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Elbasheir A, Katrinli S, Kearney BE, Lanius RA, Harnett NG, Carter SE, Ely TD, Bradley B, Gillespie CF, Stevens JS, Lori A, van Rooij SJH, Powers A, Jovanovic T, Smith AK, Fani N. Racial Discrimination, Neural Connectivity, and Epigenetic Aging Among Black Women. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2416588. [PMID: 38869898 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.16588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Racial discrimination increases the risk of adverse brain health outcomes, potentially via neuroplastic changes in emotion processing networks. The involvement of deep brain regions (brainstem and midbrain) in these responses is unknown. Potential associations of racial discrimination with alterations in deep brain functional connectivity and accelerated epigenetic aging, a process that substantially increases vulnerability to health problems, are also unknown. Objective To examine associations of racial discrimination with brainstem and midbrain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and DNA methylation age acceleration (DMAA) among Black women in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study was conducted between January 1, 2012, and February 28, 2015, and included a community-based sample of Black women (aged ≥18 years) recruited as part of the Grady Trauma Project. Self-reported racial discrimination was examined in association with seed-to-voxel brain connectivity, including the locus coeruleus (LC), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and superior colliculus (SC); an index of DMAA (Horvath clock) was also evaluated. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma exposure, and age were used as covariates in statistical models to isolate racial discrimination-related variance. Data analysis was conducted between January 10 and October 30, 2023. Exposure Varying levels of racial discrimination exposure, other trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Main Outcomes and Measures Racial discrimination frequency was assessed with the Experiences of Discrimination Scale, other trauma exposure was evaluated with the Traumatic Events Inventory, and current PTSD was evaluated with the PTSD Symptom Scale. Seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analyses were conducted with LC, PAG, and SC seeds. To assess DMAA, the Methylation EPIC BeadChip assay (Illumina) was conducted with whole-blood samples from a subset of 49 participants. Results This study included 90 Black women, with a mean (SD) age of 38.5 (11.3) years. Greater racial discrimination was associated with greater left LC RSFC to the bilateral precuneus (a region within the default mode network implicated in rumination and reliving of past events; cluster size k = 228; t85 = 4.78; P < .001, false discovery rate-corrected). Significant indirect effects were observed for the left LC-precuneus RSFC on the association between racial discrimination and DMAA (β [SE] = 0.45 [0.16]; 95% CI, 0.12-0.77). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, more frequent racial discrimination was associated with proportionately greater RSFC of the LC to the precuneus, and these connectivity alterations were associated with DMAA. These findings suggest that racial discrimination contributes to accelerated biological aging via altered connectivity between the LC and default mode network, increasing vulnerability for brain health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Breanne E Kearney
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Charles F Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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Veale R, Takahashi M. Pathways for Naturalistic Looking Behavior in Primate II. Superior Colliculus Integrates Parallel Top-down and Bottom-up Inputs. Neuroscience 2024; 545:86-110. [PMID: 38484836 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Volitional signals for gaze control are provided by multiple parallel pathways converging on the midbrain superior colliculus (SC), whose deeper layers output to the brainstem gaze circuits. In the first of two papers (Takahashi and Veale, 2023), we described the properties of gaze behavior of several species under both laboratory and natural conditions, as well as the current understanding of the brainstem and spinal cord circuits implementing gaze control in primate. In this paper, we review the parallel pathways by which sensory and task information reaches SC and how these sensory and task signals interact within SC's multilayered structure. This includes both bottom-up (world statistics) signals mediated by sensory cortex, association cortex, and subcortical structures, as well as top-down (goal and task) influences which arrive via either direct excitatory pathways from cerebral cortex, or via indirect basal ganglia relays resulting in inhibition or dis-inhibition as appropriate for alternative behaviors. Models of attention such as saliency maps serve as convenient frameworks to organize our understanding of both the separate computations of each neural pathway, as well as the interaction between the multiple parallel pathways influencing gaze. While the spatial interactions between gaze's neural pathways are relatively well understood, the temporal interactions between and within pathways will be an important area of future study, requiring both improved technical methods for measurement and improvement of our understanding of how temporal dynamics results in the observed spatiotemporal allocation of gaze.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Veale
- Department of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan
| | - Mayu Takahashi
- Department of Systems Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
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3
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Esposito M, Palermo S, Nahi YC, Tamietto M, Celeghin A. Implicit Selective Attention: The Role of the Mesencephalic-basal Ganglia System. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:1497-1512. [PMID: 37653629 PMCID: PMC11097991 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230831163052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of the brain to recognize and orient attention to relevant stimuli appearing in the visual field is highlighted by a tuning process, which involves modulating the early visual system by both cortical and subcortical brain areas. Selective attention is coordinated not only by the output of stimulus-based saliency maps but is also influenced by top-down cognitive factors, such as internal states, goals, or previous experiences. The basal ganglia system plays a key role in implicitly modulating the underlying mechanisms of selective attention, favouring the formation and maintenance of implicit sensory-motor memories that are capable of automatically modifying the output of priority maps in sensory-motor structures of the midbrain, such as the superior colliculus. The article presents an overview of the recent literature outlining the crucial contribution of several subcortical structures to the processing of different sources of salient stimuli. In detail, we will focus on how the mesencephalic- basal ganglia closed loops contribute to implicitly addressing and modulating selective attention to prioritized stimuli. We conclude by discussing implicit behavioural responses observed in clinical populations in which awareness is compromised at some level. Implicit (emergent) awareness in clinical conditions that can be accompanied by manifest anosognosic symptomatology (i.e., hemiplegia) or involving abnormal conscious processing of visual information (i.e., unilateral spatial neglect and blindsight) represents interesting neurocognitive "test cases" for inferences about mesencephalicbasal ganglia closed-loops involvement in the formation of implicit sensory-motor memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Esposito
- Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Turin
| | - Sara Palermo
- Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Turin
- Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic and Technology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Marco Tamietto
- Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Turin
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, and CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, PO Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Alessia Celeghin
- Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Turin
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4
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Bogadhi AR, Hafed ZM. Express detection of visual objects by primate superior colliculus neurons. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21730. [PMID: 38066070 PMCID: PMC10709564 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48979-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Primate superior colliculus (SC) neurons exhibit visual feature tuning properties and are implicated in a subcortical network hypothesized to mediate fast threat and/or conspecific detection. However, the mechanisms through which SC neurons contribute to peripheral object detection, for supporting rapid orienting responses, remain unclear. Here we explored whether, and how quickly, SC neurons detect real-life object stimuli. We presented experimentally-controlled gray-scale images of seven different object categories, and their corresponding luminance- and spectral-matched image controls, within the extrafoveal response fields of SC neurons. We found that all of our functionally-identified SC neuron types preferentially detected real-life objects even in their very first stimulus-evoked visual bursts. Intriguingly, even visually-responsive motor-related neurons exhibited such robust early object detection. We further identified spatial frequency information in visual images as an important, but not exhaustive, source for the earliest (within 100 ms) but not for the late (after 100 ms) component of object detection by SC neurons. Our results demonstrate rapid and robust detection of extrafoveal visual objects by the SC. Besides supporting recent evidence that even SC saccade-related motor bursts can preferentially represent visual objects, these results reveal a plausible mechanism through which rapid orienting responses to extrafoveal visual objects can be mediated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarender R Bogadhi
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller Str. 25, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Central Nervous System Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, 88400, Biberach, Germany
| | - Ziad M Hafed
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller Str. 25, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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5
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Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a subcortical brain structure that is relevant for sensation, cognition, and action. In nonhuman primates, a rich history of studies has provided unprecedented detail about this structure's role in controlling orienting behaviors; as a result, the primate SC has become primarily regarded as a motor control structure. However, as in other species, the primate SC is also a highly visual structure: A fraction of its inputs is retinal and complemented by inputs from visual cortical areas, including the primary visual cortex. Motivated by this, recent investigations are revealing the rich visual pattern analysis capabilities of the primate SC, placing this structure in an ideal position to guide orienting movements. The anatomical proximity of the primate SC to both early visual inputs and final motor control apparatuses, as well as its ascending feedback projections to the cortex, affirms an important role for this structure in active perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziad M Hafed
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Chih-Yang Chen
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan;
| | - Amarender R Bogadhi
- Central Nervous System Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany;
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6
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Coelho CM, Araújo AS, Suttiwan P, Zsido AN. An ethologically based view into human fear. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 145:105017. [PMID: 36566802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The quality of the defensive response to a threat depends on the elements that trigger the fear response. The current classification system of phobias does not account for this. Here, we analyze the fear-eliciting elements and discern the different types of fears that originate from them. We propose Pain, Disgust, Vasovagal response, Visual-vestibular and postural interactions, Movement and Speed, Distance and Size, Low and mid-level visual features, Smell, and Territory and social status. We subdivide phobias according to the fear-eliciting elements most frequently triggered by them and their impact on behavior. We discuss the implications of a clinical conceptualization of phobias in humans by reconsidering the current nosology. This conceptualization will facilitate finding etiological factors in defensive behavior expression, fine-tuning exposure techniques, and challenging preconceived notions of preparedness. This approach to phobias leads to surprising discoveries and shows how specific responses bear little relation to the interpretation we might later give to them. Dividing fears into their potentially fear-eliciting elements can also help in applying the research principles formulated by the Research Domain Criteria initiative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Coelho
- University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal; Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana S Araújo
- Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; University of Maia, Maia, Portugal
| | - Panrapee Suttiwan
- Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Life Di Center, Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
| | - Andras N Zsido
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, Pécs 7624, Hungary; Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs 7622, Hungary
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7
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Hu X, Feng B, Chen L, Luo W. Threat shapes visual context sensitivity selectively through low-spatial-frequency channels. Cognition 2023; 230:105305. [PMID: 36228380 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Threat has long been supposed to affect human cognitive processing including visual size perception. Whether such threat-related modulation effect varies as a function of spatial frequency is largely unexplored. Here we used low- or high-pass filtered threatening animal and fearful face images as primes and measured their effects on the processing of the Ebbinghaus illusion. Results showed that threatening-animal primes relative to neutral ones significantly decreased the illusion magnitude in low-spatial-frequency rather than in high-spatial-frequency ranges. However, fearful- and neutral-face primes had a comparable effect on the illusion magnitude in both spatial frequency ranges. Notably, when inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied to the left temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), fearful-face primes significantly decreased the illusion magnitude in low-spatial-frequency rather than in high-spatial-frequency ranges. However, the opposite pattern of results was observed with right TPJ stimulation. The findings suggest that threat shapes basic aspects of visual perception in a spatial frequency-specific manner, possibly via magnocellular projections from both subcortical and cortical fear-processing systems to early visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuhua Hu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, PR China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, PR China
| | - Bengang Feng
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, PR China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, PR China
| | - Lihong Chen
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, PR China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, PR China.
| | - Wenbo Luo
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, PR China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, PR China.
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8
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Jure R. The “Primitive Brain Dysfunction” Theory of Autism: The Superior Colliculus Role. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:797391. [PMID: 35712344 PMCID: PMC9194533 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.797391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of the pathogenesis of autism will help clarify our conception of the complexity of normal brain development. The crucial deficit may lie in the postnatal changes that vision produces in the brainstem nuclei during early life. The superior colliculus is the primary brainstem visual center. Although difficult to examine in humans with present techniques, it is known to support behaviors essential for every vertebrate to survive, such as the ability to pay attention to relevant stimuli and to produce automatic motor responses based on sensory input. From birth to death, it acts as a brain sentinel that influences basic aspects of our behavior. It is the main brainstem hub that lies between the environment and the rest of the higher neural system, making continuous, implicit decisions about where to direct our attention. The conserved cortex-like organization of the superior colliculus in all vertebrates allows the early appearance of primitive emotionally-related behaviors essential for survival. It contains first-line specialized neurons enabling the detection and tracking of faces and movements from birth. During development, it also sends the appropriate impulses to help shape brain areas necessary for social-communicative abilities. These abilities require the analysis of numerous variables, such as the simultaneous evaluation of incoming information sustained by separate brain networks (visual, auditory and sensory-motor, social, emotional, etc.), and predictive capabilities which compare present events to previous experiences and possible responses. These critical aspects of decision-making allow us to evaluate the impact that our response or behavior may provoke in others. The purpose of this review is to show that several enigmas about the complexity of autism might be explained by disruptions of collicular and brainstem functions. The results of two separate lines of investigation: 1. the cognitive, etiologic, and pathogenic aspects of autism on one hand, and two. the functional anatomy of the colliculus on the other, are considered in order to bridge the gap between basic brain science and clinical studies and to promote future research in this unexplored area.
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9
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Liu X, Huang H, Snutch TP, Cao P, Wang L, Wang F. The Superior Colliculus: Cell Types, Connectivity, and Behavior. Neurosci Bull 2022; 38:1519-1540. [PMID: 35484472 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00858-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC), one of the most well-characterized midbrain sensorimotor structures where visual, auditory, and somatosensory information are integrated to initiate motor commands, is highly conserved across vertebrate evolution. Moreover, cell-type-specific SC neurons integrate afferent signals within local networks to generate defined output related to innate and cognitive behaviors. This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding of phenotypic diversity amongst SC neurons and their intrinsic circuits and long-projection targets. We further describe relevant neural circuits and specific cell types in relation to behavioral outputs and cognitive functions. The systematic delineation of SC organization, cell types, and neural connections is further put into context across species as these depend upon laminar architecture. Moreover, we focus on SC neural circuitry involving saccadic eye movement, and cognitive and innate behaviors. Overall, the review provides insight into SC functioning and represents a basis for further understanding of the pathology associated with SC dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongren Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Terrance P Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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10
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Lev-Ari T, Beeri H, Gutfreund Y. The Ecological View of Selective Attention. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:856207. [PMID: 35391754 PMCID: PMC8979825 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.856207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence is supporting the hypothesis that our selective attention is a manifestation of mechanisms that evolved early in evolution and are shared by many organisms from different taxa. This surge of new data calls for the re-examination of our notions about attention, which have been dominated mostly by human psychology. Here, we present an hypothesis that challenges, based on evolutionary grounds, a common view of attention as a means to manage limited brain resources. We begin by arguing that evolutionary considerations do not favor the basic proposition of the limited brain resources view of attention, namely, that the capacity of the sensory organs to provide information exceeds the capacity of the brain to process this information. Moreover, physiological studies in animals and humans show that mechanisms of selective attention are highly demanding of brain resources, making it paradoxical to see attention as a means to release brain resources. Next, we build on the above arguments to address the question why attention evolved in evolution. We hypothesize that, to a certain extent, limiting sensory processing is adaptive irrespective of brain capacity. We call this hypothesis the ecological view of attention (EVA) because it is centered on interactions of an animal with its environment rather than on internal brain resources. In its essence is the notion that inherently noisy and degraded sensory inputs serve the animal’s adaptive, dynamic interactions with its environment. Attention primarily functions to resolve behavioral conflicts and false distractions. Hence, we evolved to focus on a particular target at the expense of others, not because of internal limitations, but to ensure that behavior is properly oriented and committed to its goals. Here, we expand on this notion and review evidence supporting it. We show how common results in human psychophysics and physiology can be reconciled with an EVA and discuss possible implications of the notion for interpreting current results and guiding future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tidhar Lev-Ari
- The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, The Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Hadar Beeri
- The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, The Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoram Gutfreund
- The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, The Technion, Haifa, Israel
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Dinh HT, Meng Y, Matsumoto J, Setogawa T, Nishimaru H, Nishijo H. Fast Detection of Snakes and Emotional Faces in the Macaque Amygdala. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:839123. [PMID: 35386724 PMCID: PMC8979552 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.839123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Primate vision is reported to detect snakes and emotional faces faster than many other tested stimuli. Because the amygdala has been implicated in avoidance and emotional behaviors to biologically relevant stimuli and has neural connections with subcortical nuclei involved with vision, amygdalar neurons would be sensitive to snakes and emotional faces. In this study, neuronal activity in the amygdala was recorded from Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) during discrimination of eight categories of visual stimuli including snakes, monkey faces, human faces, carnivores, raptors, non-predators, monkey hands, and simple figures. Of 527 amygdalar neurons, 95 responded to one or more stimuli. Response characteristics of the amygdalar neurons indicated that they were more sensitive to the snakes and emotional faces than other stimuli. Response magnitudes and latencies of amygdalar neurons to snakes and monkey faces were stronger and faster than those to the other categories of stimuli, respectively. Furthermore, response magnitudes to the low pass-filtered snake images were larger than those to scrambled snake images. Finally, analyses of population activity of amygdalar neurons suggest that snakes and emotional faces were represented separately from the other stimuli during the 50–100 ms period from stimulus onset, and neutral faces during the 100–150 ms period. These response characteristics indicate that the amygdala processes fast and coarse visual information from emotional faces and snakes (but not other predators of primates) among the eight categories of the visual stimuli, and suggest that, like anthropoid primate visual systems, the amygdala has been shaped over evolutionary time to detect appearance of potentially threatening stimuli including both emotional faces and snakes, the first of the modern predators of primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha Trong Dinh
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Yang Meng
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Setogawa
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- *Correspondence: Hiroshi Nishimaru,
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Hisao Nishijo,
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Kondo S, Kiyohara Y, Ohki K. Response Selectivity of the Lateral Posterior Nucleus Axons Projecting to the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:825735. [PMID: 35296036 PMCID: PMC8918919 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.825735] [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: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the mouse primary visual cortex (V1) exhibit characteristic response selectivity to visual stimuli, such as orientation, direction and spatial frequency selectivity. Since V1 receives thalamic visual inputs from the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and lateral posterior nucleus (LPN), the response selectivity of the V1 neurons could be influenced mostly by these inputs. However, it remains unclear how these two thalamic inputs contribute to the response selectivity of the V1 neurons. In this study, we examined the orientation, direction and spatial frequency selectivity of the LPN axons projecting to V1 and compared their response selectivity with our previous results of the LGN axons in mice. For this purpose, the genetically encoded calcium indicator, GCaMP6s, was locally expressed in the LPN using the adeno-associated virus (AAV) infection method. Visual stimulations were presented, and axonal imaging was conducted in V1 by two-photon calcium imaging in vivo. We found that LPN axons primarily terminate in layers 1 and 5 and, to a lesser extent, in layers 2/3 and 4 of V1, while LGN axons mainly terminate in layer 4 and, to a lesser extent, in layers 1 and 2/3 of V1. LPN axons send highly orientation- and direction-selective inputs to all the examined layers in V1, whereas LGN axons send highly orientation- and direction-selective inputs to layers 1 and 2/3 but low orientation and direction selective inputs to layer 4 in V1. The distribution of preferred orientation and direction was strongly biased toward specific orientations and directions in LPN axons, while weakly biased to cardinal orientations and directions in LGN axons. In spatial frequency tuning, both the LPN and LGN axons send selective inputs to V1. The distribution of preferred spatial frequency was more diverse in the LPN axons than in the LGN axons. In conclusion, LPN inputs to V1 are functionally different from LGN inputs and may have different roles in the orientation, direction and spatial frequency tuning of the V1 neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoru Kondo
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- World Premier International Research Center – International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), Tokyo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Satoru Kondo,
| | - Yuko Kiyohara
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenichi Ohki
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- World Premier International Research Center – International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), Tokyo, Japan
- Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Kenichi Ohki,
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13
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Zsidó AN, Stecina DT, Cseh R, Hout MC. The effects of task-irrelevant threatening stimuli on orienting- and executive attentional processes under cognitive load. Br J Psychol 2021; 113:412-433. [PMID: 34773254 PMCID: PMC9299041 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Human visual attention is biased to rapidly detect threats in the environment so that our nervous system can initiate quick reactions. The processes underlying threat detection (and how they operate under cognitive load), however, are still poorly understood. Thus, we sought to test the impact of task‐irrelevant threatening stimuli on the salience network and executive control of attention during low and high cognitive load. Participants were exposed to neutral or threatening pictures (with moderate and high arousal levels) as task‐irrelevant distractors in near (parafoveal) and far (peripheral) positions while searching for numbers in ascending order in a matrix array. We measured reaction times and recorded eye‐movements. Our results showed that task‐irrelevant distractors primarily influenced behavioural measures during high cognitive load. The distracting effect of threatening images with moderate arousal level slowed reaction times for finding the first number. However, this slowing was offset by high arousal threatening stimuli, leading to overall shorter search times. Eye‐tracking measures showed that participants fixated threatening pictures more later and for shorter durations compared to neutral images. Together, our results indicate a complex relationship between threats and attention that results not in a unitary bias but in a sequence of effects that unfold over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andras N Zsidó
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, Pecs, Hungary
| | | | - Rebecca Cseh
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Michael C Hout
- Department of Psychology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.,National Science Foundation, Virginia, Alexandria, USA
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14
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Effects of perinatal dioxin exposure on mirror neuron activity in 9-year-old children living in a hot spot of dioxin contamination in Vietnam. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:108001. [PMID: 34450135 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND For 8 years, we have followed up a birth cohort comprising 241 mother-and-infant pairs living around the Da Nang airbase, a hot spot of dioxin contamination in Vietnam, and have reported the impacts of perinatal dioxin exposure on the neurodevelopment of children at various ages. In the present study, 9 years after birth, we investigated the effects of perinatal dioxin exposure on mu and theta rhythms by analyzing EEG power during the execution and observation of hand movements, which indicate mirror neuron system activity. METHODS One hundred fifty-five 9-year-old children (86 boys and 69 girls) from the Da Nang birth cohort participated in the EEG examination with free viewing of hand movements. The dioxin levels in their mothers' breast milk, measured 1 month after birth, were used as perinatal dioxin exposure markers. A log transform of the ratio of EEG power during execution or observation of the hand movements relative to the power during observation of a bouncing ball for theta and mu rhythms was used to evaluate mirror neuron activity. RESULTS In both brain hemispheres, the log power ratio in the theta band was significantly higher (i.e., less reduction of power) during observation of hand movements in girls exposed to high levels of TCDD. In boys, however, dioxin congeners other than TCDD, including HxCDDs and several PCDF congeners, contributed to increased log power ratios in the theta band. Particularly for PCDF congeners, the log power ratios in the lowest group among 4 exposure groups were lowest and significantly increased (i.e., decreasing reduction of power) with increasing dose. CONCLUSION Perinatal TCDD exposure may influence the mirror neuron system of the brain, which plays an important role for social-emotional behavior in children, particularly in girls living in a hot spot of dioxin contamination in Vietnam.
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15
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Abstract
Initial evaluation structures (IESs) currently proposed as the earliest detectors of affective stimuli (e.g., amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, or insula) are high-order structures (a) whose response latency cannot account for the first visual cortex emotion-related response (~80 ms), and (b) lack the necessary infrastructure to locally analyze the visual features that define emotional stimuli. Several thalamic structures accomplish both criteria. The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), a first-order thalamic nucleus that actively processes visual information, with the complement of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) are proposed as core IESs. This LGN–TRN tandem could be supported by the pulvinar, a second-order thalamic structure, and by other extrathalamic nuclei. The visual thalamus, scarcely explored in affective neurosciences, seems crucial in early emotional evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Carretié
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
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16
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Presence of the Endocannabinoid System in the Inferior Pulvinar of the Vervet Monkey. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060770. [PMID: 34200554 PMCID: PMC8227723 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The expression of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, including cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) and the cannabinoid synthesizing (NAPE-PLD) and degrading (FAAH) enzymes, has been well-characterized in the retina of rodents and monkeys. More recently, the presence of CB1R was localized throughout the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus of vervet monkeys. Given that the retina projects also to the pulvinar either via a direct projection or via the superior colliculus, it was reasonable to assume that this system would be present therein. The visual pulvinar, namely the inferior pulvinar (PI) region, was delineated with calbindin immunohistochemical staining. Using Western blots and immunofluorescence, we demonstrated that CB1R, NAPE-PLD and FAAH are expressed in the PI of the vervet monkey. Throughout the PI, CB1R was mainly colocalized with VGLUT2-positive axon terminals in the vicinity of calbindin and parvalbumin-positive neurons. NAPE-PLD and FAAH rather colocalized with calbindin over the somatodendritic compartment of PI neurons. Our results suggest that visual information coming from the retina and entering the PI is modulated by the eCB system on its way to the dorsal visual stream. These results provide insights for understanding the role of eCBs in the modulation of visual thalamic inputs and, hence, visual perception.
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17
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Dinh HT, Nishimaru H, Le QV, Matsumoto J, Setogawa T, Maior RS, Tomaz C, Ono T, Nishijo H. Preferential Neuronal Responses to Snakes in the Monkey Medial Prefrontal Cortex Support an Evolutionary Origin for Ophidiophobia. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:653250. [PMID: 33841110 PMCID: PMC8024491 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.653250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ophidiophobia (snake phobia) is one of the most common specific phobias. It has been proposed that specific phobia may have an evolutionary origin, and that attentional bias to specific items may promote the onset of phobia. Noninvasive imaging studies of patients with specific phobia reported that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), especially the rostral part of the anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), and amygdala are activated during the presentation of phobogenic stimuli. We propose that the mPFC-amygdala circuit may be involved in the pathogenesis of phobia. The mPFC receives inputs from the phylogenically old subcortical visual pathway including the superior colliculus, pulvinar, and amygdala, while mPFC neurons are highly sensitive to snakes that are the first modern predator of primates, and discriminate snakes with striking postures from those with non-striking postures. Furthermore, the mPFC has been implicated in the attentional allocation and promotes amygdala-dependent aversive conditioning. These findings suggest that the rACC focuses attention on snakes, and promotes aversive conditioning to snakes, which may lead to anxiety and ophidiophobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha Trong Dinh
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.,Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Quan Van Le
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.,Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Setogawa
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.,Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Rafael S Maior
- Primate Center and Laboratory of Neurosciences and Behavior, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Carlos Tomaz
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Behavior, CEUMA University, São Luis, Brazil
| | - Taketoshi Ono
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.,Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
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18
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A multisensory perspective onto primate pulvinar functions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:231-243. [PMID: 33662442 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Perception in ambiguous environments relies on the combination of sensory information from various sources. Most associative and primary sensory cortical areas are involved in this multisensory active integration process. As a result, the entire cortex appears as heavily multisensory. In this review, we focus on the contribution of the pulvinar to multisensory integration. This subcortical thalamic nucleus plays a central role in visual detection and selection at a fast time scale, as well as in the regulation of visual processes, at a much slower time scale. However, the pulvinar is also densely connected to cortical areas involved in multisensory integration. In spite of this, little is known about its multisensory properties and its contribution to multisensory perception. Here, we review the anatomical and functional organization of multisensory input to the pulvinar. We describe how visual, auditory, somatosensory, pain, proprioceptive and olfactory projections are differentially organized across the main subdivisions of the pulvinar and we show that topography is central to the organization of this complex nucleus. We propose that the pulvinar combines multiple sources of sensory information to enhance fast responses to the environment, while also playing the role of a general regulation hub for adaptive and flexible cognition.
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19
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Lau AR, Grote MN, Dufek ME, Franzetti TJ, Bales KL, Isbell LA. Titi monkey neophobia and visual abilities allow for fast responses to novel stimuli. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2578. [PMID: 33510399 PMCID: PMC7844259 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82116-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The Snake Detection Theory implicates constricting snakes in the origin of primates, and venomous snakes for differences between catarrhine and platyrrhine primate visual systems. Although many studies using different methods have found very rapid snake detection in catarrhines, including humans, to date no studies have examined how quickly platyrrhine primates can detect snakes. We therefore tested in captive coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) the latency to detect a small portion of visible snake skin. Because titi monkeys are neophobic, we designed a crossover experiment to compare their latency to look and their duration of looking at a snake skin and synthetic feather of two lengths (2.5 cm and uncovered). To test our predictions that the latency to look would be shorter and the duration of looking would be longer for the snake skin, we used survival/event time models for latency to look and negative binomial mixed models for duration of looking. While titi monkeys looked more quickly and for longer at both the snake skin and feather compared to a control, they also looked more quickly and for longer at larger compared to smaller stimuli. This suggests titi monkeys' neophobia may augment their visual abilities to help them avoid dangerous stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison R Lau
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Mark N Grote
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Madison E Dufek
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Tristan J Franzetti
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Karen L Bales
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Lynne A Isbell
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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20
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Bogadhi AR, Buonocore A, Hafed ZM. Task-Irrelevant Visual Forms Facilitate Covert and Overt Spatial Selection. J Neurosci 2020; 40:9496-9506. [PMID: 33127854 PMCID: PMC7724129 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1593-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Covert and overt spatial selection behaviors are guided by both visual saliency maps derived from early visual features as well as priority maps reflecting high-level cognitive factors. However, whether mid-level perceptual processes associated with visual form recognition contribute to covert and overt spatial selection behaviors remains unclear. We hypothesized that if peripheral visual forms contribute to spatial selection behaviors, then they should do so even when the visual forms are task-irrelevant. We tested this hypothesis in male and female human subjects as well as in male macaque monkeys performing a visual detection task. In this task, subjects reported the detection of a suprathreshold target spot presented on top of one of two peripheral images, and they did so with either a speeded manual button press (humans) or a speeded saccadic eye movement response (humans and monkeys). Crucially, the two images, one with a visual form and the other with a partially phase-scrambled visual form, were completely irrelevant to the task. In both manual (covert) and oculomotor (overt) response modalities, and in both humans and monkeys, response times were faster when the target was congruent with a visual form than when it was incongruent. Importantly, incongruent targets were associated with almost all errors, suggesting that forms automatically captured selection behaviors. These findings demonstrate that mid-level perceptual processes associated with visual form recognition contribute to covert and overt spatial selection. This indicates that neural circuits associated with target selection, such as the superior colliculus, may have privileged access to visual form information.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Spatial selection of visual information either with (overt) or without (covert) foveating eye movements is critical to primate behavior. However, it is still not clear whether spatial maps in sensorimotor regions known to guide overt and covert spatial selection are influenced by peripheral visual forms. We probed the ability of humans and monkeys to perform overt and covert target selection in the presence of spatially congruent or incongruent visual forms. Even when completely task-irrelevant, images of visual objects had a dramatic effect on target selection, acting much like spatial cues used in spatial attention tasks. Our results demonstrate that traditional brain circuits for orienting behaviors, such as the superior colliculus, likely have privileged access to visual object representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarender R Bogadhi
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
| | - Antimo Buonocore
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
| | - Ziad M Hafed
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
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21
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Cheong HS, Siwanowicz I, Card GM. Multi-regional circuits underlying visually guided decision-making in Drosophila. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 65:77-87. [PMID: 33217639 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Visually guided decision-making requires integration of information from distributed brain areas, necessitating a brain-wide approach to examine its neural mechanisms. New tools in Drosophila melanogaster enable circuits spanning the brain to be charted with single cell-type resolution. Here, we highlight recent advances uncovering the computations and circuits that transform and integrate visual information across the brain to make behavioral choices. Visual information flows from the optic lobes to three primary central brain regions: a sensorimotor mapping area and two 'higher' centers for memory or spatial orientation. Rapid decision-making during predator evasion emerges from the spike timing dynamics in parallel sensorimotor cascades. Goal-directed decisions may occur through memory, navigation and valence processing in the central complex and mushroom bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Sj Cheong
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States
| | - Igor Siwanowicz
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States
| | - Gwyneth M Card
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States.
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22
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The neuropathological basis of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease. Med Hypotheses 2020; 144:110048. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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23
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Blink and You Will Miss It: a Core Role for Fast and Dynamic Visual Processing in Social Impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorder. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-020-00220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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24
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Heyes C, Chater N, Dwyer DM. Sinking In: The Peripheral Baldwinisation of Human Cognition. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:884-899. [PMID: 32981845 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The Baldwin effect is a hypothetical process in which a learned response to environmental change evolves a genetic basis. Modelling has shown that the Baldwin effect offers a plausible and elegant explanation for the emergence of complex behavioural traits, but there is little direct empirical evidence for its occurrence. We highlight experimental evidence of the Baldwin effect and argue that it acts preferentially on peripheral rather than on central cognitive processes. Careful scrutiny of research on taste-aversion and fear learning, language, and imitation indicates that their efficiency depends on adaptively specialised input and output processes: analogues of scanner and printer interfaces that feed information to core inference processes and structure their behavioural expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Heyes
- All Souls College and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 4AL, UK.
| | - Nick Chater
- Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
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25
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Bertels J, Bourguignon M, de Heering A, Chetail F, De Tiège X, Cleeremans A, Destrebecqz A. Snakes elicit specific neural responses in the human infant brain. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7443. [PMID: 32366886 PMCID: PMC7198620 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63619-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Detecting predators is essential for survival. Given that snakes are the first of primates' major predators, natural selection may have fostered efficient snake detection mechanisms to allow for optimal defensive behavior. Here, we provide electrophysiological evidence for a brain-anchored evolved predisposition to rapidly detect snakes in humans, which does not depend on previous exposure or knowledge about snakes. To do so, we recorded scalp electrical brain activity in 7- to 10-month-old infants watching sequences of flickering animal pictures. All animals were presented in their natural background. We showed that glancing at snakes generates specific neural responses in the infant brain, that are higher in amplitude than those generated by frogs or caterpillars, especially in the occipital region of the brain. The temporal dynamics of these neural responses support that infants devote increased attention to snakes than to non-snake stimuli. These results therefore demonstrate that a single fixation at snakes is sufficient to generate a prompt and large selective response in the infant brain. They argue for the existence in humans of an inborn, brain-anchored mechanism to swiftly detect snakes based on their characteristic visual features.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Bertels
- Consciousness, Cognition and Computation Group (CO3), Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium. .,Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau (LCFC), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
| | - M Bourguignon
- Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau (LCFC), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - A de Heering
- Consciousness, Cognition and Computation Group (CO3), Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - F Chetail
- Laboratoire Cognition Langage Développement (LCLD), Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - X De Tiège
- Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau (LCFC), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Cleeremans
- Consciousness, Cognition and Computation Group (CO3), Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Destrebecqz
- Consciousness, Cognition and Computation Group (CO3), Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
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26
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Chou XL, Fang Q, Yan L, Zhong W, Peng B, Li H, Wei J, Tao HW, Zhang LI. Contextual and cross-modality modulation of auditory cortical processing through pulvinar mediated suppression. eLife 2020; 9:e54157. [PMID: 32142411 PMCID: PMC7080503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of thalamus, the rodent homologue of primate pulvinar, projects extensively to sensory cortices. However, its functional role in sensory cortical processing remains largely unclear. Here, bidirectional activity modulations of LP or its projection to the primary auditory cortex (A1) in awake mice reveal that LP improves auditory processing in A1 supragranular-layer neurons by sharpening their receptive fields and frequency tuning, as well as increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This is achieved through a subtractive-suppression mechanism, mediated largely by LP-to-A1 axons preferentially innervating specific inhibitory neurons in layer 1 and superficial layers. LP is strongly activated by specific sensory signals relayed from the superior colliculus (SC), contributing to the maintenance and enhancement of A1 processing in the presence of auditory background noise and threatening visual looming stimuli respectively. Thus, a multisensory bottom-up SC-pulvinar-A1 pathway plays a role in contextual and cross-modality modulation of auditory cortical processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-lin Chou
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Qi Fang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Linqing Yan
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Wen Zhong
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Bo Peng
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Haifu Li
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Jinxing Wei
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Huizhong W Tao
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Li I Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
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27
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Ultra High Field fMRI of Human Superior Colliculi Activity during Affective Visual Processing. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1331. [PMID: 31992744 PMCID: PMC6987103 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57653-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on rodents and non-human primates has established the involvement of the superior colliculus in defensive behaviours and visual threat detection. The superior colliculus has been well-studied in humans for its functional roles in saccade and visual processing, but less is known about its involvement in affect. In standard functional MRI studies of the human superior colliculus, it is challenging to discern activity in the superior colliculus from activity in surrounding nuclei such as the periaqueductal gray due to technological and methodological limitations. Employing high-field strength (7 Tesla) fMRI techniques, this study imaged the superior colliculus at high (0.75 mm isotropic) resolution, which enabled isolation of the superior colliculus from other brainstem nuclei. Superior colliculus activation during emotionally aversive image viewing blocks was greater than that during neutral image viewing blocks. These findings suggest that the superior colliculus may play a role in shaping subjective emotional experiences in addition to its visuomotor functions, bridging the gap between affective research on humans and non-human animals.
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28
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Fang Q, Chou XL, Peng B, Zhong W, Zhang LI, Tao HW. A Differential Circuit via Retino-Colliculo-Pulvinar Pathway Enhances Feature Selectivity in Visual Cortex through Surround Suppression. Neuron 2019; 105:355-369.e6. [PMID: 31812514 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
In the mammalian visual system, information from the retina streams into parallel bottom-up pathways. It remains unclear how these pathways interact to contribute to contextual modulation of visual cortical processing. By optogenetic inactivation and activation of mouse lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of thalamus, a homolog of pulvinar, or its projection to primary visual cortex (V1), we found that LP contributes to surround suppression of layer (L) 2/3 responses in V1 by driving L1 inhibitory neurons. This results in subtractive suppression of visual responses and an overall enhancement of orientation, direction, spatial, and size selectivity. Neurons in V1-projecting LP regions receive bottom-up input from the superior colliculus (SC) and respond preferably to non-patterned visual noise. The noise-dependent LP activity allows V1 to "cancel" noise effects and maintain its orientation selectivity under varying noise background. Thus, the retina-SC-LP-V1 pathway forms a differential circuit with the canonical retino-geniculate pathway to achieve context-dependent sharpening of visual representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Fang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Xiao-Lin Chou
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Bo Peng
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Wen Zhong
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Li I Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Huizhong Whit Tao
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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29
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Rosén J, Kastrati G, Reppling A, Bergkvist K, Åhs F. The effect of immersive virtual reality on proximal and conditioned threat. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17407. [PMID: 31758051 PMCID: PMC6874534 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53971-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality lets the user be immersed in a 3-dimensional environment, which can enhance certain emotional responses to stimuli relative to experiencing them on a flat computer screen. We here tested whether displaying two different types of threats in immersive virtual reality enhanced threat related autonomic responses measured by skin conductance responses (SCRs). We studied innate and learned threat responses because these types of threats have been shown to depend on different neural circuits in animals. Therefore, it is possible that immersive virtual reality may modulate one of these threats but not the other. Innate threat responses were provoked by the sudden appearance of characters at proximal egocentric distance, which were compared to the sudden appearance of distant characters (proximal threat). Learned threat responses were studied by conditioning two of the characters to an electric shock (conditioned threat) and contrasting SCRs to these characters with SCRs to two other characters that were never paired with shock. We found that displaying stimuli in immersive virtual reality enhanced proximal threat responses but not conditioned threat responses. Findings show that immersive virtual reality can enhance an innate type of threat responses without affecting a learned threat response, suggesting that separate neural pathways serve these threat responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörgen Rosén
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Granit Kastrati
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aksel Reppling
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Klas Bergkvist
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Åhs
- Department of Psychology and Social Work, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
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30
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Coelho CM, Suttiwan P, Faiz AM, Ferreira-Santos F, Zsido AN. Are Humans Prepared to Detect, Fear, and Avoid Snakes? The Mismatch Between Laboratory and Ecological Evidence. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2094. [PMID: 31572273 PMCID: PMC6749087 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Since Seligman (1971) statement that the vast majority of phobias are about objects essential to the survival of a species, a multitude of laboratory studies followed, supporting the finding that humans learn to fear and detect snakes (and other animals) faster than other stimuli. Most of these studies used schematic drawings, images, or pictures of snakes, and only a small amount of fieldwork in naturalistic environments was done. We address fear preparedness theories and automatic fast detection data from mainstream laboratory data and compare it with ethobehavioral information relative to snakes, predator-prey interaction, and snakes’ defensive kinematics strikes in order to analyze their potential matching. From this analysis, four main findings arose, namely that (1) snakebites occur when people are very close to the snake and are unaware or unable to escape the bite; (2) human visual detection and escape response is slow compared to the speed of snake strikes; (3) in natural environments, snake experts are often unable to see snakes existing nearby; (4) animate objects in general capture more attention over other stimuli and dangerous, but recent objects in evolutionary terms are also able to be detected fast. The issues mentioned above pose several challenges to evolutionary psychology-based theories expecting to find special-purpose neural modules. The older selective habituation hypothesis (Schleidt, 1961) that prey animals start with a rather general predator image from which specific harmless cues are removed by habituation might deserve reconsideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Coelho
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Panrapee Suttiwan
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Abul M Faiz
- Department of Psychology, Dev Care Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Fernando Ferreira-Santos
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Andras N Zsido
- Department of General and Evolutionary Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
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31
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Dinh HT, Nishimaru H, Matsumoto J, Takamura Y, Le QV, Hori E, Maior RS, Tomaz C, Tran AH, Ono T, Nishijo H. Superior Neuronal Detection of Snakes and Conspecific Faces in the Macaque Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:2131-2145. [PMID: 28498964 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Snakes and conspecific faces are quickly and efficiently detected in primates. Because the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in attentional allocation to biologically relevant stimuli, we hypothesized that it might also be highly responsive to snakes and conspecific faces. In this study, neuronal responses in the monkey mPFC were recorded, while monkeys discriminated 8 categories of visual stimuli. Here, we show that the monkey mPFC neuronal responses to snakes and conspecific faces were unique. First, the ratios of the neurons that responded strongly to snakes and monkey faces were greater than those of the neurons that responded strongly to the other stimuli. Second, mPFC neurons responded stronger and faster to snakes and monkey faces than the other categories of stimuli. Third, neuronal responses to snakes were unaffected by low-pass filtering of the images. Finally, activity patterns of responsive mPFC neurons discriminated snakes from the other stimuli in the second 50 ms period and monkey faces in the third period after stimulus onset. These response features indicate that the mPFC processes fast and coarse visual information of snakes and monkey faces, and support the hypothesis that snakes and social environments have shaped the primate visual system over evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha Trong Dinh
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Yusaku Takamura
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Quan Van Le
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha noi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Etsuro Hori
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Rafael S Maior
- Primate Center and Laboratory of Neurosciences and Behavior, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biology, University of Brasília, CEP 70910-900 Brasilia, DF, Brazil.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska Hospital, S-17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carlos Tomaz
- Primate Center and Laboratory of Neurosciences and Behavior, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biology, University of Brasília, CEP 70910-900 Brasilia, DF, Brazil.,Neuroscience Research Coordenation, University CEUMA, Campus Renascença, CEP 65.075-120 São Luis, MA, Brazil
| | - Anh Hai Tran
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha noi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Taketoshi Ono
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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32
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Frynta D, Peléšková Š, Rádlová S, Janovcová M, Landová E. Human evaluation of amphibian species: a comparison of disgust and beauty. Naturwissenschaften 2019; 106:41. [PMID: 31263997 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-019-1635-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Animals can evoke a wide range of emotions helping us to choose a quick and appropriate reaction towards them: approach or avoidance in general. This work has focused on disgust evoked by amphibians in humans as well as perceived beauty. Due to the high morphological variability of recent amphibian taxa, we examined humans' cognitive categorisation of 101 amphibian photos and the effect of stimuli characteristics on disgust evaluation or beauty perception of individual groups/species. We also explored how respondents' characteristics, e.g. gender, age and disgust sensitivity (DS-R) influence the disgust and beauty evaluation of picture stimuli on a 7-point Likert scale. The scores of disgust and beauty evaluation were strongly negatively correlated, representing the opposite ends of a single axis, further referred to as the index of preference. The most preferred amphibians belonged to anurans, whereas the least preferred ones were mostly worm-like, legless and small-eyed caecilians. Additional analyses of morphologically diverse anurans showed that species with a round body shape, short forelegs, small eyes, warts, pink and grey colouration, or dark and dull colouration were perceived as disgusting or ugly. The effect of gender and age were only marginal; however, people with higher disgust sensitivity rated amphibians as more disgusting and less beautiful, which might support the hypothesis of a possible disgust involvement in animal fears and phobias. This topic has implications not only for the nature conservation decisions of globally endangered amphibians but also for understanding the evolution of disgust and its generalisation to harmless animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Frynta
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Šárka Peléšková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Silvie Rádlová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Janovcová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Landová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague, Czech Republic. .,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic.
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33
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Terpou BA, Harricharan S, McKinnon MC, Frewen P, Jetly R, Lanius RA. The effects of trauma on brain and body: A unifying role for the midbrain periaqueductal gray. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:1110-1140. [PMID: 31254294 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a diagnosis that may follow the experience of trauma, has multiple symptomatic phenotypes. Generally, individuals with PTSD display symptoms of hyperarousal and of hyperemotionality in the presence of fearful stimuli. A subset of individuals with PTSD; however, elicit dissociative symptomatology (i.e., depersonalization, derealization) in the wake of a perceived threat. This pattern of response characterizes the dissociative subtype of the disorder, which is often associated with emotional numbing and hypoarousal. Both symptomatic phenotypes exhibit attentional threat biases, where threat stimuli are processed preferentially leading to a hypervigilant state that is thought to promote defensive behaviors during threat processing. Accordingly, PTSD and its dissociative subtype are thought to differ in their proclivity to elicit active (i.e., fight, flight) versus passive (i.e., tonic immobility, emotional shutdown) defensive responses, which are characterized by the increased and the decreased expression of the sympathetic nervous system, respectively. Moreover, active and passive defenses are accompanied by primarily endocannabinoid- and opioid-mediated analgesics, respectively. Through critical review of the literature, we apply the defense cascade model to better understand the pathological presentation of defensive responses in PTSD with a focus on the functioning of lower-level midbrain and extended brainstem systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braeden A Terpou
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Margaret C McKinnon
- Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Homewood Research Institute, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul Frewen
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Canadian Forces, Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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34
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Ferreira J, Parma V, Alho L, Silva CF, Soares SC. Emotional Body Odors as Context: Effects on Cardiac and Subjective Responses. Chem Senses 2019; 43:347-355. [PMID: 29617740 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have indicated that the chemical cues from body odors (BOs) of donors experiencing negative emotions can influence the psychophysiological and behavioral response of the observers. However, these olfactory cues have been used mainly as contextual information for processing visual stimuli. Here, for the first time, we evaluate how emotional BO affects the emotional tone of a subsequent BO message. Axillary sweat samples were taken from 20 donors in 3 separate sessions while they watched fear, disgust, or neutral videos. In a double-blind experiment, we assessed the cardiac and subjective responses from 69 participants who were either exposed to negative emotional or neutral BOs. Our results showed a reduced cardiac parasympathetic activity (HF%)-indicating increased stress-when participants smelled the emotional BOs before the neutral BOs, compared to when they smelled neutral followed by emotional BOs. The intensity of the neutral odor also increased following the exposure to both negative BOs. These findings indicate that BOs contain an emotion-dependent chemical cue that affects the perceiver both at the physiological and subjective levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Ferreira
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Valentina Parma
- William James Centre for Research (WJCR), Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada (ISPA), Lisbon, Portugal.,International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Neuroscience Area, Trieste, Italy.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division for Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Laura Alho
- Lusófona University of Humanities and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlos F Silva
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sandra C Soares
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division for Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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35
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Lojowska M, Mulckhuyse M, Hermans EJ, Roelofs K. Unconscious processing of coarse visual information during anticipatory threat. Conscious Cogn 2019; 70:50-56. [PMID: 30826718 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Rapid detection of threats has been proposed to rely on automatic processing of their coarse visual features. However, it remains unclear whether such a mechanism is restricted to detection of threat cues, or whether it reflects a broader sensitivity to even neutral coarse visual information features during states of threat. We used a backward masking task in which participants discriminated the orientation of subliminally presented low (3 cpd) and high (6 cpd) spatial frequency gratings, under threat (of shock) and safe conditions. Visual awareness of the gratings was assessed objectively using an additional localization task. When participants were unaware of the gratings, above chance and improved discrimination of low-spatial frequency gratings was observed under threat compared to safe trials. These findings demonstrate unconscious processing of neutral coarse visual information during threat state, supporting the view that automatic threat detection may rely on a general facilitation of coarse features irrespective of threat content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lojowska
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Manon Mulckhuyse
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Erno J Hermans
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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36
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Kauffmann L, Peyrin C, Chauvin A, Entzmann L, Breuil C, Guyader N. Face perception influences the programming of eye movements. Sci Rep 2019; 9:560. [PMID: 30679472 PMCID: PMC6346063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36510-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that face stimuli elicit extremely fast and involuntary saccadic responses toward them, relative to other categories of visual stimuli. In the present study, we further investigated to what extent face stimuli influence the programming and execution of saccades examining their amplitude. We performed two experiments using a saccadic choice task: two images (one with a face, one with a vehicle) were simultaneously displayed in the left and right visual fields of participants who had to initiate a saccade toward the image (Experiment 1) or toward a cross in the image (Experiment 2) containing a target stimulus (a face or a vehicle). Results revealed shorter saccades toward vehicle than face targets, even if participants were explicitly asked to perform their saccades toward a specific location (Experiment 2). Furthermore, error saccades had smaller amplitude than correct saccades. Further analyses showed that error saccades were interrupted in mid-flight to initiate a concurrently-programmed corrective saccade. Overall, these data suggest that the content of visual stimuli can influence the programming of saccade amplitude, and that efficient online correction of saccades can be performed during the saccadic choice task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Kauffmann
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, GIPSA-lab, 38000, Grenoble, France. .,Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France.
| | - Carole Peyrin
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Alan Chauvin
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Léa Entzmann
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, GIPSA-lab, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Camille Breuil
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, GIPSA-lab, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Nathalie Guyader
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, GIPSA-lab, 38000, Grenoble, France
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37
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McFadyen J, Mattingley JB, Garrido MI. An afferent white matter pathway from the pulvinar to the amygdala facilitates fear recognition. eLife 2019; 8:40766. [PMID: 30648533 PMCID: PMC6335057 DOI: 10.7554/elife.40766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Our ability to rapidly detect threats is thought to be subserved by a subcortical pathway that quickly conveys visual information to the amygdala. This neural shortcut has been demonstrated in animals but has rarely been shown in the human brain. Importantly, it remains unclear whether such a pathway might influence neural activity and behavior. We conducted a multimodal neuroimaging study of 622 participants from the Human Connectome Project. We applied probabilistic tractography to diffusion-weighted images, reconstructing a subcortical pathway to the amygdala from the superior colliculus via the pulvinar. We then computationally modeled the flow of haemodynamic activity during a face-viewing task and found evidence for a functionally afferent pulvinar-amygdala pathway. Critically, individuals with greater fibre density in this pathway also had stronger dynamic coupling and enhanced fearful face recognition. Our findings provide converging evidence for the recruitment of an afferent subcortical pulvinar connection to the amygdala that facilitates fear recognition. Editorial note This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that minor issues remain unresolved (see decision letter).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica McFadyen
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Australian Research Council of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, Australia
| | - Jason B Mattingley
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Australian Research Council of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Canada
| | - Marta I Garrido
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Australian Research Council of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, Australia.,School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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38
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Abstract
After been exposed to the visual input, in the first year of life, the brain experiences subtle but massive changes apparently crucial for communicative/emotional and social human development. Its lack could be the explanation of the very high prevalence of autism in children with total congenital blindness. The present theory postulates that the superior colliculus is the key structure for such changes for several reasons: it dominates visual behavior during the first months of life; it is ready at birth for complex visual tasks; it has a significant influence on several hemispheric regions; it is the main brain hub that permanently integrates visual and non-visual, external and internal information (bottom-up and top-down respectively); and it owns the enigmatic ability to take non-conscious decisions about where to focus attention. It is also a sentinel that triggers the subcortical mechanisms which drive social motivation to follow faces from birth and to react automatically to emotional stimuli. Through indirect connections it also activates simultaneously several cortical structures necessary to develop social cognition and to accomplish the multiattentional task required for conscious social interaction in real life settings. Genetic or non-genetic prenatal or early postnatal factors could disrupt the SC functions resulting in autism. The timing of postnatal biological disruption matches the timing of clinical autism manifestations. Astonishing coincidences between etiologies, clinical manifestations, cognitive and pathogenic autism theories on one side and SC functions on the other are disclosed in this review. Although the visual system dependent of the SC is usually considered as accessory of the LGN canonical pathway, its imprinting gives the brain a qualitatively specific functions not supplied by any other brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubin Jure
- Centro Privado de Neurología y Neuropsicología Infanto Juvenil WERNICKE, Córdoba, Argentina
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Beck RB, Kneafsey SL, Narasimham S, O’Riordan S, Isa T, Hutchinson M, Reilly RB. Reduced Frequency of Ipsilateral Express Saccades in Cervical Dystonia: Probing the Nigro-Tectal Pathway. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y) 2018; 8:592. [PMID: 30510845 PMCID: PMC6262171 DOI: 10.7916/d8864094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cervical dystonia is a hyperkinetic movement disorder of unknown cause. Symptoms of cervical dystonia have been induced in animals in which the integrity of the nigro-tectal pathway is disrupted, resulting in reduced inhibition of the deep layers of the superior colliculus. This same pathway is believed to play a critical role in saccade generation, particularly visually guided, express saccades. It was hypothesized that individuals with cervical dystonia would present with a higher frequency of express saccades and more directional errors. Methods Eight individuals with cervical dystonia and 11 age- and sex-matched control participants performed three saccadic paradigms: pro-saccade, gap, and anti-saccade (120 trials per task). Eye movements were recorded using electro-oculography. Results Mean saccadic reaction times were slower in the cervical dystonia group (only statistically significant in the anti-saccade task, F(1, 35) = 4.76, p = 0.036); participants with cervical dystonia produced fewer directional errors (mean 14% vs. 22%) in the anti-saccade task; and had similar frequencies of express saccades in the gap task relative to our control population (chi-square = 1.13, p = 0.287). All cervical dystonia participants had lower frequencies of express saccades ipsilateral to their dystonic side (the side to which their head turns), (chi-square = 3.57, p = 0.059). Discussion The finding of slower saccadic reaction times in cervical dystonia does not support the concept of reduced inhibition in the nigro-tectal pathway. Further research is required to confirm the observed relationship between the lateralization of lower frequencies of express saccades and direction of head rotation in cervical dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca B. Beck
- School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, IE
- Trinity Centre for BioEngineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, IE
| | - Simone L. Kneafsey
- School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, IE
- Trinity Centre for BioEngineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, IE
| | - Shruti Narasimham
- School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, IE
- Trinity Centre for BioEngineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, IE
| | - Sean O’Riordan
- Department of Neurology, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, IE
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University College DublinIE
| | - Tadashi Isa
- Department of Neuroscience, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JP
| | - Michael Hutchinson
- Department of Neurology, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, IE
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University College DublinIE
| | - Richard B. Reilly
- School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, IE
- Trinity Centre for BioEngineering, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, IE
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, IE
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40
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Elorette C, Forcelli PA, Saunders RC, Malkova L. Colocalization of Tectal Inputs With Amygdala-Projecting Neurons in the Macaque Pulvinar. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:91. [PMID: 30405362 PMCID: PMC6207581 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have suggested the presence of a fast, subcortical route for the processing of emotionally-salient visual information in the primate brain. This putative pathway consists of the superior colliculus (SC), pulvinar and amygdala. While the presence of such a pathway has been confirmed in sub-primate species, it has yet to be documented in the primate brain using conventional anatomical methods. We injected retrograde tracers into the amygdala and anterograde tracers into the colliculus, and examined regions of colocalization of these signals within the pulvinar of the macaque. Anterograde tracers injected into the SC labeled axonal projections within the pulvinar, primarily within the oral, lateral and medial subdivisions. These axonal projections from the colliculus colocalized with cell bodies within the pulvinar that were labeled by retrograde tracer injected into the lateral amygdala. This zone of overlap was most notable in the medial portions of the medial (PM), oral (PO) and inferior pulvinar (PI), and was often densely concentrated in the vicinity of the brachium of the SC. These data provide an anatomical basis for the previously suggested pathway mediating fast processing of emotionally salient information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Elorette
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Patrick A. Forcelli
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Richard C. Saunders
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, ML, United States
| | - Ludise Malkova
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
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Magalhães AC, Pandeirada JNS, Fernandes NL, Soares SC. Exogenous attention and memory for faces following contextual behavioral immune system activation. Scand J Psychol 2018; 59:586-593. [PMID: 30278117 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12491] [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: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The behavioral immune system (BIS) is characterized by affective, cognitive and behavioral processes that work in an articulated manner to prevent the occurrence of infections. Attention and memory evolved to enhance the organism's chances of survival and have been proposed to play an important role in the BIS. The present study investigated the effects of attention and memory for neutral faces after a contextual activation of the BIS. Participants were primed, by the use of film clips, either with infectious disease concerns or non-infectious disease concerns. They performed an exogenous attentional task involving the discrimination of target letters, with face stimuli presented as distractors, which was then followed by a surprise recognition task for the faces. The results showed that participants in the infectious disease condition were more accurate in the attentional task than participants in the control condition. No significant difference between groups was found in the response times during the attention task nor in memory performance. Overall, these results suggest that the BIS might be associated with a hypervigilant state towards cues in general and that BIS activation through this type of priming may not be sufficient to clearly activate mnemonic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cláudia Magalhães
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Josefa N S Pandeirada
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.,William James Research Center (WJCR), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Natália Lisandra Fernandes
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,William James Research Center (WJCR), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sandra C Soares
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,William James Research Center (WJCR), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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42
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Duysens J, Forner-Cordero A. Walking with perturbations: a guide for biped humans and robots. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2018; 13:061001. [PMID: 30109860 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/aada54] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This paper provides an update on the neural control of bipedal walking in relation to bioinspired models and robots. It is argued that most current models or robots are based on the construct of a symmetrical central pattern generator (CPG). However, new evidence suggests that CPG functioning is basically asymmetrical with its flexor half linked more tightly to the rhythm generator. The stability of bipedal gait, which is an important problem for robots and biological systems, is also addressed. While it is not possible to determine how biological biped systems guarantee stability, robot solutions can be useful to propose new hypotheses for biology. In the second part of this review, the focus is on gait perturbations, which is an important topic in robotics in view of the frequent falls of robots when faced with perturbations. From the human physiology it is known that the initial reaction often consists of a brief interruption followed by an adequate response. For instance, the successful recovery from a trip is achieved using some basic reactions (termed elevating and lowering strategies), that depend on the phase of the step cycle of the trip occurrence. Reactions to stepping unexpectedly in a hole depend on comparing expected and real feedback. Implementation of these ideas in models and robotics starts to emerge, with the most advanced robots being able to learn how to fall safely and how to deal with complicated disturbances such as provided by walking on a split-belt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Duysens
- Biomechatronics Lab., Mechatronics Department, Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 2231, Cidade Universitária 05508-030, São Paulo-SP, Brasil. Department of Kinesiology, FaBeR, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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43
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Abstract
In recent years, many studies have shown that perceiving other individuals' direct gaze has robust effects on various attentional and cognitive processes. However, considerably less attention has been devoted to investigating the affective effects triggered by eye contact. This article reviews research concerning the effects of others' gaze direction on observers' affective responses. The review focuses on studies in which affective reactions have been investigated in well-controlled laboratory experiments, and in which contextual factors possibly influencing perceivers' affects have been controlled. Two important themes emerged from this review. First, explicit affective evaluations of seeing another's direct versus averted gaze have resulted in rather inconsistent findings; some studies report more positive subjective feelings to direct compared to averted gaze, whereas others report the opposite pattern. These contradictory findings may be related, for example, to differences between studies in terms of the capability of direct-gaze stimuli to elicit feelings of self-involvement. Second, studies relying on various implicit measures have reported more consistent results; they indicate that direct gaze increases affective arousal, and more importantly, that eye contact automatically evokes a positively valenced affective reaction. Based on the review, possible psychological mechanisms for the positive affective reactions elicited by eye contact are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jari K. Hietanen
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
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44
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Chen CY, Sonnenberg L, Weller S, Witschel T, Hafed ZM. Spatial frequency sensitivity in macaque midbrain. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2852. [PMID: 30030440 PMCID: PMC6054627 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05302-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual brain areas exhibit tuning characteristics well suited for image statistics present in our natural environment. However, visual sensation is an active process, and if there are any brain areas that ought to be particularly in tune with natural scene statistics, it would be sensory-motor areas critical for guiding behavior. Here we found that the rhesus macaque superior colliculus, a structure instrumental for rapid visual exploration with saccades, detects low spatial frequencies, which are the most prevalent in natural scenes, much more rapidly than high spatial frequencies. Importantly, this accelerated detection happens independently of whether a neuron is more or less sensitive to low spatial frequencies to begin with. At the population level, the superior colliculus additionally over-represents low spatial frequencies in neural response sensitivity, even at near-foveal eccentricities. Thus, the superior colliculus possesses both temporal and response gain mechanisms for efficient gaze realignment in low-spatial-frequency-dominated natural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Yang Chen
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany.,Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences, International Max Planck Research School, Tuebingen University, 72074, Tuebingen, BW, Germany.,Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Lukas Sonnenberg
- Master's Program for Neurobiology, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Simone Weller
- Master's Program for Neurobiology, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Thede Witschel
- Master's Program for Neurobiology, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Ziad M Hafed
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany. .,Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany.
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45
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Van Strien JW, Van der Peijl MK. Enhanced early visual processing in response to snake and trypophobic stimuli. BMC Psychol 2018; 6:21. [PMID: 29720255 PMCID: PMC5930515 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-018-0235-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Trypophobia refers to aversion to clusters of holes. We investigated whether trypophobic stimuli evoke augmented early posterior negativity (EPN). Methods Twenty-four participants filled out a trypophobia questionnaire and watched the random rapid serial presentation of 450 trypophobic pictures, 450 pictures of poisonous animals, 450 pictures of snakes, and 450 pictures of small birds (1800 pictures in total, at a rate of 3 pictures/s). The EPN was scored as the mean activity at occipital electrodes (PO3, O1, Oz, PO4, O2) in the 225–300 ms time window after picture onset. Results The EPN was significantly larger for snake pictures than for the other categories, and significantly larger for trypophobic pictures and poisonous animal pictures than for bird pictures. Remarkably, the scores on the trypophobia questionnaire were correlated with the EPN amplitudes for trypophobic pictures at the occipital cluster (r = −.46, p = .025). Conclusions The outcome for the EPN indicates that snakes, and to a somewhat lesser extent trypophobic stimuli and poisonous animals, trigger early automatic visual attention. This supports the notion that the aversion that is induced by trypophobic stimuli reflects ancestral threat and has survival value. The possible influence of the spectral composition of snake and trypophobic stimuli on the EPN is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan W Van Strien
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000, DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Manja K Van der Peijl
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000, DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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46
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Abstract
Comparative studies have greatly contributed to our understanding of the organization and function of visual pathways of the brain, including that of humans. This comparative approach is a particularly useful tactic for studying the pulvinar nucleus, an enigmatic structure which comprises the largest territory of the human thalamus. This review focuses on the regions of the mouse pulvinar that receive input from the superior colliculus, and highlights similarities of the tectorecipient pulvinar identified across species. Open questions are discussed, as well as the potential contributions of the mouse model for endeavors to elucidate the function of the pulvinar nucleus.
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47
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Hof AL, Duysens J. Responses of human ankle muscles to mediolateral balance perturbations during walking. Hum Mov Sci 2017; 57:69-82. [PMID: 29174418 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2017.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
During walking our balance is maintained by muscle action. In part these muscle actions automatically respond to the imbalance. This paper considers responses to balance perturbations in muscles around the ankle, peroneus longus (PL), tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SO). It is investigated if their action is related to previously observed balance mechanisms: the 'braking reaction' and the mediolateral ankle strategy. Subjects walked on a treadmill and received pushes to the left and pulls to the right in various phases of the gait cycle. Muscle actions were divided into medium latency R1 (100-150 ms), long latency R2 (170-250 ms), and late action R3 (270-350 ms). Short latency responses, before 100 ms, were not observed but later responses were prominent. With inward perturbations (e.g. pushes to the left shortly before or during stance of the right foot) responses in RPL were seen. The forward roll-over of the CoP was briefly stalled in mid stance, so that the heel was not lifted. Stance was shortened. With outward perturbations, pushes to the left shortly before or during stance of the left foot, responses in all three muscles, LTA, LSO, and LPL were seen. Our interpretation is that these muscle activations induce a 'braking reaction' but could also contribute to the 'mediolateral ankle strategy'. The resultant balance correction is small but fast, and so diminishes the need for later corrections by the stepping strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Hof
- Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 196, 9700AD Groningen, The Netherlands; Center for Rehabilitation, University Medical Center Groningen, PO Box 30001, 9700RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - J Duysens
- Department of Kinesiology, KU-Leuven, B3001 Leuven, Belgium
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49
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Le QV, Nishimaru H, Matsumoto J, Takamura Y, Nguyen MN, Mao CV, Hori E, Maior RS, Tomaz C, Ono T, Nishijo H. Gamma oscillations in the superior colliculus and pulvinar in response to faces support discrimination performance in monkeys. Neuropsychologia 2017; 128:87-95. [PMID: 29037507 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The subcortical visual pathway including the superior colliculus (SC), pulvinar, and amygdala has been implicated in unconscious visual processing of faces, eyes, and gaze direction in blindsight. Our previous studies reported that monkey SC and pulvinar neurons responded preferentially to images of faces while performing a delayed non-matching to sample (DNMS) task to discriminate different visual stimuli (Nguyen et al., 2013, 2014). However, the contribution of SC and pulvinar neurons to the discrimination of the facial images and subsequent behavioral performance remains unknown. Since gamma oscillations have been implicated in sensory and cognitive processes as well as behavioral execution, we hypothesized that gamma oscillations during neuronal responses might contribute to achieving the appropriate behavioral performance (i.e., a correct response). In the present study, we re-analyzed those neuronal responses in the monkey SC and pulvinar to investigate possible relationships between gamma oscillations in these neurons and behavioral performance (correct response ratios) during the DNMS task. Gamma oscillations of SC and pulvinar neuronal activity were analyzed in three phases around the stimulus onset [inter-trial interval (ITI): 1000ms before trial onset; Early: 0-200ms after stimulus onset; and Late: 300-500ms after stimulus onset]. We found that human facial images elicited stronger gamma oscillations in the early phase than the ITI and late phase in both the SC and pulvinar neurons. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between strengths of gamma oscillations in the early phase and behavioral performance in both the SC and pulvinar. The results suggest that gamma oscillatory activity in the SC and pulvinar contributes to successful behavioral performance during unconscious perceptual and behavioral processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Van Le
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan; Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Yusaku Takamura
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Minh Nui Nguyen
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan; Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Can Van Mao
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan; Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Etsuro Hori
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Rafael S Maior
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Primate Center and Laboratory of Neurosciences and Behavior, Institute of Biology, University of Brasília, CEP 70910-900 Brasilia, DF, Brazil
| | - Carlos Tomaz
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Primate Center and Laboratory of Neurosciences and Behavior, Institute of Biology, University of Brasília, CEP 70910-900 Brasilia, DF, Brazil; Neuroscience Research Group, CEUMA University, CE 65065-120 São Luís, Brazil
| | | | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
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50
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Vida MD, Behrmann M. Subcortical Facilitation of Behavioral Responses to Threat. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13087. [PMID: 29026099 PMCID: PMC5638842 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13203-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral responses to threat are critical to survival. Several cortical and subcortical brain regions respond selectively to threat. However, the relation of these neural responses and their underlying representations to behavior is unclear. We examined the contribution of lower-order subcortical representations to behavioral responses to threat in adult humans. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants viewed pairs of images presented to the same eye or to different eyes. We observed a monocular advantage, which indicates subcortical facilitation, for ancestral threats (snakes, spiders), but not for modern threats, positive images, or neutral images. In Experiment 3, we presented pairs of snakes or neutral images into the temporal or nasal hemifield. For snakes only, we observed a temporal hemifield advantage, which indicates facilitation by the retino-tectal subcortical pathway. These results advance the current understanding of processing of threat by adult humans by revealing the characteristics of behaviors driven by a lower-order neural mechanism that is specialized for the processing of ancestral threats. The results also contribute to ongoing debates concerning the biological generality of neural mechanisms for processing of complex, emotionally-relevant stimuli by providing evidence for conservation of lower-order neural mechanisms for processing of ancestral threats across both ontogeny and phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Vida
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Marlene Behrmann
- Department of Psychology and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA.
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