scholarly journals Applying a novel visual-to-touch sensory substitution for studying tactile reference frames

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Or Yizhar ◽  
Galit Buchs ◽  
Benedetta Heimler ◽  
Doron Friedman ◽  
Amir Amedi
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frames ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Proprioceptive Inputs ◽  
Tactile Sensations ◽  
Spatial Recognition

AbstractPerceiving the spatial location and physical dimensions of touched objects is crucial for goal-directed actions. To achieve this, our brain transforms skin-based coordinates into a reference frame by integrating visual and posture information. In the current study, we examine the role of posture in mapping tactile sensations to a visual image. We developed a new visual-to-touch sensory substitution device that transforms images into a sequence of vibrations on the arm. 52 blindfolded participants performed spatial recognition tasks in three different arm postures and had to switch postures between trial blocks. As participants were not told which side of the device is down and which is up, they could choose how to map its vertical axis in their responses. Contrary to previous findings, we show that new proprioceptive inputs can be overridden in mapping tactile sensations. We discuss the results within the context of the spatial task and the various sensory contributions to the process.

scholarly journals Proprioception Has Limited Influence on Tactile Reference Frame Selection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Or Yizhar ◽  
Galit Buchs ◽  
Benedetta Heimler ◽  
Doron Friedman ◽  
Amir Amedi
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frame ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Localization Task ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Reference Frame Selection ◽  
Proprioceptive Inputs

ABSTRACTPerceiving the spatial location and physical dimensions of objects that we touch is crucial for goal-directed actions. To achieve this, our brain transforms skin-based coordinates into a reference frame by integrating visual and proprioceptive cues, a process known as tactile remapping. In the current study, we examine the role of proprioception in the remapping process when information from the more dominant visual modality is withheld. We developed a new visual-to-touch sensory substitution device and asked participants to perform a spatial localization task in three different arm postures that included posture switches between blocks of trials. We observed that in the absence of visual information novel proprioceptive inputs can be overridden after switching postures. This behavior demonstrates effective top-down modulations of proprioception and points to the unequal contribution of different sensory modalities to tactile remapping.

scholarly journals The Role of Gender and Familiarity in a Modified Version of the Almeria Boxes Room Spatial Task

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 681
Author(s):  
Alessia Bocchi ◽  
Massimiliano Palmiero ◽  
Jose Manuel Cimadevilla Redondo ◽  
Laura Tascón ◽  
Raffaella Nori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Position Learning ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Environmental Representation

Individual factors like gender and familiarity can affect the kind of environmental representation that a person acquires during spatial navigation. Men seem to prefer relying on map-like survey representations, while women prefer using sequential route representations. Moreover, a good familiarity with the environment allows more complete environmental representations. This study was aimed at investigating gender differences in two different object-position learning tasks (i.e., Almeria Boxes Tasks) assuming a route or a survey perspective also considering the role of environmental familiarity. Two groups of participants had to learn the position of boxes placed in a virtual room. Participants had several trials, so that familiarity with the environment could increase. In both tasks, the effects of gender and familiarity were found, and only in the route perspective did an interaction effect emerge. This suggests that gender differences can be found regardless of the perspective taken, with men outperforming women in navigational tasks. However, in the route task, gender differences appeared only at the initial phase of learning, when the environment was unexplored, and disappeared when familiarity with the environment increased. This is consistent with studies showing that familiarity can mitigate gender differences in spatial tasks, especially in more complex ones.

Bread in the Festive and Ceremonial Food of Russians of the Arkhangelsk North in the Early 20th Century

2020 ◽  
pp. 149-157
Author(s):  
Александра Викторовна Фролова
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Folk Culture ◽  
Significant Phenomenon ◽  
Large Round ◽  
Northern Russia ◽  
Peasant Family

В данной статье на основе архивных, публицистических и полевых материалов, собранных автором в деревнях Архангельского Севера в 1992-2011 гг., рассматриваются традиции употребления хлеба в праздничной и обрядовой пище севернорусского населения. Севернорусская, как и вся русская, традиционная кухня отражает преимущественно земледельческий характер народного хозяйства. Ведущее место в ней занимали хлебные, мучные и крупяные блюда в многочисленных вариантах. В статье рассмотрена роль хлеба и в центральном семейном торжестве крестьянина - свадебном обряде. Свадебные застолья - сложное, значительное и интересное явление народной культуры, вобравшее в себя разные стороны крестьянского мировоззрения и быта. Хлеб и другие изделия из муки располагались на столах особым образом и становились атрибутами этого действия. Так, ковриги хлеба, символизирующие жениха и невесту, способствовали их соединению и сами имитировали его. С хлебом связаны и обрядовые кормления скота на праздники, в частности, егорьевская обрядность. Как показало исследование, подобные традиции достаточно устойчивы и обладают локальной спецификой. This article considers the traditions of bread consumption in the festive and ritual food of the northern Russian population based on archival, journalistic and field materials collected by the author in villages of the Archangel North in 1992-2011. Like all Russian traditional cuisine, that of northern Russia reflects the character of the national economy, based on grain. The leading place in it was occupied by bread, flour and cereal dishes with many variations. The article considers the role of bread in the main celebration of the peasant family - the wedding rite. The wedding gathering is a complex, significant phenomenon of folk culture, which has reflected different sides of peasant life and its world view. Bread and other flour products were placed on tables in a special way and became attributes of this occasion. Thus the kovrigi (large round loaves) symbolized the groom and bride and contributed to their connection by offering a visual image of it. Bread is also used in the ritual feeding of livestock on holidays and in the Yegorievskaya rite. The study indicates that such traditions are quite stable and manifest local particularities.

scholarly journals Role of cutaneous and proprioceptive inputs in sensorimotor integration and plasticity occurring in the facial primary motor cortex

2020 ◽  
Vol 598 (4) ◽  
pp. 839-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna Pilurzi ◽  
Francesca Ginatempo ◽  
Beniamina Mercante ◽  
Luigi Cattaneo ◽  
Giovanni Pavesi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Sensorimotor Integration ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Proprioceptive Inputs

scholarly journals Lack of change in CA1 dendritic spine density or clustering in rats following training on a radial-arm maze task

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Emma Craig ◽  
Christopher M. Dillingham ◽  
Michal M. Milczarek ◽  
Heather M. Phillips ◽  
Moira Davies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Spines ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Radial Arm Maze ◽  
Nearest Neighbour ◽  
Spine Density ◽  
Ca1 Region

Background: Neuronal plasticity is thought to underlie learning and memory formation. The density of dendritic spines in the CA1 region of the hippocampus has been repeatedly linked to mnemonic processes. Both the number and spatial location of the spines, in terms of proximity to nearest neighbour, have been implicated in memory formation. To examine how spatial training impacts synaptic structure in the hippocampus, Lister-Hooded rats were trained on a hippocampal-dependent spatial task in the radial-arm maze.  Methods: One group of rats were trained on a hippocampal-dependent spatial task in the radial arm maze. Two further control groups were included: a yoked group which received the same sensorimotor stimulation in the radial-maze but without a memory load, and home-cage controls. At the end of behavioural training, the brains underwent Golgi staining. Spines on CA1 pyramidal neuron dendrites were imaged and quantitatively assessed to provide measures of density and distance from nearest neighbour.  Results: There was no difference across behavioural groups either in terms of spine density or in the clustering of dendritic spines. Conclusions: Spatial learning is not always accompanied by changes in either the density or clustering of dendritic spines on the basal arbour of CA1 pyramidal neurons when assessed using Golgi imaging.

scholarly journals Dopamine and serotonin interplay for valence-based spatial learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Wert-Carvajal ◽  
Melissa Reneaux ◽  
Tatjana Tchumatchenko ◽  
Claudia Clopath
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Plasticity ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Spike Time ◽  
Learning Rules ◽  
Learning Speed ◽  
Spike Time Dependent Plasticity ◽  
Spatial Task Performance

AbstractDopamine and serotonin are important modulators of synaptic plasticity and their action has been linked to our ability to learn the positive or negative outcomes or valence learning. In the hippocampus, both neuromodulators affect long-term synaptic plasticity but play different roles in the encoding of uncertainty or predicted reward. Here, we examine the differential role of these modulators on learning speed and cognitive flexibility in a navigational model. We compare two reward-modulated spike time-dependent plasticity (R-STDP) learning rules to describe the action of these neuromodulators. Our results show that the interplay of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) improves overall learning performance and can explain experimentally reported differences in spatial task performance. Furthermore, this system allows us to make predictions regarding spatial reversal learning.

scholarly journals Media aesthetic component of communication and its manifestation in infographic content

Lumina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-96
Author(s):  
Svetlana Simakova
Keyword(s):  
Visual Image ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
Media Culture ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Media

The goal of the present study is to demonstrate the media-aesthetic potential of infographic messages on particular cases. This can be done due to an integrated approach to the analysis of the visual content of media content. That indicates the case study method implementation as well as description and generalization. The theoretical basis of the research is represented by scientific studies of various directions. That includes the history of media and visual media culture; features of the concepts of media culture and media language, media aesthetics; infographics as a tool of media language. The empirical basis of the study is journalistic materials containing infographic content of such publications as by RIA Novosti (ria.ru), TASS (tass.ru). The examples of visual image implementation in the transmission of information — media content containing infographics — are given and analyzed. Considering media aesthetics as the formation of a sensory perception of the proposed media content, the author turns to the philosophical and aesthetic foundations of visual practices in the media and post-humanistic trends in journalism. As a result of the analysis of the theoretical and practical basis of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that today the role of the media aesthetic component of messages is most relevant. And infographics, as the connecting link of language and consciousness, is its most striking tool.

scholarly journals Using satellite images in teaching geography at school

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Images ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Atmospheric Fronts ◽  
History Of ◽  
Memory Representations ◽  
Control Knowledge

Satellite images occupy a signifi cant place in the Earth Sciences. This fully applies to geography. Images of the Earth from space are used in various activities: to assess crops, to establish the boundaries of a phenomenon, to determine the degree of contamination of land or ocean surfaces, to search for minerals, and so on. But in school geography, satellite images are used very rarely - for example, to prove the sphericity of the Earth or to show the view of each continent from space. The purpose of this article is to highlight the methods of using satellite images in geography lessons at school and to create tasks based on these means of training. Main material. The history of using satellite images in school geography has been considered in the article. Advantages and disadvantages of satellite images as training tools are also noted. The role of satellite images in the formation of geographical representations is highlighted by the authors. These images realistically depict many natural phenomena (atmospheric fronts, cyclones, dust storms, etc.). Therefore, as a means of visualization, they contribute to the formation of memory representations in schoolchildren. Examples of a number of satellite images show how they can be used in teaching geography. The article off ers a methodical way of the use of satellite images at diff erent stages of learning. These images can be used to explain the training material, repeat it, control knowledge, and so on. Satellite images can be used to solve cartographic tasks. As practice has shown, we can perform creative tasks based on images. Conclusions. Satellite images play an important role in the system of teaching geography. The use of satellite images allows us to improve the pupils’ interest in the subject. Satellite images form geographical memory representations create a visual image of the natural appearance of the Earth. The study of educational opportunities of the Earth’s images from space has revealed three groups of requirements: pedagogical, technical and specific, determined by the content of school geography. The teacher should select satellite images based on the content of educational tasks of school geography.

Вasic research in ophthalmology – the modern perspective of new approaches to primary and secondary prevention of vascular diseases of the eye

2015 ◽  
pp. 11-17
Author(s):  
Nataliia Veselovska ◽  
Zoya Veselovska
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Diseases ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Primary And Secondary Prevention ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Mechanisms Of Formation ◽  
Literary Materials ◽  
Modern Perspective ◽  
High Information

This paper is presenting the literary materials about the necessity and importance of basic research in the field of medicine, particularly ophthalmology. These data revealed the analysis of well-known studies conducted by our famous scientists from different branches of medicine to explore different aspects of the functioning of the retina, to investigate the mechanisms of formation of the visual image, to define the role of individual cells in the function of color vision with different methods, to reveal the effects of ionizing radiation on the lens after Chernobyl disaster. This article contains the information about the results of learning the peculiarities of physiological and pathological processes in retina cells on the intracellular and membrane levels using the unique experimental techniques. The history aspects of some basic research in medicine and ophthalmology are revealed too. On these data the authors demonstrate the evidence of high information content and the importance of interdisciplinary research in the resolving of complex medical problems for the future of ophthalmology with involving the more informative methods of different subjects of medicine.

Sensorimotor aspects of high-speed artificial gravity: II. The effect of head position on illusory self motion

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 283-289
Author(s):  
Fred W. Mast ◽  
Nathaniel J. Newby ◽  
Laurence R. Young
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Horizontal Plane ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Head Position ◽  
Artificial Gravity ◽  
Axis Of Rotation ◽  
Self Motion

The effects of cross-coupled stimuli on the semicircular canals are shown to be influenced by the position of the subject's head with respect to gravity and the axis of rotation, but not by the subject's head position relative to the trunk. Seventeen healthy subjects made head yaw movements out of the horizontal plane while lying on a horizontal platform (MIT short radius centrifuge) rotating at 23 rpm about an earth-vertical axis. The subjects reported the magnitude and duration of the illusory pitch or roll sensations elicited by the cross-coupled rotational stimuli acting on the semicircular canals. The results suggest an influence of head position relative to gravity. The magnitude estimation is higher and the sensation decays more slowly when the head's final position is toward nose-up (gravity in the subject's head x-z-plane) compared to when the head is turned toward the side (gravity in the subject's head y-z-plane). The results are discussed with respect to artificial gravity in space and the possible role of pre-adaptation to cross-coupled angular accelerations on earth.

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