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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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2
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Chen S, Töllner T, Müller HJ, Conci M. ERPs and alpha oscillations track the encoding and maintenance of object-based representations in visual working memory. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14557. [PMID: 38459638 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14557] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
When memorizing an integrated object such as a Kanizsa figure, the completion of parts into a coherent whole is attained by grouping processes which render a whole-object representation in visual working memory (VWM). The present study measured event-related potentials (ERPs) and oscillatory amplitudes to track these processes of encoding and representing multiple features of an object in VWM. To this end, a change detection task was performed, which required observers to memorize both the orientations and colors of six "pacman" items while inducing configurations of the pacmen that systematically varied in terms of their grouping strength. The results revealed an effect of object configuration in VWM despite physically constant visual input: change detection for both orientation and color features was more accurate with increased grouping strength. At the electrophysiological level, the lateralized ERPs and alpha activity mirrored this behavioral pattern. Perception of the orientation features gave rise to the encoding of a grouped object as reflected by the amplitudes of the Ppc. The grouped object structure, in turn, modulated attention to both orientation and color features as indicated by the enhanced N1pc and N2pc. Finally, during item retention, the representation of individual objects and the concurrent allocation of attention to these memorized objects were modulated by grouping, as reflected by variations in the CDA amplitude and a concurrent lateralized alpha suppression, respectively. These results indicate that memorizing multiple features of grouped, to-be-integrated objects involves multiple, sequential stages of processing, providing support for a hierarchical model of object representations in VWM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyi Chen
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Töllner
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Hermann J Müller
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Conci
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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3
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Khadir A, Ghamsari SS, Badri S, Beigzadeh B. Discriminating orientation information with phase consistency in alpha and low-gamma frequency bands: an EEG study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12007. [PMID: 38796618 PMCID: PMC11127946 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62934-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that noninvasive imaging methods (EEG, MEG) in the human brain scalp can decode the content of visual features information (orientation, color, motion, etc.) in Visual-Working Memory (VWM). Previous work demonstrated that with the sustained low-frequency Event-Related Potential (ERP under 6 Hz) of scalp EEG distributions, it is possible to accurately decode the content of orientation information in VWM during the delay interval. In addition, previous studies showed that the raw data captured by a combination of the occi-parietal electrodes could be used to decode the orientation. However, it is unclear whether the orientation information is available in other frequency bands (higher than 6 Hz) or whether this information is feasible with fewer electrodes. Furthermore, the exploration of orientation information in the phase values of the signal has not been well-addressed. In this study, we propose that orientation information is also accessible through the phase consistency of the occipital region in the alpha band frequency. Our results reveal a significant difference between orientations within 200 ms after stimulus offset in early visual sensory processing, with no apparent effect in power and Event-Related Oscillation (ERO) during this period. Additionally, in later periods (420-500 ms after stimulus offset), a noticeable difference is observed in the phase consistency of low gamma-band activity in the occipital area. Importantly, our findings suggest that phase consistency between trials of the orientation feature in the occipital alpha and low gamma-band can serve as a measure to obtain orientation information in VWM. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that phase consistency in the alpha and low gamma band can reflect the distribution of orientation-selective neuron numbers in the four main orientations in the occipital area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Khadir
- Biomechatronics and Cognitive Engineering Research Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shamim Sasani Ghamsari
- Biomechatronics and Cognitive Engineering Research Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samaneh Badri
- Biomechatronics and Cognitive Engineering Research Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Borhan Beigzadeh
- Biomechatronics and Cognitive Engineering Research Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
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4
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Pagnotta MF, Riddle J, D’Esposito M. Multiplexed Levels of Cognitive Control through Delta and Theta Neural Oscillations. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:916-935. [PMID: 38319885 PMCID: PMC11284805 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02124] [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: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive control allows behavior to be guided according to environmental contexts and internal goals. During cognitive control tasks, fMRI analyses typically reveal increased activation in frontal and parietal networks, and EEG analyses reveal increased amplitude of neural oscillations in the delta/theta band (2-3, 4-7 Hz) in frontal electrodes. Previous studies proposed that theta-band activity reflects the maintenance of rules associating stimuli to appropriate actions (i.e., the rule set), whereas delta synchrony is specifically associated with the control over the context for when to apply a set of rules (i.e., the rule abstraction). We tested these predictions using EEG and fMRI data collected during the performance of a hierarchical cognitive control task that manipulated the level of abstraction of task rules and their set-size. Our results show a clear separation of delta and theta oscillations in the control of rule abstraction and of stimulus-action associations, respectively, in distinct frontoparietal association networks. These findings support a model by which frontoparietal networks operate through dynamic, multiplexed neural processes.
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5
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Yu S, Konjusha A, Ziemssen T, Beste C. Inhibitory control in WM gate-opening: Insights from alpha desynchronization and norepinephrine activity under atDCS stimulation. Neuroimage 2024; 289:120541. [PMID: 38360384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120541] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Our everyday activities require the maintenance and continuous updating of information in working memory (WM). To control this dynamic, WM gating mechanisms have been suggested to be in place, but the neurophysiological mechanisms behind these processes are far from being understood. This is especially the case when it comes to the role of oscillatory neural activity. In the current study we combined EEG recordings, and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) and pupil diameter recordings to triangulate neurophysiology, functional neuroanatomy and neurobiology. The results revealed that atDCS, compared to sham stimulation, affected the WM gate opening mechanism, but not the WM gate closing mechanism. The altered behavioral performance was associated with specific changes in alpha band activities (reflected by alpha desynchronization), indicating a role for inhibitory control during WM gate opening. Functionally, the left superior and inferior parietal cortices, were associated with these processes. The findings are the first to show a causal relevance of alpha desynchronization processes in WM gating processes. Notably, pupil diameter recordings as an indirect index of the norepinephrine (NE) system activity revealed that individuals with stronger inhibitory control (as indexed through alpha desynchronization) showed less pupil dilation, suggesting they needed less NE activity to support WM gate opening. However, when atDCS was applied, this connection disappeared. The study suggests a close link between inhibitory controlled WM gating in parietal cortices, alpha band dynamics and the NE system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijing Yu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden 01307, Germany.
| | - Anyla Konjusha
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Tjalf Ziemssen
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden 01307, Germany; Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
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6
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Mössing WA, Schroeder SCY, Biel AL, Busch NA. Contralateral delay activity and alpha lateralization reflect retinotopic and screen-centered reference frames in visual memory. Prog Neurobiol 2024; 234:102576. [PMID: 38309459 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2024.102576] [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: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
The visual system represents objects in a lateralized manner, with contralateral cortical hemispheres responsible for left and right visual hemifields. This organization extends to visual short-term memory (VSTM), as evidenced by electrophysiological indices of VSTM maintenance: contralateral delay activity (CDA) and alpha-band lateralization. However, it remains unclear if VSTM represents object locations in gaze-centered (retinotopic) or screen-centered (spatiotopic) coordinates, especially after eye movements. In two experiments, participants encoded the colors of target objects and made a lateral saccade during the maintenance interval, thereby shifting the object's location on the retina. A non-lateralized probe stimulus was then presented at the new fixation for a change detection task. The CDA maintained lateralization towards the target's original retinotopic location, unaffected by subsequent saccades, and did not invert polarity even when a saccade brought that location into the opposite hemifield. We also found conventional alpha lateralization towards the target's location before a saccade. After a saccade, however, alpha was lateralized towards the screen center regardless of the target's original location, even in a control condition without any memory requirements. This suggests that post-saccadic alpha-band lateralization reflects attentional processes unrelated to memory, while pre- and post-saccade CDA reflect VSTM maintenance in a retinotopic reference frame.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanja A Mössing
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Svea C Y Schroeder
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Anna Lena Biel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Niko A Busch
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany.
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7
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Gu Q, Zhang Q, Han Y, Li P, Gao Z, Shen M. Microsaccades reflect attention shifts: a mini review of 20 years of microsaccade research. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1364939. [PMID: 38440250 PMCID: PMC10909968 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1364939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Microsaccades are small, involuntary eye movements that occur during fixation. Since the 1950s, researchers have conducted extensive research on the role of microsaccades in visual information processing, and found that they also play an important role in human advanced visual cognitive activities. Research over the past 20 years further suggested that there is a close relationship between microsaccades and visual attention, yet lacking a timely review. The current article aims to provide a state-of-the-art review and bring microsaccades studies into the sight of attention research. We firstly introduce basic characteristics about microsaccades, then summarized the empirical evidence supporting the view that microsaccades can reflect both external (perception) and internal (working memory) attention shifts. We finally conclude and highlight three promising avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Gu
- Yongjiang Laboratory, Ningbo, China
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qikai Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yueming Han
- Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Zaifeng Gao
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mowei Shen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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8
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Şentürk YD, Ünver N, Demircan C, Egner T, Günseli E. The reactivation of task rules triggers the reactivation of task-relevant items. Cortex 2024; 171:465-480. [PMID: 38141571 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.10.024] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) describes the temporary storage of task-relevant items and procedural rules to guide action. Despite its central importance for goal-directed behavior, the interplay between WM and long-term memory (LTM) remains poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that repeated use of the same task-relevant item in WM results in a hand-off of the storage of that item to LTM, and switching to a new item reactivates WM. To further elucidate the rules governing WM-LTM interactions, we here planned to probe whether a change in task rules, independent of a switch in task-relevant items, would also lead to WM reactivation of maintained items. To this end, we used scalp-recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) data, specifically the contralateral delay activity (CDA), to track WM item storage while manipulating repetitions and changes in task rules and task-relevant items across trials in a visual WM task. We tested two rival hypotheses: If changes in task rules result in a reactivation of the target item representation, then the CDA should increase when a task change is cued even when the same target has been repeated across trials. However, if the reactivation of a task-relevant item only depends on the mnemonic availability of the item itself instead of the task it is used for, then only the changes in task-relevant items should reactivate the representations. Accordingly, the CDA amplitude should decrease for repeated task-relevant items independently of a task change. We found a larger CDA on task-switch compared to task-repeat trials, suggesting that the reactivation of task rules triggers the reactivation of task-relevant items in WM. By demonstrating that WM reactivation of LTM is interdependent for task rules and task-relevant items, this study informs our understanding of visual WM and its interplay with LTM. PREREGISTERED STAGE 1 PROTOCOL: https://osf.io/zp9e8 (date of in-principle acceptance: 19/12/2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yağmur D Şentürk
- Department of Psychology, Sabancı University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
| | - Nursima Ünver
- Department of Psychology, Sabancı University, Istanbul, Türkiye; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada.
| | - Can Demircan
- Department of Psychology, Sabancı University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Tobias Egner
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Eren Günseli
- Department of Psychology, Sabancı University, Istanbul, Türkiye
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9
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Studenova A, Forster C, Engemann DA, Hensch T, Sanders C, Mauche N, Hegerl U, Loffler M, Villringer A, Nikulin V. Event-related modulation of alpha rhythm explains the auditory P300-evoked response in EEG. eLife 2023; 12:RP88367. [PMID: 38038725 PMCID: PMC10691803 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Evoked responses and oscillations represent two major electrophysiological phenomena in the human brain yet the link between them remains rather obscure. Here we show how most frequently studied EEG signals: the P300-evoked response and alpha oscillations (8-12 Hz) can be linked with the baseline-shift mechanism. This mechanism states that oscillations generate evoked responses if oscillations have a non-zero mean and their amplitude is modulated by the stimulus. Therefore, the following predictions should hold: (1) the temporal evolution of P300 and alpha amplitude is similar, (2) spatial localisations of the P300 and alpha amplitude modulation overlap, (3) oscillations are non-zero mean, (4) P300 and alpha amplitude correlate with cognitive scores in a similar fashion. To validate these predictions, we analysed the data set of elderly participants (N=2230, 60-82 years old), using (a) resting-state EEG recordings to quantify the mean of oscillations, (b) the event-related data, to extract parameters of P300 and alpha rhythm amplitude envelope. We showed that P300 is indeed linked to alpha rhythm, according to all four predictions. Our results provide an unifying view on the interdependency of evoked responses and neuronal oscillations and suggest that P300, at least partly, is generated by the modulation of alpha oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Studenova
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Max Planck School of CognitionLeipzigGermany
| | - Carina Forster
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité – Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Denis Alexander Engemann
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann–La Roche Ltd.BaselSwitzerland
| | - Tilman Hensch
- LIFE – Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Department of Psychology, IU International University of Applied SciencesErfurtGermany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical CenterLeipzigGermany
| | - Christian Sanders
- LIFE – Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical CenterLeipzigGermany
| | - Nicole Mauche
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical CenterLeipzigGermany
| | - Ulrich Hegerl
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University FrankfurtFrankfurtGermany
| | - Markus Loffler
- LIFE – Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology (IMISE), University of LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Vadim Nikulin
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience BerlinBerlinGermany
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10
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Chang WS, Liang WK, Li DH, Muggleton NG, Balachandran P, Huang NE, Juan CH. The association between working memory precision and the nonlinear dynamics of frontal and parieto-occipital EEG activity. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14252. [PMID: 37653059 PMCID: PMC10471634 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41358-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Electrophysiological working memory (WM) research shows brain areas communicate via macroscopic oscillations across frequency bands, generating nonlinear amplitude modulation (AM) in the signal. Traditionally, AM is expressed as the coupling strength between the signal and a prespecified modulator at a lower frequency. Therefore, the idea of AM and coupling cannot be studied separately. In this study, 33 participants completed a color recall task while their brain activity was recorded through EEG. The AM of the EEG data was extracted using the Holo-Hilbert spectral analysis (HHSA), an adaptive method based on the Hilbert-Huang transforms. The results showed that WM load modulated parieto-occipital alpha/beta power suppression. Furthermore, individuals with higher frontal theta power and lower parieto-occipital alpha/beta power exhibited superior WM precision. In addition, the AM of parieto-occipital alpha/beta power predicted WM precision after presenting a target-defining probe array. The phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) between the frontal theta phase and parieto-occipital alpha/beta AM increased with WM load while processing incoming stimuli, but the PAC itself did not predict the subsequent recall performance. These results suggest frontal and parieto-occipital regions communicate through theta-alpha/beta PAC. However, the overall recall precision depends on the alpha/beta AM following the onset of the retro cue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Sheng Chang
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health Sciences and Technology, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Kuang Liang
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health Sciences and Technology, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Cognitive Intelligence and Precision Healthcare Center, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Dong-Han Li
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health Sciences and Technology, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Cognitive Intelligence and Precision Healthcare Center, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Neil G Muggleton
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health Sciences and Technology, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Cognitive Intelligence and Precision Healthcare Center, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
| | - Prasad Balachandran
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health Sciences and Technology, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Cheng Kung University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Norden E Huang
- Cognitive Intelligence and Precision Healthcare Center, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Data Analysis and Application Laboratory, The First Institute of Oceanography, Qingdao, China
| | - Chi-Hung Juan
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health Sciences and Technology, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
- Cognitive Intelligence and Precision Healthcare Center, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
- Department of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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11
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Liu B, Nobre AC, van Ede F. Microsaccades transiently lateralise EEG alpha activity. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 224:102433. [PMID: 36907349 PMCID: PMC10074474 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
The lateralisation of 8-12 Hz alpha activity is a canonical signature of human spatial cognition that is typically studied under strict fixation requirements. Yet, even during attempted fixation, the brain produces small involuntary eye movements known as microsaccades. Here we report how spontaneous microsaccades - made in the absence of incentives to look elsewhere - can themselves drive transient lateralisation of EEG alpha power according to microsaccade direction. This transient lateralisation of posterior alpha power occurs similarly following start and return microsaccades and is, at least for start microsaccades, driven by increased alpha power ipsilateral to microsaccade direction. This reveals new links between spontaneous microsaccades and human electrophysiological brain activity. It highlights how microsaccades are an important factor to consider in studies relating alpha activity - including spontaneous fluctuations in alpha activity - to spatial cognition, such as studies on visual attention, anticipation, and working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baiwei Liu
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Freek van Ede
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
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12
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Ester EF, Pytel P. Changes in behavioral priority influence the accessibility of working memory content. Neuroimage 2023; 272:120055. [PMID: 37001833 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolving behavioral goals require the existence of selection mechanisms that prioritize task-relevant working memory (WM) content for action. Selecting an item stored in WM is known to blunt and/or reverse information loss in stimulus-specific representations of that item reconstructed from human brain activity, but extant studies have focused on all-or-none circumstances that allow or disallow an agent to select one of several items stored in WM. Conversely, behavioral studies suggest that humans can flexibly assign different levels of priority to different items stored in WM, but how doing so influences neural representations of WM content is unclear. One possibility is that assigning different levels of priority to items in WM influences the quality of those representations, resulting in more robust neural representations of high- vs. low-priority WM content. A second - and non-exclusive - possibility is that asymmetries in behavioral priority influence how rapidly neural representations of high- vs. low-priority WM content can be selected and reported. We tested these possibilities in two experiments by decoding high- and low-priority WM content from EEG recordings obtained while human volunteers performed a retrospectively cued WM task. Probabilistic changes in the behavioral relevance of a remembered item had no effect on our ability to decode it from EEG signals; instead, these changes influenced the latency at which above-chance decoding performance was reached. Thus, our results indicate that probabilistic changes in the behavioral relevance of WM content influence the ease with which memories can be selected independently of their strength.
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13
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Chikhi S, Matton N, Sanna M, Blanchet S. Mental strategies and resting state EEG: Effect on high alpha amplitude modulation by neurofeedback in healthy young adults. Biol Psychol 2023; 178:108521. [PMID: 36801435 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108521] [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: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Neurofeedback (NFB) is a brain-computer interface which allows individuals to modulate their brain activity. Despite the self-regulatory nature of NFB, the effectiveness of strategies used during NFB training has been little investigated. In a single session of NFB training (6*3 min training blocks) with healthy young participants, we experimentally tested if providing a list of mental strategies (list group, N = 46), compared with a group receiving no strategies (no list group, N = 39), affected participants' neuromodulation ability of high alpha (10-12 Hz) amplitude. We additionally asked participants to verbally report the mental strategies used to enhance high alpha amplitude. The verbatim was then classified in pre-established categories in order to examine the effect of type of mental strategy on high alpha amplitude. First, we found that giving a list to the participants did not promote the ability to neuromodulate high alpha activity. However, our analysis of the specific strategies reported by learners during training blocks revealed that cognitive effort and recalling memories were associated with higher high alpha amplitude. Furthermore, the resting amplitude of trained high alpha frequency predicted an amplitude increase during training, a factor that may optimize inclusion in NFB protocols. The present results also corroborate the interrelation with other frequency bands during NFB training. Although these findings are based on a single NFB session, our study represents a further step towards developing effective protocols for high alpha neuromodulation by NFB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy Chikhi
- Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, F-92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Nadine Matton
- CLLE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS (UMR 5263), Toulouse, France; ENAC, École Nationale d'Aviation Civile, Université de Toulouse, France
| | - Marie Sanna
- Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, F-92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Sophie Blanchet
- Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, F-92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
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14
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Kuo BC, Yeh LC, Chen FW, Chang CS, Hsieh CW, Yeh YY. Temporal profiles of cortical oscillations in novice performers for goal-directed aiming in a shooting task. Biol Psychol 2023; 176:108482. [PMID: 36574879 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Goal-directed aiming relies on the ability to control attention and visuomotor movements while preparing for motor execution. Research in precision sports has investigated cortical oscillations for supporting expert performance. However, the results may be influenced by adaptive and strategic behaviors after intensive training. Whether and at what time points distinctive oscillations support goal-directed aiming without such training remains elusive. In this electroencephalographic (EEG) study, we investigated how the theta, alpha and beta oscillations change to support accurate aiming before novices took an action. We first conducted a model-based analysis to examine the correlation of cortical oscillations with accurate shooting on a trial-by-trial basis in a within-individual manner. The results showed that alpha and beta oscillations at different time points during the aiming period were better predictors of aiming accuracy. We then compared the oscillatory power for good versus poor performance. The results showed decreases in the alpha and beta power across distributed cortical areas and an increase in the frontal theta power successively before shot release. Moreover, greater intertrial phase coherence was observed for good performance than for poor performance in posterior alpha activity and anterior beta activity during the aiming period. In conclusion, these results advance our understanding of the temporal dynamics of theta, alpha and beta oscillations in orchestrating goal setting, motor preparation and focused attention to monitoring both external and internal states for accurate aiming. Among the three, alpha and beta oscillations are critical for predicting aiming performance and theta oscillations reflect effortful cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Cheng Kuo
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Lu-Chun Yeh
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fang-Wen Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Shiung Chang
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Wei Hsieh
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yei-Yu Yeh
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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15
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Zhao C, Li D, Kong Y, Liu H, Hu Y, Niu H, Jensen O, Li X, Liu H, Song Y. Transcranial photobiomodulation enhances visual working memory capacity in humans. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq3211. [PMID: 36459562 PMCID: PMC10936045 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is a safe and noninvasive intervention that has shown promise for improving cognitive performance. Whether tPBM can modulate brain activity and thereby enhance working memory (WM) capacity in humans remains unclear. In this study, we found that 1064-nm tPBM applied to the right prefrontal cortex (PFC) improves visual working memory capacity and increases occipitoparietal contralateral delay activity (CDA). The CDA set-size effect during retention mediated the effect between the 1064-nm tPBM and subsequent WM capacity. The behavioral benefits and the corresponding changes in the CDA set-size effect were absent with tPBM at a wavelength of 852 nm or with stimulation of the left PFC. Our findings provide converging evidence that 1064-nm tPBM applied to the right PFC can improve WM capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenguang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Dongwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Yuanjun Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongyu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yiqing Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Haijing Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ole Jensen
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Xiaoli Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Hanli Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Yan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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16
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Chen YT, van Ede F, Kuo BC. Alpha Oscillations Track Content-Specific Working Memory Capacity. J Neurosci 2022; 42:7285-7293. [PMID: 35995565 PMCID: PMC9512572 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2296-21.2022] [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: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the neural basis of working memory (WM) capacity is often studied by exploiting interindividual differences, capacity may also differ across memory materials within a given individual. Here, we exploit the content dependence of WM capacity as a novel approach to investigate the oscillatory correlates of WM capacity, focusing on posterior 9-12 Hz alpha activity during retention. We recorded scalp electroencephalography (EEG) while male and female human participants performed WM tasks with varying memory loads (two vs. four items) and materials (English letters vs. regular shapes vs. abstract shapes). First, behavioral data confirmed that memory capacity was fundamentally content dependent; capacity for abstract shapes plateaued at around two, whereas the participants could remember more letters and regular shapes. Critically, content-specific capacity was paralleled in the degree of attenuation of EEG-alpha activity that plateaued in a similar content-specific manner. Although we observed greater alpha attenuation for higher loads for all materials, we found larger load effects for letters and regular shapes than for abstract shapes, which is consistent with our behavioral data showing a lower capacity plateau for abstract shapes. Moreover, when only considering two-item trials, alpha attenuation was greater for abstract shapes where two items were close to the capacity plateau than for other materials. Multivariate decoding of alpha activity patterns reinforced these findings. Finally, for each material, load effects on capacity (K) and alpha attenuation were correlated across individuals. Our results demonstrate that alpha oscillations track memory capacity in a content-specific manner and track not just the number of items but also their complexity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT WM is limited in its capacity. We show that capacity is not fixed for an individual but is rather memory-content dependent. Moreover, we used this as a novel approach to investigate the neural basis of WM capacity with EEG. We found that both behavioral capacity estimates and neural oscillations in the alpha band varied with memory loads and materials. The critical finding is a capacity plateau of approximately two items only for the more complex materials, accompanied by a similar plateau in the EEG alpha attenuation. The load effects on capacity and alpha attenuation were furthermore correlated across individuals for each of the materials. Our results demonstrate that alpha oscillations track the content-specific nature of WM capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Ting Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Freek van Ede
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bo-Cheng Kuo
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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17
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Perrottelli A, Giordano GM, Brando F, Giuliani L, Pezzella P, Mucci A, Galderisi S. Unveiling the Associations between EEG Indices and Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12092193. [PMID: 36140594 PMCID: PMC9498272 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12092193] [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: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive dysfunctions represent a core feature of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders due to their presence throughout different illness stages and their impact on functioning. Abnormalities in electrophysiology (EEG) measures are highly related to these impairments, but the use of EEG indices in clinical practice is still limited. A systematic review of articles using Pubmed, Scopus and PsychINFO was undertaken in November 2021 to provide an overview of the relationships between EEG indices and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Out of 2433 screened records, 135 studies were included in a qualitative review. Although the results were heterogeneous, some significant correlations were identified. In particular, abnormalities in alpha, theta and gamma activity, as well as in MMN and P300, were associated with impairments in cognitive domains such as attention, working memory, visual and verbal learning and executive functioning during at-risk mental states, early and chronic stages of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The review suggests that machine learning approaches together with a careful selection of validated EEG and cognitive indices and characterization of clinical phenotypes might contribute to increase the use of EEG-based measures in clinical settings.
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18
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Hsu YF, Hämäläinen JA. Load-dependent alpha suppression is related to working memory capacity for numbers. Brain Res 2022; 1791:147994. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.147994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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19
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Fernández A, Noce G, Del Percio C, Pinal D, Díaz F, Lojo-Seoane C, Zurrón M, Babiloni C. Resting state electroencephalographic rhythms are affected by immediately preceding memory demands in cognitively unimpaired elderly and patients with mild cognitive impairment. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:907130. [PMID: 36062151 PMCID: PMC9435320 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.907130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Experiments on event-related electroencephalographic oscillations in aged people typically include blocks of cognitive tasks with a few minutes of interval between them. The present exploratory study tested the effect of being engaged on cognitive tasks over the resting state cortical arousal after task completion, and whether it differs according to the level of the participant’s cognitive decline. To investigate this issue, we used a local database including data in 30 healthy cognitively unimpaired (CU) persons and 40 matched patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). They had been involved in 2 memory tasks for about 40 min and underwent resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) recording after 5 min from the task end. eLORETA freeware estimated rsEEG alpha source activity as an index of general cortical arousal. In the CU but not aMCI group, there was a negative correlation between memory tasks performance and posterior rsEEG alpha source activity. The better the memory tasks performance, the lower the posterior alpha activity (i.e., higher cortical arousal). There was also a negative correlation between neuropsychological test scores of global cognitive status and alpha source activity. These results suggest that engagement in memory tasks may perturb background brain arousal for more than 5 min after the tasks end, and that this effect are dependent on participants global cognitive status. Future studies in CU and aMCI groups may cross-validate and extend these results with experiments including (1) rsEEG recordings before memory tasks and (2) post-tasks rsEEG recordings after 5, 15, and 30 min.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Fernández
- Departamento de Psicoloxía Clínica e Psicobioloxía, Facultade de Psicoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- *Correspondence: Alba Fernández,
| | | | - Claudio Del Percio
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Diego Pinal
- Psychological Neuroscience Lab, Escola de Psicologia, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Fernando Díaz
- Departamento de Psicoloxía Clínica e Psicobioloxía, Facultade de Psicoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Cristina Lojo-Seoane
- Departamento de Psicoloxía Evolutiva e da Educación, Facultade de Psicoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Montserrat Zurrón
- Departamento de Psicoloxía Clínica e Psicobioloxía, Facultade de Psicoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Claudio Babiloni
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- San Raffaele Cassino, Cassino, Italy
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20
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Formica S, González-García C, Senoussi M, Marinazzo D, Brass M. Theta-phase connectivity between medial prefrontal and posterior areas underlies novel instructions implementation. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0225-22.2022. [PMID: 35868857 PMCID: PMC9374157 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0225-22.2022] [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: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Implementing novel instructions is a complex and uniquely human cognitive ability, that requires the rapid and flexible conversion of symbolic content into a format that enables the execution of the instructed behavior. Preparing to implement novel instructions, as opposed to their mere maintenance, involves the activation of the instructed motor plans, and the binding of the action information to the specific context in which this should be executed. Recent evidence and prominent computational models suggest that this efficient configuration of the system might involve a central role of frontal theta oscillations in establishing top-down long-range synchronization between distant and task-relevant brain areas. In the present EEG study (human subjects, 30 females, 4 males), we demonstrate that proactively preparing for the implementation of novels instructions, as opposed to their maintenance, involves a strengthened degree of connectivity in the theta frequency range between medial prefrontal and motor/visual areas. Moreover, we replicated previous results showing oscillatory features associated specifically with implementation demands, and extended on them demonstrating the role of theta oscillations in mediating the effect of task demands on behavioral performance. Taken together, these findings support our hypothesis that the modulation of connectivity patterns between frontal and task-relevant posterior brain areas is a core factor in the emergence of a behavior-guiding format from novel instructions.Significance statementEveryday life requires the use and manipulation of currently available information to guide behavior and reach specific goals. In the present study we investigate how the same instructed content elicits different neural activity depending on the task being performed. Crucially, connectivity between medial prefrontal cortex and posterior brain areas is strengthened when novel instructions have to be implemented, rather than simply maintained. This finding suggests that theta oscillations play a role in setting up a dynamic and flexible network of task-relevant regions optimized for the execution of the instructed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Formica
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
| | - Carlos González-García
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Mehdi Senoussi
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
| | | | - Marcel Brass
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
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21
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Rösner M, Sabo M, Klatt LI, Wascher E, Schneider D. Preparing for the unknown: How working memory provides a link between perception and anticipated action. Neuroimage 2022; 260:119466. [PMID: 35840116 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
What mechanisms underlie the transfer of a working memory representation into a higher-level code for guiding future actions? Electrophysiological correlates of attentional selection and motor preparation processes within working memory were investigated in two retrospective cuing tasks. In the first experiment, participants stored the orientation and location of a grating. Subsequent feature cues (selective vs. neutral) indicated which feature would be the target for later report. The oscillatory response in the mu and beta frequency range with an estimated source in the sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the responding hand was used as correlate of motor preparation. Mu/beta suppression was stronger following the selective feature cues compared to the neutral cue, demonstrating that purely feature-based selection is sufficient to form a prospective motor plan. In the second experiment, another retrospective cue was included to study whether knowledge of the task at hand is necessary to initiate motor preparation. Following the feature cue, participants were cued to either compare the stored feature(s) to a probe stimulus (recognition task) or to adjust the memory probe to match the target feature (continuous report task). An analogous suppression of mu oscillations was observed following a selective feature cue, even ahead of task specification. Further, a subsequent selective task cue again elicited a mu/beta suppression, which was stronger after a continuous report task cue. This indicates that working memory is able to flexibly store different types of information in higher-level mental codes to provide optimal prerequisites for all required action possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Rösner
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Melinda Sabo
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Laura-Isabelle Klatt
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Edmund Wascher
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Daniel Schneider
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
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22
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Pattern reinstatement and attentional control overlap during episodic long-term memory retrieval. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10739. [PMID: 35750766 PMCID: PMC9232640 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14090-4] [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: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Episodic long-term memory (eLTM) retrieval involves the reinstatement of neural patterns from the encoding phase. However, recent evidence suggests that comparable cortical activity patterns can also be linked to attentional control processes on the level of memory representations. The current investigation assesses these two processes independently based on alpha-beta-band activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG). During encoding, subjects were presented with an object on a certain position on the screen and had to imagine it on a new position. In each trial, either the task-irrelevant presentation position or the task-relevant imagination position was lateralized. In the retrieval phase, subjects first made an old/new judgement based on centrally presented objects and then reported the imagination position. Pattern reinstatement should be reflected in similar lateralized alpha-beta activity during encoding and retrieval. Conversely, the influence of attentional control processes during retrieval would be associated with the suppression of alpha-beta power contralateral to the to-be-reported imagination position and with the increase of activity contralateral to the irrelevant presentation position. Our results support this latter pattern. This shows that an experimental differentiation between selective attention and pattern reinstatement processes is necessary when studying the neural basis of eLTM retrieval.
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23
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Liu B, Nobre AC, van Ede F. Functional but not obligatory link between microsaccades and neural modulation by covert spatial attention. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3503. [PMID: 35715471 PMCID: PMC9205986 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31217-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Covert spatial attention is associated with spatial modulation of neural activity as well as with directional biases in fixational eye movements known as microsaccades. We studied how these two 'fingerprints' of attention are interrelated in humans. We investigated spatial modulation of 8-12 Hz EEG alpha activity and microsaccades when attention is directed internally within the spatial layout of visual working memory. Consistent with a common origin, spatial modulations of alpha activity and microsaccades co-vary: alpha lateralisation is stronger in trials with microsaccades toward versus away from the memorised location of the to-be-attended item and occurs earlier in trials with earlier microsaccades toward this item. Critically, however, trials without attention-driven microsaccades nevertheless show clear spatial modulation of alpha activity - comparable to trials with attention-driven microsaccades. Thus, directional biases in microsaccades correlate with neural signatures of spatial attention, but they are not necessary for neural modulation by spatial attention to be manifest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baiwei Liu
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Freek van Ede
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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24
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Hauswald A, Keitel A, Chen Y, Rösch S, Weisz N. Degradation levels of continuous speech affect neural speech tracking and alpha power differently. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:3288-3302. [PMID: 32687616 PMCID: PMC9540197 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Making sense of a poor auditory signal can pose a challenge. Previous attempts to quantify speech intelligibility in neural terms have usually focused on one of two measures, namely low-frequency speech-brain synchronization or alpha power modulations. However, reports have been mixed concerning the modulation of these measures, an issue aggravated by the fact that they have normally been studied separately. We present two MEG studies analyzing both measures. In study 1, participants listened to unimodal auditory speech with three different levels of degradation (original, 7-channel and 3-channel vocoding). Intelligibility declined with declining clarity, but speech was still intelligible to some extent even for the lowest clarity level (3-channel vocoding). Low-frequency (1-7 Hz) speech tracking suggested a U-shaped relationship with strongest effects for the medium-degraded speech (7-channel) in bilateral auditory and left frontal regions. To follow up on this finding, we implemented three additional vocoding levels (5-channel, 2-channel and 1-channel) in a second MEG study. Using this wider range of degradation, the speech-brain synchronization showed a similar pattern as in study 1, but further showed that when speech becomes unintelligible, synchronization declines again. The relationship differed for alpha power, which continued to decrease across vocoding levels reaching a floor effect for 5-channel vocoding. Predicting subjective intelligibility based on models either combining both measures or each measure alone showed superiority of the combined model. Our findings underline that speech tracking and alpha power are modified differently by the degree of degradation of continuous speech but together contribute to the subjective speech understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Hauswald
- Center of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Anne Keitel
- Psychology, School of Social SciencesUniversity of DundeeDundeeUK
- Centre for Cognitive NeuroimagingUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Ya‐Ping Chen
- Center of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Sebastian Rösch
- Department of OtorhinolaryngologyParacelsus Medical UniversitySalzburgAustria
| | - Nathan Weisz
- Center of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
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25
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Alpha power decreases associated with prediction in written and spoken sentence comprehension. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108286. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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26
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Li Y, Noguchi Y. Neural correlates of a load-dependent decline in visual working memory. Cereb Cortex Commun 2022; 3:tgac015. [PMID: 35495900 PMCID: PMC9050239 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgac015] [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: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that a rate of temporal decline in visual working memory (vWM) highly depends on a number of memory items. When people retain the information of many (≥ 4) stimuli simultaneously, their memory representations are fragile and rapidly degrade within 2–3 seconds after an offset (called the “competition” among memory items). When a memory load is low (1 or 2 items), in contrast, the fidelity of vWM is preserved for a longer time because focused attention to the small number of items prevents the temporal degradation. In the present study, we explored neural correlates of this load-dependent decline of vWM in the human brain. Using electroencephalography and a classical change-detection task, we recorded neural measures of vWM that have been reported previously, such as the contralateral delay activity (CDA) and a suppression of alpha power (8–12 Hz). Results indicated that the load-dependent decline of vWM was more clearly reflected in the change in power and speed of alpha/beta rhythm than CDA, suggesting a close relationship of those signals to an attention-based preservation of WM fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaju Li
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
| | - Yasuki Noguchi
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
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Boran E, Hilfiker P, Stieglitz L, Sarnthein J, Klaver P. Persistent neuronal firing in the medial temporal lobe supports performance and workload of visual working memory in humans. Neuroimage 2022; 254:119123. [PMID: 35321857 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The involvement of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) in working memory is controversially discussed. Recent findings suggest that persistent neural firing in the hippocampus during maintenance in verbal working memory is associated with workload. Here, we recorded single neuron firing in 13 epilepsy patients (7 male) while they performed a visual working memory task. The number of coloured squares in the stimulus set determined the workload of the trial. Performance was almost perfect for low workload (1 and 2 squares) and dropped at high workload (4 and 6 squares), suggesting that high workload exceeded working memory capacity. We identified maintenance neurons in MTL neurons that showed persistent firing during the maintenance period. More maintenance neurons were found in the hippocampus for trials with correct compared to incorrect performance. Maintenance neurons increased and decreased firing in the hippocampus and increased firing in the entorhinal cortex for high compared to low workload. Population firing predicted workload particularly during the maintenance period. Prediction accuracy of workload based on single-trial activity during maintenance was strongest for neurons in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. The data suggest that persistent neural firing in the MTL reflects a domain-general process of maintenance supporting performance and workload of multiple items in working memory below and beyond working memory capacity. Persistent neural firing during maintenance in the entorhinal cortex may be associated with its preference to process visual-spatial arrays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ece Boran
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Lennart Stieglitz
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Sarnthein
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Peter Klaver
- University of Teacher Education in Special Needs, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; School of Psychology, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford, UK.
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28
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Chikhi S, Matton N, Blanchet S. EEG
power spectral measures of cognitive workload: A meta‐analysis. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14009. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samy Chikhi
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition (MC2Lab, URP 7536), Institute of Psychology University of Paris Boulogne‐Billancourt France
| | - Nadine Matton
- CLLE‐LTC University of Toulouse, CNRS (UMR5263) Toulouse France
- ENAC Research Lab École Nationale d’Aviation Civile Toulouse France
| | - Sophie Blanchet
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition (MC2Lab, URP 7536), Institute of Psychology University of Paris Boulogne‐Billancourt France
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29
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Dheerendra P, Barascud N, Kumar S, Overath T, Griffiths TD. Dynamics underlying auditory-object-boundary detection in primary auditory cortex. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:7274-7288. [PMID: 34549472 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Auditory object analysis requires the fundamental perceptual process of detecting boundaries between auditory objects. However, the dynamics underlying the identification of discontinuities at object boundaries are not well understood. Here, we employed a synthetic stimulus composed of frequency-modulated ramps known as 'acoustic textures', where boundaries were created by changing the underlying spectrotemporal statistics. We collected magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data from human volunteers and observed a slow (<1 Hz) post-boundary drift in the neuromagnetic signal. The response evoking this drift signal was source localised close to Heschl's gyrus (HG) bilaterally, which is in agreement with a previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study that found HG to be involved in the detection of similar auditory object boundaries. Time-frequency analysis demonstrated suppression in alpha and beta bands that occurred after the drift signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Dheerendra
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK.,Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Nicolas Barascud
- LSCP, Département d'Etudes Cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sukhbinder Kumar
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tobias Overath
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Timothy D Griffiths
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
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30
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Davoudi S, Parto Dezfouli M, Knight RT, Daliri MR, Johnson EL. Prefrontal Lesions Disrupt Posterior Alpha-Gamma Coordination of Visual Working Memory Representations. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 33:1798-1810. [PMID: 34375418 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
How does the human brain prioritize different visual representations in working memory (WM)? Here, we define the oscillatory mechanisms supporting selection of "where" and "when" features from visual WM storage and investigate the role of pFC in feature selection. Fourteen individuals with lateral pFC damage and 20 healthy controls performed a visuospatial WM task while EEG was recorded. On each trial, two shapes were presented sequentially in a top/bottom spatial orientation. A retro-cue presented mid-delay prompted which of the two shapes had been in either the top/bottom spatial position or first/second temporal position. We found that cross-frequency coupling between parieto-occipital alpha (α; 8-12 Hz) oscillations and topographically distributed gamma (γ; 30-50 Hz) activity tracked selection of the distinct cued feature in controls. This signature of feature selection was disrupted in patients with pFC lesions, despite intact α-γ coupling independent of feature selection. These findings reveal a pFC-dependent parieto-occipital α-γ mechanism for the rapid selection of visual WM representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeideh Davoudi
- University of Montréal, Quebec, Canada.,CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.,Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohsen Parto Dezfouli
- Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran.,School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Reza Daliri
- Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran.,School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | - Elizabeth L Johnson
- University of California, Berkeley.,Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
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31
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Hajonides JE, van Ede F, Stokes MG, Nobre AC. Comparing the prioritization of items and feature-dimensions in visual working memory. J Vis 2021; 20:25. [PMID: 32841318 PMCID: PMC7453048 DOI: 10.1167/jov.20.8.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective attention can be directed not only to external sensory inputs, but also to internal sensory representations held within visual working memory (VWM). To date, this phenomenon has been studied predominantly following retrospective cues directing attention to particular items, or their locations in memory. In addition to item-level attentional prioritization, recent studies have shown that selectively attending to feature dimensions in VWM can also improve memory recall performance. However, no study to date has directly compared item-based and dimension-based attention in VWM, nor their neural bases. Here, we compared the benefits of retrospective cues (retro-cues) that were directed either at a multifeature item or at a feature dimension that was shared between two spatially segregated items. Behavioral results revealed qualitatively similar attentional benefits in both recall accuracy and response time, but also showed that cueing benefits were larger after item cues. Concurrent electroencephalogram measurements further revealed a similar attenuation of posterior alpha oscillations following both item and dimension retro-cues when compared with noninformative, neutral retro-cues. We argue that attention can act flexibly to prioritize the most relevant information—at either the item or the dimension level—to optimize ensuing memory-based task performance, and we discuss the implications of the observed commonalities and differences between item-level and dimension-level prioritization in VWM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper E Hajonides
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Mark G Stokes
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
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32
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Research on Differential Brain Networks before and after WM Training under Different Frequency Band Oscillations. Neural Plast 2021; 2021:6628021. [PMID: 33824657 PMCID: PMC8007374 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6628021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that different frequency band oscillations are associated with cognitive processing such as working memory (WM). Electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence and graph theory can be used to measure functional connections between different brain regions and information interaction between different clusters of neurons. At the same time, it was found that better cognitive performance of individuals indicated stronger small-world characteristics of resting-state WM networks. However, little is known about the neural synchronization of the retention stage during ongoing WM tasks (i.e., online WM) by training on the whole-brain network level. Therefore, combining EEG coherence and graph theory analysis, the present study examined the topological changes of WM networks before and after training based on the whole brain and constructed differential networks with different frequency band oscillations (i.e., theta, alpha, and beta). The results showed that after WM training, the subjects' WM networks had higher clustering coefficients and shorter optimal path lengths than before training during the retention period. Moreover, the increased synchronization of the frontal theta oscillations seemed to reflect the improved executive ability of WM and the more mature resource deployment; the enhanced alpha oscillatory synchronization in the frontoparietal and fronto-occipital regions may reflect the enhanced ability to suppress irrelevant information during the delay and pay attention to memory guidance; the enhanced beta oscillatory synchronization in the temporoparietal and frontoparietal regions may indicate active memory maintenance and preparation for memory-guided attention. The findings may add new evidence to understand the neural mechanisms of WM on the changes of network topological attributes in the task-related mode.
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33
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Allocation of resources in working memory: Theoretical and empirical implications for visual search. Psychon Bull Rev 2021; 28:1093-1111. [PMID: 33733298 PMCID: PMC8367923 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-01881-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Recently, working memory (WM) has been conceptualized as a limited resource, distributed flexibly and strategically between an unlimited number of representations. In addition to improving the precision of representations in WM, the allocation of resources may also shape how these representations act as attentional templates to guide visual search. Here, we reviewed recent evidence in favor of this assumption and proposed three main principles that govern the relationship between WM resources and template-guided visual search. First, the allocation of resources to an attentional template has an effect on visual search, as it may improve the guidance of visual attention, facilitate target recognition, and/or protect the attentional template against interference. Second, the allocation of the largest amount of resources to a representation in WM is not sufficient to give this representation the status of attentional template and thus, the ability to guide visual search. Third, the representation obtaining the status of attentional template, whether at encoding or during maintenance, receives an amount of WM resources proportional to its relevance for visual search. Thus defined, the resource hypothesis of visual search constitutes a parsimonious and powerful framework, which provides new perspectives on previous debates and complements existing models of template-guided visual search.
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34
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Boettcher SEP, Gresch D, Nobre AC, van Ede F. Output planning at the input stage in visual working memory. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabe8212. [PMID: 33762341 PMCID: PMC7990334 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe8212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Working memory serves as the buffer between past sensations and future behavior, making it vital to understand not only how we encode and retain sensory information in memory but also how we plan for its upcoming use. We ask when prospective action goals emerge alongside the encoding and retention of visual information in working memory. We show that prospective action plans do not emerge gradually during memory delays but are brought into memory early, in tandem with sensory encoding. This action encoding (i) precedes a second stage of action preparation that adapts to the time of expected memory utilization, (ii) occurs even ahead of an intervening motor task, and (iii) predicts visual memory-guided behavior several seconds later. By bringing prospective action plans into working memory at an early stage, the brain creates a dual (visual-motor) memory code that can make memories more effective and robust for serving ensuing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sage E P Boettcher
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniela Gresch
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
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35
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Beppi C, Ribeiro Violante I, Scott G, Sandrone S. EEG, MEG and neuromodulatory approaches to explore cognition: Current status and future directions. Brain Cogn 2021; 148:105677. [PMID: 33486194 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Neural oscillations and their association with brain states and cognitive functions have been object of extensive investigation over the last decades. Several electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) analysis approaches have been explored and oscillatory properties have been identified, in parallel with the technical and computational advancement. This review provides an up-to-date account of how EEG/MEG oscillations have contributed to the understanding of cognition. Methodological challenges, recent developments and translational potential, along with future research avenues, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Beppi
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Inês Ribeiro Violante
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
| | - Gregory Scott
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Stefano Sandrone
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
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36
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Pavlov YG, Kotchoubey B. Oscillatory brain activity and maintenance of verbal and visual working memory: A systematic review. Psychophysiology 2020; 59:e13735. [PMID: 33278030 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Brain oscillations likely play a significant role in the storage of information in working memory (WM). Despite the wide popularity of the topic, current attempts to summarize the research in the field are narrative reviews. We address this gap by providing a descriptive systematic review, in which we investigated oscillatory correlates of maintenance of verbal and visual information in WM. The systematic approach enabled us to challenge some common views popularized by previous research. The identified literature (100 EEG/MEG studies) highlighted the importance of theta oscillations in verbal WM: frontal midline theta enhanced with load in most verbal studies, while more equivocal results have been obtained in visual studies. Increasing WM load affected alpha activity in most studies, but the direction of the effect was inconsistent: the ratio of studies that found alpha increase versus decrease with increasing load was 80/20% in the verbal WM domain and close to 60/40% in the visual domain. Alpha asymmetry (left < right) was a common finding in both verbal and visual WM studies. Beta and gamma activity studies yielded the least convincing data: a diversity in the spatial and frequency distribution of beta activity prevented us from making a coherent conclusion; gamma rhythm was virtually neglected in verbal WM studies with no systematic support for sustained gamma changes during the delay in EEG studies in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri G Pavlov
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation
| | - Boris Kotchoubey
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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37
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Pavlov YG, Kotchoubey B. The electrophysiological underpinnings of variation in verbal working memory capacity. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16090. [PMID: 32999329 PMCID: PMC7527344 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72940-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) consists of short-term storage and executive components. We studied cortical oscillatory correlates of these two components in a large sample of 156 participants to assess separately the contribution of them to individual differences in WM. The participants were presented with WM tasks of above-average complexity. Some of the tasks required only storage in WM, others required storage and mental manipulations. Our data indicate a close relationship between frontal midline theta, central beta activity and the executive components of WM. The oscillatory counterparts of the executive components were associated with individual differences in verbal WM performance. In contrast, alpha activity was not related to the individual differences. The results demonstrate that executive components of WM, rather than short-term storage capacity, play the decisive role in individual WM capacity limits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri G Pavlov
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Psychology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation, 620000.
| | - Boris Kotchoubey
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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38
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Jin W, Nobre AC, van Ede F. Temporal Expectations Prepare Visual Working Memory for Behavior. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:2320-2332. [PMID: 32897120 PMCID: PMC8357348 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Working memory enables us to retain past sensations in service of anticipated task demands. How we prepare for anticipated task demands during working memory retention remains poorly understood. Here, we focused on the role of time—asking how temporal expectations help prepare for ensuing memory-guided behavior. We manipulated the expected probe time in a delayed change-detection task and report that temporal expectation can have a profound influence on memory-guided behavioral performance. EEG measurements corroborated the utilization of temporal expectations: demonstrating the involvement of a classic EEG signature of temporal expectation—the contingent negative variation—in the context of working memory. We also report the influence of temporal expectations on 2 EEG signatures associated with visual working memory—the lateralization of 8- to 12-Hz alpha activity, and the contralateral delay activity. We observed a dissociation between these signatures, whereby alpha lateralization (but not the contralateral delay activity) adapted to the time of expected memory utilization. These data show how temporal expectations prepare visual working memory for behavior and shed new light on the electrophysiological markers of both temporal expectation and working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Jin
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging.,University of Oxford
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging.,University of Oxford
| | - Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging.,Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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39
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Mössing WA, Busch NA. Lateralized alpha oscillations are irrelevant for the behavioral retro-cueing benefit in visual working memory. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9398. [PMID: 32612892 PMCID: PMC7319032 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The limited capacity of visual working memory (vWM) necessitates the efficient allocation of available resources by prioritizing relevant over irrelevant items. Retro-cues, which inform about the future relevance of items after encoding has already finished, can improve the quality of memory representations of the relevant items. A candidate mechanism of this retro-cueing benefit is lateralization of neural oscillations in the alpha-band, but its precise role is still debated. The relative decrease of alpha power contralateral to the relevant items has been interpreted as supporting inhibition of irrelevant distractors or as supporting maintenance of relevant items. Here, we aimed at resolving this debate by testing how the magnitude of alpha-band lateralization affects behavioral performance: does stronger lateralization improve the precision of the relevant memory or does it reduce the biasing influence of the irrelevant distractor? We found that it does neither: while the data showed a clear retro-cue benefit and a biasing influence of non-target items as well as clear cue-induced alpha-band lateralization, the magnitude of this lateralization was not correlated with any performance parameter. This finding may indicate that alpha-band lateralization, which is typically observed in response to mnemonic cues, indicates an automatic shift of attention that only coincides with, but is not directly involved in mnemonic prioritization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanja A Mössing
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Niko A Busch
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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40
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Boettcher SEP, Stokes MG, Nobre AC, van Ede F. One Thing Leads to Another: Anticipating Visual Object Identity Based on Associative-Memory Templates. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4010-4020. [PMID: 32284338 PMCID: PMC7219293 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2751-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Probabilistic associations between stimuli afford memory templates that guide perception through proactive anticipatory mechanisms. A great deal of work has examined the behavioral consequences and human electrophysiological substrates of anticipation following probabilistic memory cues that carry spatial or temporal information to guide perception. However, less is understood about the electrophysiological substrates linked to anticipating the sensory content of events based on recurring associations between successive events. Here, we demonstrate behavioral and electrophysiological signatures of using associative-memory templates to guide perception, while equating spatial and temporal anticipation (experiments 1 and 2), as well as target probability and response demands (experiment 2). By recording the electroencephalogram in the two experiments (N = 55; 24 females), we show that two markers in human electrophysiology implicated in spatial and temporal anticipation also contribute to the anticipation of perceptual identity, as follows: attenuation of alpha-band oscillations and the contingent negative variation (CNV). Together, our results show that memory-guided identity templates proactively impact perception and are associated with anticipatory states of attenuated alpha oscillations and the CNV. Furthermore, by isolating object-identity anticipation from spatial and temporal anticipation, our results suggest a role for alpha attenuation and the CNV in specific visual content anticipation beyond general changes in neural excitability or readiness.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Probabilistic associations between stimuli afford memory templates that guide perception through proactive anticipatory mechanisms. The current work isolates the behavioral benefits and electrophysiological signatures of memory-guided identity-based anticipation, while equating anticipation of space, time, motor responses, and task relevance. Our results show that anticipation of the specific identity of a forthcoming percept impacts performance and is associated with states of attenuated alpha oscillations and the contingent negative variation, extending previous work implicating these neural substrates in spatial and temporal preparatory attention. Together, this work bridges fields of attention, memory, and perception, providing new insights into the neural mechanisms that support complex attentional templates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sage E P Boettcher
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
| | - Mark G Stokes
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
| | - Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
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41
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Abstract
Working memory bridges perception to action over extended delays, enabling flexible goal-directed behaviour. To date, studies of visual working memory – concerned with detailed visual representations such as shape and colour – have considered visual memory predominantly in the context of visual task demands, such as visual identification and search. Another key purpose of visual working memory is to directly inform and guide upcoming actions. Taking this as a starting point, I review emerging evidence for the pervasive bi-directional links between visual working memory and (planned) action, and discuss these links from the perspective of their common goal of enabling flexible and precise behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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42
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Weisz N, Kraft NG, Demarchi G. Auditory cortical alpha/beta desynchronization prioritizes the representation of memory items during a retention period. eLife 2020; 9:55508. [PMID: 32378513 PMCID: PMC7242024 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
To-be-memorized information in working-memory could be protected against distracting influences by processes of functional inhibition or prioritization. Modulations of oscillations in the alpha to beta range in task-relevant sensory regions have been suggested to play an important role for both mechanisms. We adapted a Sternberg task variant to the auditory modality, with a strong or a weak distracting sound presented at a predictable time during the retention period. Using a time-generalized decoding approach, relatively decreased strength of memorized information was found prior to strong distractors, paralleled by decreased pre-distractor alpha/beta power in the left superior temporal gyrus (lSTG). Over the entire group, reduced beta power in lSTG was associated with relatively increased strength of memorized information. The extent of alpha power modulations within participants was negatively correlated with strength of memorized information. Overall, our results are compatible with a prioritization account, but point to nuanced differences between alpha and beta oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Weisz
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nadine Gabriele Kraft
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Gianpaolo Demarchi
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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43
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Riddle J, Scimeca JM, Cellier D, Dhanani S, D'Esposito M. Causal Evidence for a Role of Theta and Alpha Oscillations in the Control of Working Memory. Curr Biol 2020; 30:1748-1754.e4. [PMID: 32275881 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) relies on the prioritization of relevant information and suppression of irrelevant information [1, 2]. Prioritizing relevant information has been linked to theta frequency neural oscillations in lateral prefrontal cortex and suppressing irrelevant information has been linked to alpha oscillations in occipito-parietal cortex [3,11]. Here, we used a retrospective-cue WM paradigm to manipulate prioritization and suppression task demands designed to drive theta oscillations in prefrontal cortex and alpha oscillations in parietal cortex, respectively. To causally test the role of these neural oscillations, we applied rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in either theta or alpha frequency to prefrontal and parietal regions identified using functional MRI. The effect of rhythmic TMS on WM performance was dependent on whether the TMS frequency matched or mismatched the expected underlying task-driven oscillations of the targeted region. Functional MRI in the targeted regions predicted subsequent TMS effects across subjects supporting a model by which theta oscillations are excitatory to neural activity, and alpha oscillations are inhibitory. Together, these results causally establish dissociable roles for prefrontal theta oscillations and parietal alpha oscillations in the control of internally maintained WM representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Riddle
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA.
| | - Jason M Scimeca
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, 450 Li Ka Shing Biomedical Center, MC#3370, Berkeley, CA 94720-3370, USA
| | - Dillan Cellier
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, 301 E Jefferson Street, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Stephens Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-2306, USA
| | - Sofia Dhanani
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Stephens Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-2306, USA
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, 450 Li Ka Shing Biomedical Center, MC#3370, Berkeley, CA 94720-3370, USA
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44
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Abstract
Working memory is characterized by neural activity that persists during the retention interval of delay tasks. Despite the ubiquity of this delay activity across tasks, species and experimental techniques, our understanding of this phenomenon remains incomplete. Although initially there was a narrow focus on sustained activation in a small number of brain regions, methodological and analytical advances have allowed researchers to uncover previously unobserved forms of delay activity various parts of the brain. In light of these new findings, this Review reconsiders what delay activity is, where in the brain it is found, what roles it serves and how it may be generated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kartik K Sreenivasan
- Division of Science and Mathematics, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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45
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Li G, Li H, Pu J, Wan F, Hu Y. Effect of brain alpha oscillation on the performance in laparoscopic skills simulator training. Surg Endosc 2020; 35:584-592. [DOI: 10.1007/s00464-020-07419-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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46
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Nobre AC, van Ede F. Under the Mind's Hood: What We Have Learned by Watching the Brain at Work. J Neurosci 2020; 40:89-100. [PMID: 31630115 PMCID: PMC6939481 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0742-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Imagine you were asked to investigate the workings of an engine, but to do so without ever opening the hood. Now imagine the engine fueled the human mind. This is the challenge faced by cognitive neuroscientists worldwide aiming to understand the neural bases of our psychological functions. Luckily, human ingenuity comes to the rescue. Around the same time as the Society for Neuroscience was being established in the 1960s, the first tools for measuring the human brain at work were becoming available. Noninvasive human brain imaging and neurophysiology have continued developing at a relentless pace ever since. In this 50 year anniversary, we reflect on how these methods have been changing our understanding of how brain supports mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Christina Nobre
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom, and
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
| | - Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom, and
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47
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Furutani N, Nariya Y, Takahashi T, Noto S, Yang AC, Hirosawa T, Kameya M, Minabe Y, Kikuchi M. Decomposed Temporal Complexity Analysis of Neural Oscillations and Machine Learning Applied to Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:531801. [PMID: 33101073 PMCID: PMC7495507 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.531801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite growing evidence of aberrant neuronal complexity in Alzheimer's disease (AD), it remains unclear how this variation arises. Neural oscillations reportedly comprise different functions depending on their own properties. Therefore, in this study, we investigated details of the complexity of neural oscillations by decomposing the oscillations into frequency, amplitude, and phase for AD patients. We applied resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) to 17 AD patients and 21 healthy control subjects. We first decomposed the source time series of the MEG signal into five intrinsic mode functions using ensemble empirical mode decomposition. We then analyzed the temporal complexities of these time series using multiscale entropy. Results demonstrated that AD patients had lower complexity on short time scales and higher complexity on long time scales in the alpha band in temporal regions of the brain. We evaluated the alpha band complexity further by decomposing it into amplitude and phase using Hilbert spectral analysis. Consequently, we found lower amplitude complexity and higher phase complexity in AD patients. Correlation analyses between spectral complexity and decomposed complexities revealed scale-dependency. Specifically, amplitude complexity was positively correlated with spectral complexity on short time scales, whereas phase complexity was positively correlated with spectral complexity on long time scales. Regarding the relevance of cognitive function to the complexity measures, the phase complexity on the long time scale was found to be correlated significantly with the Mini-Mental State Examination score. Additionally, we examined the diagnostic utility of the complexity characteristics using machine learning (ML) methods. We prepared a feature pool using multiple sparse autoencoders (SAEs), chose some discriminating features, and applied them to a support vector machine (SVM). Compared to the simple SVM and the SVM after feature selection (FS + SVM), the SVM with multiple SAEs (SAE + FS + SVM) had improved diagnostic accuracy. Through this study, we 1) advanced the understanding of neuronal complexity in AD patients using decomposed temporal complexity analysis and 2) demonstrated the effectiveness of combining ML methods with information about signal complexity for the diagnosis of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Furutani
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Yuta Nariya
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Takahashi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Sarah Noto
- Faculty of Nursing, National College of Nursing, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Albert C Yang
- Division of Interdisciplinary Medicine and Biotechnology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tetsu Hirosawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Masafumi Kameya
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Yoshio Minabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Kikuchi
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
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48
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Valentin S, Harkotte M, Popov T. Interpreting neural decoding models using grouped model reliance. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1007148. [PMID: 31905373 PMCID: PMC6964974 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Machine learning algorithms are becoming increasingly popular for decoding psychological constructs based on neural data. However, as a step towards bridging the gap between theory-driven cognitive neuroscience and data-driven decoding approaches, there is a need for methods that allow to interpret trained decoding models. The present study demonstrates grouped model reliance as a model-agnostic permutation-based approach to this problem. Grouped model reliance indicates the extent to which a trained model relies on conceptually related groups of variables, such as frequency bands or regions of interest in electroencephalographic (EEG) data. As a case study to demonstrate the method, random forest and support vector machine models were trained on within-participant single-trial EEG data from a Sternberg working memory task. Participants were asked to memorize a sequence of digits (0-9), varying randomly in length between one, four and seven digits, where EEG recordings for working memory load estimation were taken from a 3-second retention interval. The present results confirm previous findings insofar as both random forest and support vector machine models relied on alpha-band activity in most subjects. However, as revealed by further analyses, patterns in frequency and topography varied considerably between individuals, pointing to more pronounced inter-individual differences than previously reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Valentin
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Maximilian Harkotte
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tzvetan Popov
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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49
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de Vries IEJ, Slagter HA, Olivers CNL. Oscillatory Control over Representational States in Working Memory. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 24:150-162. [PMID: 31791896 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In the visual world, attention is guided by perceptual goals activated in visual working memory (VWM). However, planning multiple-task sequences also requires VWM to store representations for future goals. These future goals need to be prevented from interfering with the current perceptual task. Recent findings have implicated neural oscillations as a control mechanism serving the implementation and switching of different states of prioritization of VWM representations. We review recent evidence that posterior alpha-band oscillations underlie the flexible activation and deactivation of VWM representations and that frontal delta-to-theta-band oscillations play a role in the executive control of this process. That is, frontal delta-to-theta appears to orchestrate posterior alpha through long-range oscillatory networks to flexibly set up and change VWM states during multitask sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingmar E J de Vries
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology and Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Heleen A Slagter
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology and Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christian N L Olivers
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology and Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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50
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van Ede F, Chekroud SR, Stokes MG, Nobre AC. Concurrent visual and motor selection during visual working memory guided action. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:477-483. [PMID: 30718904 PMCID: PMC6420070 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0335-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Visual working memory enables us to hold onto past sensations in anticipation that these may become relevant for guiding future actions. Yet laboratory tasks have treated visual working memories in isolation from their prospective actions and have focused on the mechanisms of memory retention rather than utilization. To understand how visual memories become used for action, we linked individual memory items to particular actions and independently tracked the neural dynamics of visual and motor selection when memories became used for action. This revealed concurrent visual-motor selection, engaging appropriate visual and motor brain areas at the same time. Thus we show that items in visual working memory can invoke multiple, item-specific, action plans that can be accessed together with the visual representations that guide them, affording fast and precise memory-guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Sammi R Chekroud
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mark G Stokes
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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