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Zang Z, Chi X, Luan M, Hu S, Zhou K, Liu J. Inter-individual, hemispheric and sex variability of brain activations during numerosity processing. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:459-475. [PMID: 38197958 PMCID: PMC10917853 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02747-3] [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: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Numerosity perception is a fundamental and innate cognitive function shared by both humans and many animal species. Previous research has primarily focused on exploring the spatial and functional consistency of neural activations that were associated with the processing of numerosity information. However, the inter-individual variability of brain activations of numerosity perception remains unclear. In the present study, with a large-sample functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset (n = 460), we aimed to localize the functional regions related to numerosity perceptions and explore the inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences within these brain regions. Fifteen subject-specific activated regions, including the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS), insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), premotor area (PM), middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), were delineated in each individual and then used to create a functional probabilistic atlas to quantify individual variability in brain activations of numerosity processing. Though the activation percentages of most regions were higher than 60%, the intersections of most regions across individuals were considerably lower, falling below 50%, indicating substantial variations in brain activations related to numerosity processing among individuals. Furthermore, significant hemispheric and sex differences in activation location, extent, and magnitude were also found in these regions. Most activated regions in the right hemisphere had larger activation volumes and activation magnitudes, and were located more lateral and anterior than their counterparts in the left hemisphere. In addition, in most of these regions, males displayed stronger activations than females. Our findings demonstrate large inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences in brain activations related to numerosity processing, and our probabilistic atlas can serve as a robust functional and spatial reference for mapping the numerosity-related neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyao Zang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xiaoyue Chi
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Mengkai Luan
- Department of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, 650 Qing Yuan Huan Road, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyuan Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Ke Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Jia Liu
- Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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2
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Kirschhock ME, Nieder A. Number selective sensorimotor neurons in the crow translate perceived numerosity into number of actions. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6913. [PMID: 36376297 PMCID: PMC9663431 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34457-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Translating a perceived number into a matching number of self-generated actions is a hallmark of numerical reasoning in humans and animals alike. To explore this sensorimotor transformation, we trained crows to judge numerical values in displays and to flexibly plan and perform a matching number of pecks. We report number selective sensorimotor neurons in the crow telencephalon that signaled the impending number of self-generated actions. Neuronal population activity during the sensorimotor transformation period predicted whether the crows mistakenly planned fewer or more pecks than instructed. During sensorimotor transformation, both a static neuronal code characterized by persistently number-selective neurons and a dynamic code originating from neurons carrying rapidly changing numerical information emerged. The findings indicate there are distinct functions of abstract neuronal codes supporting the sensorimotor number system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian E. Kirschhock
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Nieder
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Baran B, Krzyżowski M, Rádai Z, Francikowski J, Hohol M. Geometry-based navigation in the dark: layout symmetry facilitates spatial learning in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, in the absence of visual cues. Anim Cogn 2022; 26:755-770. [PMID: 36369419 PMCID: PMC10066172 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01712-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe capacity to navigate by layout geometry has been widely recognized as a robust strategy of place-finding. It has been reported in various species, although most studies were performed with vision-based paradigms. In the presented study, we aimed to investigate layout symmetry-based navigation in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, in the absence of visual cues. For this purpose, we used a non-visual paradigm modeled on the Tennessee Williams setup. We ensured that the visual cues were indeed inaccessible to insects. In the main experiment, we tested whether crickets are capable of learning to localize the centrally positioned, inconspicuous cool spot in heated arenas of various shapes (i.e., circular, square, triangular, and asymmetric quadrilateral). We found that the symmetry of the arena significantly facilitates crickets’ learning to find the cool spot, indicated by the increased time spent on the cool spot and the decreased latency in locating it in subsequent trials. To investigate mechanisms utilized by crickets, we analyzed their approach paths to the spot. We found that crickets used both heuristic and directed strategies of approaching the target, with the dominance of a semi-directed strategy (i.e., a thigmotactic phase preceding direct navigation to the target). We propose that the poor performance of crickets in the asymmetrical quadrilateral arena may be explained by the difficulty of encoding its layout with cues from a single modality.
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Monfort V, Pfeuty M, Masson I, Kop JL, Brissart H, Maillard L. Preserved time but altered numerosity processing in epileptic patients with postoperative lesion in the inferior frontal gyrus. Brain Cogn 2022; 160:105865. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2022.105865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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5
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Lou C, Zeng H, Chen L. Asymmetric switch cost between subitizing and estimation in tactile modality. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-02858-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Tagliabue CF, Varesio G, Mazza V. Inter- and Intra-Hemispheric Age-Related Remodeling in Visuo-Spatial Working Memory. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 13:807907. [PMID: 35111040 PMCID: PMC8803153 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.807907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) studies investigating visuo-spatial working memory (vWM) in aging typically adopt an event-related potential (ERP) analysis approach that has shed light on the age-related changes during item retention and retrieval. However, this approach does not fully enable a detailed description of the time course of the neural dynamics related to aging. The most frequent age-related changes in brain activity have been described by two influential models of neurocognitive aging, the Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults (HAROLD) and the Posterior-Anterior Shift in Aging (PASA). These models posit that older adults tend to recruit additional brain areas (bilateral as predicted by HAROLD and anterior as predicted by PASA) when performing several cognitive tasks. We tested younger (N = 36) and older adults (N = 35) in a typical vWM task (delayed match-to-sample) where participants have to retain items and then compare them to a sample. Through a data-driven whole scalp EEG analysis we aimed at characterizing the temporal dynamics of the age-related activations predicted by the two models, both across and within different stages of stimulus processing. Behaviorally, younger outperformed older adults. The EEG analysis showed that older adults engaged supplementary bilateral posterior and frontal sites when processing different levels of memory load, in line with both HAROLD and PASA-like activations. Interestingly, these age-related supplementary activations dynamically developed over time. Indeed, they varied across different stages of stimulus processing, with HAROLD-like modulations being mainly present during item retention, and PASA-like activity during both retention and retrieval. Overall, the present results suggest that age-related neural changes are not a phenomenon indiscriminately present throughout all levels of cognitive processing.
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Pomper JK, Spadacenta S, Bunjes F, Arnstein D, Giese MA, Thier P. Representation of the observer's predicted outcome value in mirror and nonmirror neurons of macaque F5 ventral premotor cortex. J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:941-961. [PMID: 32783574 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00234.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In the search for the function of mirror neurons, a previous study reported that F5 mirror neuron responses are modulated by the value that the observing monkey associates with the grasped object. Yet we do not know whether mirror neurons are modulated by the expected reward value for the observer or also by other variables, which are causally dependent on value (e.g., motivation, attention directed at the observed action, arousal). To clarify this, we trained two rhesus macaques to observe a grasping action on an object kept constant, followed by four fully predictable outcomes of different values (2 outcomes with positive and 2 with negative emotional valence). We found a consistent order in population activity of both mirror and nonmirror neurons that matches the order of the value of this predicted outcome but that does not match the order of the above-mentioned value-dependent variables. These variables were inferred from the probability not to abort a trial, saccade latency, modulation of eye position during action observation, heart rate, and pupil size. Moreover, we found subpopulations of neurons tuned to each of the four predicted outcome values. Multidimensional scaling revealed equal normalized distances of 0.25 between the two positive and between the two negative outcomes suggesting the representation of a relative value, scaled to the task setting. We conclude that F5 mirror neurons and nonmirror neurons represent the observer's predicted outcome value, which in the case of mirror neurons may be transferred to the observed object or action.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Both the populations of F5 mirror neurons and nonmirror neurons represent the predicted value of an outcome resulting from the observation of a grasping action. Value-dependent motivation, arousal, and attention directed at the observed action do not provide a better explanation for this representation. The population activity's metric suggests an optimal scaling of value representation to task setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joern K Pomper
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Silvia Spadacenta
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Friedemann Bunjes
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Arnstein
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Martin A Giese
- Section for Computational Sensomotorics, Department of Cognitive Neurology, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Peter Thier
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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8
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Xu X, Hanganu-Opatz IL, Bieler M. Cross-Talk of Low-Level Sensory and High-Level Cognitive Processing: Development, Mechanisms, and Relevance for Cross-Modal Abilities of the Brain. Front Neurorobot 2020; 14:7. [PMID: 32116637 PMCID: PMC7034303 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2020.00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of cross-modal learning capabilities requires the interaction of neural areas accounting for sensory and cognitive processing. Convergence of multiple sensory inputs is observed in low-level sensory cortices including primary somatosensory (S1), visual (V1), and auditory cortex (A1), as well as in high-level areas such as prefrontal cortex (PFC). Evidence shows that local neural activity and functional connectivity between sensory cortices participate in cross-modal processing. However, little is known about the functional interplay between neural areas underlying sensory and cognitive processing required for cross-modal learning capabilities across life. Here we review our current knowledge on the interdependence of low- and high-level cortices for the emergence of cross-modal processing in rodents. First, we summarize the mechanisms underlying the integration of multiple senses and how cross-modal processing in primary sensory cortices might be modified by top-down modulation of the PFC. Second, we examine the critical factors and developmental mechanisms that account for the interaction between neuronal networks involved in sensory and cognitive processing. Finally, we discuss the applicability and relevance of cross-modal processing for brain-inspired intelligent robotics. An in-depth understanding of the factors and mechanisms controlling cross-modal processing might inspire the refinement of robotic systems by better mimicking neural computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaxia Xu
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ileana L Hanganu-Opatz
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Malte Bieler
- Laboratory for Neural Computation, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Parametric Representation of Tactile Numerosity in Working Memory. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0090-19.2019. [PMID: 31919053 PMCID: PMC7029184 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0090-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimated numerosity perception is processed in an approximate number system (ANS) that resembles the perception of a continuous magnitude. The ANS consists of a right lateralized frontoparietal network comprising the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and the intraparietal sulcus. Although the ANS has been extensively investigated, only a few studies have focused on the mental representation of retained numerosity estimates. Specifically, the underlying mechanisms of estimated numerosity working memory (WM) is unclear. Besides numerosities, as another form of abstract quantity, vibrotactile WM studies provide initial evidence that the right LPFC takes a central role in maintaining magnitudes. In the present fMRI multivariate pattern analysis study, we designed a delayed match-to-numerosity paradigm to test what brain regions retain approximate numerosity memoranda. In line with parametric WM results, our study found numerosity-specific WM representations in the right LPFC as well as in the supplementary motor area and the left premotor cortex extending into the superior frontal gyrus, thus bridging the gap in abstract quantity WM literature.
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10
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Tagliabue CF, Brignani D, Mazza V. Does numerical similarity alter age-related distractibility in working memory? PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222027. [PMID: 31483830 PMCID: PMC6726243 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Similarity between targets and distracters is a key factor in generating distractibility, and exerts a large detrimental effect on aging. The present EEG study tested the role of a new stimulus dimension in generating distractibility in visual Working Memory (vWM), namely numerical similarity. In a change detection paradigm a varying number of relevant and irrelevant stimuli were presented simultaneously in opposite hemifields. Behavioral results indicated that young participants outperformed older individuals; however, in both groups numerical similarity per se did not modulate performance. At the electrophysiological level, in young participants the Contralateral Delay Activity (CDA, a proxy for item maintenance in vWM) was modulated by the numerosity of the relevant items regardless of numerical similarity. In older participants, the CDA was modulated by target numerosity only in the same numerical condition, where the total number of (relevant and irrelevant) items increased with increasing target numerosities. No effect was present in the dissimilar numerical condition, where the total number of items did not vary substantially across target numerosity. This pattern was suggestive of an age-related effect of the total number of (relevant and irrelevant) items on vWM. The additional analyses on alpha-band lateralization measures support this interpretation by revealing that older adults lacked selective deployment of attentional and vWM resources towards the relevant hemifield. Overall, the results indicate that, while numerical similarity does not modulate distractibility, there is an age-related redistribution of vWM resources across the two visual fields, ultimately leading to a general decrease in task performance of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Debora Brignani
- IRCSS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio, Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Veronica Mazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- IRCSS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio, Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
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11
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Honeybees foraging for numbers. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:439-450. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01344-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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12
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Ramirez-Cardenas A, Nieder A. Working memory representation of empty sets in the primate parietal and prefrontal cortices. Cortex 2019; 114:102-114. [PMID: 30975433 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.02.028] [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: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
For the brain, representing empty sets as a precursor to zero is a challenge because it requires the active coding of a quantitative category that, by definition, contains no items. Recent neurophysiological recordings show that empty sets are distinctively encoded by neurons in the primate ventral intraparietal area (VIP) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, how empty sets are represented in working memory is unknown. We simultaneously recorded from VIP and PFC while rhesus monkeys performed a delayed numerosity matching task that required the maintenance of numerosities in memory for a brief period. Countable numerosities (1-4) and empty sets ('numerosity 0') were included as stimuli. Single neurons in PFC, and to a lesser extent neurons in VIP, actively encoded empty sets during the delay period. In both cortical areas, empty sets were progressively differentiated from countable numerosities with time during the ongoing trial. Moreover, the tuning of neuron populations in VIP and PFC shifted dynamically towards empty sets so that they became increasingly overrepresented in working memory. Compared to VIP, the prefrontal representation of empty sets was more stable in time and more independent of low level visual features. Moreover, PFC activity correlated better with behavioral performance in empty set trials. These findings suggest that the representation of null quantity in working memory relies more on prefrontal and less on parietal processing. Overall, our results show that empty sets are dynamically and distinctly represented in working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University Tübingen, Germany.
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Uluç I, Schmidt TT, Wu YH, Blankenburg F. Content-specific codes of parametric auditory working memory in humans. Neuroimage 2018; 183:254-262. [PMID: 30107259 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/11/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain activity in frontal regions has been found to represent frequency information with a parametric code during working memory delay phases. The mental representation of frequencies has furthermore been shown to be modality independent in non-human primate electrophysiology and human EEG studies, suggesting frontal regions encoding quantitative information in a supramodal manner. A recent fMRI study using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) supports an overlapping multimodal network for the maintenance of visual and tactile frequency information over frontal and parietal brain regions. The present study extends the investigation of working memory representation of frequency information to the auditory domain. To this aim, we used MVPA on fMRI data recorded during an auditory frequency maintenance task. A support vector regression analysis revealed working memory information in auditory association areas and, consistent with earlier findings of parametric working memory, in a frontoparietal network. A direct comparison to an analogous dataset of vibrotactile parametric working memory revealed an overlap of information coding in prefrontal regions, particularly in the right inferior frontal gyrus. Therefore, our findings indicate that the prefrontal cortex represents frequency-specific working memory content irrespective of the modality as has been now also revealed for the auditory modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Işıl Uluç
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Timo Torsten Schmidt
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Yuan-Hao Wu
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Blankenburg
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
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14
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Fischer MH, Shaki S. Number concepts: abstract and embodied. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:20170125. [PMID: 29914993 PMCID: PMC6015824 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerical knowledge, including number concepts and arithmetic procedures, seems to be a clear-cut case for abstract symbol manipulation. Yet, evidence from perceptual and motor behaviour reveals that natural number knowledge and simple arithmetic also remain closely associated with modal experiences. Following a review of behavioural, animal and neuroscience studies of number processing, we propose a revised understanding of psychological number concepts as grounded in physical constraints, embodied in experience and situated through task-specific intentions. The idea that number concepts occupy a range of positions on the continuum between abstract and modal conceptual knowledge also accounts for systematic heuristics and biases in mental arithmetic, thus inviting psycho-logical approaches to the study of the mathematical mind.This article is part of the theme issue 'Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin H Fischer
- Division of Cognitive Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, House 14, 14476 Potsdam OT Golm, Germany
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
| | - Samuel Shaki
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
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15
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Marcos E, Genovesio A. Interference between Space and Time Estimations: From Behavior to Neurons. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:631. [PMID: 29209159 PMCID: PMC5702290 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Influences between time and space can be found in our daily life in which we are surrounded by numerous spatial metaphors to refer to time. For instance, when we move files from one folder to another in our computer a horizontal line that grows from left to right informs us about the elapsed and remaining time to finish the procedure and, similarly, in our communication we use several spatial terms to refer to time. Although with some differences in the degree of interference, not only space has an influence on time but both magnitudes influence each other. Indeed, since our childhood our estimations of time are influenced by space even when space should be irrelevant and the same occurs when estimating space with time as distractor. Such interference between magnitudes has also been observed in monkeys even if they do not use language or computers, suggesting that the two magnitudes are tightly coupled beyond communication and technology. Imaging and lesion studies have indicated that same brain areas are involved during the processing of both magnitudes and have suggested that rather than coding the specific magnitude itself the brain represents them as abstract concepts. Recent neurophysiological studies in prefrontal cortex, however, have shown that the coding of absolute and relative space and time in this area is realized by independent groups of neurons. Interestingly, instead, a high overlap was observed in this same area in the coding of goal choices across tasks. These results suggest that rather than during perception or estimation of space and time the interference between the two magnitudes might occur, at least in the prefrontal cortex, in a subsequent phase in which the goal has to be chosen or the response provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Encarni Marcos
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Aldo Genovesio
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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