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Romagnano V, Kubon J, Sokolov AN, Fallgatter AJ, Braun C, Pavlova MA. Dynamic brain communication underwriting face pareidolia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2401196121. [PMID: 38588422 PMCID: PMC11032489 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401196121] [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: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Face pareidolia is a tendency to seeing faces in nonface images that reflects high tuning to a face scheme. Yet, studies of the brain networks underwriting face pareidolia are scarce. Here, we examined the time course and dynamic topography of gamma oscillatory neuromagnetic activity while administering a task with nonface images resembling a face. Images were presented either with canonical orientation or with display inversion that heavily impedes face pareidolia. At early processing stages, the peaks in gamma activity (40 to 45 Hz) to images either triggering or not face pareidolia originate mainly from the right medioventral and lateral occipital cortices, rostral and caudal cuneus gyri, and medial superior occipital gyrus. Yet, the difference occurred at later processing stages in the high-frequency range of 80 to 85 Hz over a set of the areas constituting the social brain. The findings speak rather for a relatively late neural network playing a key role in face pareidolia. Strikingly, a cutting-edge analysis of brain connectivity unfolding over time reveals mutual feedforward and feedback intra- and interhemispheric communication not only within the social brain but also within the extended large-scale network of down- and upstream regions. In particular, the superior temporal sulcus and insula strongly engage in communication with other brain regions either as signal transmitters or recipients throughout the whole processing of face-pareidolia images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Romagnano
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen72076, Germany
| | - Julian Kubon
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen72076, Germany
| | - Alexander N. Sokolov
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen72076, Germany
| | - Andreas J. Fallgatter
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen72076, Germany
| | - Christoph Braun
- Magnetoencephalography Center, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen72076, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen72076, Germany
| | - Marina A. Pavlova
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen72076, Germany
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Wagener L, Nieder A. Conscious Experience of Stimulus Presence and Absence Is Actively Encoded by Neurons in the Crow Brain. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:508-521. [PMID: 38165732 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of consciousness from brain activity constitutes one of the great riddles in biology. It is commonly assumed that only the conscious perception of the presence of a stimulus elicits neuronal activation to signify a "neural correlate of consciousness," whereas the subjective experience of the absence of a stimulus is associated with a neuronal resting state. Here, we demonstrate that the two subjective states "stimulus present" and "stimulus absent" are represented by two specialized neuron populations in crows, corvid birds. We recorded single-neuron activity from the nidopallium caudolaterale of crows trained to report the presence or absence of images presented near the visual threshold. Because of the task design, neuronal activity tracking the conscious "present" versus "absent" percept was dissociated from that involved in planning a motor response. Distinct neuron populations signaled the subjective percepts of "present" and "absent" by increases in activation. The response selectivity of these two neuron populations was similar in strength and time course. This suggests a balanced code for subjective "presence" versus "absence" experiences, which might be beneficial when both conscious states need to be maintained active in the service of goal-directed behavior.
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Flores-Cortes M, Guerra-Armas J, Pineda-Galan C, La Touche R, Luque-Suarez A. Sensorimotor Uncertainty of Immersive Virtual Reality Environments for People in Pain: Scoping Review. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1461. [PMID: 37891829 PMCID: PMC10604973 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13101461] [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: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Decision making and action execution both rely on sensory information, and their primary objective is to minimise uncertainty. Virtual reality (VR) introduces uncertainty due to the imprecision of perceptual information. The concept of "sensorimotor uncertainty" is a pivotal element in the interplay between perception and action within the VR environment. The role of immersive VR in the four stages of motor behaviour decision making in people with pain has been previously discussed. These four processing levels are the basis to understand the uncertainty that a patient experiences when using VR: sensory information, current state, transition rules, and the outcome obtained. METHODS This review examines the different types of uncertainty that a patient may experience when they are immersed in a virtual reality environment in a context of pain. Randomised clinical trials, a secondary analysis of randomised clinical trials, and pilot randomised clinical trials related to the scope of Sensorimotor Uncertainty in Immersive Virtual Reality were included after searching. RESULTS Fifty studies were included in this review. They were divided into four categories regarding the type of uncertainty the intervention created and the stage of the decision-making model. CONCLUSIONS Immersive virtual reality makes it possible to alter sensorimotor uncertainty, but studies of higher methodological quality are needed on this topic, as well as an exploration into the patient profile for pain management using immersive VR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Flores-Cortes
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain
| | | | | | - Roy La Touche
- Instituto de Dolor Craneofacial y Neuromusculoesquelético (INDCRAN), 28008 Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28023 Madrid, Spain
- Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28023 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Luque-Suarez
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain
- Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica de Malaga (IBIMA), 29071 Malaga, Spain
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Karabanov AN, Chillemi G, Madsen KH, Siebner HR. Dynamic involvement of premotor and supplementary motor areas in bimanual pinch force control. Neuroimage 2023; 276:120203. [PMID: 37271303 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many activities of daily living require quick shifts between symmetric and asymmetric bimanual actions. Bimanual motor control has been mostly studied during continuous repetitive tasks, while little research has been carried out in experimental settings requiring dynamic changes in motor output generated by both hands. Here, we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while healthy volunteers performed a visually guided, bimanual pinch force task. This enabled us to map functional activity and connectivity of premotor and motor areas during bimanual pinch force control in different task contexts, requiring mirror-symmetric or inverse-asymmetric changes in discrete pinch force exerted with the right and left hand. The bilateral dorsal premotor cortex showed increased activity and effective coupling to the ipsilateral supplementary motor area (SMA) in the inverse-asymmetric context compared to the mirror-symmetric context of bimanual pinch force control while the SMA showed increased negative coupling to visual areas. Task-related activity of a cluster in the left caudal SMA also scaled positively with the degree of synchronous initiation of bilateral pinch force adjustments, irrespectively of the task context. The results suggest that the dorsal premotor cortex mediates increasing complexity of bimanual coordination by increasing coupling to the SMA while SMA provides feedback about motor actions to the sensory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Ninija Karabanov
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Gaetana Chillemi
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark; IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Messina, Italy
| | - Kristoffer Hougaard Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark; Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
| | - Hartwig Roman Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark; Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Denmark
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Nieder A. In search for consciousness in animals: Using working memory and voluntary attention as behavioral indicators. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104865. [PMID: 36096205 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Whether animals have subjective experiences about the content of their sensory input, i.e., whether they are aware of stimuli, is a notoriously difficult question to answer. If consciousness is present in animals, it must share fundamental characteristics with human awareness. Working memory and voluntary/endogenous attention are suggested as diagnostic features of conscious awareness. Behavioral evidence shows clear signatures of both working memory and voluntary attention as minimal criterium for sensory consciousness in mammals and birds. In contrast, reptiles and amphibians show no sign of either working memory or volitional attention. Surprisingly, some species of teleost fishes exhibit elementary working memory and voluntary attention effects suggestive of possibly rudimentary forms of subjective experience. With the potential exception of honeybees, evidence for conscious processing is lacking in invertebrates. These findings suggest that consciousness is not ubiquitous in the animal kingdom but also not exclusive to humans. The phylogenetic gap between animal taxa argues that evolution does not rely on specific neural substrates to endow distantly related species with basic forms of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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Ehret G, Romand R. Awareness and consciousness in humans and animals – neural and behavioral correlates in an evolutionary perspective. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:941534. [PMID: 35910003 PMCID: PMC9331465 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.941534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Awareness or consciousness in the context of stimulus perception can directly be assessed in well controlled test situations with humans via the persons’ reports about their subjective experiences with the stimuli. Since we have no direct access to subjective experiences in animals, their possible awareness or consciousness in stimulus perception tasks has often been inferred from behavior and cognitive abilities previously observed in aware and conscious humans. Here, we analyze published human data primarily on event-related potentials and brain-wave generation during perception and responding to sensory stimuli and extract neural markers (mainly latencies of evoked-potential peaks and of gamma-wave occurrence) indicating that a person became aware or conscious of the perceived stimulus. These neural correlates of consciousness were then applied to sets of corresponding data from various animals including several species of mammals, and one species each of birds, fish, cephalopods, and insects. We found that the neural markers from studies in humans could also successfully be applied to the mammal and bird data suggesting that species in these animal groups can become subjectively aware of and conscious about perceived stimuli. Fish, cephalopod and insect data remained inconclusive. In an evolutionary perspective we have to consider that both awareness of and consciousness about perceived stimuli appear as evolved, attention-dependent options added to the ongoing neural activities of stimulus processing and action generation. Since gamma-wave generation for functional coupling of brain areas in aware/conscious states is energetically highly cost-intensive, it remains to be shown which animal species under which conditions of lifestyle and ecological niche may achieve significant advantages in reproductive fitness by drawing upon these options. Hence, we started our discussion about awareness and consciousness in animals with the question in how far these expressions of brain activity are necessary attributes for perceiving stimuli and responding in an adaptive way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günter Ehret
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- *Correspondence: Günter Ehret,
| | - Raymond Romand
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), University of Strasbourg and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Strasbourg, France
- Raymond Romand,
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