Emotion-Attention Interaction in the Right Hemisphere

Asymmetries in event-related potentials part 1: A systematic review of face processing studies

The human brain shows distinct lateralized activation patterns for a range of cognitive processes. One such function, which is thought to be lateralized to the right hemisphere (RH), is human face processing. Its importance for social communication and interaction has led to a plethora of studies investigating face processing in health and disease. Temporally highly resolved methods, like event-related potentials (ERPs), allow for a detailed characterization of different processing stages and their specific lateralization patterns. This systematic review aimed at disentangling some of the contradictory findings regarding the RH specialization in face processing focusing on ERP research in healthy participants. Two databases were searched for studies that investigated left and right electrodes while participants viewed (mostly neutral) facial stimuli. The included studies used a variety of different tasks, which ranged from passive viewing to memorizing faces. The final data selection highlights, that strongest lateralization to the RH was found for the N170, especially for right-handed young male participants. Left-handed, female, and older participants showed less consistent lateralization patterns. Other ERP components like the P1, P2, N2, P3, and the N400 were overall less clearly lateralized. The current review highlights that many of the assumed lateralization patterns are less clear than previously thought and that the variety of stimuli, tasks, and EEG setups used, might contribute to the ambiguous findings.

Evidence of bottom-up homeostatic modulation induced taVNS during emotional and Go/No-Go tasks

Bilateral transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) - a non-invasive neuromodulation technique - has been investigated as a safe and feasible technique to treat many neuropsychiatric conditions. such as epilepsy, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. Our aim is to investigate the effect of taVNS on neurophysiological processes during emotional and Go/No-Go tasks, and changes in frontal alpha asymmetry. We performed a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial with 44 healthy individuals who were allocated into two groups (the active taVNS group and the sham taVNS group). Subjects received one session of taVNS (active or sham) for 60 min. QEEG was recorded before and after the interventions, and the subjects were assessed while exposed to emotional conditions with sad and happy facial expressions, followed by a Go/No-Go trial. The results demonstrated a significant increase in N2 amplitude in the No-Go condition for the active taVNS post-intervention compared to the sham taVNS after adjusting by handedness, mood, and fatigue levels (p = 0.046), significantly reduced ERD during sad conditions after treatment (p = 0.037), and increased frontal alpha asymmetry towards the right frontal hemisphere during the emotional task condition (p = 0.046). Finally, we observed an interesting neural signature in this study that suggests a bottom-up modulation from brainstem/subcortical to cortical areas as characterized by improved lateralization of alpha oscillations towards the frontal right hemisphere, and changes in ERP during emotional and Go/No-Go tasks that suggests a better subcortical response to the tasks. Such bottom-up effects may mediate some of the clinical effects of taVNS.

When "more for others, less for self" leads to co-benefits: A tri-MRI dyad-hyperscanning study

Unselfishness is admired, especially when collaborations between groups of various scales are urgently needed. However, its neural mechanisms remain elusive. In a tri-MRI dyad-hyperscanning experiment involving 26 groups, each containing 4 participants as two rotating pairs in a coordination game, we sought to achieve reciprocity, or "winning in turn by the two interacting players," as the precursor to unselfishness. Due to its critical role in social processing, the right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ) was the seed for both time domain (connectivity) and frequency domain (i.e., coherence) analyses. For the former, negative connectivity between the rTPJ and the mentalizing network areas (e.g., the right inferior parietal lobule, rIPL) was identified, and such connectivity was further negatively correlated with the individual's final gain, supporting our task design that "rewarded" the reciprocal participants. For the latter, cerebral coherences of the rTPJs emerged between the interacting pairs (i.e., within-group interacting pairs), and the coupling between the rTPJ and the right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) between the players who were not interacting with each other (i.e., within-group noninteracting pairs). These coherences reinforce the hypotheses that the rTPJ-rTPJ coupling tracks the collaboration processes and the rTPJ-rSTG coupling for the emergence of decontextualized shared meaning. Our results underpin two social roles (inferring others' behavior and interpreting social outcomes) subserved by the rTPJ-related network and highlight its interaction with other-self/other-concerning brain areas in reaching co-benefits among unselfish players.

Approaching lifelong learning: An integrated framework for explaining decision-making processes in personal and professional development

BACKGROUND

Individual differences in commitment to lifelong learning, a process aimed at seizing opportunities for self-development, have not been extensively studied.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the decision-making mechanisms involved in pursuing learning for self-development.

METHOD

We conducted a literature review on the taxing nature of cognitive exertion and its impact on the inclination to engage in cognitively demanding tasks for learning, as well as individual differences in sensitivity to aversive or rewarding outcomes inherent in the learning process.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate that the Expected Value of Control (EVC) theory can elucidate the former, while research on approach-avoidance motivation can shed light on the latter.

CONCLUSION

We propose and develop an integrated framework that incorporates both lines of research. This framework holds relevance for neuropsychology, experimental psychology, and education psychology, offering theoretical guidance for tailoring learning experiences to enhance engagement and commitment to self-development.

Segregation of Neural Circuits Involved in Social Gaze and Non-Social Arrow Cues: Evidence from an Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis

Orienting attention by social gaze cues shares some characteristics with orienting attention by non-social arrow cues, but it is unclear whether they rely on similar neural mechanisms. The present ALE-meta-analysis assessed the pattern of brain activation reported in 40 single experiments (18 with arrows, 22 with gaze), with a total number of 806 participants. Our findings show that the network for orienting attention by social gaze and by non-social arrow cues is in part functionally segregated. Orienting by both types of cues relies on the activity of brain regions involved in endogenous attention (the superior frontal gyrus). Importantly, only orienting by gaze cues was also associated with the activity of brain regions involved in exogenous attention (medial frontal gyrus), processing gaze, and mental state attribution (superior temporal sulcus, temporoparietal junction).

Neural correlates of response to joint attention in 2-to-5-year-olds in relation to ASD and social-communicative abilities: An fNIRS and behavioral study

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with life-long challenges with social cognition, and one of its earliest and most common manifestations is atypical joint attention, which is a pivotal skill in social-cognitive and linguistic development. Early interventions for ASD children often focus on training initiation of joint attention (IJA) and response to joint attention bids (RJA), which are important for social communication and cognition. Here, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy and behavioral measures to test typically developing (TD, n = 17) and ASD children (n = 18), to address the relationship between the neural correlates of RJA and social-communicative behavior. Group-level differences were present for RJA-specific activation over right temporal sites, where TD children showed higher levels of activation during RJA than ASD children, whereas the two groups did not differ in the control condition. Correlations between neural activation and behavioral traits suggest that, in ASD children, neural activation during RJA is related to the frequency of RJA behavior when the former is measured over left temporal sites, and to social affect symptoms when considered for right temporal sites. Possible implications of the evidenced correlations are discussed.

Vestibular dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: a neglected topic

Dizziness and postural instability are frequently observed symptoms in patient with Parkinson's disease (PD), potentially linked to vestibular dysfunction. Despite their significant impact on quality of life, these symptoms are often overlooked and undertreated in clinical practice. This review aims to summarize symptoms associated with vestibular dysfunction in patients with PD and discusses vestibular-targeted therapies for managing non-specific dizziness and related symptoms. We conducted searches in PubMed and Web of Science using keywords related to vestibular dysfunction, Parkinson's disease, dizziness, and postural instability, alongside the reference lists of relevant articles. The available evidence suggests the prevalence of vestibular dysfunction-related symptoms in patients with PD and supports the idea that vestibular-targeted therapies may be effective in improving PD symptoms.

Updating functional brain units: Insights far beyond Luria

This paper reviews Luria's model of the three functional units of the brain. To meet this objective, several issues were reviewed: the theory of functional systems and the contributions of phylogenesis and embryogenesis to the brain's functional organization. This review revealed several facts. In the first place, the relationship/integration of basic homeostatic needs with complex forms of behavior. Secondly, the multi-scale hierarchical and distributed organization of the brain and interactions between cells and systems. Thirdly, the phylogenetic role of exaptation, especially in basal ganglia and cerebellum expansion. Finally, the tripartite embryogenetic organization of the brain: rhinic, limbic/paralimbic, and supralimbic zones. Obviously, these principles of brain organization are in contradiction with attempts to establish separate functional brain units. The proposed new model is made up of two large integrated complexes: a primordial-limbic complex (Luria's Unit I) and a telencephalic-cortical complex (Luria's Units II and III). As a result, five functional units were delineated: Unit I. Primordial or preferential (brainstem), for life-support, behavioral modulation, and waking regulation; Unit II. Limbic and paralimbic systems, for emotions and hedonic evaluation (danger and relevance detection and contribution to reward/motivational processing) and the creation of cognitive maps (contextual memory, navigation, and generativity [imagination]); Unit III. Telencephalic-cortical, for sensorimotor and cognitive processing (gnosis, praxis, language, calculation, etc.), semantic and episodic (contextual) memory processing, and multimodal conscious agency; Unit IV. Basal ganglia systems, for behavior selection and reinforcement (reward-oriented behavior); Unit V. Cerebellar systems, for the prediction/anticipation (orthometric supervision) of the outcome of an action. The proposed brain units are nothing more than abstractions within the brain's simultaneous and distributed physiological processes. As function transcends anatomy, the model necessarily involves transition and overlap between structures. Beyond the classic approaches, this review includes information on recent systemic perspectives on functional brain organization. The limitations of this review are discussed.

The effect of negative arousal on declarative memory

Arousing events influence retrieval success, with a number of studies supporting a context-dependent effect of arousal on episodic memory retrieval. An improvement in speed and accuracy of episodic memories is observed when negative arousal is attached to them. In contrast, enhancing effects of negative arousal have not been reported to improve semantic memory retrieval. Episodic and semantic memory are highly interactive and yet differ based on their embedded contextual content. Although differences in brain activity exist between episodic and semantic memory, the two types of memory retrieval are part of a common long-term memory system. Considering the shared processes between episodic and semantic memory, the objectives of the current study were twofold: i) to examine, employing a novel paradigm, whether performance on episodic and semantic memory retrieval would be influenced differently by varying levels of arousal, between negative and neutral valence; and ii) to explore the neural patterns underlying these processes. Forty-seven healthy young adults were recruited and completed the experiment in the MRI scanner. The results demonstrated a negative arousal effect on the brain circuitry subserving both memory conditions as well as on behavioural performance, as indicated by better accuracy and faster reaction times. The study provides an insight into the role of negative arousal in memory processes and contributes to our understanding of the interplay between cognitive and emotional factors in memory modulation. Our work also highlights the highly interactive nature of episodic and semantic memory, and emphasises the importance in understanding how negative arousal interacts with the contextual content of a memory, on a behavioural and neurofunctional level.

The Influence of Classroom Size and Window View on Young Children's Executive Functions and Physiological Responses, Based on VR Technology

Despite the increasing enrollment of young children in childcare institutes, there have been few empirical studies on the effects of spatial elements on their development. This study explored the impact of preschool classroom size (large vs. small) and window view (natural vs. built environment) on young children's executive functions and physiological stress responses, using cortisol and heart rate variability (HRV) as indicators and employing virtual reality (VR) technology. Out of 144 participants aged 61-85 months, three were excluded due to missing values and outliers. Executive function tests were administered, and saliva samples were collected before and after VR exposure; HRV data were gathered during the experience. ANCOVA results indicated significant improvements in cognitive flexibility, as measured based on the Dimensional Change Card Sorting task, in the large classroom condition, and a marginally significant decrease in visuo-spatial working memory, as measured with the Corsi block task, in the small classroom condition. The classroom size conditions did not significantly differ in cortisol response, but the large classroom condition showed marginally significant HRV indices, suggesting increased relaxation. No significant effects on executive functions or physiological responses were found in either window view condition. Overall, the findings suggest that classroom size may influence young children's cognitive flexibility.

Altered dynamic brain activity and functional connectivity in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy

Although previous neuroimaging evidence has confirmed the brain functional disturbances in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), the dynamic characteristics of brain activity and functional connectivity (FC) in TAO were rarely concerned. The present study aims to investigate the alterations of temporal variability of brain activity and FC in TAO using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Forty-seven TAO patients and 30 age-, gender-, education-, and handedness-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled and underwent rs-fMRI scanning. The dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF) was first calculated using a sliding window approach to characterize the temporal variability of brain activity. Based on the dALFF results, seed-based dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) analysis was performed to identify the temporal variability of efficient communication between brain regions in TAO. Additionally, correlations between dALFF and dFC and the clinical indicators were analyzed. Compared with HCs, TAO patients displayed decreased dALFF in the left superior occipital gyrus (SOG) and cuneus (CUN), while showing increased dALFF in the left triangular part of inferior frontal gyrus (IFGtriang), insula (INS), orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus (ORBinf), superior temporal gyrus (STG) and temporal pole of superior temporal gyrus (TPOsup). Furthermore, TAO patients exhibited decreased dFC between the left STG and the right middle occipital gyrus (MOG), as well as decreased dFC between the left TPOsup and the right calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex (CAL) and MOG. Correlation analyses showed that the altered dALFF in the left SOG/CUN was positively related to visual acuity (r = .409, p = .004), as well as the score of QoL for visual functioning (r = .375, p = .009). TAO patients developed abnormal temporal variability of brain activity in areas related to vision, emotion, and cognition, as well as reduced temporal variability of FC associated with vision deficits. These findings provided additional insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of TAO.

Cortical morphology in patients with the deficit and non-deficit syndrome of schizophrenia: a worldwide meta- and mega-analyses

Converging evidence suggests that schizophrenia (SZ) with primary, enduring negative symptoms (i.e., Deficit SZ (DSZ)) represents a distinct entity within the SZ spectrum while the neurobiological underpinnings remain undetermined. In the largest dataset of DSZ and Non-Deficit (NDSZ), we conducted a meta-analysis of data from 1560 individuals (168 DSZ, 373 NDSZ, 1019 Healthy Controls (HC)) and a mega-analysis of a subsampled data from 944 individuals (115 DSZ, 254 NDSZ, 575 HC) collected across 9 worldwide research centers of the ENIGMA SZ Working Group (8 in the mega-analysis), to clarify whether they differ in terms of cortical morphology. In the meta-analysis, sites computed effect sizes for differences in cortical thickness and surface area between SZ and control groups using a harmonized pipeline. In the mega-analysis, cortical values of individuals with schizophrenia and control participants were analyzed across sites using mixed-model ANCOVAs. The meta-analysis of cortical thickness showed a converging pattern of widespread thinner cortex in fronto-parietal regions of the left hemisphere in both DSZ and NDSZ, when compared to HC. However, DSZ have more pronounced thickness abnormalities than NDSZ, mostly involving the right fronto-parietal cortices. As for surface area, NDSZ showed differences in fronto-parietal-temporo-occipital cortices as compared to HC, and in temporo-occipital cortices as compared to DSZ. Although DSZ and NDSZ show widespread overlapping regions of thinner cortex as compared to HC, cortical thinning seems to better typify DSZ, being more extensive and bilateral, while surface area alterations are more evident in NDSZ. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that DSZ and NDSZ are characterized by different neuroimaging phenotypes, supporting a nosological distinction between DSZ and NDSZ and point toward the separate disease hypothesis.

Music-based interventions for unilateral spatial neglect: A systematic review

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of music-based interventions on unilateral spatial neglect. Five databases were retrieved prior to May 5, 2022. A range of study designs were considered, including randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, cohorts, and case series/reports. Types of music-based interventions were not limited. Methodological quality of randomized trials were evaluated using the RoB 2 tool, and the RoBiNT scale was utilized to assess the quality of case studies. Two authors independently summarized main results for assessments. Search strategies identified 186 potentially relevant articles, and 10 articles were collected for in-depth analysis. Preliminary results showed that USN patients performed better in cancellation tests than bisection tests after music-based intervention. In summary, pleasant music listening may have a beneficial effect on the visual attention of USN patients, and it can be hypothesized that this is related to the positive mood and emotions of patients induced by music. Music with a dynamic auditory stimulus as a new music listening programme in USN rehabilitation is worthy of further investigation. Instrument playing intervention can be considered as a multisensory stimulation to ameliorate neglect performance via multiple mechanisms. However, current results only support the short-term positive effects of music-based interventions on USN.

Negative bias in early and late cognitive processing of coronary heart disease patients with depressive symptoms: an EPR study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this research was to explore the underlying mechanisms of cognitive impairments in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who exhibit depressive symptoms. This was accomplished by recording Event-related potentials (ERPs) during the emotional Stroop task, with a specific focus on the temporal dynamics of attentional bias towards various emotional words.

METHODS

We selected 17 CHD patients with depressive symptoms and 23 CHD patients without depression using a convenience sampling method from the Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University. Each participant completed an emotional Stroop color-word task, and ERPs were recorded during the task to examine cognitive processing.

RESULTS

CHD patients with depressive symptoms exhibited generally smaller amplitudes of N1, N2, P3 and longer latency of P3 compared to CHD patients without depression. Specifically, the N1 amplitude of negative words was smaller and the P3 amplitude of negative words was larger in the CHD with depressive group compared to the CHD group. Furthermore, within the group of CHD patients with depressive symptoms, negative words elicited a smaller N1 amplitude and larger P3 amplitude compared to positive and neutral words.

CONCLUSIONS

CHD patients with depressive symptoms demonstrate decreased attentional resources, leading to cognitive impairments. Notably, significant attentional bias occurs during both early and later stages of cognitive processing. This bias is primarily characterized by an enhanced automatic processing of negative information at the early stage and difficulty disengaging from such information at the later stage. These findings contribute to the existing literature on the cognitive neural mechanisms underlying depression in CHD patients.

Emotional Dysregulation in Mild Behavioral Impairment Is Associated with Reduced Cortical Thickness in the Right Supramarginal Gyrus

BACKGROUND

Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) has attracted attention as a possible precursor symptom of dementia, but its neural basis has not been fully investigated.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the relationship between MBI and surface area, cortical thickness, and volume in the temporal and parietal lobes, which are strongly associated with dementia and emotional disorders.

METHODS

This retrospective study evaluated 123 participants: 90 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 13 with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and 20 cognitively healthy (CH). Using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with sex, age, and MMSE score as covariates, cortical thickness, surface area, and volume in 10 regions were compared between groups with and without MBI. Groups with MBI emotional dysregulation were also compared with groups without MBI.

RESULTS

ANCOVA revealed significantly smaller cortical thickness in the MBI group's right parahippocampal (p = 0.01) and supramarginal gyri (p = 0.002). After multiple comparison correction, only the right supramarginal gyrus was significantly smaller (p = 0.02). When considering only MBI emotional dysregulation, the right parahippocampal and supramarginal gyrus' cortical thicknesses were significantly smaller in this MBI group (p = 0.03, 0.01). However, multiple comparison correction identified no significant differences (p = 0.14, 0.11).

CONCLUSION

Overall MBI and the emotional dysregulation domains were associated with reduced cortical thickness in the right parahippocampal and supramarginal gyri. Since neurodegeneration in the medial temporal and parietal lobe precedes early Alzheimer's disease (AD), MBI, particularly emotion dysregulation, may predict early AD below the diagnostic threshold.

Advances in the Rehabilitation of Hemispatial Inattention

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

There continue to be a plethora of approaches to the rehabilitation of hemispatial inattention, from different forms of sensory stimulation (visual, auditory and somatosensory feedback), through all major modes of non-invasive brain stimulation to drug therapies. Here we summarise trials published in the years 2017-2022 and tabulate their effect sizes, with the aim of drawing on common themes that may serve to inform future rehabilitative studies.

RECENT FINDINGS

Immersive virtual reality approaches to visual stimulation seem well tolerated, although they have yet to yield any clinically relevant improvements. Dynamic auditory stimulation looks very promising and has high potential for implementation. Robotic interventions are limited by their cost and are perhaps best suited to patients with a co-occurring hemiparesis. Regarding brain stimulation, rTMS continues to demonstrate moderate effects but tDCS studies have yielded disappointing results so far. Drugs, primarily aimed at the dopaminergic system, often demonstrate beneficial effects of a medium size, but as with many of the approaches, it seems difficult to predict responders and non-responders. Our main recommendation is that researchers consider incorporating single-case experimental designs into their studies as rehabilitation trials are likely to remain small in terms of patient numbers, and this is the best way to deal with all the factors that cause large between-subject heterogeneity.

How processing emotion affects language control in bilinguals

Research has shown that several variables affect language control among bilingual speakers but the effect of affective processing remains unexplored. Chinese-English bilinguals participated in a novel prime-target language switching experiment in which they first judged the affective valence (i.e., positive or negative) of auditorily presented words and then named pictures with neutral emotional valence in either the same (non-switch trial) or different language (switch trial). Brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The behavioral performance showed that the typical switch cost (i.e., the calculated difference between switch and non-switch trials) emerged after processing positive words but not after negative words. Brain imaging demonstrated that processing negative words immediately before non-switch picturing naming trials (but not for switch trials) increased activation in brain areas associated with domain-general cognitive control. The opposite patterns were found after processing positive words. These findings suggest that an (emotional) negative priming effect is induced by spontaneous exposure to negative words and that these priming effects may be triggered by reactive emotional processing and that they may interact with higher level cognitive functions.

ERP and attachment dimensions as predictors of seeking care or food comfort in stressful situations

In this study, we aimed to test the association of the Late Positive Potential (LPP) response and attachment dimensions in the choice of care/food pictures and its reaction time (RT) in threatening versus neutral conditions. Fifty-two participants (38 females, M_age 22.62) responded to the ECR questionnaire and were exposed to adequate visual stimuli, during EEG recording. Results showed that threatening stimuli increase the choice of care, decrease RT, and increase LPP magnitude in centro-parietal areas (Cpz, Pz, P3 and P4). Food choice was lower, with increased RT. Furthermore, larger LPP magnitude in centro-parietal cluster was associated with increased RT in the choice of care. Considering the dimensions of attachment, in threatening conditions, while anxiety was not associated with RT and care/food choice, avoidance was associated with an increase in care choice and RT. In conclusion, the specific association of increased RT in care choice with high LPP magnitude centro-parietal cluster may be explained in terms of a functional interference of these areas in the choice of care, but not of food. Further, we postulate that the increased RT of avoidant individuals may reflect a more articulated choice process.

The impact of brain lesions on health-related quality of life in patients with WHO CNS grade 3 or 4 glioma: a lesion-function and resting-state fMRI analysis

PURPOSE

In glioma patients, tumor development and multimodality therapy are associated with changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). It is largely unknown how different types and locations of tumor- and treatment-related brain lesions, as well as their relationship to white matter tracts and functional brain networks, affect HRQoL.

METHODS

In 121 patients with pretreated gliomas of WHO CNS grades 3 or 4, structural MRI, O-(2-[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (FET) PET, resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and self-reported HRQoL questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30/BN20) were obtained. Resection cavities, T1-enhancing lesions, T2/FLAIR hyperintensities, and lesions with pathologically increased FET uptake were delineated. Effects of tumor lateralization, involvement of white matter tracts or resting-state network nodes by different types of lesions and within-network rs-fMRI connectivity were analyzed in terms of their interaction with HRQoL scores.

RESULTS

Right hemisphere gliomas were associated with significantly less favorable outcomes in physical, role, emotional and social functioning, compared with left-sided tumors. Most functional HRQoL scores correlated significantly with right-sided white-matter tracts involvement by T2/FLAIR hyperintensities and with loss of within-network functional connectivity of right-sided nodes. Tumors of the left hemisphere caused significantly more communication deficits.

CONCLUSION

In pretreated high-grade gliomas, right hemisphere lesions are associated with reduced HRQoL scores in most functional domains except communication ability, compared to tumors of the left hemisphere. These relationships are mainly observed for T2/FLAIR lesions involving structural and functional networks in the right hemisphere. The data suggest that sparing the right hemisphere from treatment-related tissue damage may improve HRQoL in glioma patients.

Threat shapes visual context sensitivity selectively through low-spatial-frequency channels

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.

Right-deviating prismatic adaptation reduces obsessions in a community sample

Background and aims

Patients with obsessive-compulsive (OC) disorder are impaired in disengaging attention from negative valence stimuli and show an attentional bias toward the right space. This pattern in OC disorder is similar to the impaired disengagement of attention from stimuli in the ipsilesional space as a consequence of a right-hemispheric cerebral lesion in patients with neglect, suggesting a right hemispheric dysfunction in patients with OC disorder. The attentional impairment in patients with neglect is reduced by a visuomotor procedure, such as prismatic adaptation (PA) with right-deviating lenses. Thus, here, we explored whether right-deviating PA is also effective in reducing OC psychological symptoms.

Methods

Participants with a high rate of OC symptoms completed self-report measures of such symptoms before and after right- or left-deviating PA.

Results

Right-deviating PA, and not left-deviating PA, reduced OC symptoms more prominently on obsessions than compulsions.

Conclusion

Results support the idea that right-deviating PA might be considered an effective technique to modulate OC symptoms. This has implications for theories about the underlying mechanisms of OC symptoms and the consideration of PA as a complementary procedure to psychological treatments.

Activation-Inhibition Coordination in Neuron, Brain, and Behavior Sequencing/Organization: Implications for Laterality and Lateralization

Activation-inhibition coordination is considered a dynamic process that functions as a common mechanism in the synchronization and functioning of neurons, brain, behavior, and their sequencing/organization, including over these different scales. The concept has broad applicability, for example, in applications to maladaptivity/atypicality. Young developed the hypothesis to help explain the efficacy of right-hand reaching to grasp in 1-month-olds, a study that implicated that the left hemisphere is specialized for activation-inhibition coordination. This underlying left-hemisphere function, noted to characterize the left hemisphere right from birth, can explain equally its language and fine motor skills, for example. The right hemisphere appears specialized for less complex inhibitory skills, such as outright damping/inhibition. The hypotheses related to inhibition and hemispheric specialization that appear in the literature typically refer to right hemisphere skills in these regards. The research to present also refers to excitation/inhibition balance/ratio in synaptic function, but not to coordination in the sense described here. Furthermore, it refers to the inhibitory function widely in neuronal networks. The paper presents a comprehensive literature review, framing the research in terms of the proposed concept. Further, the paper presents a broad model of activation-inhibition coordination that can help better understand neuron, brain, and behavior, generally, and left hemisphere specialization, specifically.

Physiological measurements in social acceptance of self driving technologies

The goal of the present study is to examine the cognitive/affective physiological correlates of passenger travel experience in autonomously driven transportation systems. We investigated the social acceptance and cognitive aspects of self-driving technology by measuring physiological responses in real-world experimental settings using eye-tracking and EEG measures simultaneously on 38 volunteers. A typical test run included human-driven (Human) and Autonomous conditions in the same vehicle, in a safe environment. In the spectrum analysis of the eye-tracking data we found significant differences in the complex patterns of eye movements: the structure of movements of different magnitudes were less variable in the Autonomous drive condition. EEG data revealed less positive affectivity in the Autonomous condition compared to the human-driven condition while arousal did not differ between the two conditions. These preliminary findings reinforced our initial hypothesis that passenger experience in human and machine navigated conditions entail different physiological and psychological correlates, and those differences are accessible using state of the art in-world measurements. These useful dimensions of passenger experience may serve as a source of information both for the improvement and design of self-navigating technology and for market-related concerns.

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on neurobehavioural development and volume of rostral cingulate cortex subregions

BACKGROUND

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have widespread and long-lasting effects on children's cognition, behaviour, brain function and structure. The pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the anterior midcingulate cortex (MCC) mediate emotional and cognitive behaviours that are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. However, the neurobehavioural development of the pregenual ACC and anterior MCC has not been examined in people with prenatal alcohol exposure.

METHODS

We recruited 30 children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure and 50 age- and gender-matched unexposed controls. We acquired structural MRI data sets on a 3 T scanner. We manually delineated 2 areas of the rostral cingulate cortex - the pregenual ACC and the anterior MCC - and compared them between groups. We measured behavioural and emotional problems using the Behaviour Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition, Parent Rating Scale, and then explored their associations with rostral cingulate cortex volumes.

RESULTS

Intracranial-normalized volumes of the right pregenual ACC and the right total rostral cingulate cortex were significantly smaller in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure than in unexposed controls. The volume of the right anterior MCC had a significant positive association with scores on the Internalizing Problems scale in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure.

LIMITATIONS

This study was cross-sectional, and detailed information about the timing and amount of exposure was not always available.

CONCLUSION

Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with lower volumes in the right pregenual ACC. This finding may underlie some of the emotional and behavioural problems experienced by individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure.

A Bayesian-optimized design for an interpretable convolutional neural network to decode and analyze the P300 response in autism

OBJECTIVE

P300 can be analyzed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to derive biomarkers and can be decoded in BCIs to reinforce ASD impaired skills. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been proposed for P300 decoding, outperforming traditional algorithms but they i) do not investigate optimal designs in different training conditions; ii) lack in interpretability. To overcome these limitations, an interpretable CNN (ICNN), that we recently proposed for motor decoding, has been modified and adopted here, with its optimal design searched via Bayesian optimization.

APPROACH

The ICNN provides a straightforward interpretation of spectral and spatial features learned to decode P300. The Bayesian-optimized (BO) ICNN design was investigated separately for different training strategies (within-subject, within-session, and cross-subject) and BO models were used for the subsequent analyses. Specifically, transfer learning (TL) potentialities were investigated by assessing how pretrained cross-subject BO models performed on a new subject vs. random-initialized models. Furthermore, within-subject BO-derived models were combined with an Explanation Technique (ICNN+ET) to analyze P300 spectral and spatial features.

MAIN RESULTS

The ICNN resulted comparable or even outperformed existing CNNs, at the same time being lighter. Bayesian-optimized ICNN designs differed depending on the training strategy, needing more capacity as the training set variability increased. Furthermore, TL provided higher performance than networks trained from scratch. The ICNN+ET analysis suggested the frequency range [2, 5.8] Hz as the most relevant, and spatial features showed a right-hemispheric parietal asymmetry. The ICNN+ET-derived features, but not ERP-derived features, resulted significantly and highly correlated to ADOS clinical scores.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study substantiates the idea that a CNN can be designed both accurate and interpretable for P300 decoding, with an optimized design depending on the training condition. The novel ICNN-based analysis tool was able to better capture ASD neural signatures than traditional ERP analysis, possibly paving the way for identifying novel biomarkers.

Aberrant Structural Connectivity of the Triple Network System in Borderline Personality Disorder Is Associated with Behavioral Dysregulation

Background: Core symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are associated to aberrant connectivity of the triple network system (salience network [SN], default mode network [DMN], executive control network [ECN]). While functional abnormalities are widely reported, structural connectivity (SC) and anatomical changes have not yet been investigated. Here, we explored the triple network’s SC, structure, and its association with BPD clinical features. Methods: A total of 60 BPD and 26 healthy controls (HC) underwent a multidomain neuropsychological and multimodal MRI (diffusion- and T1-weighted imaging) assessment. Metrics (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity [MD], cortical thickness) were extracted from SN, DMN, ECN (triple network), and visual network (control network) using established atlases. Multivariate general linear models were conducted to assess group differences in metrics and associations with clinical features. Results: Patients showed increased MD in the anterior SN, dorsal DMN, and right ECN compared to HC. Diffusivity increases were more pronounced in patients with higher behavioral dysregulation, i.e., suicidal attempting, self-harm, and aggressiveness. No differences were detected in network structure. Conclusions: These results indicate that the triple network system is impaired in BPD at the microstructural level. The preferential involvement of anterior and right-lateralized subsystems and their clinical association suggests that these abnormalities could contribute to behavioral dysregulation.

Facial emotion processing and language during early-to-middle childhood development: An event related potential study

Facial emotion processing (FEP) is critical to social cognitive ability. Developmentally, FEP rapidly improves in early childhood and continues to be fine-tuned throughout middle childhood and into adolescence. Previous research has suggested that language plays a role in the development of social cognitive skills, including non-verbal emotion recognition tasks. Here we investigated whether language is associated with specific neurophysiological indicators of FEP. One hundred and fourteen children (4-12 years) completed a language assessment and a FEP task including stimuli depicting anger, happiness, fear, and neutrality. EEG was used to record key event related potentials (ERPs; P100, N170, LPP at occipital and parietal sites separately) previously shown to be sensitive to faces and facial emotion. While there were no main effects of language, the P100 latency to negative expressions appeared to increase with language, while LPP amplitude increased with language for negative and neutral expressions. These findings suggest that language is linked to some early physiological indicators of FEP, but this is dependent on the facial expression. Future studies should explore the role of language in later stages of neural processing, with a focus on processes localised to ventromedial prefrontal regions.

Self-Conscious Emotions and the Right Fronto-Temporal and Right Temporal Parietal Junction

For more than two decades, research focusing on both clinical and non-clinical populations has suggested a key role for specific regions in the regulation of self-conscious emotions. It is speculated that both the expression and the interpretation of self-conscious emotions are critical in humans for action planning and response, communication, learning, parenting, and most social encounters. Empathy, Guilt, Jealousy, Shame, and Pride are all categorized as self-conscious emotions, all of which are crucial components to one’s sense of self. There has been an abundance of evidence pointing to the right Fronto-Temporal involvement in the integration of cognitive processes underlying the expression of these emotions. Numerous regions within the right hemisphere have been identified including the right temporal parietal junction (rTPJ), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and the inferior parietal lobule (IPL). In this review, we aim to investigate patient cases, in addition to clinical and non-clinical studies. We also aim to highlight these specific brain regions pivotal to the right hemispheric dominance observed in the neural correlates of such self-conscious emotions and provide the potential role that self-conscious emotions play in evolution.