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Eisen-Enosh A, Farah N, Polat U, Mandel Y. Perceptual learning based on a temporal stimulus enhances visual function in adult amblyopic subjects. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7643. [PMID: 37169784 PMCID: PMC10175483 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34421-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies have shown that Perceptual Learning (PL) can lead to enhancement of spatial visual functions in amblyopic subjects. Here we aimed to determine whether a simple flickering stimulus can be utilized in PL to enhance temporal function performance and whether enhancement will transfer to spatial functions in amblyopic subjects. Six adult amblyopic and six normally sighted subjects underwent an evaluation of their performance of baseline psychophysics spatial functions (Visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS), temporal functions (critical fusion frequency (CFF) test), as well as a static and flickering stereopsis test, and an electrophysiological evaluation (VEP). The subjects then underwent 5 training sessions (on average, a total of 150 min over 2.5 weeks), which included a task similar to the CFF test using the method of constant stimuli. After completing the training sessions, subjects repeated the initial performance evaluation tasks. All amblyopic subjects showed improved temporal visual performance (CFF) in the amblyopic eye (on average, 17%, p << 0.01) following temporal PL. Generalization to spatial, spatio-temporal, and binocular tasks was also found: VA increased by 0.12 logMAR (p = 0.004), CS in backward masking significantly increased (by up to 19%, p = 0.003), and flickering stereopsis increased by 85 arcsec (p = 0.048). These results were further electrophysiologically manifested by an increase in VEP amplitude (by 43%, p = 0.03), increased Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) (by 39%, p = 0.024) to levels not different from normally sighted subjects, along with an improvement in inter-ocular delay (by 5.8 ms, p = 0.003). In contrast, no significant effect of training was found in the normally sighted group. These results highlight the potential of PL based on a temporal stimulus to improve the temporal and spatial visual performance in amblyopes. Future work is needed to optimize this method for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auria Eisen-Enosh
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Nairouz Farah
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Uri Polat
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Yossi Mandel
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
- Bar-Ilan Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (BINA), Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
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2
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Visual abilities in Severe Alcohol Use Disorder: Preserved spatial but impaired temporal resolution. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 149:201-208. [PMID: 35287049 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.02.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Visuospatial impairments have long been reported in Severe Alcohol Use Disorder but remain poorly understood, notably regarding the involvement of magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC) pathways. This empirical gap hampers the understanding of the implications of these visual changes, especially since the MC and PC pathways are thought to sustain central bottom-up and top-down processes during cognitive processing. They thus influence our ability to efficiently monitor our environment and make the most effective decisions. To overcome this limitation, we measured PC-inferred spatial and MC-inferred temporal resolution in 35 individuals with SAUD and 30 healthy controls. We used Landolt circles displaying small apertures outside the sensitivity range of MC cells or flickering at a temporal frequency exceeding PC sensitivity. We found evidence of preserved PC spatial resolution combined with impaired MC temporal resolution in SAUD. We also measured how spatial and temporal sensitivity is influenced by the prior presentation of fearful faces - as emotional content could favor MC processing over PC one - but found no evidence of emotional modulation in either group. This spatio-temporal dissociation implies that individuals with SAUD may process visual details efficiently but perceive rapidly updating visual information at a slower pace. This deficit has implications for the tracking of rapidly changing stimuli in experimental tasks, but also for the decoding of crucial everyday visual incentives such as faces, whose micro-expressions vary continuously. Future studies should further specify the visual profile of individuals with SAUD to incorporate disparate findings within a theoretically grounded model of vision.
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Stroh AL, Grin K, Rösler F, Bottari D, Ossandón J, Rossion B, Röder B. Developmental experiences alter the temporal processing characteristics of the visual cortex: Evidence from deaf and hearing native signers. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:1629-1644. [PMID: 35193156 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15629] [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: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
To date, the extent to which early experience shapes the functional characteristics of neural circuits is still a matter of debate. In the present study, we tested whether congenital deafness and/or the acquisition of a sign language alter the temporal processing characteristics of the visual system. Moreover, we investigated whether, assuming cross-modal plasticity in deaf individuals, the temporal processing characteristics of possibly reorganised auditory areas resemble those of the visual cortex. Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) were recorded in congenitally deaf native signers, hearing native signers, and hearing nonsigners. The luminance of the visual stimuli was periodically modulated at 12, 21, and 40 Hz. For hearing nonsigners, the optimal driving rate was 12 Hz. By contrast, for the group of hearing signers the optimal driving rate was 12 and 21 Hz, whereas for the group of deaf signers the optimal driving rate was 21 Hz. We did not observe evidence for cross-modal recruitment of auditory cortex in the group of deaf signers. These results suggest a higher preferred neural processing rate as a consequence of the acquisition of a sign language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lena Stroh
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Konstantin Grin
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany
| | - Frank Rösler
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany
| | - Davide Bottari
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany.,IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy
| | - José Ossandón
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bruno Rossion
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, Nancy, France.,Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurochirurgie, Nancy, France
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany
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Mavrogiorgou P, Thomaßen T, Pott F, Flasbeck V, Steinfath H, Juckel G. Time experience in patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders. Eur Psychiatry 2022; 65:e11. [PMID: 35094726 PMCID: PMC8853857 DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The experience of time, or the temporal order of external and internal events, is essential for humans. In psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, impairment of time processing has been discussed for a long time. Aims In this explorative pilot study, therefore, the subjective time feeling as well as objective time perception were determined in patients with depression and schizophrenia, along with possible neurobiological correlates. Methods Depressed (n = 34; 32.4 ± 9.8 years; 21 men) and schizophrenic patients (n = 31; 35.1 ± 10.7 years; 22 men) and healthy subjects (n = 33; 32.8 ± 14.3 years; 16 men) were tested using time feeling questionnaires, time perception tasks and critical flicker-fusion frequency (CFF) and loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials (LDAEP) to determine serotonergic neurotransmission. Results There were significant differences between the three groups regarding time feeling and also in time perception tasks (estimation of given time duration) and CFF (the “DOWN” condition). Regarding the LDAEP, patients with schizophrenia showed a significant negative correlation to time experience in terms of a pathologically increased serotonergic neurotransmission with disturbed time feeling. Conclusions Impairment of time experience seems to play an important role in depression and schizophrenia, both subjectively and objectively, and novel neurobiological correlates have been uncovered. It is suggested, therefore, that alteration of experience of time should be increasingly included in the current psychopathological findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paraskevi Mavrogiorgou
- Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1, 44791Bochum, Germany
| | - Theresa Thomaßen
- Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1, 44791Bochum, Germany
| | - Frederike Pott
- Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1, 44791Bochum, Germany
| | - Vera Flasbeck
- Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1, 44791Bochum, Germany
| | - Holmer Steinfath
- Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1, 44791Bochum, Germany.,Department of Philosophy, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Georg Juckel
- Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1, 44791Bochum, Germany
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Testing the efficacy of vision training for presbyopia: alternating-distance training does not facilitate vision improvement compared to fixed-distance training. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2022; 260:1551-1563. [PMID: 35006331 DOI: 10.1007/s00417-021-05548-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Current evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of vision training for presbyopia. We developed and examined a training program to test the effectiveness of alternating focal distances as a training method. METHODS We devised a sharpness discrimination task, in which participants judged whether the stimulus was a sine- or square-wave grating, and tested in two training groups and one control group. In the alternating-distance training group (N = 8, age 49-64), participants had to alternate the fixation between a near- and far-screen. In the fixed-distance training group (N=8, age 47-65), participants fixated on the same-distance target for the whole block. Before and after the 20 training sessions, we measured the near- and far-visual acuity (VA) using the Landolt C and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) tasks and contrast sensitivity using the qCSF procedure. The control group (N=8, age 49-65) participated only in the pre- and post-tests. RESULTS Both training groups showed a significant improvement between the pre- and post-tests in the Landolt C task, and the improvement sizes were not significantly different between the groups. In the ETDRS task, only the fixed-distance training group showed significant improvement, although there was no significant difference between the two groups. Neither group showed improvement in the contrast sensitivity task compared to the control group. CONCLUSION The novel sharpness discrimination task can be an effective training method for presbyopia to prevent the deterioration of VA; however, contrary to popular belief, the effect of alternating-distance training was comparable to or even weaker than that of fixed-distance training.
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Altered motor cortical plasticity in patients with hepatic encephalopathy: A paired associative stimulation study. Clin Neurophysiol 2021; 132:2332-2341. [PMID: 34454259 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2021.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a potentially reversible brain dysfunction caused by liver failure. Altered synaptic plasticity is supposed to play a major role in the pathophysiology of HE. Here, we used paired associative stimulation with an inter-stimulus interval of 25 ms (PAS25), a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol, to test synaptic plasticity of the motor cortex in patients with manifest HE. METHODS 23 HE-patients and 23 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes were assessed as measure for cortical excitability. Time courses of MEP amplitude changes after the PAS25 intervention were compared between both groups. RESULTS MEP-amplitudes increased after PAS25 in the control group, indicating PAS25-induced synaptic plasticity in healthy controls, as expected. In contrast, MEP-amplitudes within the HE group did not change and were lower than in the control group, indicating no induction of plasticity. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed reduced synaptic plasticity of the primary motor cortex in HE. SIGNIFICANCE Reduced synaptic plasticity in HE provides a link between pathological changes on the molecular level and early clinical symptoms of the disease. This decrease may be caused by disturbances in the glutamatergic neurotransmission due to the known hyperammonemia in HE patients.
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Di Caro V, Della Libera C. Statistical learning of target selection and distractor suppression shape attentional priority according to different timeframes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13761. [PMID: 34215819 PMCID: PMC8253746 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93335-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent findings suggest that attentional and oculomotor control is heavily affected by past experience, giving rise to selection and suppression history effects, so that target selection is facilitated if they appear at frequently attended locations, and distractor filtering is facilitated at frequently ignored locations. While selection history effects once instantiated seem to be long-lasting, whether suppression history is similarly durable is still debated. We assessed the permanence of these effects in a unique experimental setting investigating eye-movements, where the locations associated with statistical unbalances were exclusively linked with either target selection or distractor suppression. Experiment 1 and 2 explored the survival of suppression history in the long and in the short term, respectively, revealing that its lingering traces are relatively short lived. Experiment 3 showed that in the very same experimental context, selection history effects were long lasting. These results seem to suggest that different mechanisms support the learning-induced plasticity triggered by selection and suppression history. Specifically, while selection history may depend on lasting changes within stored representations of the visual space, suppression history effects hinge instead on a functional plasticity which is transient in nature, and involves spatial representations which are constantly updated and adaptively sustain ongoing oculomotor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Di Caro
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Della Libera
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
- Section of Physiology and Psychology, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona - Medical School, Strada Le Grazie 8, 37134, Verona, Italy.
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Benassi M, Frattini D, Garofalo S, Bolzani R, Pansell T. Visuo-motor integration, vision perception and attention in mTBI patients. Preliminary findings. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250598. [PMID: 33905440 PMCID: PMC8078787 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) often report difficulties in motor coordination and visuo-spatial attention. However, the consequences of mTBI on fine motor and visuo-motor coordination are still not well understood. We aimed to evaluate whether mTBI had a concomitant effect on fine motor ability and visuo-motor integration and whether this is related to visual perception and visuo-spatial attention impairments, including patients at different symptoms stage. Eleven mTBI patients (mean age 22.8 years) and ten healthy controls participated in the study. Visuo-motor integration of fine motor abilities and form recognition were measured with the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration test, motion perception was evaluated with motion coherence test, critical flicker fusion was measured with Pocket CFF tester. Visuo-spatial was assessed with the Ruff 2 & 7 Selection Attention Test. mTBI patients showed reduced visuo-motor integration, form recognition, and motor deficits as well as visuo-spatial attention impairment, while motion perception and critical flicker fusion were not impaired. These preliminary findings suggest that the temporary brain insults deriving from mTBI compromise fine motor skills, visuomotor integration, form recognition, and visuo-spatial attention. The impairment in visuo-motor coordination was associated with speed in visuo-attention and correlated with symptoms severity while motor ability was correlated with time since concussion. Given the strong correlation between visuomotor coordination and symptom severity, further investigation with a larger sample seems warranted. Since there appeared to be differences in motor skills with respect to symptom stage, further research is needed to investigate symptom profiles associated with visuomotor coordination and fine motor deficits in mTBI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Davide Frattini
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sara Garofalo
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Bolzani
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Tony Pansell
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Flicker fusion thresholds as a clinical identifier of a magnocellular-deficit dyslexic subgroup. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21638. [PMID: 33303835 PMCID: PMC7730401 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78552-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The magnocellular-dorsal system is well isolated by high temporal frequency. However, temporal processing thresholds have seldom been explored in developmental dyslexia nor its subtypes. Hence, performances on two, four-alternative forced-choice achromatic flicker fusion threshold tasks modulated at low (5%) and high (75%) temporal contrast were compared in dyslexic and neurotypical children individually matched for age and intelligence (8–12 years, n = 54 per group). As expected, the higher modulation resulted in higher flicker fusion thresholds in both groups. Compared to neurotypicals, the dyslexic group displayed significantly lower ability to detect flicker at high temporal frequencies, both at low and high temporal contrast. Yet, discriminant analysis did not adequately distinguish the dyslexics from neurotypicals, on the basis of flicker thresholds alone. Rather, two distinct dyslexic subgroups were identified by cluster analysis – one characterised by significantly lower temporal frequency thresholds than neurotypicals (referred to as ‘Magnocellular-Deficit’ dyslexics; 53.7%), while the other group (‘Magnocellular-Typical’ dyslexics; 46.3%) had comparable thresholds to neurotypicals. The two dyslexic subgroups were not differentially associated with phonological or naming speed subtypes and showed comparable mean reading rate impairments. However, correlations between low modulation flicker fusion threshold and reading rate for the two subgroups were significantly different (p = .0009). Flicker fusion threshold performances also showed strong classification accuracy (79.3%) in dissociating the Magnocellular-Deficit dyslexics and neurotypicals. We propose that temporal visual processing impairments characterize a previously unidentified subgroup of dyslexia and suggest that measurement of flicker fusion thresholds could be used clinically to assist early diagnosis and appropriate treatment recommendations for dyslexia.
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Vivas-Mateos G, Boswell S, Livingstone IAT, Delafield-Butt J, Giardini ME. Screen and Virtual Reality-Based Testing of Contrast Sensitivity. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2020; 2020:6054-6057. [PMID: 33019351 DOI: 10.1109/embc44109.2020.9175595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Contrast sensitivity is a key visual ability for everyday tasks, as well as a potential indicator of important optical and neurological diseases. Current clinical standards, based on visual discrimination performance on printed charts, present problems that could be bypassed using electronic devices. This work describes the development of new tests for contrast sensitivity, based on the detection of a moving target on a computer screen and in virtual reality headset. It presents preliminary evaluation of these innovations by comparison of their performance, using healthy adults with normal vision and by artificially altering their contrast sensitivity. The results demonstrate consistent correlation between all test modalities explored.
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Rao PS, Yuvaraj S, Kumari TL, Maruti KN, Sasikala P, Kumar SS, Pal R, Reddy VV, Gorantla R, Agrawal A. Cognition, autonomic function, and intellectual outcomes of the paramedical health-care personnel in the hospital settings. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROMOTION 2020; 9:26. [PMID: 32318594 PMCID: PMC7161660 DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_222_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the dedicated intensive care settings, health-care providers need to have higher temporal cognition and sympathovagal balance to optimally deliver critical care interventions. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to estimate the parameters of the temporal cognition and autonomic function of paramedical staffs in acute health-care settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study on 81 healthy adult paramedical personnel, temporal cognition was assessed using auditory reaction time (ART), visual reaction time (VRT), critical flicker fusion frequency (CFFF), Stroop test (ST), and digits forward test (DFT); Autonomic functions were assessed by heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) variability, and all these outcomes were analyzed with their academic performance. RESULTS Out of 81 healthy adult nonteaching technical personnel, majority was female; the mean age was 25.10 ± 3.93 years. Age and gender were not significantly related with screen times in terms of smartphone use, playing video games, or regularly using computer; academic performances were also not significantly related with screen times in terms of smartphone use, playing video games, or regularly using computer. In the conventional domains, during analysis of physiological and psychological variables under study, there was no significant relation with screen times when compared with HR, systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, body mass index, ART, VRT, CFFF, ST, and DFT. Playing video games and regular computer use were significantly correlated with age, gender, AP, CFFF, ST, and DFT. CONCLUSION This study on paramedical personnel showed a positive relation of temporal cognition and sympathovagal autonomic balance with performing a task or function.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Srinivas Rao
- Department of Hospital Administration, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Sheela Yuvaraj
- Department of Nursing, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - T. Lalita Kumari
- Department of Nursing, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - K. N. Maruti
- Department of Physiology, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - P. Sasikala
- Department of Physiology, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - S. Satish Kumar
- Department of Hospital Administration, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Ranabir Pal
- Department of Community Medicine, MGM Medical College and Hospital, Kishanganj, Bihar, India
| | - Vishnu Vardhan Reddy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Radhika Gorantla
- Department of Hospital Administration, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Amit Agrawal
- Department of Neurosurgery, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Address for correspondence: Dr. Amit Agrawal, Department of Neurosurgery, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Chinthareddypalem, Nellore - 524 003, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-mail:
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Ayadi N, Dörr J, Motamedi S, Gawlik K, Bellmann-Strobl J, Mikolajczak J, Brandt AU, Zimmermann H, Paul F. Temporal visual resolution and disease severity in MS. NEUROLOGY-NEUROIMMUNOLOGY & NEUROINFLAMMATION 2018; 5:e492. [PMID: 30175166 PMCID: PMC6117185 DOI: 10.1212/nxi.0000000000000492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objective To examine temporal visual resolution assessed as critical flicker frequency (CFF) in patients with MS and to investigate associations with visual system damage and general disability and cognitive function. Methods Thirty-nine patients with MS and 31 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study and underwent CFF testing, high- and low-contrast visual acuity, alertness and information processing speed using the paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT), and retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT). In patients with MS, visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were assessed. Results CFF in patients with MS (mean ± SD: 40.9 ± 4.4 Hz) was lower than in HCs (44.8 ± 4.4 Hz, p < 0.001). There was no significant CFF difference between eyes with and without previous optic neuritis (ON). CFF was not associated with visual acuity, VEP latency, the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and the combined ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer volume. Instead, reduced CFF was associated with worse EDSS scores (r2 = 0.26, p < 0.001) and alertness (r2 = 0.42, p = 0.00042) but not with PASAT (p = 0.33). Conclusion CFF reduction in MS occurs independently of ON and structural visual system damage. Its association with the EDSS score and alertness suggests that CFF reflects global disease processes and higher cortical processing rather than focal optic nerve or retinal damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah Ayadi
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Jan Dörr
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Seyedamirhosein Motamedi
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Kay Gawlik
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Judith Bellmann-Strobl
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Janine Mikolajczak
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Alexander U Brandt
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Hanna Zimmermann
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
| | - Friedemann Paul
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (N.A., J.D., S.M., K.G., J.B.-S., J.M., A.U.B., H.Z., F.P.), Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center; Neurology Department (J.D.), Multiple Sclerosis Center, Oberhavel Clinic, Henningsdorf; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (J.B.-S., F.P.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health; and Department of Neurology (F.P.), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany
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13
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Sürig R, Bottari D, Röder B. Transfer of Audio-Visual Temporal Training to Temporal and Spatial Audio-Visual Tasks. Multisens Res 2018; 31:556-578. [PMID: 31264612 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-00002611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Temporal and spatial characteristics of sensory inputs are fundamental to multisensory integration because they provide probabilistic information as to whether or not multiple sensory inputs belong to the same event. The multisensory temporal binding window defines the time range within which two stimuli of different sensory modalities are merged into one percept and has been shown to depend on training. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of the training procedure for improving multisensory temporal discrimination and to test for a possible transfer of training to other multisensory tasks. Participants were trained over five sessions in a two-alternative forced-choice simultaneity judgment task. The task difficulty of each trial was either at each participant's threshold (adaptive group) or randomly chosen (control group). A possible transfer of improved multisensory temporal discrimination on multisensory binding was tested with a redundant signal paradigm in which the temporal alignment of auditory and visual stimuli was systematically varied. Moreover, the size of the spatial audio-visual ventriloquist effect was assessed. Adaptive training resulted in faster improvements compared to the control condition. Transfer effects were found for both tasks: The processing speed of auditory inputs and the size of the ventriloquist effect increased in the adaptive group following the training. We suggest that the relative precision of the temporal and spatial features of a cross-modal stimulus is weighted during multisensory integration. Thus, changes in the precision of temporal processing are expected to enhance the likelihood of multisensory integration for temporally aligned cross-modal stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Sürig
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von Melle Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Davide Bottari
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von Melle Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.,IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von Melle Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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14
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Evaluation of Critical Flicker-Fusion Frequency Measurement Methods for the Investigation of Visual Temporal Resolution. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15621. [PMID: 29142231 PMCID: PMC5688103 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15034-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies highlight the importance of the temporal domain in visual processing. Critical Flicker-Fusion Frequency (CFF), the frequency at which a flickering light is perceived as continuous, is widely used for evaluating visual temporal processing. However, substantial variability in the psychophysical paradigms, used for measuring CFF, leads to substantial variability in the reported results. Here, we report on a comprehensive comparison of CFF measurements through three different psychophysical paradigms: methods of limits; method of constant stimuli, and staircase method. Our results demonstrate that the CFF can be reliably measured with high repeatability by all three psychophysics methods. However, correlations (r = 0.92, p≪0.001) and agreement (Bland Altman test indicated 95% confidence limit variation of ±3.6 Hz), were highest between the staircase and the constant stimuli methods. The time required to complete the test was significantly longer for the constant stimuli method as compared to other methods (p < 0.001). Our results highlight the suitability of the adaptive paradigm for efficiently measuring temporal resolution in the visual system.
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15
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Visual training improves perceptual grouping based on basic stimulus features. Atten Percept Psychophys 2017; 79:2098-2107. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-017-1368-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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16
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Zhou T, Náñez JE, Zimmerman D, Holloway SR, Seitz A. Two Visual Training Paradigms Associated with Enhanced Critical Flicker Fusion Threshold. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1597. [PMID: 27833569 PMCID: PMC5080338 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Critical flicker fusion thresholds (CFFTs) describe when quick amplitude modulations of a light source become undetectable as the frequency of the modulation increases and are thought to underlie a number of visual processing skills, including reading. Here, we compare the impact of two vision-training approaches, one involving contrast sensitivity training and the other directional dot-motion training, compared to an active control group trained on Sudoku. The three training paradigms were compared on their effectiveness for altering CFFT. Directional dot-motion and contrast sensitivity training resulted in significant improvement in CFFT, while the Sudoku group did not yield significant improvement. This finding indicates that dot-motion and contrast sensitivity training similarly transfer to effect changes in CFFT. The results, combined with prior research linking CFFT to high-order cognitive processes such as reading ability, and studies showing positive impact of both dot-motion and contrast sensitivity training in reading, provide a possible mechanistic link of how these different training approaches impact reading abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyou Zhou
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale AZ, USA
| | - Jose E Náñez
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale AZ, USA
| | - Daniel Zimmerman
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale AZ, USA
| | - Steven R Holloway
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale AZ, USA
| | - Aaron Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside CA, USA
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17
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Temporal aspects of visual perception in demyelinative diseases. J Neurol Sci 2015; 357:235-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2015.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Revised: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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18
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Stevenson RA, Segers M, Ferber S, Barense MD, Camarata S, Wallace MT. Keeping time in the brain: Autism spectrum disorder and audiovisual temporal processing. Autism Res 2015; 9:720-38. [PMID: 26402725 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2015] [Revised: 08/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A growing area of interest and relevance in the study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) focuses on the relationship between multisensory temporal function and the behavioral, perceptual, and cognitive impairments observed in ASD. Atypical sensory processing is becoming increasingly recognized as a core component of autism, with evidence of atypical processing across a number of sensory modalities. These deviations from typical processing underscore the value of interpreting ASD within a multisensory framework. Furthermore, converging evidence illustrates that these differences in audiovisual processing may be specifically related to temporal processing. This review seeks to bridge the connection between temporal processing and audiovisual perception, and to elaborate on emerging data showing differences in audiovisual temporal function in autism. We also discuss the consequence of such changes, the specific impact on the processing of different classes of audiovisual stimuli (e.g. speech vs. nonspeech, etc.), and the presumptive brain processes and networks underlying audiovisual temporal integration. Finally, possible downstream behavioral implications, and possible remediation strategies are outlined. Autism Res 2016, 9: 720-738. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Stevenson
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Magali Segers
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Susanne Ferber
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Morgan D Barense
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen Camarata
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Mark T Wallace
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.,Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.,Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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19
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Gori S, Seitz AR, Ronconi L, Franceschini S, Facoetti A. Multiple Causal Links Between Magnocellular-Dorsal Pathway Deficit and Developmental Dyslexia. Cereb Cortex 2015; 26:4356-4369. [PMID: 26400914 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Although impaired auditory-phonological processing is the most popular explanation of developmental dyslexia (DD), the literature shows that the combination of several causes rather than a single factor contributes to DD. Functioning of the visual magnocellular-dorsal (MD) pathway, which plays a key role in motion perception, is a much debated, but heavily suspected factor contributing to DD. Here, we employ a comprehensive approach that incorporates all the accepted methods required to test the relationship between the MD pathway dysfunction and DD. The results of 4 experiments show that (1) Motion perception is impaired in children with dyslexia in comparison both with age-match and with reading-level controls; (2) pre-reading visual motion perception-independently from auditory-phonological skill-predicts future reading development, and (3) targeted MD trainings-not involving any auditory-phonological stimulation-leads to improved reading skill in children and adults with DD. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, a causal relationship between MD deficits and DD, virtually closing a 30-year long debate. Since MD dysfunction can be diagnosed much earlier than reading and language disorders, our findings pave the way for low resource-intensive, early prevention programs that could drastically reduce the incidence of DD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Gori
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo 24129, Italy Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Lecco 23842, Italy
| | - Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Luca Ronconi
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Lecco 23842, Italy Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Sandro Franceschini
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Lecco 23842, Italy Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Lecco 23842, Italy Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padova 35131, Italy
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20
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Hoffing RC, Seitz AR. Pupillometry as a glimpse into the neurochemical basis of human memory encoding. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 27:765-74. [PMID: 25390194 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Neurochemical systems are well studied in animal learning; however, ethical issues limit methodologies to explore these systems in humans. Pupillometry provides a glimpse into the brain's neurochemical systems, where pupil dynamics in monkeys have been linked with locus coeruleus (LC) activity, which releases norepinephrine (NE) throughout the brain. Here, we use pupil dynamics as a surrogate measure of neurochemical activity to explore the hypothesis that NE is involved in modulating memory encoding. We examine this using a task-irrelevant learning paradigm in which learning is boosted for stimuli temporally paired with task targets. We show that participants better recognize images that are paired with task targets than distractors and, in correspondence, that pupil size changes more for target-paired than distractor-paired images. To further investigate the hypothesis that NE nonspecifically guides learning for stimuli that are present with its release, a second procedure was used that employed an unexpected sound to activate the LC-NE system and induce pupil-size changes; results indicated a corresponding increase in memorization of images paired with the unexpected sounds. Together, these results suggest a relationship between the LC-NE system, pupil-size changes, and human memory encoding.
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21
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Holloway SR, Náñez JE, Seitz AR. Word-decoding as a function of temporal processing in the visual system. PLoS One 2014; 8:e84010. [PMID: 24376782 PMCID: PMC3869845 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2011] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This study explored the relation between visual processing and word-decoding ability in a normal reading population. Forty participants were recruited at Arizona State University. Flicker fusion thresholds were assessed with an optical chopper using the method of limits by a 1-deg diameter green (543 nm) test field. Word decoding was measured using reading-word and nonsense-word decoding tests. A non-linguistic decoding measure was obtained using a computer program that consisted of Landolt C targets randomly presented in four cardinal orientations, at 3-radial distances from a focus point, for eight compass points, in a circular pattern. Participants responded by pressing the arrow key on the keyboard that matched the direction the target was facing. The results show a strong correlation between critical flicker fusion thresholds and scores on the reading-word, nonsense-word, and non-linguistic decoding measures. The data suggests that the functional elements of the visual system involved with temporal modulation and spatial processing may affect the ease with which people read.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven R. Holloway
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - José E. Náñez
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Aaron R. Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California – Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
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22
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Seriès P, Seitz AR. Learning what to expect (in visual perception). Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:668. [PMID: 24187536 PMCID: PMC3807544 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 09/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Expectations are known to greatly affect our experience of the world. A growing theory in computational neuroscience is that perception can be successfully described using Bayesian inference models and that the brain is “Bayes-optimal” under some constraints. In this context, expectations are particularly interesting, because they can be viewed as prior beliefs in the statistical inference process. A number of questions remain unsolved, however, for example: How fast do priors change over time? Are there limits in the complexity of the priors that can be learned? How do an individual’s priors compare to the true scene statistics? Can we unlearn priors that are thought to correspond to natural scene statistics? Where and what are the neural substrate of priors? Focusing on the perception of visual motion, we here review recent studies from our laboratories and others addressing these issues. We discuss how these data on motion perception fit within the broader literature on perceptual Bayesian priors, perceptual expectations, and statistical and perceptual learning and review the possible neural basis of priors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peggy Seriès
- Department of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK
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23
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Leclercq V, Le Dantec CC, Seitz AR. Encoding of episodic information through fast task-irrelevant perceptual learning. Vision Res 2013; 99:5-11. [PMID: 24070687 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2013.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Revised: 09/13/2013] [Accepted: 09/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms guiding our learning and memory processes are of key interest to human cognition. While much research shows that attention and reinforcement processes help guide the encoding process, there is still much to know regarding how our brains choose what to remember. Recent research of task-irrelevant perceptual learning (TIPL) has found that information presented coincident with important events is better encoded even if participants are not aware of its presence (see Seitz & Watanabe, 2009). However a limitation of existing studies of TIPL is that they provide little information regarding the depth of encoding supported by pairing a stimulus with a behaviorally relevant event. The objective of this research was to understand the depth of encoding of information that is learned through TIPL. To do so, we adopted a variant of the "remember/know" paradigm, recently reported by Ingram, Mickes, and Wixted (2012), in which multiple confidence levels of both familiar (know) and remember reports are reported (Experiment 1), and in which episodic information is tested (Experiment 2). TIPL was found in both experiments, with higher recognition performance for target-paired than for distractor-paired images. Furthermore, TIPL benefitted both "familiar" and "remember" reports. The results of Experiment 2 indicate that the most confident "remember" response was associated with episodic information, where participants were able to access the location of image presentation for these items. Together, these results indicate that TIPL results in a deep enhancement in the encoding of target-paired information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Leclercq
- Department of Psychology, University of California - Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; INSHEA, Grhapes (EA 7287), Suresnes, France
| | - Christophe C Le Dantec
- Department of Psychology, University of California - Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California - Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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24
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Stevenson RA, Wilson MM, Powers AR, Wallace MT. The effects of visual training on multisensory temporal processing. Exp Brain Res 2013; 225:479-89. [PMID: 23307155 PMCID: PMC3606590 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3387-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The importance of multisensory integration for human behavior and perception is well documented, as is the impact that temporal synchrony has on driving such integration. Thus, the more temporally coincident two sensory inputs from different modalities are, the more likely they will be perceptually bound. This temporal integration process is captured by the construct of the temporal binding window-the range of temporal offsets within which an individual is able to perceptually bind inputs across sensory modalities. Recent work has shown that this window is malleable and can be narrowed via a multisensory perceptual feedback training process. In the current study, we seek to extend this by examining the malleability of the multisensory temporal binding window through changes in unisensory experience. Specifically, we measured the ability of visual perceptual feedback training to induce changes in the multisensory temporal binding window. Visual perceptual training with feedback successfully improved temporal visual processing, and more importantly, this visual training increased the temporal precision across modalities, which manifested as a narrowing of the multisensory temporal binding window. These results are the first to establish the ability of unisensory temporal training to modulate multisensory temporal processes, findings that can provide mechanistic insights into multisensory integration and which may have a host of practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Stevenson
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Medical Research Building III, Suite 7110C, Nashville, TN, USA.
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25
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Deveau J, Lovcik G, Seitz AR. The therapeutic benefits of perceptual learning. CURRENT TRENDS IN NEUROLOGY 2013; 7:39-49. [PMID: 25580062 PMCID: PMC4286158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The modern field of perceptual learning addresses improvements of sensory and perceptual functioning in adult observers and provides powerful tools to ameliorate the effects of neurological conditions that involve a sensory or attentional deficit. While the sensory systems were once thought to be plastic only during early development, modern research demonstrates a great deal of plasticity in the adult brain. Here we discuss the value of perceptual learning as a method to improve sensory and attentional function, with a brief overview of the current approaches in the field, including how perceptual learning can be highly specific to the training set, and also how new training approaches can overcome this specificity and transfer learning effects to untrained tasks. We discuss these in the context of extant applications of perceptual learning as a treatment for neurological conditions and how new knowledge mechanisms (including attention, exposure based learning, reinforcement learning and multisensory facilitation) that allow or restrict learning in the visual system can lead to enhanced treatment approaches. We suggest new approaches that integrate multiple mechanisms of perceptual learning that promise greater learning and more generalization to real world conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Deveau
- Department of Psychology, University of California – Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Gary Lovcik
- Anaheim Hills Optometric Center, Anaheim, CA, USA
| | - Aaron R. Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California – Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
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26
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The impact of orienting attention in fast task-irrelevant perceptual learning. Atten Percept Psychophys 2012; 74:648-60. [PMID: 22287208 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-012-0270-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Task-irrelevant perceptual learning (TIPL) refers to the phenomenon where the stimulus features are learned when they are consistently presented at behaviorally relevant times (e.g., with task targets or rewards). Studies on the role of attention in TIPL have found that attention negatively impacts this type of learning; however, these studies involved stimuli that were completely irrelevant to the subjects and that, when noticed, were distracting to the subjects' task. Here, we asked whether attention would have a beneficial impact on learning in the case where the target-paired stimuli were relevant to a secondary task that subjects were required to perform. We conducted three experiments in adult subjects, using the fast-TIPL paradigm (which allows one to study TIPL with as little as a single trial of exposure). The results from Experiments 1 and 2 showed that fast-TIPL occurred for the target-paired stimuli but that the manipulation of attention increased performance for stimuli presented after the target. Experiment 3 was conducted to address whether the direction of attention positively or negatively impacted fast-TIPL and to better control for the effects of attention. The results of this experiment demonstrate that in the case of fast-TIPL, exogenously directed attention aids in the memorization of target-paired stimuli. Overall, our results demonstrate that attention operates in a beneficial manner in fast-TIPL, where the target-paired stimuli are relevant to a secondary task that subjects perform.
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Stevenson RA, Fister JK, Barnett ZP, Nidiffer AR, Wallace MT. Interactions between the spatial and temporal stimulus factors that influence multisensory integration in human performance. Exp Brain Res 2012; 219:121-37. [PMID: 22447249 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3072-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2011] [Accepted: 03/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In natural environments, human sensory systems work in a coordinated and integrated manner to perceive and respond to external events. Previous research has shown that the spatial and temporal relationships of sensory signals are paramount in determining how information is integrated across sensory modalities, but in ecologically plausible settings, these factors are not independent. In the current study, we provide a novel exploration of the impact on behavioral performance for systematic manipulations of the spatial location and temporal synchrony of a visual-auditory stimulus pair. Simple auditory and visual stimuli were presented across a range of spatial locations and stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs), and participants performed both a spatial localization and simultaneity judgment task. Response times in localizing paired visual-auditory stimuli were slower in the periphery and at larger SOAs, but most importantly, an interaction was found between the two factors, in which the effect of SOA was greater in peripheral as opposed to central locations. Simultaneity judgments also revealed a novel interaction between space and time: individuals were more likely to judge stimuli as synchronous when occurring in the periphery at large SOAs. The results of this study provide novel insights into (a) how the speed of spatial localization of an audiovisual stimulus is affected by location and temporal coincidence and the interaction between these two factors and (b) how the location of a multisensory stimulus impacts judgments concerning the temporal relationship of the paired stimuli. These findings provide strong evidence for a complex interdependency between spatial location and temporal structure in determining the ultimate behavioral and perceptual outcome associated with a paired multisensory (i.e., visual-auditory) stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Stevenson
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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28
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Batson MA, Beer AL, Seitz AR, Watanabe T. Spatial shifts of audio-visual interactions by perceptual learning are specific to the trained orientation and eye. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 24:579-94. [PMID: 22353537 DOI: 10.1163/187847611x603738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A large proportion of the human cortex is devoted to visual processing. Contrary to the traditional belief that multimodal integration takes place in multimodal processing areas separate from visual cortex, several studies have found that sounds may directly alter processing in visual brain areas. Furthermore, recent findings show that perceptual learning can change the perceptual mechanisms that relate auditory and visual senses. However, there is still a debate about the systems involved in cross-modal learning. Here, we investigated the specificity of audio-visual perceptual learning. Audio-visual cuing effects were tested on a Gabor orientation task and an object discrimination task in the presence of lateralised sound cues before and after eight-days of cross-modal task-irrelevant perceptual learning. During training, the sound cues were paired with visual stimuli that were misaligned at a proximal (trained) visual field location relative to the sound. Training was performed with one eye patched and with only one Gabor orientation. Consistent with previous findings we found that cross-modal perceptual training shifted the audio-visual cueing effect towards the trained retinotopic location. However, this shift in audio-visual tuning was only observed for the trained stimulus (Gabors), at the trained orientation, and in the trained eye. This specificity suggests that multimodal interactions resulting from cross-modal (audio-visual) task-irrelevant perceptual learning involves so-called unisensory visual processing areas in humans. Our findings provide further support for recent anatomical and physiological findings that suggest relatively early interactions in cross-modal processing.
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29
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Stevenson RA, Zemtsov RK, Wallace MT. Individual differences in the multisensory temporal binding window predict susceptibility to audiovisual illusions. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 2012; 38:1517-29. [PMID: 22390292 DOI: 10.1037/a0027339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Human multisensory systems are known to bind inputs from the different sensory modalities into a unified percept, a process that leads to measurable behavioral benefits. This integrative process can be observed through multisensory illusions, including the McGurk effect and the sound-induced flash illusion, both of which demonstrate the ability of one sensory modality to modulate perception in a second modality. Such multisensory integration is highly dependent upon the temporal relationship of the different sensory inputs, with perceptual binding occurring within a limited range of asynchronies known as the temporal binding window (TBW). Previous studies have shown that this window is highly variable across individuals, but it is unclear how these variations in the TBW relate to an individual's ability to integrate multisensory cues. Here we provide evidence linking individual differences in multisensory temporal processes to differences in the individual's audiovisual integration of illusory stimuli. Our data provide strong evidence that the temporal processing of multiple sensory signals and the merging of multiple signals into a single, unified perception, are highly related. Specifically, the width of right side of an individuals' TBW, where the auditory stimulus follows the visual, is significantly correlated with the strength of illusory percepts, as indexed via both an increase in the strength of binding synchronous sensory signals and in an improvement in correctly dissociating asynchronous signals. These findings are discussed in terms of their possible neurobiological basis, relevance to the development of sensory integration, and possible importance for clinical conditions in which there is growing evidence that multisensory integration is compromised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Stevenson
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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30
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Origins of superior dynamic visual acuity in baseball players: superior eye movements or superior image processing. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31530. [PMID: 22384033 PMCID: PMC3285166 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2011] [Accepted: 01/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is defined as the ability to discriminate the fine parts of a moving object. DVA is generally better in athletes than in non-athletes, and the better DVA of athletes has been attributed to a better ability to track moving objects. In the present study, we hypothesized that the better DVA of athletes is partly derived from better perception of moving images on the retina through some kind of perceptual learning. To test this hypothesis, we quantitatively measured DVA in baseball players and non-athletes using moving Landolt rings in two conditions. In the first experiment, the participants were allowed to move their eyes (free-eye-movement conditions), whereas in the second they were required to fixate on a fixation target (fixation conditions). The athletes displayed significantly better DVA than the non-athletes in the free-eye-movement conditions. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in the fixation conditions. These results suggest that the better DVA of athletes is primarily due to an improved ability to track moving targets with their eyes, rather than to improved perception of moving images on the retina.
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31
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Dyer AG, Griffiths DW. Seeing near and seeing far; behavioural evidence for dual mechanisms of pattern vision in the honeybee (Apis mellifera). J Exp Biol 2012; 215:397-404. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.060954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Visual perception is a primary modality for interacting with complex environments. Recent work has shown that the brain and visual system of the honeybee is able, in some cases, to learn complex spatial relationships, while in other cases, bee vision is relatively rudimentary and based upon simple elemental-type visual processing. In the present study, we test the ability of honeybees to learn 4-bar asymmetric patterns in a Y-maze with aversive–appetitive differential conditioning. In Experiment 1, a group of bees were trained at a small visual angle of 50 deg by constraining individuals to the decision chamber within the Y-maze. Bees learned this task, and were able to solve the task even in the presence of background noise. However, these bees failed to solve the task when the stimuli were presented at a novel visual angle of 100 deg. In Experiment 2, a separate group of bees were trained to sets of 4-bar asymmetric patterns that excluded retinotopic matching and, in this case, bees learned the configural rule describing stimuli at a visual angle of approximately 50 deg, and this allowed the bees to solve the task when the stimuli were presented at a novel vision angle of 100 deg. This shows that the bee brain contains multiple mechanisms for pattern recognition, and what a bee sees is very dependent upon the specific experience that it receives. These multiple mechanisms would allow bees to interact with complex environments to solve tasks like recognising landmarks at variable distances or quickly discriminating between rewarding/non-rewarding flowers at reasonable constant visual angles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian G. Dyer
- School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne 3001, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Australia
| | - David W. Griffiths
- Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia
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32
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Leclercq V, Seitz AR. Fast task-irrelevant perceptual learning is disrupted by sudden onset of central task elements. Vision Res 2011; 61:70-6. [PMID: 21810439 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2011.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2011] [Revised: 07/14/2011] [Accepted: 07/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The basic phenomenon of task-irrelevant perceptual learning (TIPL) is that the stimulus features of a subject's task will be learned when they are consistently presented at times of reward or behavioral success. Recent progress in studies of TIPL has been made by the discovery of a fast form of TIPL (fast-TIPL), which can be observed with as little as a single trial of exposure. In the present study, we investigated the task-conditions required to observe fast-TIPL. We had participants perform a target detection task at fixation while scenes to memorize were presented peripherally. In some experiments the target was presented in a sequence of distractors (Experiments 2 and 4) and in others alone (Experiments 1 and 3). In each experiment we assessed whether learning for target-paired scenes was greater than that of nontarget-paired scenes. The results indicated an enhanced memorization for scenes paired with the targets in the experiments where the target was presented with distractors, but not in the experiments where distractors were not presented. We hypothesized that without the presentation of distractors the onset of the target was sudden and this may have exogenously drawn attention to the center of the display disrupting TIPL. This sudden onset hypothesis was experimentally confirmed in Experiment 5. We conclude that fast-TIPL, with its rapid time-course, and its production of learning for supraliminally presented stimuli, shows great promise as an efficient paradigm through which to understand mechanisms of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Leclercq
- Department of Psychology, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
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33
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Boets B, Vandermosten M, Cornelissen P, Wouters J, Ghesquière P. Coherent Motion Sensitivity and Reading Development in the Transition From Prereading to Reading Stage. Child Dev 2011; 82:854-69. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01527.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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34
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Bushell WC. New beginnings: evidence that the meditational regimen can lead to optimization of perception, attention, cognition, and other functions. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2009; 1172:348-61. [PMID: 19735255 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04960.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A "framework" is presented for understanding empirically confirmed and unconfirmed phenomena in the Indo-Tibetan meditation system, from an integrative perspective, and providing evidence that certain meditative practices enable meditators to realize the innate human potential to perceive light "at the limits imposed by quantum mechanics," on the level of individual photons. This is part of a larger Buddhist agenda to meditatitively develop perceptual/attentional capacities to achieve penetrating insight into the nature of phenomena. Such capacities may also allow advanced meditators to perceive changes in natural scenes that are "hidden" from persons with "normal" attentional capacities, according to research on "change blindness," and to enhance their visual system functioning akin to high-speed and time-lapse photography, in toto allowing for the perception, as well as sophisticated understanding, of the "moment to moment change or impermanence" universally characteristic of the phenomenal world but normally outside untrained attention and perception according to Buddhist doctrine.
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Affiliation(s)
- William C Bushell
- Anthropology Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
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35
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Seitz AR, Watanabe T. The phenomenon of task-irrelevant perceptual learning. Vision Res 2009; 49:2604-10. [PMID: 19665471 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2009.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2008] [Revised: 07/30/2009] [Accepted: 08/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Task-irrelevant perceptual learning (TIPL) has captured a growing interest in the field of perceptual learning. The basic phenomenon is that stimulus features that are irrelevant to a subject's task (i.e. convey no useful information to that task) can be learned due to their consistent presentation during task-performance. Here we review recent research on TIPL and focus on two key aspects of TIPL; (1) the mechanisms gating learning in TIPL, and (2) what is learned through TIPL. We show that TIPL is gated by learning signals that are triggered from task processing or by rewards. These learning signals operate to enhance processing of individual stimulus features and appear to result in plasticity in early stages of visual processing. Furthermore, we discuss recent research that demonstrates that TIPL is not in opposition to theories of attention but instead that TIPL operates in concert with attention. Where attentional learning is best to enhance (or suppress) processing of stimuli of known task relevance, TIPL serves to enhance perception of stimuli that are originally inadequately processed by the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
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36
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Kim R, Seitz A, Feenstra H, Shams L. Testing assumptions of statistical learning: is it long-term and implicit? Neurosci Lett 2009; 461:145-9. [PMID: 19539701 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2009.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2009] [Revised: 05/05/2009] [Accepted: 06/04/2009] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Statistical learning has been studied as a mechanism by which people automatically and implicitly learn patterns in the environment. Here, we sought to examine general assumptions about statistical learning, including whether the learning is long-term, and whether it can occur implicitly. We exposed participants to a stream of stimuli, then tested them immediately after, or 24h after, exposure, with separate tests meant to measure implicit and explicit knowledge. To measure implicit learning, we analyzed reaction times during a rapid serial visual presentation detection task; for explicit learning, we used a matching questionnaire. Subjects' reaction time performance indicated that they did implicitly learn the exposed sequences, and furthermore, this learning was unrelated to explicit learning. These learning effects were observed both immediately after exposure and after a 24-h delay. These experiments offer concrete evidence that statistical learning is long-term and that the learning involves implicit learning mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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37
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Tsushima Y, Watanabe T. Roles of attention in perceptual learning from perspectives of psychophysics and animal learning. Learn Behav 2009; 37:126-32. [PMID: 19380889 PMCID: PMC2866071 DOI: 10.3758/lb.37.2.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The role of attention in perceptual learning has been a topic of controversy. Sensory psychophysicists/physiologists and animal learning psychologists have conducted numerous studies to examine this role; but because these two types of researchers use two very different lines of approach, their findings have never been effectively integrated. In the present article, we review studies from both lines and use exposure-based learning experiments to discuss the role of attention in perceptual learning. In addition, we propose a model in which exposure-based learning occurs only when a task-irrelevant feature is weak. We hope that this article will provide new insight into the role of attention in perceptual learning to the benefit of both sensory psychophysicists/physiologists and animal learning psychologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiaki Tsushima
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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38
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Seitz AR, Kim D, Watanabe T. Rewards evoke learning of unconsciously processed visual stimuli in adult humans. Neuron 2009; 61:700-7. [PMID: 19285467 PMCID: PMC2683263 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 242] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2008] [Revised: 09/19/2008] [Accepted: 01/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The study of human learning is complicated by the myriad of processing elements involved in conducting any behavioral task. In the case of visual perceptual learning, there has been significant controversy regarding the task processes that guide the formation of this learning. However, there is a developing consensus that top-down, task-related factors are required for such learning to take place. Here we challenge this idea by use of a novel procedure in which human participants, who were deprived of food and water, passively viewed visual stimuli while receiving occasional drops of water as rewards. Visual orientation stimuli, which were temporally paired with the liquid rewards, were viewed monocularly and rendered imperceptible by continuously flashing contour-rich patterns to the other eye. Results show that visual learning can be formed in human adults through stimulus-reward pairing in the absence of a task and without awareness of the stimulus presentation or reward contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, 64 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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39
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Abstract
In the present study we address the question of whether the learning of task-irrelevant stimuli found in the paradigm of task-irrelevant learning (TIPL) [1]–[9] is truly task irrelevant. To test the hypothesis that associations that are beneficial to task-performance may develop between the task-relevant and task-irrelevant stimuli, or the task-responses and the task-irrelevant stimuli, we designed a new procedure in which correlations between the presentation of task-irrelevant motion stimuli and the identity of task-targets or task-responses were manipulated. We found no evidence for associations developing between the learned (task-irrelevant) motion stimuli and the targets or responses to the letter identification task used during training. Furthermore, the conditions that had the greatest correlations between stimulus and response showed the least amount of TIPL. On the other hand, TIPL was found in conditions of greatest response uncertainty and with the greatest processing requirements for the task-relevant stimuli. This is in line with our previously published model that suggests that task-irrelevant stimuli benefit from the spill-over of learning signals that are released due to processing of task-relevant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America.
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