophysical models, RHoMM is based on recurrent Hopfield neural networks, thus, it has the advantage of being data-driven, less demanding in terms of hyperparameters and scalable to encompass large-scale system interactions. These features are promising for investigating the dynamics of inhibition/excitation at different spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Gosti
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena, 291, 00161, Rome, Italy; Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, Institute of Nanotechnology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy; Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale, Sede di Roma, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR-ISPC, Via Salaria km, 34900 Rome, Italy.
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena, 291, 00161, Rome, Italy; Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Viola Folli
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena, 291, 00161, Rome, Italy; D-TAILS srl, Via di Torre Rossa, 66, 00165, Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesco de Pasquale
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Piano D'Accio, Teramo, Italy.
| | - Marco Leonetti
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena, 291, 00161, Rome, Italy; Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, Institute of Nanotechnology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy; D-TAILS srl, Via di Torre Rossa, 66, 00165, Rome, Italy.
| | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Via Belzoni, 160, 35121, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Via Orus, 2/B, 35129, Padova, Italy; Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Via Orus, 2, 35129, Padova, Italy.
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena, 291, 00161, Rome, Italy; Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Stefania Della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Via Luigi Polacchi, 11, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
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24
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Bigoni C, Pagnamenta S, Cadic-Melchior A, Bevilacqua M, Harquel S, Raffin E, Hummel FC. MEP and TEP features variability: is it just the brain-state? J Neural Eng 2024; 21:016011. [PMID: 38211341 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad1dc2] [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: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Objective.The literature investigating the effects of alpha oscillations on corticospinal excitability is divergent. We believe inconsistency in the findings may arise, among others, from the electroencephalography (EEG) processing for brain-state determination. Here, we provide further insights in the effects of the brain-state on cortical and corticospinal excitability and quantify the impact of different EEG processing.Approach.Corticospinal excitability was measured using motor evoked potential (MEP) peak-to-peak amplitudes elicited with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS); cortical responses were studied through TMS-evoked potentials' TEPs features. A TMS-EEG-electromyography (EMG) dataset of 18 young healthy subjects who received 180 single-pulse (SP) and 180 paired pulses (PP) to determine short-intracortical inhibition (SICI) was investigated. To study the effect of different EEG processing, we compared the brain-state estimation deriving from three published methods. The influence of presence of neural oscillations was also investigated. To evaluate the effect of the brain-state on MEP and TEP features variability, we defined the brain-state based on specific EEG phase and power combinations, only in trials where neural oscillations were present. The relationship between TEPs and MEPs was further evaluated.Main results.The presence of neural oscillations resulted in more consistent results regardless of the EEG processing approach. Nonetheless, the latter still critically affected the outcomes, making conclusive claims complex. With our approach, the MEP amplitude was positively modulated by the alpha power and phase, with stronger responses during the trough phase and high power. Power and phase also affected TEP features. Importantly, similar effects were observed in both TMS conditions.Significance.These findings support the view that the brain state of alpha oscillations is associated with the variability observed in cortical and corticospinal responses to TMS, with a tight correlation between the two. The results further highlight the importance of closed-loop stimulation approaches while underlining that care is needed in designing experiments and choosing the analytical approaches, which should be based on knowledge from offline studies to control for the heterogeneity originating from different EEG processing strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Bigoni
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Valais), Sion 1951, Switzerland
| | - Sara Pagnamenta
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
| | - Andéol Cadic-Melchior
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Valais), Sion 1951, Switzerland
| | - Michele Bevilacqua
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Valais), Sion 1951, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Harquel
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Valais), Sion 1951, Switzerland
| | - Estelle Raffin
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Valais), Sion 1951, Switzerland
| | - Friedhelm C Hummel
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (INX), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Valais), Sion 1951, Switzerland
- Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva Medical School, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
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25
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Weber J, Solbakk AK, Blenkmann AO, Llorens A, Funderud I, Leske S, Larsson PG, Ivanovic J, Knight RT, Endestad T, Helfrich RF. Ramping dynamics and theta oscillations reflect dissociable signatures during rule-guided human behavior. Nat Commun 2024; 15:637. [PMID: 38245516 PMCID: PMC10799948 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44571-7] [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] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Contextual cues and prior evidence guide human goal-directed behavior. The neurophysiological mechanisms that implement contextual priors to guide subsequent actions in the human brain remain unclear. Using intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG), we demonstrate that increasing uncertainty introduces a shift from a purely oscillatory to a mixed processing regime with an additional ramping component. Oscillatory and ramping dynamics reflect dissociable signatures, which likely differentially contribute to the encoding and transfer of different cognitive variables in a cue-guided motor task. The results support the idea that prefrontal activity encodes rules and ensuing actions in distinct coding subspaces, while theta oscillations synchronize the prefrontal-motor network, possibly to guide action execution. Collectively, our results reveal how two key features of large-scale neural population activity, namely continuous ramping dynamics and oscillatory synchrony, jointly support rule-guided human behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Weber
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Center for Neurology, University Medical Center Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for the Mechanisms of Mental Function and Dysfunction, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Solbakk
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neurosurgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neuropsychology, Helgeland Hospital, Mosjøen, Norway
| | - Alejandro O Blenkmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anais Llorens
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ingrid Funderud
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neuropsychology, Helgeland Hospital, Mosjøen, Norway
| | - Sabine Leske
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Musicology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Robert T Knight
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Tor Endestad
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Randolph F Helfrich
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Center for Neurology, University Medical Center Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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26
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Landry M, da Silva Castanheira J, Raz A, Baillet S, Sackur J. A lateralized alpha-band marker of the interference of exogenous attention over endogenous attention. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad457. [PMID: 38044466 PMCID: PMC10793586 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad457] [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] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Current theories of attention differentiate exogenous from endogenous orienting of visuospatial attention. While both forms of attention orienting engage different functional systems, endogenous and exogenous attention are thought to share resources, as shown by empirical evidence of their functional interactions. The present study aims to uncover the neurobiological basis of how salient events that drive exogenous attention disrupts endogenous attention processes. We hypothesize that interference from exogenous attention over endogenous attention involves alpha-band activity, a neural marker of visuospatial attention. To test this hypothesis, we contrast the effects of endogenous attention across two experimental tasks while we recorded electroencephalography (n = 32, both sexes): a single cueing task where endogenous attention is engaged in isolation, and a double cueing task where endogenous attention is concurrently engaged with exogenous attention. Our results confirm that the concurrent engagement of exogenous attention interferes with endogenous attention processes. We also found that changes in alpha-band activity mediate the relationship between endogenous attention and its effect on task performance, and that the interference of exogenous attention on endogenous attention occurs via the moderation of this indirect effect. Altogether, our results substantiate a model of attention, whereby endogenous and exogenous attentional processes involve the same neurophysiological resources. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Scientists differentiate top-down from bottom-up visuospatial attention processes. While bottom-up attention is rapidly engaged by emerging demands from the environment, top-down attention in contrast reflects slow voluntary shifts of spatial attention. Several lines of research substantiate the idea that top-down and bottom-up attentional processes involve distinct functional systems. An increasing number of studies, however, argue that both attention systems share brain processing resources. The current study examines how salient visual events that engage bottom-up processes interfere with top-down attentional processes. Using neurophysiological recordings and multivariate pattern classification techniques, the authors show that these patterns of interference occur within the alpha-band of neural activity (8-12 Hz), which implies that bottom-up and top-down attention processes share this narrow-band frequency brain resource. The results further demonstrate that patterns of alpha-band activity explains, in part, the interference between top-down and bottom-up attention at the behavioral level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Landry
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, ENS, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
| | | | - Amir Raz
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Chapman University, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Jérôme Sackur
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, ENS, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
- École Polytechnique, Palaiseau 91120, France
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27
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Ali Y, Montani V, Cesari P. Neural underpinnings of the interplay between actual touch and action imagination in social contexts. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 17:1274299. [PMID: 38292652 PMCID: PMC10826515 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1274299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
While there is established evidence supporting the involvement of the sense of touch in various actions, the neural underpinnings of touch and action interplay in a social context remain poorly understood. To prospectively investigate this phenomenon and offer further insights, we employed a combination of motor and sensory components by asking participants to imagine exerting force with the index finger while experiencing their own touch, the touch of one another individual, the touch of a surface, and no touch. Based on the assumption that the patterns of activation in the motor system are similar when action is imagined or actually performed, we proceeded to apply a single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex (M1) while participants engaged in the act of imagination. Touch experience was associated with higher M1 excitability in the presence and in the absence of force production imagination, but only during force production imagination M1 excitability differed among the types of touch: both biological sources, the self-touch and the touch of one other individual, elicited a significant increase in motor system activity when compared to touching a non-living surface or in the absence of touch. A strong correlation between individual touch avoidance questionnaire values and facilitation in the motor system was present while touching another person, indicating a social aspect for touch in action. The present study unveils the motor system correlates when the sensory/motor components of touch are considered in social contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paola Cesari
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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28
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Singh S, Becker S, Trappenberg T, Nunes A. Granule cells perform frequency-dependent pattern separation in a computational model of the dentate gyrus. Hippocampus 2024; 34:14-28. [PMID: 37950569 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23585] [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: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Mnemonic discrimination (MD) may be dependent on oscillatory perforant path input frequencies to the hippocampus in a "U"-shaped fashion, where some studies show that slow and fast input frequencies support MD, while other studies show that intermediate frequencies disrupt MD. We hypothesize that pattern separation (PS) underlies frequency-dependent MD performance. We aim to study, in a computational model of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), the network and cellular mechanisms governing this putative "U"-shaped PS relationship. We implemented a biophysical model of the DG that produces the hypothesized "U"-shaped input frequency-PS relationship, and its associated oscillatory electrophysiological signatures. We subsequently evaluated the network's PS ability using an adapted spatiotemporal task. We undertook systematic lesion studies to identify the network-level mechanisms driving the "U"-shaped input frequency-PS relationship. A minimal circuit of a single granule cell (GC) stimulated with oscillatory inputs was also used to study potential cellular-level mechanisms. Lesioning synapses onto GCs did not impact the "U"-shaped input frequency-PS relationship. Furthermore, GC inhibition limits PS performance for fast frequency inputs, while enhancing PS for slow frequency inputs. GC interspike interval was found to be input frequency dependent in a "U"-shaped fashion, paralleling frequency-dependent PS observed at the network level. Additionally, GCs showed an attenuated firing response for fast frequency inputs. We conclude that independent of network-level inhibition, GCs may intrinsically be capable of producing a "U"-shaped input frequency-PS relationship. GCs may preferentially decorrelate slow and fast inputs via spike timing reorganization and high frequency filtering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selena Singh
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Suzanna Becker
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas Trappenberg
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Abraham Nunes
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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29
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Houweling T, Becker R, Hervais-Adelman A. Elevated pre-target EEG alpha power enhances the probability of comprehending weakly noise masked words and decreases the probability of comprehending strongly masked words. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 247:105356. [PMID: 37979282 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Houweling
- Neurolinguistics, Department of Psychology, University of Zürich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zürich (ZNZ), University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Robert Becker
- Neurolinguistics, Department of Psychology, University of Zürich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Alexis Hervais-Adelman
- Neurolinguistics, Department of Psychology, University of Zürich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zürich (ZNZ), University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
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30
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Shih WY, Yu HY, Lee CC, Chou CC, Chen C, Glimcher PW, Wu SW. Electrophysiological population dynamics reveal context dependencies during decision making in human frontal cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7821. [PMID: 38016973 PMCID: PMC10684521 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42092-x] [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: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence from monkeys and humans suggests that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) encodes the subjective value of options under consideration during choice. Data from non-human primates suggests that these value signals are context-dependent, representing subjective value in a way influenced by the decision makers' recent experience. Using electrodes distributed throughout cortical and subcortical structures, human epilepsy patients performed an auction task where they repeatedly reported the subjective values they placed on snack food items. High-gamma activity in many cortical and subcortical sites including the OFC positively correlated with subjective value. Other OFC sites showed signals contextually modulated by the subjective value of previously offered goods-a context dependency predicted by theory but not previously observed in humans. These results suggest that value and value-context signals are simultaneously present but separately represented in human frontal cortical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Yu Shih
- Institute of Neuroscience, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Hsiang-Yu Yu
- College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Epilepsy, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Cheng-Chia Lee
- Department of Epilepsy, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chien-Chen Chou
- College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Epilepsy, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chien Chen
- College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Epilepsy, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Paul W Glimcher
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Shih-Wei Wu
- Institute of Neuroscience, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
- Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
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31
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Raposo I, Szczepanski SM, Haaland K, Endestad T, Solbakk AK, Knight RT, Helfrich RF. Periodic attention deficits after frontoparietal lesions provide causal evidence for rhythmic attentional sampling. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4893-4904.e3. [PMID: 37852264 PMCID: PMC10842514 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.065] [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: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Contemporary models conceptualize spatial attention as a blinking spotlight that sequentially samples visual space. Hence, behavior fluctuates over time, even in states of presumed "sustained" attention. Recent evidence has suggested that rhythmic neural activity in the frontoparietal network constitutes the functional basis of rhythmic attentional sampling. However, causal evidence to support this notion remains absent. Using a lateralized spatial attention task, we addressed this issue in patients with focal lesions in the frontoparietal attention network. Our results revealed that frontoparietal lesions introduce periodic attention deficits, i.e., temporally specific behavioral deficits that are aligned with the underlying neural oscillations. Attention-guided perceptual sensitivity was on par with that of healthy controls during optimal phases but was attenuated during the less excitable sub-cycles. Theta-dependent sampling (3-8 Hz) was causally dependent on the prefrontal cortex, while high-alpha/low-beta sampling (8-14 Hz) emerged from parietal areas. Collectively, our findings reveal that lesion-induced high-amplitude, low-frequency brain activity is not epiphenomenal but has immediate behavioral consequences. More generally, these results provide causal evidence for the hypothesis that the functional architecture of attention is inherently rhythmic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Raposo
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University Medical Center Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for the Mechanisms of Mental Function and Dysfunction, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sara M Szczepanski
- Department of Psychology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kathleen Haaland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA
| | - Tor Endestad
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway; RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time, and Motion, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne-Kristin Solbakk
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway; RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time, and Motion, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway; Department of Neurosurgery, Oslo University Hospital, 0372 Oslo, Norway; Department of Neuropsychology, Helgeland Hospital, 8656 Mosjøen, Norway
| | - Robert T Knight
- Department of Psychology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Randolph F Helfrich
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University Medical Center Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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32
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Chen L, Cichy RM, Kaiser D. Alpha-frequency feedback to early visual cortex orchestrates coherent naturalistic vision. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi2321. [PMID: 37948520 PMCID: PMC10637741 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi2321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
During naturalistic vision, the brain generates coherent percepts by integrating sensory inputs scattered across the visual field. Here, we asked whether this integration process is mediated by rhythmic cortical feedback. In electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments, we experimentally manipulated integrative processing by changing the spatiotemporal coherence of naturalistic videos presented across visual hemifields. Our EEG data revealed that information about incoherent videos is coded in feedforward-related gamma activity while information about coherent videos is coded in feedback-related alpha activity, indicating that integration is indeed mediated by rhythmic activity. Our fMRI data identified scene-selective cortex and human middle temporal complex (hMT) as likely sources of this feedback. Analytically combining our EEG and fMRI data further revealed that feedback-related representations in the alpha band shape the earliest stages of visual processing in cortex. Together, our findings indicate that the construction of coherent visual experiences relies on cortical feedback rhythms that fully traverse the visual hierarchy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixiang Chen
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Radoslaw M. Cichy
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Daniel Kaiser
- Mathematical Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen 35392, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg 35032, Germany
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33
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Zhang P, Sun C, Liu Z, Zhou Q. Phase-amplitude coupling of Go/Nogo task-related neuronal oscillation decreases for humans with insufficient sleep. Sleep 2023; 46:zsad243. [PMID: 37707941 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsad243] [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: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) across frequency might be associated with the long-range synchronization of brain networks, facilitating the spatiotemporal integration of multiple cell assemblies for information transmission during inhibitory control. However, sleep problems may affect these cortical information transmissions based on cross-frequency PAC, especially when humans work in environments of social isolation. This study aimed to evaluate changes in the theta-beta/gamma PAC of task-related electroencephalography (EEG) for humans with insufficient sleep. Here, we monitored the EEG signals of 60 healthy volunteers and 18 soldiers in the normal environment, performing a Go/Nogo task. Soldiers also participated in the same test in isolated cabins. These measures demonstrated theta-beta PACs between the frontal and central-parietal, and robust theta-gamma PACs between the frontal and occipital cortex. Unfortunately, these PACs significantly decreased when humans experienced insufficient sleep, which was positively correlated with the behavioral performance of inhibitory control. The evaluation of theta-beta/gamma PAC of Go/Nogo task-related EEG is necessary to help understand the different influences of sleep problems in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- School of Psychology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Chuancai Sun
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Nephrology, Jinan, China
| | - Zhongqi Liu
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Nephrology, Jinan, China
| | - Qianxiang Zhou
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Nephrology, Jinan, China
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Lombardi F, Herrmann HJ, Parrino L, Plenz D, Scarpetta S, Vaudano AE, de Arcangelis L, Shriki O. Beyond pulsed inhibition: Alpha oscillations modulate attenuation and amplification of neural activity in the awake resting state. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113162. [PMID: 37777965 PMCID: PMC10842118 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113162] [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: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Alpha oscillations are a distinctive feature of the awake resting state of the human brain. However, their functional role in resting-state neuronal dynamics remains poorly understood. Here we show that, during resting wakefulness, alpha oscillations drive an alternation of attenuation and amplification bouts in neural activity. Our analysis indicates that inhibition is activated in pulses that last for a single alpha cycle and gradually suppress neural activity, while excitation is successively enhanced over a few alpha cycles to amplify neural activity. Furthermore, we show that long-term alpha amplitude fluctuations-the "waxing and waning" phenomenon-are an attenuation-amplification mechanism described by a power-law decay of the activity rate in the "waning" phase. Importantly, we do not observe such dynamics during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep with marginal alpha oscillations. The results suggest that alpha oscillations modulate neural activity not only through pulses of inhibition (pulsed inhibition hypothesis) but also by timely enhancement of excitation (or disinhibition).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Lombardi
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Hans J Herrmann
- Departamento de Fisica, Universitade Federal do Ceara, Fortaleza 60451-970, Ceara, Brazil; PMMH, ESPCI, 7 quai St. Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Liborio Parrino
- Sleep Disorders Center, Department of Neurosciences, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy
| | - Dietmar Plenz
- Section on Critical Brain Dynamics, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Silvia Scarpetta
- Department of Physics, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy; INFN sez, Napoli Gr. Coll, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
| | - Anna Elisabetta Vaudano
- Neurology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Modena, OCB Hospital, 41125 Modena, Italy; Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Lucilla de Arcangelis
- Department of Mathematics and Physics, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Lincoln 5, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
| | - Oren Shriki
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-sheva, Israel.
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35
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Bressler S, Neely R, Yost RM, Wang D, Read HL. A wearable EEG system for closed-loop neuromodulation of sleep-related oscillations. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:056030. [PMID: 37726002 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/acfb3b] [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: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Objective.Healthy sleep plays a critical role in general well-being. Enhancement of slow-wave sleep by targeting acoustic stimuli to particular phases of delta (0.5-2 Hz) waves has shown promise as a non-invasive approach to improve sleep quality. Closed-loop stimulation during other sleep phases targeting oscillations at higher frequencies such as theta (4-7 Hz) or alpha (8-12 Hz) could be another approach to realize additional health benefits. However, systems to track and deliver stimulation relative to the instantaneous phase of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals at these higher frequencies have yet to be demonstrated outside of controlled laboratory settings.Approach.Here we examine the feasibility of using an endpoint-corrected version of the Hilbert transform (ecHT) algorithm implemented on a headband wearable device to measure alpha phase and deliver phase-locked auditory stimulation during the transition from wakefulness to sleep, during which alpha power is greatest. First, the ecHT algorithm is implementedin silicoto evaluate the performance characteristics of this algorithm across a range of sleep-related oscillatory frequencies. Secondly, a pilot sleep study tests feasibility to use the wearable device by users in the home setting for measurement of EEG activity during sleep and delivery of real-time phase-locked stimulation.Main results.The ecHT is capable of computing the instantaneous phase of oscillating signals with high precision, allowing auditory stimulation to be delivered at the intended phases of neural oscillations with low phase error. The wearable system was capable of measuring sleep-related neural activity with sufficient fidelity for sleep stage scoring during the at-home study, and phase-tracking performance matched simulated results. Users were able to successfully operate the system independently using the companion smartphone app to collect data and administer stimulation, and presentation of auditory stimuli during sleep initiation did not negatively impact sleep onset.Significance.This study demonstrates the feasibility of closed-loop real-time tracking and neuromodulation of a range of sleep-related oscillations using a wearable EEG device. Preliminary results suggest that this approach could be used to deliver non-invasive neuromodulation across all phases of sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Bressler
- Elemind Technologies, Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Ryan Neely
- Elemind Technologies, Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Ryan M Yost
- Elemind Technologies, Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - David Wang
- Elemind Technologies, Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Heather L Read
- Department of Psychological Sciences-Behavioral Neuroscience Division, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States of America
- Brain-Computer Interface Core, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States of America
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Cunningham E, Zimnicki C, Beck DM. The Influence of Prestimulus 1/f-Like versus Alpha-Band Activity on Subjective Awareness of Auditory and Visual Stimuli. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6447-6459. [PMID: 37591739 PMCID: PMC10500988 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0238-23.2023] [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: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Alpha rhythmic activity is often suggested to exert an inhibitory influence on information processing. However, relatively little is known about how reported alpha-related effects are influenced by a potential confounding element of the neural signal, power-law scaling. In the current study, we systematically examine the effect of accounting for 1/f activity on the relation between prestimulus alpha power and human behavior during both auditory and visual detection (N = 27; 19 female, 6 male, 2 nonbinary). The results suggest that, at least in the scalp-recorded EEG signal, the difference in alpha power often reported before visual hits versus misses is probably best thought of as a combination of narrowband alpha and broadband shifts. That is, changes in broadband parameters (exponent and offset of 1/f-like activity) also appear to be strong predictors of the subsequent awareness of visual stimuli. Neither changes in posterior alpha power nor changes in 1/f-like activity reliably predicted detection of auditory stimuli. These results appear consistent with suggestions that broadband changes in the scalp-recorded EEG signal may account for a portion of prior results linking alpha band dynamics to visuospatial attention and behavior, and suggest that systematic re-examination of existing data may be warranted.Significance Statement Fluctuations in alpha band (∼8-12 Hz) activity systematically follow the allocation of attention across space and sensory modality. Increases in alpha amplitude, which often precede failures to report awareness of threshold visual stimuli, are suggested to exert an inhibitory influence on information processing. However, fluctuations in alpha activity are often confounded with changes in the broadband 1/f-like pattern of the neural signal. When both factors are considered, we find that changes in broadband activity are as effective as narrowband alpha activity as predictors of subsequent visual detection. These results are consistent with emerging understanding of the potential functional importance of broadband changes in the neural signal and may have significant consequences for our understanding of alpha rhythmic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Cunningham
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
| | - Clementine Zimnicki
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820
| | - Diane M Beck
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
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Roehe MA, Kluger DS, Schubotz RI. Fluctuations in alpha and beta power provide neural states favourable for contextually relevant anticipatory processes. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:3450-3465. [PMID: 37559166 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16118] [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: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
Cued sensory input occasionally fails to immediately ensue its respective trigger. Given that our environments are rich in sensory cues, we often end up processing other contextually relevant information in the meantime. The experimental design of the present study allowed us to investigate how such temporal delays and visual interferences may impact anticipatory processes. Thirty-four participants were trained to remember an individualised set of eight paired-up faces. These paired-up faces were presented pseudorandomly in sequences of unpaired face images. To keep participants engaged throughout the electroencephalography study, they were instructed to classify each face image, according to its sex, as fast as possible without compromising accuracy. We observed dissimilar modulations in alpha and beta power between the 6-s timeframe encompassing the onsets of predictive and expected images (temporal delay block) and the 6-s timeframe encompassing the predictive, interference and expected images (visual interference block). Furthermore, an expectation-facilitated reduction of the face-sensitive N170 component was only observed if an anticipated face image directly followed its corresponding predictive counterpart. This effect was no longer evident when the expected face was preceded by a distracting face image. Regardless of the block type, behavioural measures confirmed that anticipated faces were classified significantly faster and with fewer erroneous responses than faces not foretold by a predictive face. Collectively, these results demonstrate that whilst the brain continuously adjusts internal hierarchical generative models to account for temporal delays in stimulus onset and visual interferences, the higher levels, and subsequent predictions, fundamental for expectation-facilitated behaviours remain intact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlen A Roehe
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Centre for Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Daniel S Kluger
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Centre for Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ricarda I Schubotz
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Centre for Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Zhou YJ, Ramchandran A, Haegens S. Alpha oscillations protect working memory against distracters in a modality-specific way. Neuroimage 2023; 278:120290. [PMID: 37482324 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120290] [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: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Alpha oscillations are thought to be involved in suppressing distracting input in working-memory tasks. Yet, the spatial-temporal dynamics of such suppression remain unclear. Key questions are whether such suppression reflects a domain-general inattentiveness mechanism, or occurs in a stimulus- or modality-specific manner within cortical areas most responsive to the distracters; and whether the suppression is proactive (i.e., preparatory) or reactive. Here, we addressed these questions using a working-memory task where participants had to memorize an array of visually presented digits and reproduce one of them upon being probed. We manipulated the presence of distracters and the sensory modality in which distracters were presented during memory maintenance. Our results show that sensory areas most responsive to visual and auditory distracters exhibited stronger alpha power increase after visual and auditory distracter presentation respectively. These results suggest that alpha oscillations underlie distracter suppression in a reactive, modality-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Joey Zhou
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Aarti Ramchandran
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia Haegens
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America; Division of Systems Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States of America.
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39
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Lambert KJM, Chen YY, Donoff C, Elke J, Madan CR, Singhal A. Handedness effects on imagery of dominant- versus non-dominant-hand movements: An electroencephalographic investigation. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:3286-3298. [PMID: 37501346 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16096] [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: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Mental representations of our bodies are thought to influence how we interact with our surroundings. We can examine these mental representations through motor imagery, the imagination of movement using scalp EEG recordings. The visual modality of motor imagery emphasises 'seeing' the imagined movement and is associated with increased activity in the alpha rhythm (8-14 Hz) measured over the occipital regions. The kinaesthetic modality emphasises 'feeling' the movement and is associated with decreased activity in the mu rhythm (8-14 Hz) measured over the sensorimotor cortices. These two modalities can be engaged in isolation or together. We recorded EEG activity while 37 participants (17 left-hand dominant) completed an objective hand motor imagery task. Left-handers exhibited significant activity differences between occipital and motor regions only during imagery of right-hand (non-dominant-hand) movements. This difference was primarily driven by less oscillatory activity in the mu rhythm, which may reflect a shift in imagery strategy wherein participants placed more effort into generating the kinaesthetic sensations of non-dominant-hand imagery. Spatial features of 8-14 Hz activity generated from principal component analysis (PCA) provide further support for a strategy shift. Right-handers also exhibited significant differences between alpha and mu activity during imagery of non-dominant movements. However, this difference was not primarily driven by either rhythm, and no differences were observed in the group's PCA results. Together, these findings indicate that individuals imagine movement differently when it involves their dominant versus non-dominant hand, and left-handers may be more flexible in their motor imagery strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn J M Lambert
- Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yvonne Y Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christopher Donoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jonah Elke
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Anthony Singhal
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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40
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Dinse HR, Höffken O, Tegenthoff M. Cortical excitability in human somatosensory and visual cortex: implications for plasticity and learning - a minireview. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1235487. [PMID: 37662638 PMCID: PMC10469727 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1235487] [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: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The balance of excitation and inhibition plays a key role in plasticity and learning. A frequently used, reliable approach to assess intracortical inhibition relies on measuring paired-pulse behavior. Moreover, recent developments of magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows measuring GABA and glutamate concentrations. We give an overview about approaches employed to obtain information about excitatory states in human participants and discuss their putative relation. We summarize paired-pulse techniques and basic findings characterizing paired-pulse suppression in somatosensory (SI) and (VI) visual areas. Paired-pulse suppression describes the effect of paired sensory stimulation at short interstimulus intervals where the cortical response to the second stimulus is significantly suppressed. Simultaneous assessments of paired-pulse suppression in SI and VI indicated that cortical excitability is not a global phenomenon, but instead reflects the properties of local sensory processing. We review studies using non-invasive brain stimulation and perceptual learning experiments that assessed both perceptual changes and accompanying changes of cortical excitability in parallel. Independent of the nature of the excitation/inhibition marker used these data imply a close relationship between altered excitability and altered performance. These results suggest a framework where increased or decreased excitability is linked with improved or impaired perceptual performance. Recent findings have expanded the potential role of cortical excitability by demonstrating that inhibition markers such as GABA concentrations, paired-pulse suppression or alpha power predict to a substantial degree subsequent perceptual learning outcome. This opens the door for a targeted intervention where subsequent plasticity and learning processes are enhanced by altering prior baseline states of excitability.
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41
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Tseng CH, Chen JH, Hsu SM. The Effect of the Peristimulus α Phase on Visual Perception through Real-Time Phase-Locked Stimulus Presentation. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0128-23.2023. [PMID: 37507226 PMCID: PMC10436686 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0128-23.2023] [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: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The α phase has been theorized to reflect fluctuations in cortical excitability and thereby impose a cyclic influence on visual perception. Despite its appeal, this notion is not fully substantiated, as both supporting and opposing evidence has been recently reported. In contrast to previous research, this study examined the effect of the peristimulus instead of prestimulus phase on visual detection through a real-time phase-locked stimulus presentation (PLSP) approach. Specifically, we monitored phase data from magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings over time, with a newly developed algorithm based on adaptive Kalman filtering (AKF). This information guided online presentations of masked stimuli that were phased-locked to different stages of the α cycle while healthy humans concurrently performed detection tasks. Behavioral evidence showed that the overall detection rate did not significantly vary according to the four predetermined peristimulus α phases. Nevertheless, the follow-up analyses highlighted that the phase at 90° relative to 180° likely enhanced detection. Corroborating neural parietal activity showed that early interaction between α phases and incoming stimuli orchestrated the neural representation of the hits and misses of the stimuli. This neural representation varied according to the phase and in turn shaped the behavioral outcomes. In addition to directly investigating to what extent fluctuations in perception can be ascribed to the α phases, this study suggests that phase-dependent perception is not as robust as previously presumed, and might also depend on how the stimuli are differentially processed as a result of a stimulus-phase interaction, in addition to reflecting alternations of the perceptual states between phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Hsin Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronic and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (Republic of China)
| | - Jyh-Horng Chen
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronic and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (Republic of China)
| | - Shen-Mou Hsu
- Imaging Center for Integrated Body, Mind and Culture Research, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (Republic of China)
- MOST AI Biomedical Research Center, Tainan City 701, Taiwan (Republic of China)
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42
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Redding ZV, Fiebelkorn IC. Distractor suppression does and does not depend on pre-distractor alpha-band activity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.18.549512. [PMID: 37502869 PMCID: PMC10370075 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.18.549512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Selective attention enhances behaviorally important information and suppresses distracting information. Research on the neural basis of selective attention has largely focused on sensory enhancement, with less focus on sensory suppression. Enhancement and suppression can operate through a push-pull relationship that arises from competitive interactions among neural populations. There has been considerable debate, however, regarding (i) whether suppression can also operate independent of enhancement and (ii) whether neural processes associated with the voluntary deployment of suppression can occur prior to distractor onset. We provide further behavioral and electrophysiological evidence of independent suppression at cued distractor locations while humans performed a visual search task. We specifically utilize two established EEG markers of suppression: alpha power (∼8-15 Hz) and the distractor positivity (P D ). Increased alpha power has been linked with attenuated sensory processing, while the P D -a component of event-related potentials-has been linked with successful distractor suppression. The present results demonstrate that cueing the location of an upcoming distractor speeded responding and led to an earlier onset P D , consistent with earlier suppression due to strategic use of a spatial cue. We further demonstrate that higher pre-distractor alpha power contralateral to distractors was generally associated with successful suppression on both cued and non-cued trials. However, there was no consistent change in alpha power associated with the spatial cue, meaning cueing effects on behavioral and neural measures occurred independent of alpha-related gating of sensory processing. These findings reveal the importance of pre-distractor neural processes for subsequent distractor suppression. Significance Statement Selective suppression of distracting information is important for survival, contributing to preferential processing of behaviorally important information. Does foreknowledge of an upcoming distractor's location help with suppression? Here, we recorded EEG while subjects performed a target detection task with cues that indicated the location of upcoming distractors. Behavioral and electrophysiological results revealed that foreknowledge of a distractor's location speeded suppression, thereby facilitating target detection. The results further revealed a significant relationship between pre-stimulus alpha-band activity and successful suppression; however, pre-stimulus alpha-band activity was not consistently lateralized relative to the spatially informative cues. The present findings therefore demonstrate that target detection can benefit from foreknowledge of distractor location in a process that is independent of alpha-related gating of sensory processing.
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Radecke JO, Fiene M, Misselhorn J, Herrmann CS, Engel AK, Wolters CH, Schneider TR. Personalized alpha-tACS targeting left posterior parietal cortex modulates visuo-spatial attention and posterior evoked EEG activity. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:1047-1061. [PMID: 37353071 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.06.013] [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: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Covert visuo-spatial attention is marked by the anticipatory lateralization of neuronal alpha activity in the posterior parietal cortex. Previous applications of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at the alpha frequency, however, were inconclusive regarding the causal contribution of oscillatory activity during visuo-spatial attention. OBJECTIVE Attentional shifts of behavior and electroencephalography (EEG) after-effects were assessed in a cued visuo-spatial attention paradigm. We hypothesized that parietal alpha-tACS shifts attention relative to the ipsilateral visual hemifield. Furthermore, we assumed that modulations of behavior and neurophysiology are related to individual electric field simulations. METHODS We applied personalized tACS at alpha and gamma frequencies to elucidate the role of oscillatory neuronal activity for visuo-spatial attention. Personalized tACS montages were algorithmically optimized to target individual left and right parietal regions that were defined by an EEG localizer. RESULTS Behavioral performance in the left hemifield was specifically increased by alpha-tACS compared to gamma-tACS targeting the left parietal cortex. This hemisphere-specific effect was observed despite the symmetry of simulated electric fields. In addition, visual event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes showed a reduced lateralization over posterior sites induced by left alpha-tACS. Neuronal sources of this effect were localized in the left premotor cortex. Interestingly, accuracy modulations induced by left parietal alpha-tACS were directly related to electric field magnitudes in the left premotor cortex. CONCLUSION Overall, results corroborate the notion that alpha lateralization plays a causal role in covert visuo-spatial attention and indicate an increased susceptibility of parietal and premotor brain regions of the left dorsal attention network to subtle tACS-neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Ole Radecke
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Marina Fiene
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Misselhorn
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christoph S Herrmann
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Oldenburg, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany; Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany; Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all", Germany
| | - Andreas K Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carsten H Wolters
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Till R Schneider
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
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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: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [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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45
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Peng W, Zhan Y, Jin R, Lou W, Li X. Aftereffects of alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation over the primary sensorimotor cortex on cortical processing of pain. Pain 2023; 164:1280-1290. [PMID: 36607274 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is believed to modulate brain oscillations in a frequency-specific manner. Given the correlation between sensorimotor α-oscillations and pain perception, tACS that targets sensorimotor α-oscillations has the potential to reduce pain. Therefore, this study sought to determine the aftereffects of α-tACS over unilateral primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) on the perceptual and neural responses to noxious painful stimulation of the contralateral hand. Using a double-blinded and sham-controlled design, 60 healthy participants were recruited to receive either α-tACS or sham stimulation of unilateral SM1 through an electrode montage in a 4 × 1 ring configuration. Neural responses to laser nociceptive stimuli were assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging immediately before and after α-tACS intervention. Perceptual reports were recorded simultaneously. Compared with sham stimulation, α-tACS attenuated bilateral SM1 responses to painful stimuli delivered to the contralateral hand. Although α-tACS did not exert direct effect on subjective pain perception, it can indirectly decrease ratings of pain perception by reducing brain activity within the targeted SM1. Moreover, α-tACS decreased the functional connectivity between the targeted SM1 and a network of regions that are crucially involved in pain processing, including the middle cingulate cortex, contralateral somatosensory cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These results demonstrated that after α-tACS applied over the unilateral SM1 does attenuate subsequent neural processing of pain within bilateral sensorimotor regions as well as sensorimotor functional connectivity. The findings provide evidence that sensorimotor α-oscillations directly affect pain processing and support the application of sensorimotor α-tACS for inducing pain analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Peng
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yilin Zhan
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Richu Jin
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Wutao Lou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoyun Li
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Boenke LT, Zeghbib A, Spiliopoulou M, Alais D, Ohl FW. Prestimulus α/β power in temporal-order judgments: individuals differ in direction of modulation but show consistency over auditory and visual tasks. Front Comput Neurosci 2023; 17:1145267. [PMID: 37303589 PMCID: PMC10248147 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2023.1145267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The processing of incoming sensory information can be differentially affected by varying levels of α-power in the electroencephalogram (EEG). A prominent hypothesis is that relatively low prestimulus α-power is associated with improved perceptual performance. However, there are studies in the literature that do not fit easily into this picture, and the reasons for this are poorly understood and rarely discussed. To evaluate the robustness of previous findings and to better understand the overall mixed results, we used a spatial TOJ task in which we presented auditory and visual stimulus pairs in random order while recording EEG. For veridical and non-veridical TOJs, we calculated the power spectral density (PSD) for 3 frequencies (5 Hz steps: 10, 15, and 20 Hz). We found on the group level: (1) Veridical auditory TOJs, relative to non-veridical, were associated with higher β-band (20 Hz) power over central electrodes. (2) Veridical visual TOJs showed higher β-band (10, 15 Hz) power over parieto-occipital electrodes (3) Electrode site interacted with TOJ condition in the β-band: For auditory TOJs, PSD over central electrodes was higher for veridical than non-veridical and over parieto-occipital electrodes was lower for veridical than non-veridical trials, while the latter pattern was reversed for visual TOJs. While our group-level result showed a clear direction of prestimulus modulation, the individual-level modulation pattern was variable and included activations opposite to the group mean. Interestingly, our results at the individual-level mirror the situation in the literature, where reports of group-level prestimulus modulation were found in either direction. Because the direction of individual activation of electrodes over auditory brain regions and parieto-occipital electrodes was always negatively correlated in the respective TOJ conditions, this activation opposite to the group mean cannot be easily dismissed as noise. The consistency of the individual-level data cautions against premature generalization of group-effects and suggests different strategies that participants initially adopted and then consistently followed. We discuss our results in light of probabilistic information processing and complex system properties, and suggest that a general description of brain activity must account for variability in modulation directions at both the group and individual levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars T. Boenke
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Abdelhafid Zeghbib
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering (ACSE), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS), Okazaki, Japan
| | - Myra Spiliopoulou
- Research Lab Knowledge Management and Discovery, Faculty of Computer Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Frank W. Ohl
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany
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Guo J, Li L, Zheng Y, Quratul A, Liu T, Wang J. Effect of Visual Feedback on Behavioral Control and Functional Activity During Bilateral Hand Movement. Brain Topogr 2023:10.1007/s10548-023-00969-6. [PMID: 37198376 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00969-6] [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: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Previous researches state vision as a vital source of information for movement control and more precisely for accurate hand movement. Further, fine bimanual motor activity may be associated with various oscillatory activities within distinct brain areas and inter-hemispheric interactions. However, neural coordination among the distinct brain areas responsible to enhance motor accuracy is still not adequate. In the current study, we investigated task-dependent modulation by simultaneously measuring high time resolution electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and force along with bi-manual and unimanual motor tasks. The errors were controlled using visual feedback. To complete the unimanual tasks, the participant was asked to grip the strain gauge using the index finger and thumb of the right hand thereby exerting force on the connected visual feedback system. Whereas the bi-manual task involved finger abduction of the left index finger in two contractions along with visual feedback system and at the same time the right hand gripped using definite force on two conditions that whether visual feedback existed or not for the right hand. Primarily, the existence of visual feedback for the right hand significantly decreased brain network global and local efficiency in theta and alpha bands when compared with the elimination of visual feedback using twenty participants. Brain network activity in theta and alpha bands coordinates to facilitate fine hand movement. The findings may provide new neurological insight on virtual reality auxiliary equipment and participants with neurological disorders that cause movement errors requiring accurate motor training. The current study investigates task-dependent modulation by simultaneously measuring high time resolution electroencephalogram, electromyogram and force along with bi-manual and unimanual motor tasks. The findings show that visual feedback for right hand decreases the force root mean square error of right hand. Visual feedback for right hand decreases local and global efficiency of brain network in theta and alpha bands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Guo
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center for Healthcare Devices, Guangzhou, 510500, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Neuro-Informatics & Rehabilitation Engineering of Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Long Li
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center for Healthcare Devices, Guangzhou, 510500, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Neuro-Informatics & Rehabilitation Engineering of Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Zheng
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Ain Quratul
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center for Healthcare Devices, Guangzhou, 510500, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Neuro-Informatics & Rehabilitation Engineering of Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Tian Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
- National Engineering Research Center for Healthcare Devices, Guangzhou, 510500, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
- The Key Laboratory of Neuro-Informatics & Rehabilitation Engineering of Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jue Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
- National Engineering Research Center for Healthcare Devices, Guangzhou, 510500, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
- The Key Laboratory of Neuro-Informatics & Rehabilitation Engineering of Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xi'an, 710049, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
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Suresh T, Hussain SJ. Re-evaluating the contribution of sensorimotor mu rhythm phase and power to human corticospinal output: A replication study. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:936-938. [PMID: 37257815 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tharan Suresh
- Movement and Cognitive Rehabilitation Science Program, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Sara J Hussain
- Movement and Cognitive Rehabilitation Science Program, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
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Davidesco I, Laurent E, Valk H, West T, Milne C, Poeppel D, Dikker S. The Temporal Dynamics of Brain-to-Brain Synchrony Between Students and Teachers Predict Learning Outcomes. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:633-643. [PMID: 37053267 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231163872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Much of human learning happens through interaction with other people, but little is known about how this process is reflected in the brains of students and teachers. Here, we concurrently recorded electroencephalography (EEG) data from nine groups, each of which contained four students and a teacher. All participants were young adults from the northeast United States. Alpha-band (8-12 Hz) brain-to-brain synchrony between students predicted both immediate and delayed posttest performance. Further, brain-to-brain synchrony was higher in specific lecture segments associated with questions that students answered correctly. Brain-to-brain synchrony between students and teachers predicted learning outcomes at an approximately 300-ms lag in the students' brain activity relative to the teacher's brain activity, which is consistent with the time course of spoken-language comprehension. These findings provide key new evidence for the importance of collecting brain data simultaneously from groups of learners in ecologically valid settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Davidesco
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut
| | | | | | - Tessa West
- Department of Psychology, New York University
| | | | - David Poeppel
- Department of Psychology, New York University
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, Frankfurt, Germany
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50
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Köster M, Meyer M. Down and up! Does the mu rhythm index a gating mechanism in the developing motor system? Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101239. [PMID: 37030147 PMCID: PMC10113759 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101239] [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: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental research on action processing in the motor cortex relies on a key neural marker - a decrease in 6-12 Hz activity (coined mu suppression). However, recent evidence points towards an increase in mu power, specific for the observation of others' actions. Complementing the findings on mu suppression, this raises the critical question for the functional role of the mu rhythm in the developing motor system. We here discuss a potential solution to this seeming controversy by suggesting a gating function of the mu rhythm: A decrease in mu power may index the facilitation, while an increase may index the inhibition of motor processes, which are critical during action observation. This account may advance our conception of action understanding in early brain development and points towards critical directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Köster
- University of Regensburg, Institute of Psychology, Sedanstraße 1, 93055 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Marlene Meyer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, USA.
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