Modeling the interrelationships between brain activity and trait attention measures to predict individual differences in reaction times in children during a Go/No-Go task

Abstract. It has been generally accepted that skipping breakfast adversely affects cognition, mainly disturbing the attentional processes. However, the effects of short-term fasting upon brain functioning are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of skipping breakfast on cognitive processing by studying the electrical brain activity of young healthy individuals while performing several working memory tasks. Accordingly, the behavioral results and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) of 20 healthy university students (10 males) were obtained and compared through analysis of variances (ANOVAs), during the performance of three n-back working memory (WM) tasks in two morning sessions on both normal (after breakfast) and 12-hour fasting conditions. Significantly fewer correct responses were achieved during fasting, mainly affecting the higher WM load task. In addition, there were prolonged reaction times with increased task difficulty, regardless of breakfast intake. ERP showed a significant voltage decrement for N200 and P300 during fasting, while the amplitude of P200 notably increased. The results suggest skipping breakfast disturbs earlier cognitive processing steps, particularly attention allocation, early decoding in working memory, and stimulus evaluation, and this effect increases with task difficulty.

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Individual Differences and Detection Response Task Reaction Times

Neuroergonomics ◽

10.1016/b978-0-12-811926-6.00061-0 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 253-254

Author(s):

Antonia S. Conti ◽

Moritz Späth ◽

Klaus Bengler

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Detection Response ◽

Response Task

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Fusing Mobile Phone Sensing and Brain Imaging to Assess Depression in College Students

10.1101/276568 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jeremy F. Huckins ◽

Alex W. daSilva ◽

Rui Wang ◽

Weichen Wang ◽

Elin L. Hedlund ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Antidepressant Treatment ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Neuroscience Research ◽

Affective Processes ◽

Usage Patterns ◽

Mobile Phone Sensing ◽

Functional Brain Activity

AbstractAs smartphone usage has become increasingly prevalent in our society, so have rates of depression, particularly among young adults. Individual differences in smartphone usage patterns have been shown to reflect individual differences in underlying affective processes such as depression (Wang et al., 2018). In the current study, we identified a positive relationship between smartphone screen time (e.g. phone unlock duration) and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the subgenual cingulate cortex (sgCC), a brain region implicated in depression and antidepressant treatment response, and regions of the ventromedial/orbitofrontal cortex, such that increased phone usage was related to stronger connectivity between these regions. We then used this cluster to constrain subsequent analyses looking at depressive symptoms in the same cohort and observed partial replication in a separate cohort. We believe the data and analyses presented here provide relatively simplistic initial analyses which replicate and provide a first step in combining functional brain activity and smartphone usage patterns to better understand issues related to mental health. Smartphones are a prevalent part of modern life and the usage of mobile sensing data from smartphones promises to be an important tool for mental health diagnostics and neuroscience research.

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Beta-band desynchronization reflects uncertainty in effector selection during motor planning

10.1101/2021.04.23.441147 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Milou J.L. van Helvert ◽

Leonie Oostwoud Wijdenes ◽

Linda Geerligs ◽

W. Pieter Medendorp

Keyword(s):

Time Window ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Motor Planning ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Motor Preparation ◽

Motion Artifact ◽

Theta Band ◽

Beta Band ◽

Target Uncertainty ◽

Band Power

AbstractWhile beta-band activity during motor planning is known to be modulated by uncertainty about where to act, less is known about its modulations to uncertainty about how to act. To investigate this issue, we recorded oscillatory brain activity with EEG while human participants (n = 17) performed a hand choice reaching task. The reaching hand was either predetermined or of participants’ choice, and the target was close to one of the two hands or at about equal distance from both. To measure neural activity in a motion-artifact-free time window, the location of the upcoming target was cued 1000-1500 ms before the presentation of the target, whereby the cue was valid in 50% of trials. As evidence for motor planning during the cueing phase, behavioral observations showed that the cue affected later hand choice. Furthermore, reaction times were longer in the choice than in the predetermined trials, supporting the notion of a competitive process for hand selection. Modulations of beta-band power over central cortical regions, but not alpha-band or theta-band power, were in line with these observations. During the cueing period, reaches in predetermined trials were preceded by larger decreases in beta-band power than reaches in choice trials. Cue direction did not affect reaction times or beta-band power, which may be due to the cue being invalid in 50% of trials, retaining effector uncertainty during motor planning. Our findings suggest that effector uncertainty, similar to target uncertainty, selectively modulates beta-band power during motor planning.New & NoteworthyWhile reach-related beta-band power in central cortical areas is known to modulate with the number of potential targets, here we show, using a cueing paradigm, that the power in this frequency band, but not in the alpha or theta-band, is also modulated by the uncertainty of which hand to use. This finding supports the notion that multiple possible effector-specific actions can be specified in parallel up to the level of motor preparation.

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Exploring the neural, behavioural, and clinical effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with a Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness; protocol for a double-blind randomised crossover feasibility study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-15515/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Davinia Fernández-Espejo ◽

Davide Aloi ◽

Antonio Incisa della Rocchetta ◽

Damon Hoad ◽

Richard Greenwood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Feasibility Study ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Clinical Effects ◽

Disorder Of Consciousness ◽

Double Blind ◽

Direct Current Stimulation

Abstract Background: Therapeutic options for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC) are very limited, and patients often show little to no progress over time. It is widely recognized that some PDOC patients retain a higher level of cognition that may be apparent on the basis of their external responses, and simply are unable to produce purposeful motor behaviours. This dissociation has been linked to specific impairments in the motor network that lead to a reduction in thalamo-cortical coupling. Here, we will assess whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate thalamo-cortical coupling and improve patients’ responsiveness. We will focus on characterising the mechanisms of action of tDCS and the bases for potential individual differences in responsiveness to the stimulation across participants.Methods: This is a multi-centre double-blind randomised crossover feasibility study. It is divided into two streams: (a) MRI stream: 5 PDOC patients will complete 5 anodal, cathodal, and sham stimulation sessions (paired with passive mobilisation of the thumb) in separate weeks. We will measure brain activity and connectivity with functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography (EEG). We will look at brain structures to assess differences associated with responsiveness. (b) Bedside stream: 10 patients will complete one session of anodal or cathodal stimulation and one session of sham. We will measure brain activity and connectivity with EEG and we will conduct follow up assessments at 3 and 6 months. In both streams we will also look at changes in the clinical profile of patients with the Coma Recovery Scale Revised and in command following behaviour with electromyography and motion tracking. We will assess feasibility on measures of eligibility, recruitment, retention, and completion of tests.Discussion: This feasibility study is the first step towards developing personalised tDCS interventions to restore external responsiveness in PDOC patients. Our results will inform the design of a future trial fully powered for characterising neural, behavioural, and clinical effects of tDCS in PDOC as well as the mechanisms underlying individual differences in responsiveness.

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P25 Individual differences in risk decision taking correlate with modulation of brain activity induced by multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation

Clinical Neurophysiology ◽

10.1016/j.clinph.2019.12.136 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 131 (4) ◽

pp. e25

Author(s):

O. Martin de la Torre ◽

D. Gallardo Pujol ◽

D. Redolar Ripoll

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Decision Taking ◽

Risk Decision

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Individual Differences in Processing Strategy for a Bargraph Display

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1518/107118193784162317 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 37 (19) ◽

pp. 1315-1319 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Julie R. Nowicki ◽

Bruce G. Coury

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Response Times ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Classification Problem ◽

Processing Strategy ◽

Verbal Reports ◽

Processing Strategies ◽

Emergent Feature ◽

Emergent Features ◽

Individual Strategies

The bargraph has been described in several ways: as a separable display, as an integral display, and as a configural display with emergent features. The versatility of the bargraph may be in part due to the support it provides for different individual processing strategies. This research identifies two general types of strategies - holistic and analytic - which are developed by individuals to solve a classification problem on the bargraph. Multidimensional scaling (MDS), response times, and verbal reports are used to analyze individual strategies. Individuals who developed holistic strategies produced significantly faster reaction times, and reported simple, efficient strategies, with the emergent feature of bargraph shape as an important dimension. The results indicate that the bargraph provides perceptual features which can support several general types of processing strategy.

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The Sustained Attention to Response Task Shows Lower Cingulo-Opercular and Frontoparietal Activity in People with Narcolepsy Type 1: An fMRI Study on the Neural Regulation of Attention

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci10070419 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 419

Author(s):

Jari K. Gool ◽

Ysbrand D. van der Werf ◽

Gert Jan Lammers ◽

Rolf Fronczek

Keyword(s):

Sustained Attention ◽

Group Performance ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Vigilance Task ◽

Error Rates ◽

Time On Task ◽

Related Activity ◽

Response Task

Vigilance complaints often occur in people with narcolepsy type 1 and severely impair effective daytime functioning. We tested the feasibility of a three-level sustained attention to response task (SART) paradigm within a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment to understand brain architecture underlying vigilance regulation in individuals with narcolepsy type 1. Twelve medication-free people with narcolepsy type 1 and 11 matched controls were included. The SART included four repetitions of a baseline block and two difficulty levels requiring moderate and high vigilance. Outcome measures were between and within-group performance indices on error rates and reaction times, and functional MRI (fMRI) parameters: mean activity during the task and between-group activity differences across the three conditions and related to changes in activation over time (time-on-task) and error-related activity. Patients—but not controls—made significantly more mistakes with increasing difficulty. The modified SART is a feasible MRI vigilance task showing similar task-positive brain activity in both groups within the cingulo-opercular, frontoparietal, arousal, motor, and visual networks. During blocks of higher vigilance demand, patients had significantly lower activation in these regions than controls. Patients had lower error-related activity in the left pre- and postcentral gyrus. The time-on-task activity differences between groups suggest that those with narcolepsy are insufficiently capable of activating attention- and arousal-related regions when transitioning from attention initiation to stable attention, specifically when vigilance demand is high. They also show lower inhibitory motor activity in relation to errors, suggesting impaired executive functioning.

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Psychophysiological influences on personality trajectories in adolescent females exposed to child maltreatment

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419001342 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 1390-1401 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Raha Hassan ◽

Harriet L. MacMillan ◽

Masako Tanaka ◽

Louis A. Schmidt

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Child Maltreatment ◽

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Adolescent Females ◽

Health Concern ◽

Personality Factors ◽

Alpha Power ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Psychophysiological Measures

AbstractAlthough child maltreatment is a major public health concern, which adversely affects psychological and physical development, we know relatively little concerning psychophysiological and personality factors that may modify risk in children exposed to maltreatment. Using a three-wave, short-term prospective design, we examined the influence of individual differences in two disparate psychophysiological measures of risk (i.e., resting frontal brain electrical activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia) on the trajectories of extraversion and neuroticism in a sample of female adolescents (N = 55; M age = 14.02 years) exposed to child maltreatment. Adolescents exposed to child maltreatment with relatively higher left frontal absolute alpha power (i.e., lower brain activity) at rest exhibited increasing trajectories of extraversion, and adolescents exposed to child maltreatment with relatively lower respiratory sinus arrhythmia at rest displayed increasing trajectories of neuroticism over 1 year. Individual differences in psychophysiological measures indexing resting central and peripheral nervous system activity may therefore differentially influence personality characteristics in adolescent females exposed to child maltreatment.

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Gray Matter Volume in Different Cortical Structures Dissociably Relates to Individual Differences in Capacity and Precision of Visual Working Memory

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhaa046 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (9) ◽

pp. 4759-4770

Author(s):

Maro G Machizawa ◽

Jon Driver ◽

Takeo Watanabe

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Visual Working Memory ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Visual Information ◽

Parietal Lobe ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Brain Anatomy

Abstract Visual working memory (VWM) refers to our ability to selectively maintain visual information in a mental representation. While cognitive limits of VWM greatly influence a variety of mental operations, it remains controversial whether the quantity or quality of representations in mind constrains VWM. Here, we examined behavior-to-brain anatomical relations as well as brain activity to brain anatomy associations with a “neural” marker specific to the retention interval of VWM. Our results consistently indicated that individuals who maintained a larger number of items in VWM tended to have a larger gray matter (GM) volume in their left lateral occipital region. In contrast, individuals with a superior ability to retain with high precision tended to have a larger GM volume in their right parietal lobe. These results indicate that individual differences in quantity and quality of VWM may be associated with regional GM volumes in a dissociable manner, indicating willful integration of information in VWM may recruit separable cortical subsystems.

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