1
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James TW, Folco KL, Levitas DJ. Neural segregation and integration of sensory, decision, and action processes during object categorization. Neuropsychologia 2023; 190:108695. [PMID: 37769870 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108695] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Neural and computational evidence suggests that perceptual decisions depend on an evidence accumulation process. The gradual reveal fMRI method, which prolongs a decision to match the slow temporal resolution of fMRI measurements, has classified dorsal visual stream regions as "Action" (alternatively, "Moment of Recognition" or "Commitment") and ventral visual stream regions as "Accumulator." Previous gradual reveal fMRI studies, however, only tested actions that were in response to decisions and, thus, related to evidence accumulation. To fully dissociate the contribution of sensory, decision, and motor components to Action and Accumulator regions in the dorsal and ventral visual streams, we extended the gradual reveal paradigm to also include responses made to cues where no decision was necessary. We found that the lateral occipital cortex in the ventral visual stream showed a highly selective Accumulator profile, whereas regions in the fusiform gyrus were influenced by action generation. Dorsal visual stream regions showed strikingly similar profiles as classical motor regions and also as regions of the salience network. These results suggest that the dorsal and ventral visual streams may appear highly segregated because they include a small number of regions that are highly selective for Accumulator or Action. However, the streams may be more integrated than previously thought and this integration may be accomplished by regions with graded responses that are less selective (i.e., more distributed).
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W James
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, USA.
| | - Kess L Folco
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, USA
| | - Daniel J Levitas
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, USA
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2
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Labek K, Sittenberger E, Kienhöfer V, Rabl L, Messina I, Schurz M, Stingl JC, Viviani R. The gradient model of brain organization in decisions involving “empathy for pain”. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5839-5850. [PMID: 36537039 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Influential models of cortical organization propose a close relationship between heteromodal association areas and highly connected hubs in the default mode network. The “gradient model” of cortical organization proposes a close relationship between these areas and highly connected hubs in the default mode network, a set of cortical areas deactivated by demanding tasks. Here, we used a decision-making task and representational similarity analysis with classic “empathy for pain” stimuli to probe the relationship between high-level representations of imminent pain in others and these areas. High-level representations were colocalized with task deactivations or the transitions from activations to deactivations. These loci belonged to 2 groups: those that loaded on the high end of the principal cortical gradient and were associated by meta-analytic decoding with the default mode network, and those that appeared to accompany functional repurposing of somatosensory cortex in the presence of visual stimuli. These findings suggest that task deactivations may set out cortical areas that host high-level representations. We anticipate that an increased understanding of the cortical correlates of high-level representations may improve neurobiological models of social interactions and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Labek
- University of Innsbruck Institute of Psychology, , Universitätsstraße 5-7, 6020 Innsbruck , Austria
| | - Elisa Sittenberger
- University of Ulm Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Clinic III, , Leimgrubenweg 12, 89075 Ulm , Germany
| | - Valerie Kienhöfer
- University of Innsbruck Institute of Psychology, , Universitätsstraße 5-7, 6020 Innsbruck , Austria
- University of Ulm Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Clinic III, , Leimgrubenweg 12, 89075 Ulm , Germany
| | - Luna Rabl
- University of Innsbruck Institute of Psychology, , Universitätsstraße 5-7, 6020 Innsbruck , Austria
- University of Ulm Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Clinic III, , Leimgrubenweg 12, 89075 Ulm , Germany
| | - Irene Messina
- University of Ulm Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Clinic III, , Leimgrubenweg 12, 89075 Ulm , Germany
- Scienze e Tecniche Psicologiche,Universitas Mercatorum , Piazza Mattei 10, 00186 Rome , Italy
| | - Matthias Schurz
- University of Innsbruck Institute of Psychology, , Universitätsstraße 5-7, 6020 Innsbruck , Austria
- University of Innsbruck Digital Science Center (DiSC), , Innrain 15, 6020 Innsbruck , Austria
| | - Julia C Stingl
- University Clinic Aachen Clinical Pharmacology, , Wendlingweg 2, 52074 Aachen , Germany
| | - Roberto Viviani
- University of Innsbruck Institute of Psychology, , Universitätsstraße 5-7, 6020 Innsbruck , Austria
- University of Ulm Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Clinic III, , Leimgrubenweg 12, 89075 Ulm , Germany
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3
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Ploran EJ, Soni S, Snellings JT, Rausch A, Rochelson B. The effect of perceptual decision-making on the interpretation of twin fetal heart rate tracings. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2020; 35:2116-2121. [PMID: 32594812 DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2020.1779695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Objective: Decision-making is an integrative process during which multiple sources of available evidence are combined into a singular response. Importantly, subconscious processes occur in perceptual decisions that may influence interpretations of visually displayed data such as fetal heart rate tracings (FHRT), which are typically presented together for twins. To examine the potential impact of subconscious perceptual influences on fetal well-being, differences in assessments of FHRTs for twin gestations presented singly or paired were evaluated for baseline fetal heart rate, variability, accelerations, decelerations, and overall concern.Study design: Obstetrical nurses (N = 27) assessed FHRTs from 20 twin gestations (each of which had at least one live birth with a 5-min Apgar <7) presented either on the same tracing or as singletons on separate tracings. Nurses were naïve to the fact that the fetal heart rate tracings presented in the unpaired condition were the same as those presented in the paired condition. Assessments were then compared between the two conditions.Results: Each nurse participant completed ratings on five metrics for each of 20 twin gestations across two conditions (80 FHRT assessments, 400 metrics total per participant). The intraobserver impact of visual context was calculated as the frequency of changed opinions regarding an individual metric (e.g. variability) between the paired and unpaired contexts for each individual fetal heart rate. Assessments of variability (average Kappa = 0.59), decelerations (average Kappa = 0.34), and overall level of concern (average Kappa = 0.33) were moderately to heavily impacted by viewing condition (unpaired vs. paired FHRT). Analysis of interobserver agreement using intraclass correlations (two-way random effect, absolute agreement) indicates poor agreement on unpaired assessments for both accelerations (ICC = 0.01, 95% CI -0.01-0.04) and decelerations (ICC = 0.22, 95% CI 0.15-0.33). These results are mirrored in poor agreement on paired assessments for both accelerations (ICC = 0.00, 95% CI -0.01-0.03) and decelerations (ICC = 0.27, 95% CI 0.19-0.39). There was moderate agreement on overall level of concern for unpaired assessments (ICC = 0.55, 95% CI 0.44-0.67) and near moderate agreement for the paired condition (ICC = 0.45, 95% CI 0.34-0.58).Conclusions: The simultaneous presentation of fetal heart rate tracings in twin gestations introduces both intraobserver and interobserver variances in the interpretation of variability, accelerations, and decelerations, likely due to the influence of subconscious perceptual decision-making. This may theoretically affect outcomes in cases in which visual information is nuanced. More research is necessary to determine whether the standard protocol of simultaneous assessment of FHRT in twins is subliminally affected by perceptual decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shelly Soni
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Jackson T Snellings
- Department of Information Technology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Andrew Rausch
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Burton Rochelson
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, NY, USA
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4
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Yau Y, Dadar M, Taylor M, Zeighami Y, Fellows LK, Cisek P, Dagher A. Neural Correlates of Evidence and Urgency During Human Perceptual Decision-Making in Dynamically Changing Conditions. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5471-5483. [PMID: 32500144 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Current models of decision-making assume that the brain gradually accumulates evidence and drifts toward a threshold that, once crossed, results in a choice selection. These models have been especially successful in primate research; however, transposing them to human fMRI paradigms has proved it to be challenging. Here, we exploit the face-selective visual system and test whether decoded emotional facial features from multivariate fMRI signals during a dynamic perceptual decision-making task are related to the parameters of computational models of decision-making. We show that trial-by-trial variations in the pattern of neural activity in the fusiform gyrus reflect facial emotional information and modulate drift rates during deliberation. We also observed an inverse-urgency signal based in the caudate nucleus that was independent of sensory information but appeared to slow decisions, particularly when information in the task was ambiguous. Taken together, our results characterize how decision parameters from a computational model (i.e., drift rate and urgency signal) are involved in perceptual decision-making and reflected in the activity of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Yau
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - M Dadar
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - M Taylor
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.,Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Y Zeighami
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - L K Fellows
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - P Cisek
- Département of Neuroscience, Université of Montréal, Montréal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - A Dagher
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
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5
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Viswanathan S, Abdollahi RO, Wang BA, Grefkes C, Fink GR, Daun S. A response-locking protocol to boost sensitivity for fMRI-based neurochronometry. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:3420-3438. [PMID: 32385973 PMCID: PMC7375084 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The timeline of brain‐wide neural activity relative to a behavioral event is crucial when decoding the neural implementation of a cognitive process. Yet, fMRI assesses neural processes indirectly via delayed and regionally variable hemodynamics. This method‐inherent temporal distortion impacts the interpretation of behavior‐linked neural timing. Here we describe a novel behavioral protocol that aims at disentangling the BOLD dynamics of the pre‐ and post‐response periods in response time tasks. We tested this response‐locking protocol in a perceptual decision‐making (random dot) task. Increasing perceptual difficulty produced expected activity increases over a broad network involving the lateral/medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior insula. However, response‐locking revealed a previously unreported functional dissociation within this network. preSMA and anterior premotor cortex (prePMV) showed post‐response activity modulations while anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex did not. Furthermore, post‐response BOLD activity at preSMA showed a modulation in timing but not amplitude while this pattern was reversed at prePMV. These timeline dissociations with response‐locking thus revealed three functionally distinct sub‐networks in what was seemingly one shared distributed network modulated by perceptual difficulty. These findings suggest that our novel response‐locked protocol could boost the timing‐related sensitivity of fMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivakumar Viswanathan
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Rouhollah O Abdollahi
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Bin A Wang
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Christian Grefkes
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Cologne & Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gereon R Fink
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Cologne & Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Silvia Daun
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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6
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Chen J, Lee ACH, O'Neil EB, Abdul-Nabi M, Niemeier M. Mapping the anatomy of perceptual pseudoneglect. A multivariate approach. Neuroimage 2019; 207:116402. [PMID: 31783115 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 10/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Fundamental to the understanding of the functions of spatial cognition and attention is to clarify the underlying neural mechanisms. It is clear that relatively right-dominant activity in ventral and dorsal parieto-frontal cortex is associated with attentional reorienting, certain forms of mental imagery and spatial working memory for higher loads, while lesions mostly to right ventral areas cause spatial neglect with pathological attentional biases to the right side. In contrast, complementary leftward biases in healthy people, called pseudoneglect, have been associated with varying patterns of cortical activity. Notably, this inconsistency may be explained, at least in part, by the fact that pseudoneglect studies have often employed experimental paradigms that do not control sufficiently for cognitive processes unrelated to pseudoneglect. To address this issue, here we administered a carefully designed continuum of pseudoneglect and control tasks in healthy adults while using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Data submitted to partial least square (PLS) imaging analysis yielded a significant latent variable that identified a right-dominant network of brain regions along the intra-occipital and -parietal sulci, frontal eye fields and right ventral cortex in association with perceptual pseudoneglect. Our results shed new light on the interplay of attentional and cognitive systems in pseudoneglect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqing Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Andy C H Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada; Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, Canada.
| | - Edward B O'Neil
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Mura Abdul-Nabi
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Matthias Niemeier
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada; Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada.
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7
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Zeithamova D, Mack ML, Braunlich K, Davis T, Seger CA, van Kesteren MTR, Wutz A. Brain Mechanisms of Concept Learning. J Neurosci 2019; 39:8259-8266. [PMID: 31619495 PMCID: PMC6794919 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1166-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Concept learning, the ability to extract commonalities and highlight distinctions across a set of related experiences to build organized knowledge, is a critical aspect of cognition. Previous reviews have focused on concept learning research as a means for dissociating multiple brain systems. The current review surveys recent work that uses novel analytical approaches, including the combination of computational modeling with neural measures, focused on testing theories of specific computations and representations that contribute to concept learning. We discuss in detail the roles of the hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal, lateral prefrontal, and lateral parietal cortices, and how their engagement is modulated by the coherence of experiences and the current learning goals. We conclude that the interaction of multiple brain systems relating to learning, memory, attention, perception, and reward support a flexible concept-learning mechanism that adapts to a range of category structures and incorporates motivational states, making concept learning a fruitful research domain for understanding the neural dynamics underlying complex behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagmar Zeithamova
- Department of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403,
| | - Michael L Mack
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada,
| | - Kurt Braunlich
- Department of Psychology and Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
| | - Tyler Davis
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79403
| | - Carol A Seger
- Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Department of Psychology and Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
| | - Marlieke T R van Kesteren
- Section of Education Sciences and LEARN! Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 BT, The Netherlands
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 BT, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Wutz
- The Picower Institute for Learning & Memory and Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria, and
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8
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Perri RL, Berchicci M, Bianco V, Spinelli D, Di Russo F. Brain waves from an "isolated" cortex: contribution of the anterior insula to cognitive functions. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 223:1343-1355. [PMID: 29124352 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1560-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Using two independent electrical neuroimaging techniques (BESA and sLORETA), we tested a fMRI-seeded source modeling indicating that in visual discriminative tasks the anterior insula (aIns) participates in the generation of three prefrontal ERP components: the pN1 (at 115 ms), the pP1 (at 170 ms), and the pP2 (at 300 ms). This latter component represented the focus of the present study. Results showed that the pP2 had different activation profiles across hemispheres. The left aIns activity peaked at 420 ms (30 ms before the response) for both Go and No-go trials, that is independently from the ultimate choice (response or inhibition). The right aIns activity started at about 250 ms and progressively increased for a time interval extending after the motor response; its amplitude was larger in case of Go than No-go stimuli. We suggest that the activation of the left aIns reflected the timing of the decision, and the right aIns the categorization and the performance monitoring processes. A control experiment requiring simple (not discriminative) motor response revealed that the pP2 and the aIns activity were nearly absent after the 250 ms; this result confirmed that the aIns activity at this stage is associated with the decisional processes, and not with the motor response per se. The present investigation shed new lights on the insular contribution to perceptual decision-making, and opens to the possibility of assessing the aIns activity via ERP analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinaldo Livio Perri
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135, Rome, Italy.
- University Niccolò Cusano, Rome, Italy.
| | - Marika Berchicci
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Bianco
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Donatella Spinelli
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Di Russo
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
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9
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua I. Gold
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Alan A. Stocker
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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10
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Krueger PM, van Vugt MK, Simen P, Nystrom L, Holmes P, Cohen JD. Evidence accumulation detected in BOLD signal using slow perceptual decision making. J Neurosci Methods 2017; 281:21-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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11
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Shankar S, Kayser AS. Perceptual and categorical decision making: goal-relevant representation of two domains at different levels of abstraction. J Neurophysiol 2017; 117:2088-2103. [PMID: 28250149 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00512.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
To date it has been unclear whether perceptual decision making and rule-based categorization reflect activation of similar cognitive processes and brain regions. On one hand, both map potentially ambiguous stimuli to a smaller set of motor responses. On the other hand, decisions about perceptual salience typically concern concrete sensory representations derived from a noisy stimulus, while categorization is typically conceptualized as an abstract decision about membership in a potentially arbitrary set. Previous work has primarily examined these types of decisions in isolation. Here we independently varied salience in both the perceptual and categorical domains in a random dot-motion framework by manipulating dot-motion coherence and motion direction relative to a category boundary, respectively. Behavioral and modeling results suggest that categorical (more abstract) information, which is more relevant to subjects' decisions, is weighted more strongly than perceptual (more concrete) information, although they also have significant interactive effects on choice. Within the brain, BOLD activity within frontal regions strongly differentiated categorical salience and weakly differentiated perceptual salience; however, the interaction between these two factors activated similar frontoparietal brain networks. Notably, explicitly evaluating feature interactions revealed a frontal-parietal dissociation: parietal activity varied strongly with both features, but frontal activity varied with the combined strength of the information that defined the motor response. Together, these data demonstrate that frontal regions are driven by decision-relevant features and argue that perceptual decisions and rule-based categorization reflect similar cognitive processes and activate similar brain networks to the extent that they define decision-relevant stimulus-response mappings.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here we study the behavioral and neural dynamics of perceptual categorization when decision information varies in multiple domains at different levels of abstraction. Behavioral and modeling results suggest that categorical (more abstract) information is weighted more strongly than perceptual (more concrete) information but that perceptual and categorical domains interact to influence decisions. Frontoparietal brain activity during categorization flexibly represents decision-relevant features and highlights significant dissociations in frontal and parietal activity during decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha Shankar
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California; .,Center for Brain Imaging, New York University, New York, New York; and
| | - Andrew S Kayser
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California.,Department of Neurology, Department of Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, California
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12
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Perceptual Decision Making in Rodents, Monkeys, and Humans. Neuron 2017; 93:15-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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13
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Tremel JJ, Laurent PA, Wolk DA, Wheeler ME, Fiez JA. Neural signatures of experience-based improvements in deterministic decision-making. Behav Brain Res 2016; 315:51-65. [PMID: 27523644 PMCID: PMC5017924 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Feedback about our choices is a crucial part of how we gather information and learn from our environment. It provides key information about decision experiences that can be used to optimize future choices. However, our understanding of the processes through which feedback translates into improved decision-making is lacking. Using neuroimaging (fMRI) and cognitive models of decision-making and learning, we examined the influence of feedback on multiple aspects of decision processes across learning. Subjects learned correct choices to a set of 50 word pairs across eight repetitions of a concurrent discrimination task. Behavioral measures were then analyzed with both a drift-diffusion model and a reinforcement learning model. Parameter values from each were then used as fMRI regressors to identify regions whose activity fluctuates with specific cognitive processes described by the models. The patterns of intersecting neural effects across models support two main inferences about the influence of feedback on decision-making. First, frontal, anterior insular, fusiform, and caudate nucleus regions behave like performance monitors, reflecting errors in performance predictions that signal the need for changes in control over decision-making. Second, temporoparietal, supplementary motor, and putamen regions behave like mnemonic storage sites, reflecting differences in learned item values that inform optimal decision choices. As information about optimal choices is accrued, these neural systems dynamically adjust, likely shifting the burden of decision processing from controlled performance monitoring to bottom-up, stimulus-driven choice selection. Collectively, the results provide a detailed perspective on the fundamental ability to use past experiences to improve future decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David A Wolk
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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14
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Braunlich K, Seger CA. Categorical evidence, confidence, and urgency during probabilistic categorization. Neuroimage 2015; 125:941-952. [PMID: 26564532 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Revised: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We used a temporally extended categorization task to investigate the neural substrates underlying our ability to integrate information over time and across multiple stimulus features. Using model-based fMRI, we tracked the temporal evolution of two important variables as participants deliberated about impending choices: (1) categorical evidence, and (2) confidence (the total amount of evidence provided by the stimuli, irrespective of the particular category favored). Importantly, in each model, we also included a covariate that allowed us to differentiate signals related to information accumulation from other, evidence-independent functions that increased monotonically with time (such as urgency or cognitive load). We found that somatomotor regions tracked the temporal evolution of categorical evidence, while regions in both medial and lateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, and the striatum tracked decision confidence. As both theory and experimental work suggest that patterns of activity thought to be related to information-accumulation may reflect, in whole or in part, an interaction between sensory evidence and urgency, we additionally investigated whether urgency might modulate the slopes of the two evidence-dependent functions. We found that the slopes of both functions were likely modulated by urgency such that the difference between the high and low evidence states increased as the response deadline loomed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Braunlich
- Cognitive Psychology and Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
| | - Carol A Seger
- Cognitive Psychology and Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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