1
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Wiech K, Eippert F, Vandekerckhove J, Zaman J, Placek K, Tuerlinckx F, Vlaeyen JWS, Tracey I. Cortico-Brainstem Mechanisms of Biased Perceptual Decision-Making in the Context of Pain. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2022; 23:680-692. [PMID: 34856408 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Prior expectations can bias how we perceive pain. Using a drift diffusion model, we recently showed that this influence is primarily based on changes in perceptual decision-making (indexed as shift in starting point). Only during unexpected application of high-intensity noxious stimuli, altered information processing (indexed as increase in drift rate) explained the expectancy effect on pain processing. Here, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural basis of both these processes in healthy volunteers. On each trial, visual cues induced the expectation of high- or low-intensity noxious stimulation or signaled equal probability for both intensities. Participants categorized a subsequently applied electrical stimulus as either low- or high-intensity pain. A shift in starting point towards high pain correlated negatively with right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity during cue presentation underscoring its proposed role of "keeping pain out of mind". This anticipatory right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex signal increase was positively correlated with periaqueductal gray (PAG) activity when the expected high-intensity stimulation was applied. A drift rate increase during unexpected high-intensity pain was reflected in amygdala engagement and increased functional connectivity between amygdala and PAG. Our findings suggest involvement of the PAG in both decision-making bias and altered information processing to implement expectancy effects on pain. PERSPECTIVE: Modulation of pain through expectations has been linked to changes in perceptual decision-making and altered processing of afferent information. Our results suggest involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and periaqueductal gray in these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Wiech
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
| | - Falk Eippert
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Joachim Vandekerckhove
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California; Research Group of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jonas Zaman
- Research Group Health Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katerina Placek
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Statistics and Quantitative Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Francis Tuerlinckx
- Research Group of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan W S Vlaeyen
- Research Group Health Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Research Group Experimental Health Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Irene Tracey
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
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2
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Linear and nonlinear profiles of weak behavioral and neural differentiation between numerical operations in children with math learning difficulties. Neuropsychologia 2021; 160:107977. [PMID: 34329664 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Mathematical knowledge is constructed hierarchically during development from a basic understanding of addition and subtraction, two foundational and inter-related, but semantically distinct, numerical operations. Early in development, children show remarkable variability in their numerical problem-solving skills and difficulties in solving even simple addition and subtraction problems are a hallmark of math learning difficulties. Here, we use novel quantitative analyses to investigate whether less distinct representations are associated with poor problem-solving abilities in children during the early stages of math-skill acquisition. Crucially, we leverage dimensional and categorical analyses to identify linear and nonlinear neurobehavioral profiles of individual differences in math skills. Behaviorally, performance on the two different numerical operations was less differentiated in children with low math abilities, and lower problem-solving efficiency stemmed from weak evidence-accumulation during problem-solving. Children with low numerical abilities also showed less differentiated neural representations between addition and subtraction operations in multiple cortical areas, including the fusiform gyrus, intraparietal sulcus, anterior temporal cortex and insula. Furthermore, analysis of multi-regional neural representation patterns revealed significantly higher network similarity and aberrant integration of representations within a fusiform gyrus-intraparietal sulcus pathway important for manipulation of numerical quantity. These findings identify the lack of distinct neural representations as a novel neurobiological feature of individual differences in children's numerical problem-solving abilities, and an early developmental biomarker of low math skills. More generally, our approach combining dimensional and categorical analyses overcomes pitfalls associated with the use of arbitrary cutoffs for probing neurobehavioral profiles of individual differences in math abilities.
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3
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Reifegerste J, Meyer AS, Zwitserlood P, Ullman MT. Aging affects steaks more than knives: Evidence that the processing of words related to motor skills is relatively spared in aging. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 218:104941. [PMID: 34015683 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lexical-processing declines are a hallmark of aging. However, the extent of these declines may vary as a function of different factors. Motivated by findings from neurodegenerative diseases and healthy aging, we tested whether 'motor-relatedness' (the degree to which words are associated with particular human body movements) might moderate such declines. We investigated this question by examining data from three experiments. The experiments were carried out in different languages (Dutch, German, English) using different tasks (lexical decision, picture naming), and probed verbs and nouns, in all cases controlling for potentially confounding variables (e.g., frequency, age-of-acquisition, imageability). Whereas 'non-motor words' (e.g., steak) showed age-related performance decreases in all three experiments, 'motor words' (e.g., knife) yielded either smaller decreases (in one experiment) or no decreases (in two experiments). The findings suggest that motor-relatedness can attenuate or even prevent age-related lexical declines, perhaps due to the relative sparing of neural circuitry underlying such words.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Reifegerste
- Brain and Language Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA; Department of Psychology and Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany; Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, University of Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Antje S Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Pienie Zwitserlood
- Department of Psychology and Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany
| | - Michael T Ullman
- Brain and Language Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA.
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4
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A short humorous intervention protects against subsequent psychological stress and attenuates cortisol levels without affecting attention. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7284. [PMID: 33790310 PMCID: PMC8012602 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86527-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Presentation of humor simultaneously with a stressful event has been shown to dampen the psychological and physiological responses of stress. However, whether a relatively short humorous intervention can be utilized to prevent the subsequent stress processing is still underinvestigated. Furthermore, it is unknown, whether such a humor intervention changes stress processing at a cost of cognitive functioning. According to the broaden-and-build theory inducing positive emotions may subsequently impact cognitive performance. Here, we investigated whether humor protects against subsequent stressors by attenuating both, psychological and physiological stress levels and whether this affects cognitive performance. Participants watched either a humorous or a neutral movie, underwent stress induction and performed in a visual search task. Compared to the control group, psychological stress levels and salivary cortisol levels were lower in the humor group, yet no differences were found in response times and accuracy rates for the visual search task. Our results demonstrate that a short humorous intervention shields against subsequent psychological stress leaving cognitive performance intact, thus making it highly applicable to improve mental and physical health in everyday life situations.
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5
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Ulrichsen KM, Alnaes D, Kolskår KK, Richard G, Sanders AM, Dørum ES, Ihle-Hansen H, Pedersen ML, Tornås S, Nordvik JE, Westlye LT. Dissecting the cognitive phenotype of post-stroke fatigue using computerized assessment and computational modeling of sustained attention. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:3828-3845. [PMID: 32530498 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is prevalent among stroke patients, but its mechanisms are poorly understood. Many patients with PSF experience cognitive difficulties, but studies aiming to identify cognitive correlates of PSF have been largely inconclusive. With the aim of characterizing the relationship between subjective fatigue and attentional function, we collected behavioral data using the attention network test (ANT) and self-reported fatigue scores using the fatigue severity scale (FSS) from 53 stroke patients. In order to evaluate the utility and added value of computational modeling for delineating specific underpinnings of response time (RT) distributions, we fitted a hierarchical drift diffusion model (hDDM) to the ANT data. Results revealed a relationship between fatigue and RT distributions. Specifically, there was a positive interaction between FSS score and elapsed time on RT. Group analyses suggested that patients without PSF increased speed during the course of the session, while patients with PSF did not. In line with the conventional analyses based on observed RT, the best fitting hDD model identified an interaction between elapsed time and fatigue on non-decision time, suggesting an increase in time needed for stimulus encoding and response execution rather than cognitive information processing and evidence accumulation. These novel results demonstrate the significance of considering the sustained nature of effort when defining the cognitive phenotype of PSF, intuitively indicating that the cognitive phenotype of fatigue entails an increased vulnerability to sustained effort, and suggest that the use of computational approaches offers a further characterization of specific processes underlying behavioral differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine M Ulrichsen
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HF, Nesodden, Norway
| | - Dag Alnaes
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Knut K Kolskår
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HF, Nesodden, Norway
| | - Geneviève Richard
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HF, Nesodden, Norway
| | - Anne-Marthe Sanders
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HF, Nesodden, Norway
| | - Erlend S Dørum
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HF, Nesodden, Norway
| | | | - Mads L Pedersen
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Cognitive, Linguistic & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | | | | | - Lars T Westlye
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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6
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Iuculano T, Padmanabhan A, Chen L, Nicholas J, Mitsven S, de Los Angeles C, Menon V. Neural correlates of cognitive variability in childhood autism and relation to heterogeneity in decision-making dynamics. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 42:100754. [PMID: 32452464 PMCID: PMC7160429 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneity in cognitive and academic abilities is a prominent feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet little is known about its underlying causes. Here we combine functional brain imaging during numerical problem-solving with hierarchical drift-diffusion models of behavior and standardized measures of numerical abilities to investigate neural mechanisms underlying cognitive variability in children with ASD, and their IQ-matched Typically Developing (TD) peers. Although the two groups showed similar levels of brain activation, the relation to individual abilities differed markedly in ventral temporal-occipital, parietal and prefrontal regions important for numerical cognition: children with ASD showed a positive correlation between functional brain activation and numerical abilities, whereas TD children showed the opposite pattern. Despite similar accuracy and response times, decision thresholds were significantly higher in the ASD group, suggesting greater evidence required for problem-solving. Critically, the relationship between individual abilities and engagement of prefrontal control systems anchored in the anterior insula was differentially moderated by decision threshold in subgroups of children with ASD. Our findings uncover novel cognitive and neural sources of variability in academically-relevant cognitive skills in ASD and suggest that multilevel measures and latent decision-making dynamics can aid in characterization of cognitive variability and heterogeneity in neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Iuculano
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique & Université de Paris, La Sorbonne - UMR CNRS 8240, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - A Padmanabhan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - L Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - J Nicholas
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - S Mitsven
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - C de Los Angeles
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - V Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States; Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States; Stanford Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States.
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7
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Lüdtke J, Froehlich E, Jacobs AM, Hutzler F. The SLS-Berlin: Validation of a German Computer-Based Screening Test to Measure Reading Proficiency in Early and Late Adulthood. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1682. [PMID: 31474896 PMCID: PMC6702301 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading proficiency, i.e., successfully integrating early word-based information and utilizing this information in later processes of sentence and text comprehension, and its assessment is subject to extensive research. However, screening tests for German adults across the life span are basically non-existent. Therefore, the present article introduces a standardized computerized sentence-based screening measure for German adult readers to assess reading proficiency including norm data from 2,148 participants covering an age range from 16 to 88 years. The test was developed in accordance with the children's version of the Salzburger LeseScreening (SLS, Wimmer and Mayringer, 2014). The SLS-Berlin has a high reliability and can easily be implemented in any research setting using German language. We present a detailed description of the test and report the distribution of SLS-Berlin scores for the norm sample as well as for two subsamples of younger (below 60 years) and older adults (60 and older). For all three samples, we conducted regression analyses to investigate the relationship between sentence characteristics and SLS-Berlin scores. In a second validation study, SLS-Berlin scores were compared with two (pseudo)word reading tests, a test measuring attention and processing speed and eye-movements recorded during expository text reading. Our results confirm the SLS-Berlin's sensitivity to capture early word decoding and later text related comprehension processes. The test distinguished very well between skilled and less skilled readers and also within less skilled readers and is therefore a powerful and efficient screening test for German adults to assess interindividual levels of reading proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Lüdtke
- Department of Experimental and Neurocognitive Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Experimental and Neurocognitive Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arthur M. Jacobs
- Department of Experimental and Neurocognitive Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Hutzler
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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8
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Abstract
Fiction is vital to our being. Many people enjoy engaging with fiction every day. Here we focus on literary reading as 1 instance of fiction consumption from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. The brain processes which play a role in the mental construction of fiction worlds and the related engagement with fictional characters, remain largely unknown. The authors discuss the neurocognitive poetics model ( Jacobs, 2015a ) of literary reading specifying the likely neuronal correlates of several key processes in literary reading, namely inference and situation model building, immersion, mental simulation and imagery, figurative language and style, and the issue of distinguishing fact from fiction. An overview of recent work on these key processes is followed by a discussion of methodological challenges in studying the brain bases of fiction processing.
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9
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Froehlich E, Liebig J, Morawetz C, Ziegler JC, Braun M, Heekeren HR, Jacobs AM. Same Same But Different: Processing Words in the Aging Brain. Neuroscience 2017; 371:75-95. [PMID: 29199068 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Reading is not only one of the most appreciated leisure activities of the elderly but it clearly helps older people to maintain functional independence, which has a significant impact on life quality. Yet, very little is known about how aging affects the neural circuits of the processes that underlie skilled reading. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to systematically investigate the neural correlates of sublexical, orthographic, phonological and lexico-semantic processing in the aging brain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we recorded brain activity of younger (N = 20; 22-35 years) and older (N = 38; 65-76 years) adults during letter identification, lexical decision, phonological decision and semantic categorization. Older and younger adults recruited an identical set of reading-related brain regions suggesting that the general architecture of the reading network is preserved across the lifespan. However, we also observed age-related differences in brain activity in the subcomponents of the reading network. Age-related differences were most prominent during phonological and orthographic processing possibly due to a failure of older adults to inhibit non-optimal reading strategies. Neural effects of aging were also observed outside reading-related circuits, especially in frontal midline regions. These regions might be involved because of their important role in memory, attention and executive control functions and their potential role in resting-state networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LPC, 3, place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 1, France.
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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10
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Liebig J, Froehlich E, Morawetz C, Braun M, Jacobs AM, Heekeren HR, Ziegler JC. Neurofunctionally dissecting the reading system in children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 27:45-57. [PMID: 28780219 PMCID: PMC6987884 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The reading system can be broken down into four basic subcomponents in charge of prelexical, orthographic, phonological, and lexico-semantic processes. These processes need to jointly work together to become a fluent and efficient reader. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we systematically analyzed differences in neural activation patterns of these four basic subcomponents in children (N=41, 9-13 years) using tasks specifically tapping each component (letter identification, orthographic decision, phonological decision, and semantic categorization). Regions of interest (ROI) were selected based on a meta-analysis of child reading and included the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex (vOT), left posterior parietal cortex (PPC), left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA). Compared to a visual baseline task, enhanced activation in vOT and IFG was observed for all tasks with very little differences between tasks. Activity in the dorsal PPC system was confined to prelexical and phonological processing. Activity in the SMA was found in orthographic, phonological, and lexico-semantic tasks. Our results are consistent with the idea of an early engagement of the vOT accompanied by executive control functions in the frontal system, including the bilateral SMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, AT-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- Aix-Marseille Université and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, F-13331 Marseille, France.
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11
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Mueller CJ, White CN, Kuchinke L. Electrophysiological correlates of the drift diffusion model in visual word recognition. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:5616-5627. [PMID: 28758287 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was designed to explore the electrophysiological correlates of the diffusion models drift rate parameter in cognitive decision making. Eighty-two participants completed a lexical decision task while their stimulus-dependent event-related potentials (ERP) and theta frequency band power were measured. A mass univariate approach was applied to examine the timeline at which correlations were evident. Individual differences in drift rate parameter and condition-wise within-subject differences in drift rates for word emotionality and item repetition were found to be related to amplitude differences in the late positive complex (LPC). No relations to theta frequency band power changes were obtained. The drift rate parameter captures information accumulation of noisy evidence, while LPC amplitudes are discussed to reflect the strength of a memory trace. While these results point to a common underlying cognitive mechanism to explain drift rates and LPC modulation, they also provide a new angle on the timeline of visual word processing following word identification. Further confirmations of the results are needed to approve the LPC as neurophysiological marker of information accumulation. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5616-5627, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Mueller
- Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Bochum, Germany
| | - Corey N White
- Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, Missouri
| | - Lars Kuchinke
- Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Bochum, Germany
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12
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De Luca M, Marinelli CV, Spinelli D, Zoccolotti P. Slowing in reading and picture naming: the effects of aging and developmental dyslexia. Exp Brain Res 2017; 235:3093-3109. [PMID: 28744622 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-5041-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We examined the slowing in vocal reaction times shown by dyslexic (compared to control) children with that of older (compared to younger) adults using an approach focusing on the detection of global, non-task-specific components. To address this aim, data were analyzed with reference to the difference engine (DEM) and rate and amount (RAM) models. In Experiment 1, typically developing children, children with dyslexia (both attending sixth grade), younger adults and older adults read words and non-words and named pictures. In Experiment 2, word and picture conditions were presented to dyslexic and control children attending eighth grade. In both experiments, dyslexic children were delayed in reading conditions, while they were unimpaired in naming pictures (a finding which indicates spared access to the phonological lexicon). The reading difficulty was well accounted for by a single multiplicative factor while only the residual effect of length (but not frequency and lexicality) was present after controlling for over-additivity using a linear mixed effects model with random slopes on critical variables. Older adults were slower than younger adults across reading and naming conditions. This deficit was well described by a single multiplicative factor. Thus, while slowing of information processing is limited to orthographic stimuli in dyslexic children, it cuts across verbal tasks in older adults. Overall, speed differences in groups such as dyslexic children and older adults can be effectively described with reference to deficits in domains encompassing a variety of experimental conditions rather than deficits in single specific task/conditions. The DEM and RAM prove effective in teasing out global vs. specific components of performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria De Luca
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention "DREAM", Department of History Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Donatella Spinelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Human Movement Sciences and Health, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy. .,Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00176, Rome, Italy.
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