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Tang DL, Tommerdahl M, Niziolek CA, Parrell B. Theta-burst stimulation over primary somatosensory cortex modulates tactile acuity of tongue. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.17.599457. [PMID: 38948808 PMCID: PMC11213019 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.17.599457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Background Emerging studies in humans have established the modulatory effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over primary somatosensory cortex (S1) on somatosensory cortex activity and perception. However, to date, research in this area has primarily focused on the hand and fingers, leaving a gap in our understanding of the modulatory effects of rTMS on somatosensory perception of the orofacial system and speech articulators. Objective The present study aimed to examine the effects of different types of theta-burst stimulation-continuous TBS (cTBS), intermittent TBS (iTBS), or sham-over the tongue representation of left S1 on tactile acuity of the tongue. Methods In a repeated-measures design, fifteen volunteers participated in four separate sessions, where cTBS, iTBS, sham, or no stimulation was applied over the tongue representation of left S1. Effects of TBS were measured on both temporal and spatial perceptual acuity of tongue using a custom vibrotactile stimulator. Results CTBS significantly impaired spatial amplitude threshold at the time window of 16-30 minutes after stimulation, while iTBS improved it at the same time window. The effect of iTBS, however, was smaller than cTBS. In contrast, neither cTBS nor iTBS had any effect on the temporal discrimination threshold. Conclusions The current study establishes the validity of using TBS to modulate somatosensory perception of the orofacial system. Directly modifying somatosensation in the orofacial system has the potential to benefit clinical populations with abnormal tactile acuity, improve our understanding of the role of sensory systems in speech production, and enhance speech motor learning and rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding-lan Tang
- Academic Unit of Human Communication, Learning, and Development, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | | | - Caroline A. Niziolek
- Waisman Center, The University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Benjamin Parrell
- Waisman Center, The University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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Ordás CM, Alonso-Frech F. The neural basis of somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold as a paradigm for time processing in the sub-second range: An updated review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 156:105486. [PMID: 38040074 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105486] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The temporal aspect of somesthesia is a feature of any somatosensory process and a pre-requisite for the elaboration of proper behavior. Time processing in the milliseconds range is crucial for most of behaviors in everyday life. The somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold (STDT) is the ability to perceive two successive stimuli as separate in time, and deals with time processing in this temporal range. Herein, we focus on the physiology of STDT, on a background of the anatomophysiology of somesthesia and the neurobiological substrates of timing. METHODS A review of the literature through PubMed & Cochrane databases until March 2023 was performed with inclusion and exclusion criteria following PRISMA recommendations. RESULTS 1151 abstracts were identified. 4 duplicate records were discarded before screening. 957 abstracts were excluded because of redundancy, less relevant content or not English-written. 4 were added after revision. Eventually, 194 articles were included. CONCLUSIONS STDT encoding relies on intracortical inhibitory S1 function and is modulated by the basal ganglia-thalamic-cortical interplay through circuits involving the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway and probably the superior colliculus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Ordás
- Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Department of Neurology, Hospital Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Fernando Alonso-Frech
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
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Permezel F, Alty J, Harding IH, Thyagarajan D. Brain Networks Involved in Sensory Perception in Parkinson's Disease: A Scoping Review. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1552. [PMID: 38002513 PMCID: PMC10669548 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13111552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's Disease (PD) has historically been considered a disorder of motor dysfunction. However, a growing number of studies have demonstrated sensory abnormalities in PD across the modalities of proprioceptive, tactile, visual, auditory and temporal perception. A better understanding of these may inform future drug and neuromodulation therapy. We analysed these studies using a scoping review. In total, 101 studies comprising 2853 human participants (88 studies) and 125 animals (13 studies), published between 1982 and 2022, were included. These highlighted the importance of the basal ganglia in sensory perception across all modalities, with an additional role for the integration of multiple simultaneous sensation types. Numerous studies concluded that sensory abnormalities in PD result from increased noise in the basal ganglia and increased neuronal receptive field size. There is evidence that sensory changes in PD and impaired sensorimotor integration may contribute to motor abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Permezel
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia; (F.P.); (I.H.H.)
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55901, USA
| | - Jane Alty
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia;
| | - Ian H. Harding
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia; (F.P.); (I.H.H.)
| | - Dominic Thyagarajan
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia; (F.P.); (I.H.H.)
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Villwock A, Grin K. Somatosensory processing in deaf and deafblind individuals: How does the brain adapt as a function of sensory and linguistic experience? A critical review. Front Psychol 2022; 13:938842. [PMID: 36324786 PMCID: PMC9618853 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.938842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
How do deaf and deafblind individuals process touch? This question offers a unique model to understand the prospects and constraints of neural plasticity. Our brain constantly receives and processes signals from the environment and combines them into the most reliable information content. The nervous system adapts its functional and structural organization according to the input, and perceptual processing develops as a function of individual experience. However, there are still many unresolved questions regarding the deciding factors for these changes in deaf and deafblind individuals, and so far, findings are not consistent. To date, most studies have not taken the sensory and linguistic experiences of the included participants into account. As a result, the impact of sensory deprivation vs. language experience on somatosensory processing remains inconclusive. Even less is known about the impact of deafblindness on brain development. The resulting neural adaptations could be even more substantial, but no clear patterns have yet been identified. How do deafblind individuals process sensory input? Studies on deafblindness have mostly focused on single cases or groups of late-blind individuals. Importantly, the language backgrounds of deafblind communities are highly variable and include the usage of tactile languages. So far, this kind of linguistic experience and its consequences have not been considered in studies on basic perceptual functions. Here, we will provide a critical review of the literature, aiming at identifying determinants for neuroplasticity and gaps in our current knowledge of somatosensory processing in deaf and deafblind individuals.
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Heled E, Ohayon M, Oshri O. Working memory in intact modalities among individuals with sensory deprivation. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09558. [PMID: 35706957 PMCID: PMC9189883 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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He J, Ren H, Li J, Dong M, Dai L, Li Z, Miao Y, Li Y, Tan P, Gu L, Chen X, Tang J. Deficits in Sense of Body Ownership, Sensory Processing, and Temporal Perception in Schizophrenia Patients With/Without Auditory Verbal Hallucinations. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:831714. [PMID: 35495040 PMCID: PMC9046910 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.831714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been claimed that individuals with schizophrenia have difficulty in self-recognition and, consequently, are unable to identify the sources of their sensory perceptions or thoughts, resulting in delusions, hallucinations, and unusual experiences of body ownership. The deficits also contribute to the enhanced rubber hand illusion (RHI; a body perception illusion, induced by synchronous visual and tactile stimulation). Evidence based on RHI paradigms is emerging that auditory information can make an impact on the sense of body ownership, which relies on the process of multisensory inputs and integration. Hence, we assumed that auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), as an abnormal auditory perception, could be linked with body ownership, and the RHI paradigm could be conducted in patients with AVHs to explore the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the performance of patients with/without AVHs in the RHI. We administered the RHI paradigm to 80 patients with schizophrenia (47 with AVHs and 33 without AVHs) and 36 healthy controls. We conducted the experiment under two conditions (synchronous and asynchronous) and evaluated the RHI effects by both objective and subjective measures. Both patient groups experienced the RHI more quickly and strongly than HCs. The RHI effects of patients with AVHs were significantly smaller than those of patients without AVHs. Another important finding was that patients with AVHs did not show a reduction in RHI under asynchronous conditions. These results emphasize the disturbances of the sense of body ownership in schizophrenia patients with/without AVHs and the associations with AVHs. Furthermore, it is suggested that patients with AVHs may have multisensory processing dysfunctions and internal timing deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingqi He
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Honghong Ren
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jinguang Li
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Min Dong
- Guangdong Mental Health Center, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lulin Dai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhijun Li
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yating Miao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yunjin Li
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Peixuan Tan
- Department of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Lin Gu
- RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xiaogang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaogang Chen,
| | - Jinsong Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, Sir Run-Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zigong Mental Health Center, Zigong, China
- Jinsong Tang,
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Zimmermann M, Mostowski P, Rutkowski P, Tomaszewski P, Krzysztofiak P, Jednoróg K, Marchewka A, Szwed M. The Extent of Task Specificity for Visual and Tactile Sequences in the Auditory Cortex of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9720-9731. [PMID: 34663627 PMCID: PMC8612642 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2527-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been proposed that the auditory cortex in the deaf humans might undergo task-specific reorganization. However, evidence remains scarce as previous experiments used only two very specific tasks (temporal processing and face perception) in visual modality. Here, congenitally deaf/hard of hearing and hearing women and men were enrolled in an fMRI experiment as we sought to fill this evidence gap in two ways. First, we compared activation evoked by a temporal processing task performed in two different modalities, visual and tactile. Second, we contrasted this task with a perceptually similar task that focuses on the spatial dimension. Additional control conditions consisted of passive stimulus observation. In line with the task specificity hypothesis, the auditory cortex in the deaf was activated by temporal processing in both visual and tactile modalities. This effect was selective for temporal processing relative to spatial discrimination. However, spatial processing also led to significant auditory cortex recruitment which, unlike temporal processing, occurred even during passive stimulus observation. We conclude that auditory cortex recruitment in the deaf and hard of hearing might involve interplay between task-selective and pluripotential mechanisms of cross-modal reorganization. Our results open several avenues for the investigation of the full complexity of the cross-modal plasticity phenomenon.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous studies suggested that the auditory cortex in the deaf may change input modality (sound to vision) while keeping its function (e.g., rhythm processing). We investigated this hypothesis by asking deaf or hard of hearing and hearing adults to discriminate between temporally and spatially complex sequences in visual and tactile modalities. The results show that such function-specific brain reorganization, as has previously been demonstrated in the visual modality, also occurs for tactile processing. On the other hand, they also show that for some stimuli (spatial) the auditory cortex activates automatically, which is suggestive of a take-over by a different kind of cognitive function. The observed differences in processing of sequences might thus result from an interplay of task-specific and pluripotent plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Zimmermann
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - P Mostowski
- Section for Sign Linguistics, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland
| | - P Rutkowski
- Section for Sign Linguistics, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland
| | - P Tomaszewski
- Polish Sign Language and Deaf Communication Research Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, 00-183 Warsaw, Poland
| | - P Krzysztofiak
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, 03-815 Warsaw, Poland
| | - K Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute for Experimental Biology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Marchewka
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Nencki Institute for Experimental Biology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Szwed
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
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8
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Johnson AJ, Wilson AT, Laffitte Nodarse C, Montesino-Goicolea S, Valdes-Hernandez PA, Somerville J, Peraza JA, Fillingim RB, Bialosky J, Cruz-Almeida Y. Age Differences in Multimodal Quantitative Sensory Testing and Associations With Brain Volume. Innov Aging 2021; 5:igab033. [PMID: 34616958 PMCID: PMC8489433 DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igab033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Somatosensory function is critical for successful aging. Prior studies have shown declines in somatosensory function with age; however, this may be affected by testing site, modality, and biobehavioral factors. While somatosensory function declines are associated with peripheral nervous system degradation, little is known regarding correlates with the central nervous system and brain structure in particular. The objectives of this study were to examine age-related declines in somatosensory function using innocuous and noxious stimuli, across 2 anatomical testing sites, with considerations for affect and cognitive function, and associations between somatosensory function and brain structure in older adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional analysis included 84 "younger" (n = 22, age range: 19-24 years) and "older" (n = 62, age range: 60-94 years) healthy adults who participated in the Neuromodulatory Examination of Pain and Mobility Across the Lifespan study. Participants were assessed on measures of somatosensory function (quantitative sensory testing), at 2 sites (metatarsal and thenar) using standardized procedures, and completed cognitive and psychological function measures and structural magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Significant age × test site interaction effects were observed for warmth detection (p = .018,η p 2 = 0.10) and heat pain thresholds (p = .014,η p 2 = 0.12). Main age effects were observed for mechanical, vibratory, cold, and warmth detection thresholds (ps < .05), with older adults displaying a loss of sensory function. Significant associations between somatosensory function and brain gray matter structure emerged in the right occipital region, the right temporal region, and the left pericallosum. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Our findings indicate healthy older adults display alterations in sensory responses to innocuous and noxious stimuli compared to younger adults and, furthermore, these alterations are uniquely affected by anatomical site. These findings suggest a nonuniform decline in somatosensation in older adults, which may represent peripheral and central nervous system alterations part of aging processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa J Johnson
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Community Dentistry & Behavioral Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Abigail T Wilson
- Department of Physical Therapy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Brooks Rehabilitation–College of Public Health and Health Professions Research Collaboration, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Chavier Laffitte Nodarse
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Soamy Montesino-Goicolea
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Pedro A Valdes-Hernandez
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Community Dentistry & Behavioral Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jessie Somerville
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Julio A Peraza
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Roger B Fillingim
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Community Dentistry & Behavioral Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Joel Bialosky
- Department of Physical Therapy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Brooks Rehabilitation–College of Public Health and Health Professions Research Collaboration, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Community Dentistry & Behavioral Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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9
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Heled E, Ohayon M. Visuospatial and Tactile Working Memory in Individuals with Congenital Deafness. JOURNAL OF DEAF STUDIES AND DEAF EDUCATION 2021; 26:314-321. [PMID: 34007997 DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Studies examining visuospatial working memory (WM) in individuals with congenital deafness have yielded inconsistent results, and tactile WM has rarely been examined. The current study examined WM span tasks in the two modalities among 20 individuals with congenital deafness and 20 participants with typical hearing. The congenital deafness group had longer forward and backward spans than typical hearing participants in a computerized Corsi block-tapping test (Visuospatial Span), whereas no such difference was found in the Tactual Span (tactile WM). In the congenital deafness group, age of sign language acquisition was not correlated with either condition of the visuospatial task, and Tactual and Visuospatial Spans scores were correlated in the backward but not the forward condition. The typical hearing group showed no correlation between the tasks. The findings suggest that early deafness leads to visuospatial but not tactile superiority in WM, specifically with respect to the storage component. More broadly, it appears that deafness-related compensation mechanisms in WM do not affect the other modalities in a uniform manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Heled
- Department of Psychology, Ariel University, Israel
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Israel
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10
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Cross-modal involvement of the primary somatosensory cortex in visual working memory: A repetitive TMS study. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 175:107325. [PMID: 33059033 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Recent literature suggests that the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), once thought to be a low-level area only modality-specific, is also involved in higher-level, cross-modal, cognitive functions. In particular, electrophysiological studies have highlighted that the cross-modal activation of this area may also extend to visual Working Memory (WM), being part of a mnemonic network specific for the temporary storage and manipulation of visual information concerning bodies and body-related actions. However, the causal recruitment of S1 in the WM network remains speculation. In the present study, by taking advantage of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), we look for causal evidence that S1 is implicated in the retention of visual stimuli that are salient for this cortical area. To this purpose, in a first experiment, high-frequency (10 Hz) rTMS was delivered over S1 of the right hemisphere, and over two control sites, the right lateral occipital cortex (LOC) and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), during the maintenance phase of a high-load delayed match-to-sample task in which body-related visual stimuli (non-symbolic hand gestures) have to be retained. In a second experiment, the specificity of S1 recruitment was deepened by using a version of the delayed match-to-sample task in which visual stimuli depict geometrical shapes (non-body related stimuli). Results show that rTMS perturbation of S1 activity leads to an enhancement of participants' performance that is selective for body-related visual stimuli; instead, the stimulation of the right LOC and dlPFC does not affect the temporary storage of body-related visual stimuli. These findings suggest that S1 may be recruited in visual WM when information to store (and recall) is salient for this area, corroborating models which suggest the existence of a dedicated mnemonic system for body-related information in which also somatosensory cortices play a key role, likely thanks to their cross-modal (visuo-tactile) properties.
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Amadeo MB, Campus C, Gori M. Visual representations of time elicit early responses in human temporal cortex. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116912. [PMID: 32389726 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Time perception is inherently part of human life. All human sensory modalities are always involved in the complex task of creating a temporal representation of the external world. However, when representing time, people primarily rely on auditory information. Since the auditory system prevails in many audio-visual temporal tasks, one may expect that the early recruitment of the auditory network is necessary for building a highly resolved and flexible temporal representation in the visual modality. To test this hypothesis, we asked 17 healthy participants to temporally bisect three consecutive flashes while we recorded EEG. We demonstrated that visual stimuli during temporal bisection elicit an early (50-90 ms) response of an extended area of the temporal cortex, likely including auditory cortex too. The same activation did not appear during an easier spatial bisection task. These findings suggest that the brain may use auditory representations to deal with complex temporal representation in the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bianca Amadeo
- U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via E. Melen, 83, 16152, Genova, Italy; Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering, Università degli Studi di Genova, via all'Opera Pia, 13, 16145, Genova, Italy.
| | - Claudio Campus
- U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via E. Melen, 83, 16152, Genova, Italy.
| | - Monica Gori
- U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via E. Melen, 83, 16152, Genova, Italy.
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Mioni G, Grondin S, Bardi L, Stablum F. Understanding time perception through non-invasive brain stimulation techniques: A review of studies. Behav Brain Res 2020; 377:112232. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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13
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Li B, Chen L, Fang F. Somatotopic representation of tactile duration: evidence from tactile duration aftereffect. Behav Brain Res 2019; 371:111954. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.111954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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14
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Giurgola S, Pisoni A, Maravita A, Vallar G, Bolognini N. Somatosensory cortical representation of the body size. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:3534-3547. [PMID: 31056809 PMCID: PMC6865590 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The knowledge of the size of our own body parts is essential for accurately moving in space and efficiently interact with objects. A distorted perceptual representation of the body size often represents a core diagnostic criterion for some psychopathological conditions. The metric representation of the body was shown to depend on somatosensory afferences: local deafferentation indeed causes a perceptual distortion of the size of the anesthetized body part. A specular effect can be induced by altering the cortical map of body parts in the primary somatosensory cortex. Indeed, the present study demonstrates, in healthy adult participants, that repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to the somatosensory cortical map of the hand in both hemispheres causes a perceptual distortion (i.e., an overestimation) of the size of the participants' own hand (Experiments 1-3), which does not involve other body parts (i.e., the foot, Experiment 2). Instead, the stimulation of the inferior parietal lobule of both hemispheres does not affect the perception of the own body size (Experiment 4). These results highlight the role of the primary somatosensory cortex in the building up and updating of the metric of body parts: somatosensory cortical activity not only shapes our somatosensation, it also affects how we perceive the dimension of our body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Giurgola
- Department of Medicine and SurgeryPh.D. Program in Neuroscience, University of Milano‐BicoccaMonzaItaly
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI)University of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Alberto Pisoni
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI)University of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Angelo Maravita
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI)University of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Giuseppe Vallar
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI)University of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico ItalianoLaboratory of NeuropsychologyMilanItaly
| | - Nadia Bolognini
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI)University of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico ItalianoLaboratory of NeuropsychologyMilanItaly
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15
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Amadeo MB, Campus C, Pavani F, Gori M. Spatial Cues Influence Time Estimations in Deaf Individuals. iScience 2019; 19:369-377. [PMID: 31415998 PMCID: PMC6702436 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.07.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have reported a strong interaction between spatial and temporal representation when visual experience is missing: blind people use temporal representation of events to represent spatial metrics. Given the superiority of audition on time perception, we hypothesized that when audition is not available complex temporal representations could be impaired, and spatial representation of events could be used to build temporal metrics. To test this hypothesis, deaf and hearing subjects were tested with a visual temporal task where conflicting and not conflicting spatiotemporal information was delivered. As predicted, we observed a strong deficit of deaf participants when only temporal cues were useful and space was uninformative with respect to time. However, the deficit disappeared when coherent spatiotemporal cues were presented and increased for conflicting spatiotemporal stimuli. These results highlight that spatial cues influence time estimations in deaf participants, suggesting that deaf individuals use spatial information to infer temporal environmental coordinates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bianca Amadeo
- U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via E. Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy; Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering, Università degli Studi di Genova, via all'Opera Pia, 13, 16145 Genova, Italy.
| | - Claudio Campus
- U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via E. Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy
| | - Francesco Pavani
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 31, 38068 Rovereto, Italy; Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 81, 38068 Rovereto, Italy; Centre de Recherche en Neuroscience de Lyon (CNRL), IMPACT, Avenue du doyen Lèpine 16, 69500 Bron, France
| | - Monica Gori
- U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via E. Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy
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16
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Cortical dynamics underpinning the self-other distinction of touch: A TMS-EEG study. Neuroimage 2018; 178:475-484. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
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17
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Fiorio M, Emadi Andani M, Recchia S, Tinazzi M. The somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold changes after a placebo procedure. Exp Brain Res 2018; 236:2983-2990. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-018-5357-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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18
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Pfeiffer C, Nguissi NAN, Chytiris M, Bidlingmeyer P, Haenggi M, Kurmann R, Zubler F, Accolla E, Viceic D, Rusca M, Oddo M, Rossetti AO, De Lucia M. Somatosensory and auditory deviance detection for outcome prediction during postanoxic coma. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2018; 5:1016-1024. [PMID: 30250859 PMCID: PMC6144443 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Prominent research in patients with disorders of consciousness investigated the electrophysiological correlates of auditory deviance detection as a marker of consciousness recovery. Here, we extend previous studies by investigating whether somatosensory deviance detection provides an added value for outcome prediction in postanoxic comatose patients. Methods Electroencephalography responses to frequent and rare stimuli were obtained from 66 patients on the first and second day after coma onset. Results Multivariate decoding analysis revealed an above chance‐level auditory discrimination in 25 patients on the first day and in 31 patients on the second day. Tactile discrimination was significant in 16 patients on the first day and in 23 patients on the second day. Single‐day sensory discrimination was unrelated to patients’ outcome in both modalities. However, improvement of auditory discrimination from first to the second day was predictive of good outcome with a positive predictive power (PPV) of 0.73 (CI = 0.52–0.88). Analyses considering the improvement of tactile, auditory and tactile, or either auditory or tactile discrimination showed no significant prediction of good outcome (PPVs = 0.58–0.68). Interpretation Our results show that in the acute phase of coma deviance detection is largely preserved for both auditory and tactile modalities. However, we found no evidence for an added value of somatosensory to auditory deviance detection function for coma‐outcome prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Pfeiffer
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie (LREN) University Hospital (CHUV) & University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Ata Nguepnjo Nguissi
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie (LREN) University Hospital (CHUV) & University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Magali Chytiris
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie (LREN) University Hospital (CHUV) & University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Phanie Bidlingmeyer
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie (LREN) University Hospital (CHUV) & University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Matthias Haenggi
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine Inselspital Bern University Hospital University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Rebekka Kurmann
- Department of Neurology Inselspital Bern University Hospital University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Frédéric Zubler
- Department of Neurology Inselspital Bern University Hospital University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Ettore Accolla
- Neurology Unit Department of Medicine Hôpital Cantonal Fribourg (HFR) Fribourg Switzerland.,Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences Department of Medicine University of Fribourg Fribourg Switzerland
| | | | - Marco Rusca
- Intensive Care Medicine Hôpital du Valais Sion Switzerland
| | - Mauro Oddo
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine University Hospital (CHUV) & University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Andrea O Rossetti
- Neurology Service University Hospital (CHUV) & University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Marzia De Lucia
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie (LREN) University Hospital (CHUV) & University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
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19
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Cardon G, Sharma A. Somatosensory Cross-Modal Reorganization in Adults With Age-Related, Early-Stage Hearing Loss. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:172. [PMID: 29773983 PMCID: PMC5943502 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Under conditions of profound sensory deprivation, the brain has the propensity to reorganize. For example, intact sensory modalities often recruit deficient modalities' cortices for neural processing. This process is known as cross-modal reorganization and has been shown in congenitally and profoundly deaf patients. However, much less is known about cross-modal cortical reorganization in persons with less severe cases of age-related hearing loss (ARHL), even though such cases are far more common. Thus, we investigated cross-modal reorganization between the auditory and somatosensory modalities in older adults with normal hearing (NH) and mild-moderate ARHL in response to vibrotactile stimulation using high density electroencephalography (EEG). Results showed activation of the somatosensory cortices in adults with NH as well as those with hearing loss (HL). However, adults with mild-moderate ARHL also showed robust activation of auditory cortical regions in response to somatosensory stimulation. Neurophysiologic data exhibited significant correlations with speech perception in noise outcomes suggesting that the degree of cross-modal reorganization may be associated with functional performance. Our study presents the first evidence of somatosensory cross-modal reorganization of the auditory cortex in adults with early-stage, mild-moderate ARHL. Our findings suggest that even mild levels of ARHL associated with communication difficulty result in fundamental cortical changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett Cardon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Anu Sharma
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
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20
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Bruno V, Fossataro C, Bolognini N, Zigiotto L, Vallar G, Berti A, Garbarini F. The role of premotor and parietal cortex during monitoring of involuntary movement: A combined TMS and tDCS study. Cortex 2017; 96:83-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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21
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Pfeiffer C, Nguissi NAN, Chytiris M, Bidlingmeyer P, Haenggi M, Kurmann R, Zubler F, Oddo M, Rossetti AO, De Lucia M. Auditory discrimination improvement predicts awakening of postanoxic comatose patients treated with targeted temperature management at 36 °C. Resuscitation 2017; 118:89-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2017.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 06/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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22
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Leodori G, Formica A, Zhu X, Conte A, Belvisi D, Cruccu G, Hallett M, Berardelli A. The third-stimulus temporal discrimination threshold: focusing on the temporal processing of sensory input within primary somatosensory cortex. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118:2311-2317. [PMID: 28747470 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00947.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold (STDT) has been used in recent years to investigate time processing of sensory information, but little is known about the physiological correlates of somatosensory temporal discrimination. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the time interval required to discriminate between two stimuli varies according to the number of stimuli in the task. We used the third-stimulus temporal discrimination threshold (ThirdDT), defined as the shortest time interval at which an individual distinguishes a third stimulus following a pair of stimuli delivered at the STDT. The STDT and ThirdDT were assessed in 31 healthy subjects. In a subgroup of 10 subjects, we evaluated the effects of the stimuli intensity on the ThirdDT. In a subgroup of 16 subjects, we evaluated the effects of S1 continuous theta-burst stimulation (S1-cTBS) on the STDT and ThirdDT. Results show that ThirdDT is shorter than STDT. We found a positive correlation between STDT and ThirdDT values. As long as the stimulus intensity was within the perceivable and painless range, it did not affect ThirdDT values. S1-cTBS significantly affected both STDT and ThirdDT, although the latter was affected to a greater extent and for a longer period of time. We conclude that the interval needed to discriminate between time-separated tactile stimuli is related to the number of stimuli used in the task. STDT and ThirdDT are encoded in S1, probably by a shared tactile temporal encoding mechanism whose performance rapidly changes during the perception process. ThirdDT is a new method to measure somatosensory temporal discrimination.NEW & NOTEWORTHY To investigate whether the time interval required to discriminate between stimuli varies according to changes in the stimulation pattern, we used the third-stimulus temporal discrimination threshold (ThirdDT). We found that the somatosensory temporal discrimination acuity varies according to the number of stimuli in the task. The ThirdDT is a new method to measure somatosensory temporal discrimination and a possible index of inhibitory activity at the S1 level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Leodori
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Xiaoying Zhu
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; and
| | - Antonella Conte
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
| | | | - Giorgio Cruccu
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Alfredo Berardelli
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy; .,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
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23
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Crommett LE, Pérez-Bellido A, Yau JM. Auditory adaptation improves tactile frequency perception. J Neurophysiol 2017; 117:1352-1362. [PMID: 28077668 PMCID: PMC5350269 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00783.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Our ability to process temporal frequency information by touch underlies our capacity to perceive and discriminate surface textures. Auditory signals, which also provide extensive temporal frequency information, can systematically alter the perception of vibrations on the hand. How auditory signals shape tactile processing is unclear; perceptual interactions between contemporaneous sounds and vibrations are consistent with multiple neural mechanisms. Here we used a crossmodal adaptation paradigm, which separated auditory and tactile stimulation in time, to test the hypothesis that tactile frequency perception depends on neural circuits that also process auditory frequency. We reasoned that auditory adaptation effects would transfer to touch only if signals from both senses converge on common representations. We found that auditory adaptation can improve tactile frequency discrimination thresholds. This occurred only when adaptor and test frequencies overlapped. In contrast, auditory adaptation did not influence tactile intensity judgments. Thus auditory adaptation enhances touch in a frequency- and feature-specific manner. A simple network model in which tactile frequency information is decoded from sensory neurons that are susceptible to auditory adaptation recapitulates these behavioral results. Our results imply that the neural circuits supporting tactile frequency perception also process auditory signals. This finding is consistent with the notion of supramodal operators performing canonical operations, like temporal frequency processing, regardless of input modality.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Auditory signals can influence the tactile perception of temporal frequency. Multiple neural mechanisms could account for the perceptual interactions between contemporaneous auditory and tactile signals. Using a crossmodal adaptation paradigm, we found that auditory adaptation causes frequency- and feature-specific improvements in tactile perception. This crossmodal transfer of aftereffects between audition and touch implies that tactile frequency perception relies on neural circuits that also process auditory frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexi E Crommett
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Jeffrey M Yau
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
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24
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Papagno C, Minniti G, Mattavelli GC, Mantovan L, Cecchetto C. Tactile short-term memory in sensory-deprived individuals. Exp Brain Res 2016; 235:471-480. [PMID: 27785548 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4808-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
To verify whether loosing a sense or two has consequences on a spared sensory modality, namely touch, and whether these consequences depend on practice or are biologically determined, we investigated 13 deafblind participants, 16 deaf participants, 15 blind participants, and 13 matched normally sighted and hearing controls on a tactile short-term memory task, using checkerboard matrices of increasing length in which half of the squares were made up of a rough texture and half of a smooth one. Time of execution of a fixed matrix, number of correctly reproduced matrices, largest matrix correctly reproduced and tactile span were recorded. The three groups of sensory-deprived individuals did not differ in any measure, while blind and deaf participants outscored controls in all parameters except time of execution; the difference approached significance for deafblind people compared to controls only in one measure, namely correctly reproduced matrices. In blind and deafblind participants, performance negatively correlated with age of Braille acquisition, the older being the subject when acquiring Braille, the lower the performance, suggesting that practice plays a role. However, the fact that deaf participants, who did not share tactile experience, performed similarly to blind participants and significantly better than controls highlights that practice cannot be the only contribution to better tactile memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costanza Papagno
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience Milano, NeuroMi, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1- Edificio U6, 20126, Milano, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Minniti
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience Milano, NeuroMi, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1- Edificio U6, 20126, Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia C Mattavelli
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience Milano, NeuroMi, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1- Edificio U6, 20126, Milano, Italy
| | - Lara Mantovan
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience Milano, NeuroMi, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1- Edificio U6, 20126, Milano, Italy
| | - Carlo Cecchetto
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience Milano, NeuroMi, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1- Edificio U6, 20126, Milano, Italy.,CNRS UMR 7023 Structures Formelles du Langage, Université de Paris 8, Saint-Denis, France
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25
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Bratzke D, Quinn KR, Ulrich R, Bausenhart KM. Representations of temporal information in short-term memory: Are they modality-specific? Acta Psychol (Amst) 2016; 170:163-7. [PMID: 27518834 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rattat and Picard (2012) reported that the coding of temporal information in short-term memory is modality-specific, that is, temporal information received via the visual (auditory) modality is stored as a visual (auditory) code. This conclusion was supported by modality-specific interference effects on visual and auditory duration discrimination, which were induced by secondary tasks (visual tracking or articulatory suppression), presented during a retention interval. The present study assessed the stability of these modality-specific interference effects. Our study did not replicate the selective interference pattern but rather indicated that articulatory suppression not only impairs short-term memory for auditory but also for visual durations. This result pattern supports a crossmodal or an abstract view of temporal encoding.
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26
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Ganesan S, Khan S, Garel KLA, Hämäläinen MS, Kenet T. Normal Evoked Response to Rapid Sequences of Tactile Pulses in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:433. [PMID: 27695402 PMCID: PMC5025534 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder diagnosed behaviorally, with many documented neurophysiological abnormalities in cortical response properties. While abnormal sensory processing is not considered core to the disorder, most ASD individuals report sensory processing abnormalities. Yet, the neurophysiological correlates of these abnormalities have not been fully mapped. In the auditory domain, studies have shown that cortical responses in the early auditory cortex in ASD are abnormal in multiple ways. In particular, it has been shown that individuals with ASD have abnormal cortical auditory evoked responses to rapid, but not slow, sequences of tones. In parallel, there is substantial evidence of somatosensory processing abnormalities in ASD, including in the temporal domain. Here, we tested the somatosensory domain in ASD for abnormalities in rapid processing of tactile pulses, to determine whether abnormalities there parallel those observed in the auditory domain. Specifically, we tested the somatosensory cortex response to a sequence of two tactile pulses with different (short and long) temporal separation. We analyzed the responses in cortical space, in primary somatosensory cortex. As expected, we found no group difference in the evoked response to pulses with long (700 ms) temporal separation. Contrary to findings in the auditory domain, we also found no group differences in the evoked responses to the sequence with a short (200 ms) temporal separation. These results suggest that rapid temporal processing deficits in ASD are not generalized across multiple sensory domains, and are unlikely to underlie the behavioral somatosensory abnormalities observed in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Ganesan
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Institute of Technology/HarvardBoston, MA, USA
| | - Sheraz Khan
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Institute of Technology/HarvardBoston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
| | - Keri-Lee A Garel
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Institute of Technology/HarvardBoston, MA, USA
| | - Matti S Hämäläinen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Institute of Technology/HarvardBoston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, MA, USA
| | - Tal Kenet
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Institute of Technology/HarvardBoston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, USA
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27
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The genetic architecture of correlations between perceptual timing, motor timing, and intelligence. INTELLIGENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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28
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Yau JM, DeAngelis GC, Angelaki DE. Dissecting neural circuits for multisensory integration and crossmodal processing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:20140203. [PMID: 26240418 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We rely on rich and complex sensory information to perceive and understand our environment. Our multisensory experience of the world depends on the brain's remarkable ability to combine signals across sensory systems. Behavioural, neurophysiological and neuroimaging experiments have established principles of multisensory integration and candidate neural mechanisms. Here we review how targeted manipulation of neural activity using invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques have advanced our understanding of multisensory processing. Neuromodulation studies have provided detailed characterizations of brain networks causally involved in multisensory integration. Despite substantial progress, important questions regarding multisensory networks remain unanswered. Critically, experimental approaches will need to be combined with theory in order to understand how distributed activity across multisensory networks collectively supports perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Yau
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Gregory C DeAngelis
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Dora E Angelaki
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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29
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Somatosensory Temporal Discrimination Threshold Involves Inhibitory Mechanisms in the Primary Somatosensory Area. J Neurosci 2016; 36:325-35. [PMID: 26758826 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2008-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold (STDT) is defined as the shortest time interval necessary for a pair of tactile stimuli to be perceived as separate. Although STDT is altered in several neurological disorders, its neural bases are not entirely clear. We used continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to condition the excitability of the primary somatosensory cortex in healthy humans to examine its possible contribution to STDT. Excitability was assessed using the recovery cycle of the N20 component of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and the area of high-frequency oscillations (HFO). cTBS increased STDT and reduced inhibition in the N20 recovery cycle at an interstimulus interval of 5 ms. It also reduced the amplitude of late HFO. All three effects were correlated. There was no effect of cTBS over the secondary somatosensory cortex on STDT, although it reduced the N120 component of the SEP. STDT is assessed conventionally with a simple ascending method. To increase insight into the effect of cTBS, we measured temporal discrimination with a psychophysical method. cTBS reduced the slope of the discrimination curve, consistent with a reduction of the quality of sensory information caused by an increase in noise. We hypothesize that cTBS reduces the effectiveness of inhibitory interactions normally used to sharpen temporal processing of sensory inputs. This reduction in discriminability of sensory input is equivalent to adding neural noise to the signal. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Precise timing of sensory information is crucial for nearly every aspect of human perception and behavior. One way to assess the ability to analyze temporal information in the somatosensory domain is to measure the somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold (STDT), defined as the shortest time interval necessary for a pair of tactile stimuli to be perceived as separate. In this study, we found that STDT depends on inhibitory mechanisms within the primary somatosensory area (S1). This finding helps interpret the sensory processing deficits in neurological diseases, such as focal dystonia and Parkinson's disease, and possibly prompts future studies using neurostimulation techniques over S1 for therapeutic purposes in dystonic patients.
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30
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Papagno C, Cecchetto C, Pisoni A, Bolognini N. Deaf, blind or deaf-blind: Is touch enhanced? Exp Brain Res 2015; 234:627-36. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4488-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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31
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Enhanced auditory evoked activity to self-generated sounds is mediated by primary and supplementary motor cortices. J Neurosci 2015; 35:2173-80. [PMID: 25653372 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3723-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence demonstrates that responses in auditory cortex to auditory consequences of self-generated actions are modified relative to the responses evoked by identical sounds generated by an external source. Such modifications have been suggested to occur through a corollary discharge sent from the motor system, although the exact neuroanatomical origin is unknown. Furthermore, since tactile input has also been shown to modify responses in auditory cortex, it is not even clear whether the source of such modifications is motor output or somatosensory feedback. We recorded functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from healthy human subjects (n = 11) while manipulating the rate at which they performed sound-producing actions with their right hand. In addition, we manipulated the amount of tactile feedback to examine the relative roles of motor and somatosensory cortices in modifying evoked activity in auditory cortex (superior temporal gyrus). We found an enhanced fMRI signal in left auditory cortex during perception of self-generated sounds relative to passive listening to identical sounds. Moreover, the signal difference between active and passive conditions in left auditory cortex covaried with the rate of sound-producing actions and was invariant to the amount of tactile feedback. Together with functional connectivity analysis, our results suggest motor output from supplementary motor area and left primary motor cortex as the source of signal modification in auditory cortex during perception of self-generated sounds. Motor signals from these regions could represent a predictive signal of the expected auditory consequences of the performed action.
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Lateralized enhancement of auditory cortex activity and increased sensitivity to self-generated sounds. Nat Commun 2014; 5:4059. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Yau JM, Celnik P, Hsiao SS, Desmond JE. Feeling better: separate pathways for targeted enhancement of spatial and temporal touch. Psychol Sci 2014; 25:555-65. [PMID: 24390826 DOI: 10.1177/0956797613511467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
People perceive spatial form and temporal frequency through touch. Although distinct somatosensory neurons represent spatial and temporal information, these neural populations are intermixed throughout the somatosensory system. Here, we show that spatial and temporal touch can be dissociated and separately enhanced via cortical pathways that are normally associated with vision and audition. In Experiments 1 and 2, we found that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over visual cortex, but not auditory cortex, enhances tactile perception of spatial orientation. In Experiments 3 and 4, we found that anodal tDCS over auditory cortex, but not visual cortex, enhances tactile perception of temporal frequency. This double dissociation reveals separate cortical pathways that selectively support spatial and temporal channels. These results bolster the emerging view that sensory areas process multiple modalities and suggest that supramodal domains may be more fundamental to cortical organization.
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Lee KG, Jacobs MF, Asmussen MJ, Zapallow CM, Tommerdahl M, Nelson AJ. Continuous theta-burst stimulation modulates tactile synchronization. BMC Neurosci 2013; 14:89. [PMID: 23968301 PMCID: PMC3844444 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-14-89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Temporal order judgement (TOJ) is the ability to detect the order of occurrence of two sequentially delivered stimuli. Previous research has shown that TOJ in the presence of synchronized periodic conditioning stimuli impairs TOJ performance, and this phenomenon is suggested to be mediated by GABAergic interneurons that cause perceptual binding across the two skin sites. Application of continuous theta-burst repetitive TMS (cTBS) over primary somatosensory cortex (SI) alters temporal and spatial tactile perception. The purpose of this study was to examine TOJ perception in the presence and absence of synchronized periodic conditioning stimuli before and after cTBS applied over left-hemisphere SI. A TOJ task was administered on the right index and middle finger (D2 and D3) in two separate sessions in the presence and absence of conditioning stimuli (a background low amplitude sinusoidal vibration). Results CTBS reduced the impact of the conditioning stimuli on TOJ performance for up to 18 minutes following stimulation while sham cTBS did not affect TOJ performance. In contrast, the TOJ task performed in the absence of synchronized conditioning stimulation was unaltered following cTBS. Conclusion We conclude that cTBS suppresses inhibitory networks in SI that mediate perceptual binding during TOJ synchronization. CTBS offers one method to suppress cortical excitability in the cortex and potentially benefit clinical populations with altered inhibitory cortical circuits. Additionally, TOJ measures with conditioning stimuli may provide an avenue to assess sensory processing in neurologically impaired patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Gh Lee
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
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Pelosin E, Avanzino L, Marchese R, Stramesi P, Bilanci M, Trompetto C, Abbruzzese G. kinesiotaping reduces pain and modulates sensory function in patients with focal dystonia: a randomized crossover pilot study. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2013; 27:722-31. [PMID: 23764884 DOI: 10.1177/1545968313491010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pain is one of the most common and disabling "nonmotor" symptoms in patients with dystonia. No recent study evaluated the pharmacological or physical therapy approaches to specifically treat dystonic pain symptoms. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of KinesioTaping in patients with cervical dystonia (CD) and focal hand dystonia (FHD) on self-reported pain (primary objective) and on sensory functions (secondary objective). METHODS Twenty-five dystonic patients (14 with CD and 11 FHD) entered a randomized crossover pilot study. The patients were randomized to 14-day treatment with KinesioTaping or ShamTaping over neck (in CD) or forearm muscles (in FHD), and after a 30-day washout period, they received the other treatment. The MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES were 3 visual analog scales (VASs) for usual pain, worst pain, and pain relief. Disease severity changes were evaluated by means of the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (CD) and the Writer's Cramp Rating Scale (FHD). Furthermore, to investigate possible KinesioTaping-induced effects on sensory functions, we evaluated the somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold. RESULTS Treatment with KinesioTape induced a decrease in the subjective sensation of pain and a modification in the ability of sensory discrimination, whereas ShamTaping had no effect. A significant, positive correlation was found in both groups of patients between the improvement in the subjective sensation of pain and the reduction of somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold values induced by KinesioTaping. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results suggest that KinesioTaping may be useful in treating pain in patients with dystonia.
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Nordmark PF, Pruszynski JA, Johansson RS. BOLD responses to tactile stimuli in visual and auditory cortex depend on the frequency content of stimulation. J Cogn Neurosci 2012; 24:2120-34. [PMID: 22721377 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Although some brain areas preferentially process information from a particular sensory modality, these areas can also respond to other modalities. Here we used fMRI to show that such responsiveness to tactile stimuli depends on the temporal frequency of stimulation. Participants performed a tactile threshold-tracking task where the tip of either their left or right middle finger was stimulated at 3, 20, or 100 Hz. Whole-brain analysis revealed an effect of stimulus frequency in two regions: the auditory cortex and the visual cortex. The BOLD response in the auditory cortex was stronger during stimulation at hearable frequencies (20 and 100 Hz) whereas the response in the visual cortex was suppressed at infrasonic frequencies (3 Hz). Regardless of which hand was stimulated, the frequency-dependent effects were lateralized to the left auditory cortex and the right visual cortex. Furthermore, the frequency-dependent effects in both areas were abolished when the participants performed a visual task while receiving identical tactile stimulation as in the tactile threshold-tracking task. We interpret these findings in the context of the metamodal theory of brain function, which posits that brain areas contribute to sensory processing by performing specific computations regardless of input modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per F Nordmark
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Physiology Section, Umeå University,SE 90187 Umeå, Sweden.
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Conte A, Rocchi L, Nardella A, Dispenza S, Scontrini A, Khan N, Berardelli A. Theta-burst stimulation-induced plasticity over primary somatosensory cortex changes somatosensory temporal discrimination in healthy humans. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32979. [PMID: 22412964 PMCID: PMC3296748 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2011] [Accepted: 02/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The somatosensory temporal discrimination threshold (STDT) measures the ability to perceive two stimuli as being sequential. Precisely how the single cerebral structures contribute in controlling the STDT is partially known and no information is available about whether STDT can be modulated by plasticity-inducing protocols. Methodology/Principal Findings To investigate how the cortical and cerebellar areas contribute to the STDT we used transcranial magnetic stimulation and a neuronavigation system. We enrolled 18 healthy volunteers and 10 of these completed all the experimental sessions, including the control experiments. STDT was measured on the left hand before and after applying continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) on the right primary somatosensory area (S1), pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left cerebellar hemisphere. We then investigated whether intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) on the right S1 improved the STDT. After right S1 cTBS, STDT values increased whereas after iTBS to the same cortical site they decreased. cTBS over the DLPFC and left lateral cerebellum left the STDT statistically unchanged. cTBS over the pre-SMA also left the STDT statistically unchanged, but it increased the number of errors subjects made in distinguishing trials testing a single stimulus and those testing paired stimuli. Conclusions/Significance Our findings obtained by applying TBS to the cortical areas involved in processing sensory discrimination show that the STDT is encoded in S1, possibly depends on intrinsic S1 neural circuit properties, and can be modulated by plasticity-inducing TBS protocols delivered over S1. Our findings, giving further insight into mechanisms involved in somatosensory temporal discrimination, help interpret STDT abnormalities in movement disorders including dystonia and Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lorenzo Rocchi
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, “Sapienza”, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Alessandra Scontrini
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, “Sapienza”, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Nashaba Khan
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, “Sapienza”, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alfredo Berardelli
- IRCCS Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, “Sapienza”, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Bolognini N, Cecchetto C, Geraci C, Maravita A, Pascual-Leone A, Papagno C. Hearing Shapes Our Perception of Time: Temporal Discrimination of Tactile Stimuli in Deaf People. J Cogn Neurosci 2012; 24:276-86. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Confronted with the loss of one type of sensory input, we compensate using information conveyed by other senses. However, losing one type of sensory information at specific developmental times may lead to deficits across all sensory modalities. We addressed the effect of auditory deprivation on the development of tactile abilities, taking into account changes occurring at the behavioral and cortical level. Congenitally deaf and hearing individuals performed two tactile tasks, the first requiring the discrimination of the temporal duration of touches and the second requiring the discrimination of their spatial length. Compared with hearing individuals, deaf individuals were impaired only in tactile temporal processing. To explore the neural substrate of this difference, we ran a TMS experiment. In deaf individuals, the auditory association cortex was involved in temporal and spatial tactile processing, with the same chronometry as the primary somatosensory cortex. In hearing participants, the involvement of auditory association cortex occurred at a later stage and selectively for temporal discrimination. The different chronometry in the recruitment of the auditory cortex in deaf individuals correlated with the tactile temporal impairment. Thus, early hearing experience seems to be crucial to develop an efficient temporal processing across modalities, suggesting that plasticity does not necessarily result in behavioral compensation.
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Gilaie-Dotan S, Kanai R, Rees G. Anatomy of human sensory cortices reflects inter-individual variability in time estimation. Front Integr Neurosci 2011; 5:76. [PMID: 22125515 PMCID: PMC3221284 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2011] [Accepted: 11/02/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to estimate duration is essential to human behavior, yet people vary greatly in their ability to estimate time and the brain structures mediating this inter-individual variability remain poorly understood. Here, we showed that inter-individual variability in duration estimation was highly correlated across visual and auditory modalities but depended on the scale of temporal duration. We further examined whether this inter-individual variability in estimating durations of different supra-second time scales (2 or 12 s) was reflected in variability in human brain anatomy. We found that the gray matter volume in both the right posterior lateral sulcus encompassing primary auditory and secondary somatosensory cortex, plus parahippocampal gyrus strongly predicted an individual’s ability to discriminate longer durations of 12 s (but not shorter ones of 2 s) regardless of whether they were presented in auditory or visual modalities. Our findings suggest that these brain areas may play a common role in modality-independent time discrimination. We propose that an individual’s ability to discriminate longer durations is linked to self-initiated rhythm maintenance mechanisms relying on the neural structure of these modality-specific sensory and parahippocampal cortices.
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Gooch CM, Wiener M, Hamilton AC, Coslett HB. Temporal discrimination of sub- and suprasecond time intervals: a voxel-based lesion mapping analysis. Front Integr Neurosci 2011; 5:59. [PMID: 22013418 PMCID: PMC3190120 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2011] [Accepted: 09/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We used voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) to determine which brain areas are necessary for discriminating time intervals above and below 1 s. VLSM compares behavioral scores of patients that have damage to a given voxel to those that do not on a voxel-by-voxel basis to determine which voxels are critical for the given behavior. Forty-seven subjects with unilateral hemispheric lesions performed a temporal discrimination task in which a standard stimulus was compared on each trial to a test stimulus. In different blocks of trials, standard stimuli were either 600 or 2000 ms. Behavioral measures included the point of subjective equality, a measure of accuracy, and the coefficient of variation, a measure of variability. Lesions of the right middle and inferior frontal gyri were associated with decrements in performance on both durations. In addition, lesions of the left temporal lobe and right precentral gyrus were associated exclusively with impaired performance for subsecond stimuli. In line with results from other studies, these data suggest that different circuits are necessary for timing intervals in these ranges, and that right frontal areas are particularly important to timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia M Gooch
- University of Pennsylvania Medical Center Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Abstract
Certain features of objects or events can be represented by more than a single sensory system, such as roughness of a surface (sight, sound, and touch), the location of a speaker (audition and sight), and the rhythm or duration of an event (by all three major sensory systems). Thus, these properties can be said to be sensory-independent or amodal. A key question is whether common multisensory cortical regions process these amodal features, or does each sensory system contain its own specialized region(s) for processing common features? We tackled this issue by investigating simple duration-detection mechanisms across audition and touch; these systems were chosen because fine duration discriminations are possible in both. The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of the human event-related potential provides a sensitive metric of duration processing and has been elicited independently during both auditory and somatosensory investigations. Employing high-density electroencephalographic recordings in conjunction with intracranial subdural recordings, we asked whether fine duration discriminations, represented by the MMN, were generated in the same cortical regions regardless of the sensory modality being probed. Scalp recordings pointed to statistically distinct MMN topographies across senses, implying differential underlying cortical generator configurations. Intracranial recordings confirmed these noninvasive findings, showing generators of the auditory MMN along the superior temporal gyrus with no evidence of a somatosensory MMN in this region, whereas a robust somatosensory MMN was recorded from postcentral gyrus in the absence of an auditory MMN. The current data clearly argue against a common circuitry account for amodal duration processing.
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