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Zhang J, Zhu C, Han J. The neural mechanism of non-phase-locked EEG activity in task switching. Neurosci Lett 2023; 792:136957. [PMID: 36347341 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136957] [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: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Flexible switching between different tasks is an important cognitive ability for humans and it is often studied using the task-switching paradigm. Although the neural mechanisms of task switching have been extensively explored in previous studies using event-related potentials techniques, the activity and process mechanisms of non-phase-locked electroencephalography (EEG) have rarely been revealed. For this reason, this paper discusses the processing of non-phase-locked EEG oscillations in task switching based on frequency-band delineation. First, the roles of each frequency band in local brain regions were summarized. In particular, during the proactive control process (the cue-stimulus interval), delta, theta, and alpha oscillations played more roles in the switch condition while beta played more roles in repeat task. In the reactive control process (post-target), delta, alpha, and beta are all related to sensorimotor function. Then, utilizing the functional connectivity (FC) method, delta connections in the frontotemporal regions and theta connections located in the parietal-to-occipital sites are involved in the preparatory period before task switching, while alpha connections located in the sensorimotor areas and beta connections located in the frontal-parietal cortex are involved in response inhibition. Finally, cross-frequency coupling (CFC) play an important role in working memory among different band oscillation. The present study shows that in addition to the processing mechanisms specific to each frequency band, there are some shared and interactive neural mechanism in task switching by using different analysis techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China
| | - Chengdong Zhu
- School of Physical Education, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Jiahui Han
- Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China.
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2
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Meredith Weiss S, Marshall PJ. Anticipation across modalities in children and adults: Relating anticipatory alpha rhythm lateralization, reaction time, and executive function. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13277. [PMID: 35616474 PMCID: PMC10078525 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13277] [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: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The development of the ability to anticipate-as manifested by preparatory actions and neural activation related to the expectation of an upcoming stimulus-may play a key role in the ontogeny of cognitive skills more broadly. This preregistered study examined anticipatory brain potentials and behavioral responses (reaction time; RT) to anticipated target stimuli in relation to individual differences in the ability to use goals to direct action (as indexed by measures of executive function; EF). A cross-sectional investigation was conducted in 40 adults (aged 18-25 years) and 40 children (aged 6-8 years) to examine the association of changes in the amplitude of modality-specific alpha-range rhythms in the electroencephalogram (EEG) during anticipation of lateralized visual, tactile, or auditory stimuli with inter- and intraindividual variation in RT and EF. Children and adults exhibited contralateral anticipatory reductions in the mu rhythm and the visual alpha rhythm for tactile and visual anticipation, respectively, indicating modality and spatially specific attention allocation. Variability in within-subject anticipatory alpha lateralization (the difference between contralateral and ipsilateral alpha power) was related to single-trial RT. This relation was more prominent in adults than in children, and was not apparent for auditory stimuli. Multilevel models indicated that interindividual differences in anticipatory mu rhythm lateralization contributed to the significant association with variability in EF, but this was not the case for visual or auditory alpha rhythms. Exploratory microstate analyses were undertaken to cluster global field power (GFP) into a distribution-free temporal analysis examining developmental differences across samples and in relation to RT and EF. Anticipation is suggested as a developmental bridge construct connecting neuroscience, behavior, and cognition, with anticipatory EEG oscillations being discussed as quantifiable and potentially malleable indicators of stimulus prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staci Meredith Weiss
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter J Marshall
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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3
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An fNIRS Study of Applicability of the Unity-Diversity Model of Executive Functions in Preschoolers. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12121722. [PMID: 36552181 PMCID: PMC9776044 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12121722] [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: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive function (EF) includes a set of higher-order abilities that control one's actions and thoughts consciously and has a protracted developmental trajectory that parallels the maturation of the frontal lobes, which develop speedily over the preschool period. To fully understand the development of EF in preschoolers, this study examined the relationship among the three domains of executive function (cognitive shifting, inhibitory control, and working memory) to test the applicability of the unity-diversity model in preschoolers using both behavioral and fNIRS approaches. Altogether, 58 Chinese preschoolers (34 boys, 24 girls, Mage = 5.86 years, SD = 0.53, age range = 4.83-6.67 years) were administered the Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS), go/no-go, and missing scan task. Their brain activations in the prefrontal cortex during the tasks were examined using fNIRS. First, the behavioral results indicated that the missing scan task scores (working memory) correlated with the DCCS (cognitive shifting) and go/no-go tasks (inhibitory control). However, the latter two did not correlate with each other. Second, the fNIRS results demonstrated that the prefrontal activations during the working memory task correlated with those in the same regions during the cognitive shifting and inhibitory control tasks. However, the latter two still did not correlate. The behavioral and neuroimaging evidence jointly indicates that the unity-diversity model of EF does apply to Chinese preschoolers.
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Zhu C, Han J. The Higher, More Complicated: The Neural Mechanism of Hierarchical Task Switching on Prefrontal Cortex. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050645. [PMID: 35625031 PMCID: PMC9139986 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control is essential to daily life. Task switching is a classical paradigm used to study cognitive control. Previous researchers have studied the representation of different abstract hierarchical rules in the prefrontal cortex and explored the process mechanisms of task switching. However, the differences between the different hierarchical levels of task switching, especially the related neural mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex, are still unclear. This review focuses on and summarizes this issue. The present study suggests that the higher the hierarchical rule shifting or task switching, the more anterior the activation is on the prefrontal cortex. In addition, a high hierarchy of rules or tasks is more abstract, which leads to a larger switching cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengdong Zhu
- School of Physical Education, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China;
| | - Jiahui Han
- Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
- Correspondence: or
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5
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Cherenkova L, Sokolova L. Age-Related Dynamics of Crossmodal Priming. EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (RUSSIA) 2022. [DOI: 10.17759/exppsy.2022150405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
<p>The study is aimed at studying at determining the temporal dynamics of crossmodal priming in preschool children. The study involved 60 children aged 4 to 6 years (M = 5.6; SD = 1.2) and 20 adult subjects aged 17 to 23 years (M = 20.4; SD = 2.6). The priming paradigm was used as a research model. In this study, we determined the influence of a priori visual stimulation on the speed and accuracy of identification of test sounds, depending on the congruence of their combination with visual objects and the interval between the test and prime stimuli. In the course of the study, it was found that in 4-year-old children, a priori visual information leads to a decrease in the accuracy and speed of reaction to test sound stimuli - a negative priming effect. The magnitude of the negative priming effect decreases with an increase in the interval between prime and test stimuli. In 5-year-old children, the number of errors increases only when incongruent combinations of stimuli are presented - a negative priming effect. On the contrary, the reaction time decreases only in congruent trials with when the test stimulus is delayed relative to the prime by 150-500 ms — a positive priming effect. In 6-year-old children and adults, the accuracy of the reaction does not change, and the reaction rate significantly increases in congruent trials positive priming effect) and decreases in incongruent trials (negative priming effect). The observed dynamics of changes in the interaction of sound and visual stimulation testifies to the formation of mechanisms of attention and multisensory integration in preschool children.</p>
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Affiliation(s)
| | - L.V. Sokolova
- Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет (ФГБОУ ВО СПбГУ)
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Yu S, Mückschel M, Beste C. Event-related synchronization/desynchronization and functional neuroanatomical regions associated with fatigue effects on cognitive flexibility. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:383-397. [PMID: 34191635 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00228.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility is an essential prerequisite for goal-directed behavior, and daily observations already show that it deteriorates when one is engaged in a task for a (too) long time. Yet, the neural mechanisms underlying such fatigability effect in cognitive flexibility are poorly understood. We examined how theta, alpha, and beta frequency event-related synchronization and desynchronization processes during cued memory-based task switching are modulated by time-on-task effects. We put special emphasis on the examination of functional neuroanatomical regions being associated with these modulations, using EEG beamforming. We show clear declines in task switching performance (increased switch costs) with time on task. For processes occurring before rule switching or repetition processes, we show that anticipatory attentional sampling and selection mechanisms associated with fronto-parietal structures are modulated by time-on-task effects but sensory areas (occipital cortex) also show fatigability-dependent modulations. After target stimulus presentation, the allocation of processing resources for response selection as reflected by theta-related activity in parietal cortices is compromised with time on task and similarly a concomitant increase in alpha and beta band-related attentional processing or gating mechanisms in frontal and occipital regions. Yet, considering the behavioral data showing an apparent decline in performance, this probably compensatory increase is still insufficient to allow reasonable performance. The same is likely the case for processes occurring before rule switching or repetition processes. Comparative analyses show that modulations of alpha band activity are as strongly modulated by fatigability as theta band activity. Implications of these findings for theoretical concepts on fatigability are discussed.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examine the neurophysiological and functional neuroanatomical basis of fatigability in cognitive flexibility. We show that alpha and theta modulations in fronto-parietal and primary sensory areas are central for the understanding of fatigability effects in cognitive flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijing Yu
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,University Neuropsychology Centre, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Moritz Mückschel
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,University Neuropsychology Centre, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,University Neuropsychology Centre, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Capizzi M, Ambrosini E, Arbula S, Vallesi A. Brain oscillatory activity associated with switch and mixing costs during reactive control. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13642. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ettore Ambrosini
- Department of Neuroscience & Padova Neuroscience Center University of Padova Padova Italy
- Department of General Psychology University of Padova Padova Italy
| | | | - Antonino Vallesi
- Department of Neuroscience & Padova Neuroscience Center University of Padova Padova Italy
- Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics Research Group IRCCS San Camillo Hospital Venice Italy
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Kim NY, Kastner S. A biased competition theory for the developmental cognitive neuroscience of visuo-spatial attention. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 29:219-228. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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The strength of alpha and gamma oscillations predicts behavioral switch costs. Neuroimage 2018; 188:274-281. [PMID: 30543844 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility is often examined using task-switch paradigms, whereby individuals either switch between tasks or repeat the same task on successive trials. The behavioral costs of switching in terms of accuracy and reaction time are well-known, but the oscillatory dynamics underlying such costs are poorly understood. Herein, we examined 25 healthy adults who performed a task-switching paradigm during magnetoencephalography (MEG). All MEG data were transformed into the time-frequency domain and significant oscillatory responses were imaged separately per condition (i.e., switch, repeat) using a beamformer. To determine the impact of task-switching on the neural dynamics, the resulting images were examined using paired-samples t-tests. Whole-brain correlations were also computed using the switch-related difference images (switch - repeat) and the switch-related behavioral data (i.e., switch costs). Our key results indicated stronger decreases in alpha and beta activity, and greater increases in gamma activity in nodes of the cingulo-opercular and fronto-parietal networks during switch relative to repeat trials. In addition, behavioral switch costs were positively correlated with switch-related differences in right frontal and inferior parietal alpha activity, and negatively correlated with switch effects in anterior cingulate and right temporoparietal gamma activity. In other words, participants who had a greater decrease in alpha or increase in gamma in these respective regions had smaller behavioral switch costs, which suggests that these oscillations are critical to supporting cognitive flexibility. In sum, we provide novel data linking switch effects and gamma oscillations, and employed a whole-brain approach to directly link switch-related oscillatory differences with switch-related performance differences.
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Weiss SM, Meltzoff AN, Marshall PJ. Neural measures of anticipatory bodily attention in children: Relations with executive function. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 34:148-158. [PMID: 30448644 PMCID: PMC6969295 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to selectively direct attention to a certain location or modality is a key neurocognitive skill. One important facet of selective attention is anticipation, a foundational biological construct that bridges basic perceptual processes and higher-order cognition. The current study focuses on the neural correlates of bodily anticipation in 6- to 8-year-old children using a task involving tactile stimulation. Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity over sensorimotor cortex was measured after a visual cue directed children to monitor their right or left hand in anticipation of tactile stimulation. Prior to delivery of the tactile stimulus, a regionally-specific desynchronization of the alpha-range mu rhythm occurred over central electrode sites (C3/C4) contralateral to the cue direction. The magnitude of anticipatory mu rhythm desynchronization was associated with children's performance on two executive function tasks (Flanker and Card Sort). We suggest that anticipatory mu desynchronization has utility as a specific neural marker of attention focusing in young children, which in turn may be implicated in the development of executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staci Meredith Weiss
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
| | - Andrew N Meltzoff
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357988, Seattle, WA 98195,USA
| | - Peter J Marshall
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
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11
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McKenna R, Rushe T, Woodcock KA. Informing the Structure of Executive Function in Children: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Data. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:154. [PMID: 28439231 PMCID: PMC5383671 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of executive function (EF) has been the focus of much debate for decades. What is more, the complexity and diversity provided by the developmental period only adds to this contention. The development of executive function plays an integral part in the expression of children's behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities. Understanding how these processes are constructed during development allows for effective measurement of EF in this population. This meta-analysis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the structure of executive function in children. A coordinate-based meta-analysis was conducted (using BrainMap GingerALE 2.3), which incorporated studies administering functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during inhibition, switching, and working memory updating tasks in typical children (aged 6-18 years). The neural activation common across all executive tasks was compared to that shared by tasks pertaining only to inhibition, switching or updating, which are commonly considered to be fundamental executive processes. Results support the existence of partially separable but partially overlapping inhibition, switching, and updating executive processes at a neural level, in children over 6 years. Further, the shared neural activation across all tasks (associated with a proposed "unitary" component of executive function) overlapped to different degrees with the activation associated with each individual executive process. These findings provide evidence to support the suggestion that one of the most influential structural models of executive functioning in adults can also be applied to children of this age. However, the findings also call for careful consideration and measurement of both specific executive processes, and unitary executive function in this population. Furthermore, a need is highlighted for a new systematic developmental model, which captures the integrative nature of executive function in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Róisín McKenna
- School of Psychology, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland
| | | | - Kate A. Woodcock
- School of Psychology, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland
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12
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Behavioral and neurophysiological evidence for increased cognitive flexibility in late childhood. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28954. [PMID: 27349808 PMCID: PMC4923946 DOI: 10.1038/srep28954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive functions, like the capacity to control and organize thoughts and behavior, develop from childhood to young adulthood. Although task switching and working memory processes are known to undergo strong developmental changes from childhood to adulthood, it is currently unknown how task switching processes are modulated between childhood and adulthood given that working memory processes are central to task switching. The aim of the current study is therefore to examine this question using a combined cue- and memory-based task switching paradigm in children (N = 25) and young adults (N = 25) in combination with neurophysiological (EEG) methods. We obtained an unexpected paradoxical effect suggesting that memory-based task switching is better in late childhood than in young adulthood. No group differences were observed in cue-based task switching. The neurophysiological data suggest that this effect is not due to altered attentional selection (P1, N1) or processes related to the updating, organization, and implementation of the new task-set (P3). Instead, alterations were found in the resolution of task-set conflict and the selection of an appropriate response (N2) when a task has to be switched. Our observation contrasts findings showing that cognitive control mechanisms reach their optimal functioning in early adulthood.
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