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Filimonov D, Tanskanen S, Revonsuo A, Koivisto M. Is auditory awareness graded or dichotomous: Electrophysiological correlates of consciousness at different depths of stimulus processing. Conscious Cogn 2024; 123:103720. [PMID: 38901129 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
The level-of-processing (LoP) hypothesis postulates that transition from unaware to aware visual stimuli is either graded or dichotomous depending on the depth of stimulus processing. Humans can be progressively aware of the low-level features, such as colors or shapes, while the high-level features, such as semantic category, enter consciousness in an all-or none fashion. Unlike in vision, sounds always unfold in time, which might require mechanisms dissimilar from visual processing. We tested the LoP hypothesis in hearing for the first time by presenting participants with words of different categories, spoken in different pitches near the perceptual threshold. We also assessed whether different electrophysiological correlates of consciousness, the auditory awareness negativity (AAN) and late positivity (LP), were associated with LoP. Our findings indicate that LoP also applies to the auditory modality. AAN is an early correlate of awareness independent of LoP, while LP was modulated by awareness, performance accuracy and the level of processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri Filimonov
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Finland.
| | - Sampo Tanskanen
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Antti Revonsuo
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Finland; Division of Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy, University of Skövde, Sweden
| | - Mika Koivisto
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Finland
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2
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Kim AE, McKnight SM, Miyake A. How variable are the classic ERP effects during sentence processing? A systematic resampling analysis of the N400 and P600 effects. Cortex 2024; 177:130-149. [PMID: 38852224 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.05.007] [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: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Although event-related potential (ERP) research on language processing has capitalized on key, theoretically influential components such as the N400 and P600, their measurement properties-especially the variability in their temporal and spatial parameters-have rarely been examined. The current study examined the measurement properties of the N400 and P600 effects elicited by semantic and syntactic anomalies, respectively, during sentence processing. We used a bootstrap resampling procedure to randomly draw many thousands of resamples varying in sample size and stimulus count from a larger sample of 187 participants and 40 stimulus sentences of each type per condition. Our resampling investigation focused on three issues: (a) statistical power; (b) variability in the magnitudes of the effects; and (c) variability in the temporal and spatial profiles of the effects. At the level of grand averages, the N400 and P600 effects were both robust and substantial. However, across resamples, there was a high degree of variability in effect magnitudes, onset times, and scalp distributions, which may be greater than is currently appreciated in the literature, especially for the P600 effects. These results provide a useful basis for designing future studies using these two well-established ERP components. At the same time, the results also highlight challenges that need to be addressed in future research (e.g., how best to analyze the ERP data without engaging in such questionable research practices as p-hacking).
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert E Kim
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Shannon M McKnight
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; Department of Psychology, Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO, USA
| | - Akira Miyake
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
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3
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Li S, Zhang Y, Li H, Hao B, He W, Luo W. Is processing superiority a universal trait for all threats? Divergent impacts of fearful, angry, and disgusted faces on attentional capture. Cortex 2024; 177:37-52. [PMID: 38833819 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Fearful, angry, and disgusted facial expressions are evolutionarily salient and convey different types of threat signals. However, it remains unclear whether these three expressions impact sensory perception and attention in the same way. The present ERP study investigated the temporal dynamics underlying the processing of different types of threatening faces and the impact of attentional resources employed during a perceptual load task. Participants were asked to judge the length of bars superimposed over faces presented in the center of the screen. A mass univariate statistical approach was used to analyze the EEG data. Behaviorally, task accuracy was significantly reduced following exposure to fearful faces relative to neutral distractors, independent of perceptual load. The ERP results revealed that the P1 amplitude over the right hemisphere was found to be enhanced for fearful relative to disgusted faces, reflecting the rapid and coarse detection of fearful cues. The N170 responses elicited by fearful, angry, and disgusted faces were larger than those elicited by neutral faces, suggesting the largely automatic and preferential processing of threats. Furthermore, the early posterior negativity (EPN) component yielded increased responses to fearful and angry faces, indicating prioritized attention to stimuli representing acute threats. Additionally, perceptual load exerted a pronounced influence on the EPN and late positive potential (LPP), with larger responses observed in the low perceptual load condition, indicating goal-directed cognitive processing. Overall, the early sensory processing of fearful, angry, and disgusted faces is characterized by differential sensitivity in capturing attention automatically, despite the importance of these facial signals for survival. Fearful faces produce a strong interference effect and are processed with higher priority than angry and disgusted ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaixia Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China
| | - Yihan Zhang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China
| | - Hui Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China
| | - Bin Hao
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China
| | - Weiqi He
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China.
| | - Wenbo Luo
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, China.
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4
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Filimonov D, Krabbe A, Revonsuo A, Koivisto M. The influence of feature-based attention and response requirements on ERP correlates of auditory awareness. Neurosci Conscious 2024; 2024:niae031. [PMID: 39045031 PMCID: PMC11265865 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niae031] [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: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In search for the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs), it is important to isolate the true NCCs from their prerequisites, consequences, and co-occurring processes. To date, little is known about how attention affects the event-related potential (ERP) correlates of auditory awareness and there is contradictory evidence on whether one of them, the late positivity (LP), is affected by response requirements. By implementing a GO-NOGO design with target and nontarget stimuli, we controlled for feature-based attention and response requirements in the same experiment, while participants rated their awareness using a perceptual awareness scale. The results showed a prolonged auditory awareness negativity (AAN) for aware trials, which was influenced neither by attention nor by response requirement. The LP was affected by both attention and response requirements. Consistent with the levels of processing hypothesis, the LP was related to consciousness as a correlate of the processing of higher-level stimulus features, likely requiring access to a "global workspace." Our findings further suggest that AAN is a proper ERP correlate of auditory consciousness and thus a true NCC in the auditory modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri Filimonov
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
- Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Turku FI-20014, Finland
| | - Andreas Krabbe
- Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Turku FI-20014, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, FI-20014 Finland
- Faculty of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Arken Tehtaankatu 2, Turku 20500, Finland
| | - Antti Revonsuo
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
- Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Turku FI-20014, Finland
- Division of Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy, University of Skövde, Högskolevägen 1 PO Box 408 541 28, Skövde, Sweden
| | - Mika Koivisto
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
- Turku Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, Turku FI-20014, Finland
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5
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Siklos-Whillans J, Itier RJ. Effects of Inversion and Fixation Location on the Processing of Face and House Stimuli - A Mass Univariate Analysis. Brain Topogr 2024:10.1007/s10548-024-01068-w. [PMID: 39042323 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01068-w] [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: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Most Event Related Potential studies investigating the time course of visual processing have focused mainly on the N170 component. Stimulus orientation affects the N170 amplitude for faces but not for objects, a finding interpreted as reflecting holistic/configural processing for faces and featural processing for objects. Furthermore, while recent studies suggest where on the face people fixate impacts the N170, fixation location effects have not been investigated in objects. A data-driven mass univariate analysis (all time points and electrodes) was used to investigate the time course of inversion and fixation location effects on the neural processing of faces and houses. Strong and widespread orientation effects were found for both faces and houses, from 100-350ms post-stimulus onset, including P1 and N170 components, and later, a finding arguing against a lack of holistic processing for houses. While no clear fixation effect was found for houses, fixation location strongly impacted face processing early, reflecting retinotopic mapping around the C2 and P1 components, and during the N170-P2 interval. Face inversion effects were also largest for nasion fixation around 120ms. The results support the view that facial feature integration (1) depends on which feature is being fixated and where the other features are situated in the visual field, (2) occurs maximally during the P1-N170 interval when fixation is on the nasion and (3) continues past 200ms, suggesting the N170 peak, where weak effects were found, might be an inflexion point between processes rather than the end of a feature integration into a whole process.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Siklos-Whillans
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Roxane J Itier
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
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Endemann R, Kamp SM. Examining the role of stimulus complexity in item and associative memory. Mem Cognit 2024:10.3758/s13421-024-01590-z. [PMID: 39026017 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-024-01590-z] [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] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Episodic memory comprises memory for individual information units (item memory) and for the connections among them (associative memory). In two experiments using an object pair learning task, we examined the effect of visual stimulus complexity on memory encoding and retrieval mechanisms and on item and associative memory performance. Subjects encoded pairs of black monochrome object images (low complexity, LC condition) or color photographs of objects (high complexity, HC condition) via interactive imagery, and subsequently item and associative recognition were tested. In Experiment 1, event-related potentials (ERPs) revealed an enhanced frontal N2 during encoding and an enhanced late posterior negativity (LPN) during item recognition in the HC condition, suggesting that memory traces containing visually more complex objects elicited a stronger effort in reconstructing the past episode. Item memory was consistently superior in the HC compared to the LC condition. Associative memory was either statistically unaffected by complexity (Experiment 1) or improved (Experiment 2) in the HC condition, speaking against a tradeoff between resources allocated to item versus associative memory, and hence contradicting results of some prior studies. In Experiment 2, in both young and older adults, both item and associative memory benefitted from stimulus complexity, such that the magnitude of the age-related associative deficit was not influenced by stimulus complexity. Together, these results suggest that if familiar objects are presented in a form that exhibits a higher visual complexity, which may support semantic processing, complexity can benefit both item and associative memory. Stimulus properties that enhance item memory can scaffold associative memory in this situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Endemann
- Department of Neurocognitive Psychology, Trier University, Johanniterufer 15, 54290, Trier, Germany.
| | - Siri-Maria Kamp
- Department of Neurocognitive Psychology, Trier University, Johanniterufer 15, 54290, Trier, Germany
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Jiménez-Ortega L, Casado-Palacios M, Rubianes M, Martínez-Mejias M, Casado P, Fondevila S, Hernández-Gutiérrez D, Muñoz F, Sánchez-García J, Martín-Loeches M. The bigger your pupils, the better my comprehension: an ERP study of how pupil size and gaze of the speaker affect syntactic processing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae047. [PMID: 38918898 PMCID: PMC11246839 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Gaze direction and pupil dilation play a critical role in communication and social interaction due to their ability to redirect and capture our attention and their relevance for emotional information. The present study aimed to explore whether the pupil size and gaze direction of the speaker affect language comprehension. Participants listened to sentences that could be correct or contain a syntactic anomaly, while the static face of a speaker was manipulated in terms of gaze direction (direct, averted) and pupil size (mydriasis, miosis). Left anterior negativity (LAN) and P600 linguistic event-related potential components were observed in response to syntactic anomalies across all conditions. The speaker's gaze did not impact syntactic comprehension. However, the amplitude of the LAN component for mydriasis (dilated pupil) was larger than for miosis (constricted pupil) condition. Larger pupils are generally associated with care, trust, interest, and attention, which might facilitate syntactic processing at early automatic stages. The result also supports the permeable and context-dependent nature of syntax. Previous studies also support an automatic nature of syntax (fast and efficient), which combined with the permeability to relevant sources of communicative information, such as pupil size and emotions, is highly adaptive for language comprehension and social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Jiménez-Ortega
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - María Casado-Palacios
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- DIBRIS, University of Genoa, Genoa 16145, Italy
- UVIP – Unit for Visually Impaired People, Italian Institute of Technology, Genova 16164, Italy
| | - Miguel Rubianes
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud UNIE Universidad, Madrid 28015, Spain
| | - Mario Martínez-Mejias
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Pilar Casado
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Sabela Fondevila
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - David Hernández-Gutiérrez
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia/San Sebastián 20009, Spain
| | - Francisco Muñoz
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - José Sánchez-García
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Internacional de la Rioja UNIR, Oviedo, Asturias 33003, Spain
| | - Manuel Martín-Loeches
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid 28029, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
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8
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Randau M, Bach B, Reinholt N, Pernet C, Oranje B, Rasmussen BS, Arnfred S. Transdiagnostic psychopathology in the light of robust single-trial event-related potentials. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14562. [PMID: 38459627 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that event-related potentials (ERPs) as measured on the electroencephalogram (EEG) are more closely related to transdiagnostic, dimensional measures of psychopathology (TDP) than to diagnostic categories. A comprehensive examination of correlations between well-studied ERPs and measures of TDP is called for. In this study, we recruited 50 patients with emotional disorders undergoing 14 weeks of transdiagnostic group psychotherapy as well as 37 healthy comparison subjects (HC) matched in age and sex. HCs were assessed once and patients three times throughout treatment (N = 172 data sets) with a battery of well-studied ERPs and psychopathology measures consistent with the TDP framework The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP). ERPs were quantified using robust single-trial analysis (RSTA) methods and TDP correlations with linear regression models as implemented in the EEGLAB toolbox LIMO EEG. We found correlations at several levels of the HiTOP hierarchy. Among these, a reduced P3b was associated with the general p-factor. A reduced error-related negativity correlated strongly with worse symptomatology across the Internalizing spectrum. Increases in the correct-related negativity correlated with symptoms loading unto the Distress subfactor in the HiTOP. The Flanker N2 was related to specific symptoms of Intrusive Cognitions and Traumatic Re-experiencing and the mismatch negativity to maladaptive personality traits at the lowest levels of the HiTOP hierarchy. Our study highlights the advantages of RSTA methods and of using validated TDP constructs within a consistent framework. Future studies could utilize machine learning methods to predict TDP from a set of ERP features at the subject level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Randau
- Research Unit for Psychotherapy & Psychopathology, Mental Health Service West, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bo Bach
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Nina Reinholt
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Cyril Pernet
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bob Oranje
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Belinda S Rasmussen
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Sidse Arnfred
- Research Unit for Psychotherapy & Psychopathology, Mental Health Service West, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
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Sun M, Xing W, Yu W, Slevc LR, Li W. ERP evidence for cross-domain prosodic priming from music to speech. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 254:105439. [PMID: 38945108 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Considerable work has investigated similarities between the processing of music and language, but it remains unclear whether typical, genuine music can influence speech processing via cross-domain priming. To investigate this, we measured ERPs to musical phrases and to syntactically ambiguous Chinese phrases that could be disambiguated by early or late prosodic boundaries. Musical primes also had either early or late prosodic boundaries and we asked participants to judge whether the prime and target have the same structure. Within musical phrases, prosodic boundaries elicited reduced N1 and enhanced P2 components (relative to the no-boundary condition) and musical phrases with late boundaries exhibited a closure positive shift (CPS) component. More importantly, primed target phrases elicited a smaller CPS compared to non-primed phrases, regardless of the type of ambiguous phrase. These results suggest that prosodic priming can occur across domains, supporting the existence of common neural processes in music and language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjiang Sun
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Huanghe Road 850, Dalian 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
| | - Weijing Xing
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Huanghe Road 850, Dalian 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
| | - Wenjing Yu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Huanghe Road 850, Dalian 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China
| | - L Robert Slevc
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Weijun Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Huanghe Road 850, Dalian 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, China.
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10
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Zappa A, Bolger D, Pergandi JM, Fargier R, Mestre D, Frenck-Mestre C. The Neural Correlates of Embodied L2 Learning: Does Embodied L2 Verb Learning Affect Representation and Retention? NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:360-384. [PMID: 38911460 PMCID: PMC11192445 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
We investigated how naturalistic actions in a highly immersive, multimodal, interactive 3D virtual reality (VR) environment may enhance word encoding by recording EEG in a pre/post-test learning paradigm. While behavior data have shown that coupling word encoding with gestures congruent with word meaning enhances learning, the neural underpinnings of this effect have yet to be elucidated. We coupled EEG recording with VR to examine whether embodied learning improves learning and creates linguistic representations that produce greater motor resonance. Participants learned action verbs in an L2 in two different conditions: specific action (observing and performing congruent actions on virtual objects) and pointing (observing actions and pointing to virtual objects). Pre- and post-training participants performed a match-mismatch task as we measured EEG (variation in the N400 response as a function of match between observed actions and auditory verbs) and a passive listening task while we measured motor activation (mu [8-13 Hz] and beta band [13-30 Hz] desynchronization during auditory verb processing) during verb processing. Contrary to our expectations, post-training results revealed neither semantic nor motor effects in either group when considered independently of learning success. Behavioral results showed a great deal of variability in learning success. When considering performance, low performance learners showed no semantic effect and high performance learners exhibited an N400 effect for mismatch versus match trials post-training, independent of the type of learning. Taken as a whole, our results suggest that embodied processes can play an important role in L2 learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Zappa
- Institute of Neurosciences and Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology at University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Deidre Bolger
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France
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11
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Giusti G, Zelič Ž, Callara AL, Sebastiani L, Santarcangelo EL. Interoception as a function of hypnotizability during rest and a heartbeat counting task. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14535. [PMID: 38318683 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The hypnotizability-related differences in morpho-functional characteristics of the insula could at least partially account for the differences in interoceptive accuracy (IA) observed between high and low hypnotizable individuals (highs, lows). Our aim was to investigate interoceptive processing in highs, lows, and medium hypnotizable individuals (mediums), who represent most of the population, during a 10-minute open eyes relaxation condition (Part 1) and three repetitions of consecutive 2-minute open eyes, closed eyes, and heartbeat counting conditions, followed by a 2-minute post-counting condition (Part 2). Electrocardiogram and electroencephalogram were recorded in 14 highs, 14 mediums, and 18 lows, classified according to the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form A. Heartbeat-evoked cortical potentials (HEP) were extracted throughout the entire session, and IA index was obtained for the heartbeat counting task (HCT). In Part 1, significant hypnotizability-related differences were observed in the right central region in both early and late HEP components, with lows showing positive amplitudes and highs/mediums showing negative amplitudes. In Part 2, the same group differences were limited to the early component. Moreover, in the left frontal regions, only mediums modified their HEP during the counting task with respect to the open/closed eyes conditions, whereas highs displayed HEP differences between counting and post-counting rest. HCT did not show significant group differences. In conclusion, highs and mediums seem to be more similar than mediums and lows regarding HEP, despite the absence of significant differences in HCT. Nonetheless, a negative correlation between hypnotizability scores and HEP amplitudes was observed in the regions showing group differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioia Giusti
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Žan Zelič
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Physics, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Alejandro Luis Callara
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Laura Sebastiani
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Institute of Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo" (ISTI-CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Enrica L Santarcangelo
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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12
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Kandel M, Snedeker J. Assessing two methods of webcam-based eye-tracking for child language research. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2024:1-34. [PMID: 38712583 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000924000175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
We assess the feasibility of conducting web-based eye-tracking experiments with children using two methods of webcam-based eye-tracking: automatic gaze estimation with the WebGazer.js algorithm and hand annotation of gaze direction from recorded webcam videos. Experiment 1 directly compares the two methods in a visual-world language task with five to six year-old children. Experiment 2 more precisely investigates WebGazer.js' spatiotemporal resolution with four to twelve year-old children in a visual-fixation task. We find that it is possible to conduct web-based eye-tracking experiments with children in both supervised (Experiment 1) and unsupervised (Experiment 2) settings - however, the webcam eye-tracking methods differ in their sensitivity and accuracy. Webcam video annotation is well-suited to detecting fine-grained looking effects relevant to child language researchers. In contrast, WebGazer.js gaze estimates appear noisier and less temporally precise. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method and provide recommendations for researchers conducting child eye-tracking studies online.
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13
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Randau M, Reinholt N, Pernet C, Oranje B, Rasmussen BS, Arnfred S. Robust single-trial event-related potentials differentiate between distress and fear disorders. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14500. [PMID: 38073133 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14500] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that measures of brain functioning as indexed by event-related potentials (ERPs) on the electroencephalogram align more closely to transdiagnostic measures of psychopathology than to categorical taxonomies. The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is a transdiagnostic, dimensional framework aiming to solve issues of comorbidity, symptom heterogeneity, and arbitrary diagnostic boundaries. Based on shared features, the emotional disorders are allocated into subfactors Distress and Fear. Evidence indicates that disorders that are close in the HiTOP hierarchy share etiology, symptom profiles, and treatment outcomes. However, further studies testing the biological underpinnings of the HiTOP are called for. In this study, we assessed differences between Distress and Fear in a range of well-studied ERP components. In total, 50 patients with emotional disorders were divided into two groups (Distress, N = 25; Fear, N = 25) according to HiTOP criteria and compared against 37 healthy comparison (HC) subjects. Addressing issues in traditional ERP preprocessing and analysis methods, we applied robust single-trial analysis as implemented in the EEGLAB toolbox LIMO EEG. Several ERP components were found to differ between the groups. Surprisingly, we found no difference between Fear and HC for any of the ERPs. This suggests that some well-established results from the literature, e.g., increased error-related negativity in OCD, are not a shared neurobiological correlate of the Fear subfactor. Conversely, for Distress, we found reductions compared to Fear and HC in several ERP components across paradigms. Future studies could utilize HiTOP-validated psychopathology measures to more precisely define subfactor groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Randau
- Research Unit for Psychotherapy & Psychopathology, Mental Health Service West, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nina Reinholt
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Cyril Pernet
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bob Oranje
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Belinda S Rasmussen
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Sidse Arnfred
- Research Unit for Psychotherapy & Psychopathology, Mental Health Service West, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Slagelse, Denmark
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14
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Oguz OC, Aydin B, Urgen BA. Biological motion perception in the theoretical framework of perceptual decision-making: An event-related potential study. Vision Res 2024; 218:108380. [PMID: 38479050 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2024.108380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Biological motion perception plays a critical role in various decisions in daily life. Failure to decide accordingly in such a perceptual task could have life-threatening consequences. Neurophysiology and computational modeling studies suggest two processes mediating perceptual decision-making. One of these signals is associated with the accumulation of sensory evidence and the other with response selection. Recent EEG studies with humans have introduced an event-related potential called Centroparietal Positive Potential (CPP) as a neural marker aligned with the sensory evidence accumulation while effectively distinguishing it from motor-related lateralized readiness potential (LRP). The present study aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of biological motion perception in the framework of perceptual decision-making, which has been overlooked before. More specifically, we examine whether CPP would track the coherence of the biological motion stimuli and could be distinguished from the LRP signal. We recorded EEG from human participants while they performed a direction discrimination task of a point-light walker stimulus embedded in various levels of noise. Our behavioral findings revealed shorter reaction times and reduced miss rates as the coherence of the stimuli increased. In addition, CPP tracked the coherence of the biological motion stimuli with a tendency to reach a common level during the response, albeit with a later onset than the previously reported results in random-dot motion paradigms. Furthermore, CPP was distinguished from the LRP signal based on its temporal profile. Overall, our results suggest that the mechanisms underlying perceptual decision-making generalize to more complex and socially significant stimuli like biological motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osman Cagri Oguz
- Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; Department of Neuroscience, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey.
| | - Berfin Aydin
- Department of Neuroscience, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Burcu A Urgen
- Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; Department of Neuroscience, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center and National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey.
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15
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Zaccaro A, della Penna F, Mussini E, Parrotta E, Perrucci MG, Costantini M, Ferri F. Attention to cardiac sensations enhances the heartbeat-evoked potential during exhalation. iScience 2024; 27:109586. [PMID: 38623333 PMCID: PMC11016802 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Respiration and cardiac activity intricately interact through complex physiological mechanisms. The heartbeat-evoked potential (HEP) is an EEG fluctuation reflecting the cortical processing of cardiac signals. We recently found higher HEP amplitude during exhalation than inhalation during a task involving attention to cardiac sensations. This may have been due to reduced cardiac perception during inhalation and heightened perception during exhalation through attentional mechanisms. To investigate relationships between HEP, attention, and respiration, we introduced an experimental setup that included tasks related to cardiac and respiratory interoceptive and exteroceptive attention. Results revealed HEP amplitude increases during the interoceptive tasks over fronto-central electrodes. When respiratory phases were taken into account, HEP increases were primarily driven by heartbeats recorded during exhalation, specifically during the cardiac interoceptive task, while inhalation had minimal impact. These findings emphasize the role of respiration in cardiac interoceptive attention and could have implications for respiratory interventions to fine-tune cardiac interoception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Zaccaro
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Francesca della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Elena Mussini
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Eleonora Parrotta
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Mauro Gianni Perrucci
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, ITAB, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Marcello Costantini
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, ITAB, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Francesca Ferri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, ITAB, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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16
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Pérez-Mata N, Albert J, Carretié L, López-Martín S, Sánchez-Carmona AJ. "I heard it before … or not": time-course of ERP response and behavioural correlates associated with false recognition memory. Memory 2024:1-20. [PMID: 38588660 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2024.2333508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Electrophysiological and behavioural correlates of true and false memories were examined in the Deese/Roediger-McDermont (DRM) paradigm. A mass univariate approach for analysing event-related potentials (ERP) in the temporal domain was used to examine the electrophysiological effects associated with this paradigm precisely (point-by-point) and without bias (data-driven). Behaviourally, true and false recognition did not differ, and the predicted DRM effect was observed, as false recognition of critical lures (i.e., new words semantically related to studied words) was higher than false alarms of new (unrelated) words. Neurally, an expected old/new effect was observed during the time-range of the late positive component (LPC) over left centro-parietal scalp electrodes. Furthermore, true recognition also evoked larger LPC amplitudes than false recognition over both left centro-parietal and fronto-central scalp electrodes. However, we did not observe LPC-related differences between critical lures and new words, nor between correct rejections of critical lures and new words. In contrast, correct rejections of critical lures were accompanied by higher activation of a sustained positive slow wave (SPSW) in right fronto-central electrodes beyond 1200 ms. This result reveals a key role of post-retrieval processes in recognition. Results are discussed in light of theoretical approaches to false memory in the DRM paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nieves Pérez-Mata
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Psicología Básica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacobo Albert
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Carretié
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara López-Martín
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Psicología Básica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Neuromottiva. Child and Adolescent Psychology Centre, Madrid, Spain
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17
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Wynn JK, Clayson PE, Green MF, Jimenez A, Lee J, Reavis EA, Horan WP. Neurophysiological indices of face processing in people with psychosis and their siblings: An event-related potential study. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:1863-1876. [PMID: 37160716 PMCID: PMC10632544 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
People with schizophrenia experience difficulties with social interactions. One contributor to these social deficits is dysfunction in processing facial features and facial emotional expressions. However, it is not known whether face processing deficits are evident in those with other psychotic disorders or in those genetically at-risk for psychosis (i.e., first-degree relatives of those with psychosis). We assessed event-related potentials (ERPs) during a facial and emotion processing task in 100 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or another psychotic condition (PSY), 32 of their siblings (SIB) and 45 healthy comparison participants (CTL). In separate blocks, participants identified the sex (male or female) or emotion (happy, angry, neutral) of faces. In a comparison condition, participants indicated whether buildings had one or two floors. ERPs were examined in two stages. First, we compared ERPs across the emotion, sex and building identification conditions. Second, we compared ERPs among the three different facial emotions. PSY exhibited significantly lower amplitudes over parietal-occipital regions between 111 and 151 ms when viewing faces but not buildings than CTL, consistent with a face-selective N170 ERP component deficit. The SIB group was intermediate for faces, but not significantly different than PSY or CTL. During emotion identification, all three groups showed increased N170 amplitudes to angry and happy versus neutral expressions, with no group differences. In follow up analyses, we examined differences between PSY with or without affective psychosis, and differences between those with schizophrenia versus other psychotic disorders; there were no significant differences in these analyses. Face processing deficits assessed with ERPs were observed in a group of diverse psychotic disorders, though deficits were not seen to be modulated by facial emotion expression. Additionally, N170 deficits are not evident in siblings of those with PSY.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan K. Wynn
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles,
CA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Peter E. Clayson
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles,
CA
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida,
Tampa, FL
| | - Michael F. Green
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles,
CA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Amy Jimenez
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles,
CA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Junghee Lee
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama,
Birmingham
| | - Eric A. Reavis
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles,
CA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - William P. Horan
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles,
CA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- VeraSci, Durham, NC
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18
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Kirby ED, Andrushko JW, Rinat S, D'Arcy RCN, Boyd LA. Investigating female versus male differences in white matter neuroplasticity associated with complex visuo-motor learning. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5951. [PMID: 38467763 PMCID: PMC10928090 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56453-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has increasingly been used to characterize structure-function relationships during white matter neuroplasticity. Biological sex differences may be an important factor that affects patterns of neuroplasticity, and therefore impacts learning and rehabilitation. The current study examined a participant cohort before and after visuo-motor training to characterize sex differences in microstructural measures. The participants (N = 27) completed a 10-session (4 week) complex visuo-motor training task with their non-dominant hand. All participants significantly improved movement speed and their movement speed variability over the training period. White matter neuroplasticity in females and males was examined using fractional anisotropy (FA) and myelin water fraction (MWF) along the cortico-spinal tract (CST) and the corpus callosum (CC). FA values showed significant differences in the middle portion of the CST tract (nodes 38-51) across the training period. MWF showed a similar cluster in the inferior portion of the tract (nodes 18-29) but did not reach significance. Additionally, at baseline, males showed significantly higher levels of MWF measures in the middle body of the CC. Combining data from females and males would have resulted in reduced sensitivity, making it harder to detect differences in neuroplasticity. These findings offer initial insights into possible female versus male differences in white matter neuroplasticity during motor learning. This warrants investigations into specific patterns of white matter neuroplasticity for females versus males across the lifespan. Understanding biological sex-specific differences in white matter neuroplasticity may have significant implications for the interpretation of change associated with learning or rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Kirby
- BrainNet, Health and Technology District, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Individualized Interdisciplinary Studies, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Justin W Andrushko
- DM Centre for Brain Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
- Brain Behaviour Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Shie Rinat
- Brain Behaviour Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ryan C N D'Arcy
- BrainNet, Health and Technology District, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- DM Centre for Brain Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
| | - Lara A Boyd
- DM Centre for Brain Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- Brain Behaviour Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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19
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Sarasso P, Ronga I, Piovesan F, Barbieri P, Del Fante E, De Luca D, Bechis L, Osello A, Sacco K. Shared attention in virtual immersive reality enhances electrophysiological correlates of implicit sensory learning. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3767. [PMID: 38355691 PMCID: PMC10866920 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53937-w] [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: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Shared attention effects on learning and memory demonstrate that experiences are amplified when we are not alone. Virtual reality poses new challenges to the study of co-presence. Above all, is coattending together with someone else's avatar in an immersive VR setting comparable with shared experiences at a neural processing level? In the present study we investigate shared attention effects in VR for the first time. We recorded mismatch negativities (MMN) during an auditory roving paradigm, a well-known index of implicit perceptual learning. EEG responses to deviant and standard sounds were registered while subjects were alone (Solo condition) or together (Other condition) with a virtual avatar (Virtual scenario) or physically present confederate (Physical scenario). We found an overall main effect of co-presence on MMN revealed by a point-by-point 2 × 2 ANOVA, thereby replicating previous studies on physical co-presence. Additionally, we found no significant interaction between the scenario (Physical vs. Virtual) and co-presence (Solo vs. Other). Our results indicate that virtual immersive co-presence mimics physical co-presence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Sarasso
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi, 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | - Irene Ronga
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi, 10, 10124, Turin, Italy.
| | - Francesca Piovesan
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi, 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Barbieri
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi, 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Del Fante
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi, 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | - Daniela De Luca
- VR@POLITO, Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering (DISEG), Polytechnic University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Ludovico Bechis
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi, 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | - Anna Osello
- VR@POLITO, Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering (DISEG), Polytechnic University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Katiuscia Sacco
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi, 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
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20
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Angulo R, Cipriani GA, Carboni A, Kessel D. Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence of different processes during a target identification task assessing perceptual learning. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:187-196. [PMID: 37100879 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01825-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to test whether a target identification task involving same and different judgments to assess the ability to differentiate between similar pre-exposed stimuli-i.e., perceptual learning-could actually be assessing two different cognitive processes. Specifically, the hypothesis was that while "different" trials might be truly assessing the ability to differentiate between the pre-exposed stimuli, "same" trials might be assessing the ability to recognize one of these stimuli as the target. To test this hypothesis, accuracy on judgments as well as reaction times and event-related potentials for same/different trials were recorded after concurrent pre-exposure to similar stimuli. If same/different trials were assessing cognitive processes with different time courses, distinct outcomes for such trials would be expected at the behavioral and neural level. Results showed that participants were very accurate both in same and different judgments, indicating that they were perfectly able to differentiate between the stimuli after their concurrent presentations. However, larger P3 latencies and slower reaction times for different trials than for same trials were found. These results seem to support the idea that cognitive processes activated in same and different trials are different due to their distinct time courses. The importance of these findings for the theoretical approaches to perceptual learning is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Germán A Cipriani
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Brain, Mind, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Dominique Kessel
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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21
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Visalli A, Montefinese M, Viviani G, Finos L, Vallesi A, Ambrosini E. lmeEEG: Mass linear mixed-effects modeling of EEG data with crossed random effects. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 401:109991. [PMID: 37884082 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109991] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mixed-effects models are the current standard for the analysis of behavioral studies in psycholinguistics and related fields, given their ability to simultaneously model crossed random effects for subjects and items. However, they are hardly applied in neuroimaging and psychophysiology, where the use of mass univariate analyses in combination with permutation testing would be too computationally demanding to be practicable with mixed models. NEW METHOD Here, we propose and validate an analytical strategy that enables the use of linear mixed models (LMM) with crossed random intercepts in mass univariate analyses of EEG data (lmeEEG). It avoids the unfeasible computational costs that would arise from massive permutation testing with LMM using a simple solution: removing random-effects contributions from EEG data and performing mass univariate linear analysis and permutations on the obtained marginal EEG. RESULTS lmeEEG showed excellent performance properties in terms of power and false positive rate. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS lmeEEG overcomes the computational costs of standard available approaches (our method was indeed more than 300 times faster). CONCLUSIONS lmeEEG allows researchers to use mixed models with EEG mass univariate analyses. Thanks to the possibility offered by the method described here, we anticipate that LMM will become increasingly important in neuroscience. Data and codes are available at osf.io/kw87a. The codes and a tutorial are also available at github.com/antovis86/lmeEEG.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Montefinese
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Giada Viviani
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Livio Finos
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Antonino Vallesi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Ettore Ambrosini
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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22
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LoTemplio S, Silcox J, Murdock R, Strayer DL, Payne BR. To err is human- to understand error-processing is divine: Contributions of working memory and anxiety to error-related brain and pupil responses. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14392. [PMID: 37496438 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14392] [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: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Both anxiety and working memory capacity appear to predict increased (more negative) error-related negativity (ERN) amplitudes, despite being inversely related to one another. Until the interactive effects of these variables on the ERN are clarified, there may be challenges posed to our ability to use the ERN as an endophenotype for anxiety, as some have suggested. The compensatory error monitoring hypothesis suggests that high trait-anxiety individuals have larger ERN amplitudes because they must employ extra, compensatory efforts to override the working memory demands of their anxiety. Yet, to our knowledge, no ERN study has employed direct manipulation of working memory demands in conjunction with direct manipulations of induced (state) anxiety. Furthermore, little is known about how these manipulations affect other measures of error processing, such as the error-related pupil dilation response and post-error behavioral adjustments. Therefore, we manipulate working memory load and anxiety in a 2 × 2 within-subjects design to examine the interactive effects of working memory load and anxiety on ERN amplitude, error-related pupil dilation response amplitude, and post-error behavior. There were no effects of our manipulations on ERN amplitude, suggesting a strong interpretation of compensatory error-processing theory. However, our worry manipulation affected post-error behavior, such that worry caused a reduction in post-error accuracy. Additionally, our working memory manipulation affected error-related PDR magnitude and the amplitude of the error-related positivity (Pe), such that increased working memory load decreased the amplitude of these responses. Implications of these results within the context of the compensatory error processing framework are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jack Silcox
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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23
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Qiu Z, Wu D, Muehlebach BJ. Differential modulation on neural activity related to flankers during face processing: A visual crowding study. Neurosci Lett 2023; 815:137496. [PMID: 37748673 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
In this visual crowding study, we manipulated the perceivability of a central crowded face (a fearful or a neutral face) by varying the similarity between the central face and the surrounding flanker stimuli. We presented participants with pairs of visual clutters and recorded their electroencephalography during an emotion judgement task. In an upright flanker condition where both the central target face and flanker faces were upright faces, participants were less likely to report seeing the target face, and their P300 was weakened, compared to a scrambled flanker condition where scrambled face images were used as flankers. Additionally, at ∼ 120 ms post-stimulus, a posterior negativity was found for the upright compared to scrambled flanker condition, however only for fearful face targets. We concluded that early neural responses seem to be affected by the perceptual characteristics of both target and flanker stimuli whereas later-stage neural activity is associated with post-perceptual evaluation of the stimuli in this visual crowding paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeguo Qiu
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
| | - Dihua Wu
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
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24
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Presti P, Galasso GM, Ruzzon D, Avanzini P, Caruana F, Rizzolatti G, Vecchiato G. Architectural experience influences the processing of others' body expressions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2302215120. [PMID: 37782807 PMCID: PMC10576150 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2302215120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The interplay between space and cognition is a crucial issue in Neuroscience leading to the development of multiple research fields. However, the relationship between architectural space and the movement of the inhabitants and their interactions has been too often neglected, failing to provide a unifying view of architecture's capacity to modulate social cognition broadly. We bridge this gap by requesting participants to judge avatars' emotional expression (high vs. low arousal) at the end of their promenade inside high- or low-arousing architectures. Stimuli were presented in virtual reality to ensure a dynamic, naturalistic experience. High-density electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded to assess the neural responses to the avatar's presentation. Observing highly aroused avatars increased Late Positive Potentials (LPP), in line with previous evidence. Strikingly, 250 ms before the occurrence of the LPP, P200 amplitude increased due to the experience of low-arousing architectures, reflecting an early greater attention during the processing of body expressions. In addition, participants stared longer at the avatar's head and judged the observed posture as more arousing. Source localization highlighted a contribution of the dorsal premotor cortex to both P200 and LPP. In conclusion, the immersive and dynamic architectural experience modulates human social cognition. In addition, the motor system plays a role in processing architecture and body expressions suggesting that the space and social cognition interplay is rooted in overlapping neural substrates. This study demonstrates that the manipulation of mere architectural space is sufficient to influence human social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Presti
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Parma43125, Italy
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma43125, Italy
| | - Gaia Maria Galasso
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma43125, Italy
| | - Davide Ruzzon
- Dipartimento di Culture del Progetto, IUAV University, Venice30135, Italy
- TUNED, Lombardini22 s.p.a., Milan20143, Italy
| | - Pietro Avanzini
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Parma43125, Italy
| | - Fausto Caruana
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Parma43125, Italy
| | - Giacomo Rizzolatti
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Parma43125, Italy
| | - Giovanni Vecchiato
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Parma43125, Italy
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma43125, Italy
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25
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Qiu Z, Lei X, Becker SI, Pegna AJ. Faces capture spatial attention only when we want them to: An inattentional blindness EEG study. Biol Psychol 2023; 183:108665. [PMID: 37619811 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Previous research on emotional face processing has shown that emotional faces such as fearful faces may be processed without visual awareness. However, evidence for nonconscious attention capture by fearful faces is limited. In fact, studies using sensory manipulation of awareness (e.g., backward masking paradigms) have shown that fearful faces do not attract attention during subliminal viewings nor when they were task-irrelevant. Here, we used a three-phase inattentional blindness paradigm and electroencephalography to examine whether faces (fearful and neutral) capture attention under different conditions of awareness and task-relevancy. We found that the electrophysiological marker for attention capture, the N2-posterior-contralateral (N2pc), was elicited by face stimuli only when participants were aware of the faces and when they were task-relevant (phase 3). When participants were unaware of the presence of faces (phase 1) or when the faces were irrelevant to the task (phase 2), no N2pc was observed. Together with our previous work, we concluded that fearful faces, or faces in general, do not attract attention unless we want them to.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeguo Qiu
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
| | - Xue Lei
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Stefanie I Becker
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Alan J Pegna
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
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26
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Kamp SM, Buntić N, Amtmann J, Scharpf A, Schönen A, Wagner L, Schulz A. Reduced concentration performance and heartbeat-evoked potential in individuals with a history of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Neurosci Lett 2023; 814:137466. [PMID: 37652352 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
The goal of characterizing long-term psychological and neural consequences of a SARS-CoV-2 infection has recently gained importance. Here, we examined the effect of a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection on neural markers of exteroceptive (P300) and interoceptive (heartbeat-evoked potential; HEP) signal processing, as well as on neuropsychological tests of attention, inhibition and episodic memory, in 23 adults with a self-reported history of SARS-CoV-2 infection versus 23 healthy controls. We found that the group with a prior infection showed decreased HEP (but not P300) amplitudes, as well as reduced attention/concentration performance. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may damage neural structures of cardiac interoception, thereby potentially contributing to cognitive and psychological long-term deficits. Modulations of interoceptive processing after a SARS-CoV-2 infection are thus a promising target for future research.
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27
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Callara AL, Fontanelli L, Belcari I, Rho G, Greco A, Zelič Ž, Sebastiani L, Santarcangelo EL. Modulation of the heartbeat evoked cortical potential by hypnotizability and hypnosis. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14309. [PMID: 37070749 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Hypnotizability is a psychophysiological trait measured by scales and associated with several differences, including interoceptive accuracy and the morpho-functional characteristics of interoception-related brain regions. The aim of the study was to assess whether the amplitude of the heartbeat evoked cortical potential (HEP), a correlate of interoceptive accuracy, differs in participants with low (lows) and high (highs) hypnotizability scores (assessed by the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form A) before and after the induction of hypnosis. ECG and EEG were monitored in 16 highs and 15 lows during an experimental session, including open eyes baseline (B), closed eyes relaxation (R), hypnotic induction (IND), neutral hypnosis (NH), and post session baseline (Post). No significant difference was observed between groups and conditions in autonomic variables. The HEP amplitude was lower in highs than in lows at the right parietal site, likely due to hypnotizability related differences in the functional connection between the right insula and parietal cortex. It increased in highs and decreased in lows across the session, possibly due to the highs' preeminently internally directed attention and to the lows' possible disengagement from the task. Since interoception is involved in several cognitive-emotional functions, its hypnotizability related differences may contribute to the variability of experience and behavior in daily life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Luis Callara
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Fontanelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Iacopo Belcari
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gianluca Rho
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Greco
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Žan Zelič
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Laura Sebastiani
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Enrica L Santarcangelo
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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28
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Rojas-Thomas F, Artigas C, Wainstein G, Morales JP, Arriagada M, Soto D, Dagnino-Subiabre A, Silva J, Lopez V. Impact of acute psychosocial stress on attentional control in humans. A study of evoked potentials and pupillary response. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 25:100551. [PMID: 37362419 PMCID: PMC10285563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychosocial stress has increased considerably in our modern lifestyle, affecting global mental health. Deficits in attentional control are cardinal features of stress disorders and pathological anxiety. Studies suggest that changes in the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system could underlie the effects of stress on top-down attentional control. However, the impact of psychosocial stress on attentional processes and its underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the effect of psychosocial stress on attentional processing and brain signatures. Evoked potentials and pupillary activity related to the oddball auditory paradigm were recorded before and after applying the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST). Electrocardiogram (ECG), salivary cortisol, and subjective anxiety/stress levels were measured at different experimental periods. The control group experienced the same physical and cognitive effort but without the psychosocial stress component. The results showed that stressed subjects exhibited decreased P3a and P3b amplitude, pupil phasic response, and correct responses. On the other hand, they displayed an increase in Mismatch Negativity (MMN). N1 amplitude after MIST only decreased in the control group. We found that differences in P3b amplitude between the first and second oddball were significantly correlated with pupillary dilation and salivary cortisol levels. Our results suggest that under social-evaluative threat, basal activity of the coeruleus-norepinephrine system increases, enhancing alertness and decreasing voluntary attentional resources for the cognitive task. These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological basis of attentional changes in pathologies associated with chronic psychosocial stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Rojas-Thomas
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental y Neurociencias, Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Programa de Doctorado en Neurociencia, Centro Interdisciplinario en Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - C. Artigas
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - G. Wainstein
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina y Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan-Pablo Morales
- Programa de Doctorado en Neurociencia, Centro Interdisciplinario en Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Facultad de Educación Psicología y Familia, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago, Chile
| | - M. Arriagada
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Bernardo O'Higgins University, Santiago, Chile
| | - D. Soto
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - A. Dagnino-Subiabre
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología del Estrés, Instituto de Fisiología, CENFI, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - J. Silva
- Instituto de Bienestar Socioemocional (IBEM), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - V. Lopez
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental y Neurociencias, Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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29
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Villena-Gonzalez M, Rojas-Thomas F, Morales-Torres R, López V. Autonomous sensory meridian response is associated with a larger heartbeat-evoked potential amplitude without differences in interoceptive awareness. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14277. [PMID: 36841904 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) describes the experience of a pleasant body sensation accompanied by a feeling of well-being and relaxation in response to specific audiovisual stimuli, such as whispers and personal attention. Previous work suggests a relationship between this experience with the processing of affective and body states; however, no research has explored differences in interoception between people experiencing ASMR and those who do not. We hypothesized that the ASMR experience is based on interoception processing. To test this, we assessed group differences across different dimensions of interoception: Interoceptive sensibility (IS), measured using the multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA); Interoceptive accuracy score (IAS), measured by calculating performance in a heartbeat counting task (HCT), and the electrophysiological index of interoception, the heartbeat evoked potential (HEP), which was calculated during the HCT and an ASMR tingle reporting task (ASMR-TRT). Our results showed that IS and IAS, dimensions requiring conscious awareness, showed no differences between groups. However, HEP amplitude was larger in the ASMR group in both tasks. We concluded that the ASMR experience is based on an unconscious interoceptive mechanism, reflected by HEP, where exteroceptive social-affective stimuli are integrated to represent a body state of positive affective feelings and relaxation, as has been described for affective touch. The relevance of this finding relies on that interoceptive function, body regulation, and emotional/affective experiences are fundamental for well-being, and the relationship between ASMR and interoception opens the way to future research exploring the causal relationship between them and their potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felipe Rojas-Thomas
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Vladimir López
- Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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30
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Saltzmann SM, Moen KC, Eich B, Chaisson FM, Fan G, Goldstein RR, Beck MR, Lucas HD. Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence for the flexible recruitment of feature- and object-based processing in visual working memory comparison. Biol Psychol 2023; 178:108528. [PMID: 36868296 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous research is inconclusive on when visual working memory (VWM) can be object-based or feature-based. Prior event-related potential (ERP) studies using change detection tasks have found that amplitudes of the N200-an ERP index of VWM comparison- are sensitive to changes in both relevant and irrelevant features, suggesting a bias toward object-based processing. To test whether VWM comparison processing can operate in a feature-based manner, we aimed to create circumstances that would support feature-based processing by: 1) using a strong task-relevance manipulation, and 2) repeating features within a display. Participants completed two blocks of a change detection task for four-item displays in which they were told to respond to color changes (task relevant) but not shape changes (task irrelevant). The first block contained only task-relevant changes to create a strong task-relevance manipulation. In the second block, both relevant and irrelevant changes were present. In both blocks, half of the arrays contained within-display feature repetitions (e.g. two items of the same color or shape). We found that during the second block, N200 amplitudes were sensitive to task-relevant but not irrelevant features regardless of repetition status, consistent with feature-based processing. However, analyses of behavioral data and N200 latencies suggested that object-based processing was occurring at some stages of VWM processing on task-irrelevant feature change trials. In particular, task-irrelevant changes may be processed after no task-relevant feature change is revealed. Overall, the results from the current study suggest that the VWM processing is flexible and can be either object- or feature-based.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katherine C Moen
- Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA; University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2504 9th Ave, Kearney, NE 68849, USA
| | - Brandon Eich
- Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Felicia M Chaisson
- Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Gaojie Fan
- Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | | | - Melissa R Beck
- Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
| | - Heather D Lucas
- Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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31
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Qiu Z, Jiang J, Becker SI, Pegna AJ. Attentional capture by fearful faces requires consciousness and is modulated by task-relevancy: A dot-probe EEG study. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1152220. [PMID: 37034154 PMCID: PMC10076762 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1152220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In the current EEG study, we used a dot-probe task in conjunction with backward masking to examine the neural activity underlying awareness and spatial processing of fearful faces and the neural processes for subsequent cued spatial targets. We presented face images under different viewing conditions (subliminal and supraliminal) and manipulated the relation between a fearful face in the pair and a subsequent target. Our mass univariate analysis showed that fearful faces elicit the N2-posterior-contralateral, indexing spatial attention capture, only when they are presented supraliminally. Consistent with this, the multivariate pattern analysis revealed a successful decoding of the location of the fearful face only in the supraliminal viewing condition. Additionally, the spatial attention capture by fearful faces modulated the processing of subsequent lateralised targets that were spatially congruent with the fearful face, in both al and electrophysiological data. There was no evidence for nonconscious processing of the fearful faces in the current paradigm. We conclude that spatial attentional capture by fearful faces requires visual awareness and it is modulated by top-down task demands.
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Impact of face outline, parafoveal feature number and feature type on early face perception in a gaze-contingent paradigm: A mass-univariate re-analysis of ERP data. NEUROIMAGE: REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2022.100148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
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Jaspers-Fayer F, Maffei A, Goertzen J, Kleffner K, Coccaro A, Sessa P, Liotti M. Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Covert vs. Overt Emotional Face Processing in Dysphoria. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:920989. [PMID: 35874655 PMCID: PMC9296982 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.920989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
People at risk of developing clinical depression exhibit attentional biases for emotional faces. To clarify whether such effects occur at an early, automatic, or at a late, deliberate processing stage of emotional processing, the present study used high-density electroencephalography during both covert and overt processing of sad, fearful, happy, and neutral expressions in healthy participants with high dysphoria (n = 16) and with low dysphoria (n = 19). A state-of-the-art non-parametric permutation-based statistical approach was then used to explore the effects of emotion, attentional task demands, and group. Behaviorally, participants responded faster and more accurately when overtly categorizing happy faces and they were slower and less accurate when categorizing sad and fearful faces, independent of the dysphoria group. Electrophysiologically, in an early time-window (N170: 140-180 ms), there was a significant main effect for the dysphoria group, with greater negative voltage for the high vs. low dysphoria group over the left-sided temporo-occipital scalp. Furthermore, there was a significant group by emotional interaction, with the high dysphoria group displaying greater negative amplitude N170 for happy than fearful faces. Attentional task demands did not influence such early effects. In contrast, in an intermediate time-window (EPN: 200-400 ms) and in a late time-window (LPP: 500-750 ms) there were no significant main effects nor interactions involving the dysphoria Group. The LPP results paralleled the behavioral results, with greater LPP voltages for sad and fearful relative to happy faces only in the overt task, but similarly so in the two dysphoria groups. This study provides novel evidence that alterations in face processing in dysphoric individuals can be seen at the early stages of face perception, as indexed by the N170, although not in the form of a typical pattern of mood-congruent attentional bias. In contrast, intermediate (EPN) and late (LPP) stages of emotional face processing appear unaffected by dysphoria. Importantly, the early dysphoria effect appears to be independent of the top-down allocation of attention, further supporting the idea that dysphoria may influence a stage of automatic emotional appraisal. It is proposed that it may be a consequence of a shift from holistic to feature-based processing of facial expressions, or may be due to the influence of negative schemas acting as a negative context for emotional facial processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fern Jaspers-Fayer
- Laboratory for Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Antonio Maffei
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Jennifer Goertzen
- Laboratory for Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Killian Kleffner
- Laboratory for Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Ambra Coccaro
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Paola Sessa
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Mario Liotti
- Laboratory for Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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McFadyen J, Tsuchiya N, Mattingley JB, Garrido MI. Surprising Threats Accelerate Conscious Perception. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:797119. [PMID: 35645748 PMCID: PMC9137416 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.797119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The folk psychological notion that "we see what we expect to see" is supported by evidence that we become consciously aware of visual stimuli that match our prior expectations more quickly than stimuli that violate our expectations. Similarly, "we see what we want to see," such that more biologically-relevant stimuli are also prioritised for conscious perception. How, then, is perception shaped by biologically-relevant stimuli that we did not expect? Here, we conducted two experiments using breaking continuous flash suppression (bCFS) to investigate how prior expectations modulated response times to neutral and fearful faces. In both experiments, we found that prior expectations for neutral faces hastened responses, whereas the opposite was true for fearful faces. This interaction between emotional expression and prior expectations was driven predominantly by participants with higher trait anxiety. Electroencephalography (EEG) data collected in Experiment 2 revealed an interaction evident in the earliest stages of sensory encoding, suggesting prediction errors expedite sensory encoding of fearful faces. These findings support a survival hypothesis, where biologically-relevant fearful stimuli are prioritised for conscious access even more so when unexpected, especially for people with high trait anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica McFadyen
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Naotsugu Tsuchiya
- School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Osaka, Japan
- Advanced Telecommunications Research Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Jason B. Mattingley
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marta I. Garrido
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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35
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Montoro-Membila N, Maswood R, Molina B, Rajaram S, Bajo T. Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Collaborative Recall. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 193:107639. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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36
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Kritzman L, Eidelman-Rothman M, Keil A, Freche D, Sheppes G, Levit-Binnun N. Steady-state visual evoked potentials differentiate between internally and externally directed attention. Neuroimage 2022; 254:119133. [PMID: 35339684 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
While attention to external visual stimuli has been extensively studied, attention directed internally towards mental contents (e.g., thoughts, memories) or bodily signals (e.g., breathing, heartbeat) has only recently become a subject of increased interest, due to its relation to interoception, contemplative practices and mental health. The present study aimed at expanding the methodological toolbox for studying internal attention, by examining for the first time whether the steady-state visual evoked potential (ssVEP), a well-established measure of attention, can differentiate between internally and externally directed attention. To this end, we designed a task in which flickering dots were used to generate ssVEPs, and instructed participants to count visual targets (external attention condition) or their heartbeats (internal attention condition). We compared the ssVEP responses between conditions, along with alpha-band activity and the heartbeat evoked potential (HEP) - two electrophysiological measures associated with internally directed attention. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that both the magnitude and the phase synchronization of the ssVEP decreased when attention was directed internally, suggesting that ssVEP measures are able to differentiate between internal and external attention. Additionally, and in line with previous findings, we found larger suppression of parieto-occipital alpha-band activity and an increase of the HEP amplitude in the internal attention condition. Furthermore, we found a trade-off between changes in ssVEP response and changes in HEP and alpha-band activity: when shifting from internal to external attention, increase in ssVEP response was related to a decrease in parieto-occipital alpha-band activity and HEP amplitudes. These findings suggest that shifting between external and internal directed attention prompts a re-allocation of limited processing resources that are shared between external sensory and interoceptive processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lior Kritzman
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, Reichman University, Israel.
| | | | - Andreas Keil
- Center for the Study of Emotion & Attention, University of Florida, USA
| | - Dominik Freche
- Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, Reichman University, Israel; Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
| | - Gal Sheppes
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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Lin T, Zhang X, Fields EC, Sekuler R, Gutchess A. Spatial frequency impacts perceptual and attentional ERP components across cultures. Brain Cogn 2022; 157:105834. [PMID: 34999289 PMCID: PMC8792318 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105834] [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: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Culture impacts visual perception in several ways.To identify stages of perceptual processing that differ between cultures, we usedelectroencephalography measures of perceptual and attentional responses to simple visual stimuli.Gabor patches of higher or lower spatialfrequencywere presented at high contrast to 25 American and 31 East Asian participants while they were watching for the onset of aninfrequent, oddball stimulus. Region of interest and mass univariate analyses assessed how cultural background and stimuli spatial frequency affected the visual evoked response potentials. Across both groups, the Gabor of lower spatial frequency produced stronger evoked response potentials in the anterior N1 and P3 than did the higher frequency Gabor. The mass univariate analyses also revealed effects of spatial frequency, including a frontal negativity around 150 ms and a widespread posterior positivity around 300 ms. The effects of spatial frequency generally differed little across cultures; although there was some evidence for cultural differences in the P3 response to different frequencies at the Pz electrode, this effect did not emerge in the mass univariate analyses. We discuss these results in relation to those from previous studies, and explore the potential advantages of mass univariate analyses for cultural neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Lin
- Brandeis University, United States
| | | | - Eric C Fields
- Brandeis University, United States; Boston College, United States; Westminster College, United States
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38
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On the role of item encoding mechanisms in associative memory in young and older adults: A mass univariate ERP study. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 189:107588. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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39
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Prado P, Birba A, Cruzat J, Santamaría-García H, Parra M, Moguilner S, Tagliazucchi E, Ibáñez A. Dementia ConnEEGtome: Towards multicentric harmonization of EEG connectivity in neurodegeneration. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 172:24-38. [PMID: 34968581 PMCID: PMC9887537 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The proposal to use brain connectivity as a biomarker for dementia phenotyping can be potentiated by conducting large-scale multicentric studies using high-density electroencephalography (hd- EEG). Nevertheless, several barriers preclude the development of a systematic "ConnEEGtome" in dementia research. Here we review critical sources of variability in EEG connectivity studies, and provide general guidelines for multicentric protocol harmonization. We describe how results can be impacted by the choice for data acquisition, and signal processing workflows. The implementation of a particular processing pipeline is conditional upon assumptions made by researchers about the nature of EEG. Due to these assumptions, EEG connectivity metrics are typically applicable to restricted scenarios, e.g., to a particular neurocognitive disorder. "Ground truths" for the choice of processing workflow and connectivity analysis are impractical. Consequently, efforts should be directed to harmonizing experimental procedures, data acquisition, and the first steps of the preprocessing pipeline. Conducting multiple analyses of the same data and a proper integration of the results need to be considered in additional processing steps. Furthermore, instead of using a single connectivity measure, using a composite metric combining different connectivity measures brings a powerful strategy to scale up the replicability of multicentric EEG connectivity studies. These composite metrics can boost the predictive strength of diagnostic tools for dementia. Moreover, the implementation of multi-feature machine learning classification systems that include EEG-based connectivity analyses may help to exploit the potential of multicentric studies combining clinical-cognitive, molecular, genetics, and neuroimaging data towards a multi-dimensional characterization of the dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Prado
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - Agustina Birba
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile,Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Josefina Cruzat
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - Hernando Santamaría-García
- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Medical School, Physiology and Psychiatry Departments, Memory and Cognition Center Intellectus, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Mario Parra
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Moguilner
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile,Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, USA,Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin, Ireland
| | - Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile,Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Fisica de Buenos Aires (IFIBA -CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile,Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina,Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, USA,Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin, Ireland,Corresponding author at: Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile., (A. Ibáñez)
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40
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Spectral Pattern Similarity Analysis: Tutorial and Application in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101071. [PMID: 35063811 PMCID: PMC8784303 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101071] [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: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brain encodes information in neural activation patterns. While standard approaches to analyzing neural data focus on brain (de-)activation (e.g., regarding the location, timing, or magnitude of neural responses), multivariate neural pattern similarity analyses target the informational content represented by neural activity. In adults, a number of representational properties have been identified that are linked to cognitive performance, in particular the stability, distinctiveness, and specificity of neural patterns. However, although growing cognitive abilities across childhood suggest advancements in representational quality, developmental studies still rarely utilize information-based pattern similarity approaches, especially in electroencephalography (EEG) research. Here, we provide a comprehensive methodological introduction and step-by-step tutorial for pattern similarity analysis of spectral (frequency-resolved) EEG data including a publicly available pipeline and sample dataset with data from children and adults. We discuss computation of single-subject pattern similarities and their statistical comparison at the within-person to the between-group level as well as the illustration and interpretation of the results. This tutorial targets both novice and more experienced EEG researchers and aims to facilitate the usage of spectral pattern similarity analyses, making these methodologies more readily accessible for (developmental) cognitive neuroscientists.
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Hudson A, Durston AJ, McCrackin SD, Itier RJ. Emotion, Gender and Gaze Discrimination Tasks do not Differentially Impact the Neural Processing of Angry or Happy Facial Expressions-a Mass Univariate ERP Analysis. Brain Topogr 2021; 34:813-833. [PMID: 34596796 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-021-00873-x] [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: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Facial expression processing is a critical component of social cognition yet, whether it is influenced by task demands at the neural level remains controversial. Past ERP studies have found mixed results with classic statistical analyses, known to increase both Type I and Type II errors, which Mass Univariate statistics (MUS) control better. However, MUS open-access toolboxes can use different fundamental statistics, which may lead to inconsistent results. Here, we compared the output of two MUS toolboxes, LIMO and FMUT, on the same data recorded during the processing of angry and happy facial expressions investigated under three tasks in a within-subjects design. Both toolboxes revealed main effects of emotion during the N170 timing and main effects of task during later time points typically associated with the LPP component. Neither toolbox yielded an interaction between the two factors at the group level, nor at the individual level in LIMO, confirming that the neural processing of these two face expressions is largely independent from task demands. Behavioural data revealed main effects of task on reaction time and accuracy, but no influence of expression or an interaction between the two. Expression processing and task demands are discussed in the context of the consistencies and discrepancies between the two toolboxes and existing literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Hudson
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Amie J Durston
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Sarah D McCrackin
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Roxane J Itier
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
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42
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Yacovone A, Moya E, Snedeker J. Unexpected words or unexpected languages? Two ERP effects of code-switching in naturalistic discourse. Cognition 2021; 215:104814. [PMID: 34303181 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Bilingual speakers often switch between languages in conversation without any advance notice. Psycholinguistic research has found that these language shifts (or code-switches) can be costly for comprehenders in certain situations. The present study explores the nature of these costs by comparing code-switches to other types of unexpected linguistic material. To do this, we used a novel EEG paradigm, the Storytime task, in which we record readings of natural texts, and then experimentally manipulate their properties by splicing in words. In this study, we manipulated the language of our target words (English, Spanish) and their fit with the preceding context (strong-fit, weak-fit). If code-switching incurs a unique cost beyond that incurred by an unexpected word, then we should see an additive pattern in our ERP indices. If an effect is driven by lexical expectation alone, then there should be a non-additive interaction such that all unexpected forms incur a similar cost. We found three effects: a general prediction effect (a non-additive N400), a post-lexical recognition of the switch in languages (an LPC for code-switched words), and a prolonged integration difficulty associated with weak-fitting words regardless of language (a sustained negativity). We interpret these findings as suggesting that the processing difficulties experienced by bilinguals can largely be understood within more general frameworks for understanding language comprehension. Our findings are consistent with the broader literature demonstrating that bilinguals do not have two wholly separate language systems but rather a single language system capable of using two coding systems.
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Maffei A, Goertzen J, Jaspers-Fayer F, Kleffner K, Sessa P, Liotti M. Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Covert Versus Overt Processing of Happy, Fearful and Sad Facial Expressions. Brain Sci 2021; 11:942. [PMID: 34356176 PMCID: PMC8329921 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11070942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of the influence of task demands on the processing of happy, sad, and fearful expressions were investigated in a within-subjects study that compared a perceptual distraction condition with task-irrelevant faces (e.g., covert emotion task) to an emotion task-relevant categorization condition (e.g., overt emotion task). A state-of-the-art non-parametric mass univariate analysis method was used to address the limitations of previous studies. Behaviorally, participants responded faster to overtly categorized happy faces and were slower and less accurate to categorize sad and fearful faces; there were no behavioral differences in the covert task. Event-related potential (ERP) responses to the emotional expressions included the N170 (140-180 ms), which was enhanced by emotion irrespective of task, with happy and sad expressions eliciting greater amplitudes than neutral expressions. EPN (200-400 ms) amplitude was modulated by task, with greater voltages in the overt condition, and by emotion, however, there was no interaction of emotion and task. ERP activity was modulated by emotion as a function of task only at a late processing stage, which included the LPP (500-800 ms), with fearful and sad faces showing greater amplitude enhancements than happy faces. This study reveals that affective content does not necessarily require attention in the early stages of face processing, supporting recent evidence that the core and extended parts of the face processing system act in parallel, rather than serially. The role of voluntary attention starts at an intermediate stage, and fully modulates the response to emotional content in the final stage of processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Maffei
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; (A.M.); (P.S.)
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Orus 2/B, 35129 Padova, Italy
| | - Jennifer Goertzen
- Laboratory of Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A1S6, Canada; (J.G.); (F.J.-F.); (K.K.)
| | - Fern Jaspers-Fayer
- Laboratory of Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A1S6, Canada; (J.G.); (F.J.-F.); (K.K.)
| | - Killian Kleffner
- Laboratory of Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A1S6, Canada; (J.G.); (F.J.-F.); (K.K.)
| | - Paola Sessa
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; (A.M.); (P.S.)
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Orus 2/B, 35129 Padova, Italy
| | - Mario Liotti
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; (A.M.); (P.S.)
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Orus 2/B, 35129 Padova, Italy
- Laboratory of Affective and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A1S6, Canada; (J.G.); (F.J.-F.); (K.K.)
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Separable neural mechanisms support intentional forgetting and thought substitution. Cortex 2021; 142:317-331. [PMID: 34343901 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Psychological and neuroscientific experiments have established that people can intentionally forget information via different strategies: direct suppression and thought substitution. However, few studies have directly compared the effectiveness of these strategies in forgetting specific items, and it remains an open question if the neural mechanisms supporting these strategies differ. Here, we developed a novel item-method directed forgetting paradigm with Remember, Forget, and Imagine cues, and recorded EEG to directly compare these strategies. Behaviorally, Forget and Imagine cues produced similar forgetting compared to Remember cues, but through separable neural processes; Forget cues elicited frontal oscillatory power changes that were predictive of future forgetting, whereas item-cue representational similarity was predictive of later accuracy for Imagine cues. These results suggest that both strategies can lead to intentional forgetting, but directed forgetting may rely on frontally-mediated suppression, while thought substitution may lead to contextual shifting, impairing successful retrieval.
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45
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Fields EC, Bowen HJ, Daley RT, Parisi KR, Gutchess A, Kensinger EA. An ERP investigation of age differences in the negativity bias for self-relevant and non-self-relevant stimuli. Neurobiol Aging 2021; 103:1-11. [PMID: 33773473 PMCID: PMC8178198 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
As we age, we show increased attention and memory for positive versus negative information, and a key event-related potential (ERP) marker of emotion processing, the late positive potential (LPP), is sensitive to these changes. In young adults the emotion effect on the LPP is also quite sensitive to the self-relevance of stimuli. Here we investigated whether the shift toward positive stimuli with age would be magnified by self-relevance. Participants read 2-sentence scenarios that were either self-relevant or non-self-relevant with a neutral, positive, or negative critical word in the second sentence. The LPP was largest for self-relevant negative information in young adults, with no significant effects of emotion for non-self-relevant scenarios. In contrast, older adults showed a smaller negativity bias, and the effect of emotion was not modulated by self-relevance. The 3-way interaction of age, emotion, and self-relevance suggests that the presence of self-relevant stimuli may reduce or inhibit effects of emotion for non-self-relevant stimuli on the LPP in young adults, but that older adults do not show this effect to the same extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric C Fields
- Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.
| | | | | | - Katelyn R Parisi
- Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
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Del Popolo Cristaldi F, Mento G, Sarlo M, Buodo G. Dealing with uncertainty: A high-density EEG investigation on how intolerance of uncertainty affects emotional predictions. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254045. [PMID: 34197554 PMCID: PMC8248604 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) can influence emotional predictions, constructed by the brain (generation stage) to prearrange action (implementation stage), and update internal models according to incoming stimuli (updating stage). However, neurocomputational mechanisms by which IU affects emotional predictions are unclear. This high-density EEG study investigated if IU predicted event-related potentials (ERPs) and brain sources activity developing along the stages of emotional predictions, as a function of contextual uncertainty. Thirty-six undergraduates underwent a S1-S2 paradigm, with emotional faces and pictures as S1s and S2s, respectively. Contextual uncertainty was manipulated across three blocks, each with 100%, 75%, or 50% S1-S2 emotional congruency. ERPs, brain sources and their relationship with IU scores were analyzed for each stage. IU did not affect prediction generation. During prediction implementation, higher IU predicted larger Contingent Negative Variation in the 75% block, and lower left anterior cingulate cortex and supplementary motor area activations. During prediction updating, as IU increased P2 to positive S2s decreased, along with P2 and Late Positive Potential in the 75% block, and right orbito-frontal cortex activity to emotional S2s. IU was therefore associated with altered uncertainty assessment and heightened attention deployment during implementation, and to uncertainty avoidance, reduced attention to safety cues and disrupted access to emotion regulation strategies during prediction updating.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giovanni Mento
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
- Padua Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Michela Sarlo
- Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Giulia Buodo
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
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Takeda A, Yamada E, Uehara T, Ogata K, Okamoto T, Tobimatsu S. Data-point-wise spatiotemporal mapping of human ventral visual areas: Use of spatial frequency/luminance-modulated chromatic faces. Neuroimage 2021; 239:118325. [PMID: 34216773 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual information involving facial identity and expression is crucial for social communication. Although the influence of facial features such as spatial frequency (SF) and luminance on face processing in visual areas has been studied extensively using grayscale stimuli, the combined effects of other features in this process have not been characterized. To determine the combined effects of different SFs and color, we created chromatic stimuli with low, high or no SF components, which bring distinct SF and color information into the ventral stream simultaneously. To obtain neural activity data with high spatiotemporal resolution we recorded face-selective responses (M170) using magnetoencephalography. We used a permutation test procedure with threshold-free cluster enhancement to assess statistical significance while resolving problems related to multiple comparisons and arbitrariness found in traditional statistical methods. We found that time windows with statistically significant threshold levels were distributed differently among the stimulus conditions. Face stimuli containing any SF components evoked M170 in the fusiform gyrus (FG), whereas a significant emotional effect on M170 was only observed with the original images. Low SF faces elicited larger activation of the FG and the inferior occipital gyrus than the original images, suggesting an interaction between low and high SF information processing. Interestingly, chromatic face stimuli without SF first activated color-selective regions and then the FG, indicating that facial color was processed according to a hierarchy in the ventral stream. These findings suggest complex effects of SFs in the presence of color information, reflected in M170, and unveil the detailed spatiotemporal dynamics of face processing in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinori Takeda
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan; Research Center for Brain Communication, Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada, Kami City, Kochi 782-8502, Japan.
| | - Emi Yamada
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan; Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Taira Uehara
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan; Department of Neurology, IUHW Narita Hospital, 852 Hatakeda, Narita, Chiba 286-8520, Japan
| | - Katsuya Ogata
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy at Fukuoka, International University of Health and Welfare, 137-1 Enokidu, Okawa, Fukuoka 831-8501, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Okamoto
- Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Shozo Tobimatsu
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan; Department of Orthoptics, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka International University of Health and Welfare, 3-6-40 Momochihama, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka 814-0001, Japan
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Jiménez-Ortega L, Badaya E, Casado P, Fondevila S, Hernández-Gutiérrez D, Muñoz F, Sánchez-García J, Martín-Loeches M. The Automatic but Flexible and Content-Dependent Nature of Syntax. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:651158. [PMID: 34177488 PMCID: PMC8226263 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.651158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Syntactic processing has often been considered an utmost example of unconscious automatic processing. In this line, it has been demonstrated that masked words containing syntactic anomalies are processed by our brain triggering event related potential (ERP) components similar to the ones triggered by conscious syntactic anomalies, thus supporting the automatic nature of the syntactic processing. Conversely, recent evidence also points out that regardless of the level of awareness, emotional information and other relevant extralinguistic information modulate conscious syntactic processing too. These results are also in line with suggestions that, under certain circumstances, syntactic processing could also be flexible and context-dependent. However, the study of the concomitant automatic but flexible conception of syntactic parsing is very scarce. Hence, to this aim, we examined whether and how masked emotional words (positive, negative, and neutral masked adjectives) containing morphosyntactic anomalies (half of the cases) affect linguistic comprehension of an ongoing unmasked sentence that also can contain a number agreement anomaly between the noun and the verb. ERP components were observed to emotional information (EPN), masked anomalies (LAN and a weak P600), and unmasked ones (LAN/N400 and P600). Furthermore, interactions in the processing of conscious and unconscious morphosyntactic anomalies and between unconscious emotional information and conscious anomalies were detected. The findings support, on the one hand, the automatic nature of syntax, given that syntactic components LAN and P600 were observed to unconscious anomalies. On the other hand, the flexible, permeable, and context-dependent nature of the syntactic processing is also supported, since unconscious information modulated conscious syntactic components. This double nature of syntactic processing is in line with theories of automaticity, suggesting that even unconscious/automatic, syntactic processing is flexible, adaptable, and context-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Jiménez-Ortega
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esperanza Badaya
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Pilar Casado
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sabela Fondevila
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Francisco Muñoz
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Sánchez-García
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Martín-Loeches
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Psychobiology & Behavioral Sciences Methods, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Taga M, Curci A, Pizzamigglio S, Lacal I, Turner DL, Fu CHY. Motor adaptation and internal model formation in a robot-mediated forcefield. PSYCHORADIOLOGY 2021; 1:73-87. [PMID: 38665359 PMCID: PMC10917215 DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkab007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Background Motor adaptation relies on error-based learning for accurate movements in changing environments. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms driving individual differences in performance are unclear. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked potential can provide a direct measure of cortical excitability. Objective To investigate cortical excitability as a predictor of motor learning and motor adaptation in a robot-mediated forcefield. Methods A group of 15 right-handed healthy participants (mean age 23 years) performed a robot-mediated forcefield perturbation task. There were two conditions: unperturbed non-adaptation and perturbed adaptation. TMS was applied in the resting state at baseline and following motor adaptation over the contralateral primary motor cortex (left M1). Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was continuously recorded, and cortical excitability was measured by TMS-evoked potential (TEP). Motor learning was quantified by the motor learning index. Results Larger error-related negativity (ERN) in fronto-central regions was associated with improved motor performance as measured by a reduction in trajectory errors. Baseline TEP N100 peak amplitude predicted motor learning (P = 0.005), which was significantly attenuated relative to baseline (P = 0.0018) following motor adaptation. Conclusions ERN reflected the formation of a predictive internal model adapted to the forcefield perturbation. Attenuation in TEP N100 amplitude reflected an increase in cortical excitability with motor adaptation reflecting neuroplastic changes in the sensorimotor cortex. TEP N100 is a potential biomarker for predicting the outcome in robot-mediated therapy and a mechanism to investigate psychomotor abnormalities in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Taga
- School of Health, Sports and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Annacarmen Curci
- School of Health, Sports and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Sara Pizzamigglio
- Department of Computer Science, School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Irene Lacal
- Department of Computer Science, School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Duncan L Turner
- School of Health, Sports and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Cynthia H Y Fu
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- School of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK
- Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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50
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Porter NA, Fields EC, Moore IL, Gutchess A. Late frontal positivity effects in Self-referential Memory: Unique to the Self? Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:406-422. [PMID: 33978552 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1929460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The self-reference effect in memory (SRE), in which stimuli related to self are better remembered than other stimuli, has been studied often in the fMRI literature, but much less with EEG. In two experiments, we investigated how self-referencing modulated event-related potential (ERP) markers of the subsequent memory effect, testing whether the same components that reflect memory success are impacted or whether unique components are modulated by self-referencing. Participants were asked to evaluate whether an adjective accurately described either the self or a given other by making a yes/no key press during EEG recording. Then participants were given a surprise recognition memory test where they judged each adjective as old or new. We observed a main effect of self-relevance on a late positivity at right frontal electrodes. A very similar effect was observed when comparing words subsequently remembered to those that were forgotten. However, no interaction was found between self-relevance and subsequent memory, suggesting the frontal positivity is not exclusive to the SRE, but instead a reflection of deeper encoding that leads to better memory. Thus, this frontal positivity may be a marker of a deeper encoding process that is elicited by self-referencing but not exclusive to the SRE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Porter
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Eric C Fields
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | | | - Angela Gutchess
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
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