scholarly journals Magnetoencephalography reveals differences in brain activations for fast and slow responses to simple multiplications

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Arcara ◽  
Rachele Pezzetta ◽  
S. Benavides-Varela ◽  
G. Rizzi ◽  
S. Formica ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Single Digit ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Angular Gyrus ◽  
Open Question

AbstractDespite decades of studies, it is still an open question on how and where simple multiplications are solved by the brain. This fragmented picture is mostly related to the different tasks employed. While in neuropsychological studies patients are asked to perform and report simple oral calculations, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies often use verification tasks, in which the result is shown, and the participant must verify the correctness. This MEG study aims to unify the sources of evidence, investigating how brain activation unfolds in time using a single-digit multiplication production task. We compared the participants' brain activity—focusing on the parietal lobes—based on response efficiency, dividing their responses in fast and slow. Results showed higher activation for fast, as compared to slow, responses in the left angular gyrus starting after the first operand, and in the right supramarginal gyrus only after the second operand. A whole-brain analysis showed that fast responses had higher activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We show a timing difference of both hemispheres during simple multiplications. Results suggest that while the left parietal lobe may allow an initial retrieval of several possible solutions, the right one may be engaged later, helping to identify the solution based on magnitude checking.

scholarly journals Simple Multiplication in the Brain: A MEG Study Comparing Fast and Slow Responses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arcara G. ◽  
Pezzetta R. ◽  
Benavides-Varela S. ◽  
Rizzi G. ◽  
Formica S. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Single Digit ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Angular Gyrus ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Despite decades of studies, it is still an open question on how and where simple multiplication is solved by the brain. This fragmented picture is mostly related to the different tasks employed. Although in neuropsychological studies patients are asked to perform and report simple oral calculations, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies often use verification tasks, in which the result is shown, and the participant must verify the correctness. This MEG study aims to unify the sources of evidence, investigating how brain activation unfolds in time using a single-digit multiplication production task. We compared the participants’ brain activity – focusing on the parietal lobes - based on response efficiency, dividing their responses in fast and slow. Results showed a higher activation for fast, as compared to slow, responses in the left angular gyrus starting after the first operand, and in the right supramarginal gyrus only after the second operand. A whole-brain analysis showed that fast responses had higher activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We show a timing difference of both hemispheres during simple multiplications. Results suggest that while the left parietal lobe may allow an initial retrieval of several possible solutions, the right one may be engaged later, helping to identify the solution based on magnitude checking.

Neural Underpinnings of Numerical and Spatial Cognition: An fMRI Meta-Analysis of Brain Regions Associated with Symbolic Number, Arithmetic, and Mental Rotation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Hawes ◽  
H Moriah Sokolowski ◽  
Chuka Bosah Ononye ◽  
Daniel Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Number Representation ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Right ◽  
Symbolic Number

Where and under what conditions do spatial and numerical skills converge and diverge in the brain? To address this question, we conducted a meta-analysis of brain regions associated with basic symbolic number processing, arithmetic, and mental rotation. We used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to construct quantitative meta-analytic maps synthesizing results from 86 neuroimaging papers (~ 30 studies/cognitive process). All three cognitive processes were found to activate bilateral parietal regions in and around the intraparietal sulcus (IPS); a finding consistent with shared processing accounts. Numerical and arithmetic processing were associated with overlap in the left angular gyrus, whereas mental rotation and arithmetic both showed activity in the middle frontal gyri. These patterns suggest regions of cortex potentially more specialized for symbolic number representation and domain-general mental manipulation, respectively. Additionally, arithmetic was associated with unique activity throughout the fronto-parietal network and mental rotation was associated with unique activity in the right superior parietal lobe. Overall, these results provide new insights into the intersection of numerical and spatial thought in the human brain.

scholarly journals Different Modulatory Effects of Cognitive Training and Aerobic Exercise on Resting State Functional Connectivity of Entorhinal Cortex in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
NanNan Gu ◽  
Hechun Li ◽  
Xinyi Cao ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
Lijuan Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Index Score ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Angular Gyrus

The entorhinal cortex (EC) plays an essential role in age-related cognitive decline. However, the effect of functional connectivity (FC) changes between EC and other cerebral cortices on cognitive function remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the modulation of two interventions (cognitive training and aerobic exercise) on EC-FC in community-dwelling older adults. In total, 94 healthy older adults aged between 65 and 75 years were assigned to either the cognitive training or aerobic exercise group to receive 24 sessions over 12 weeks, or to a control group. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed at both baseline and 12-month follow-up. Compared to the cognitive training group, the aerobic exercise group showed greater EC-FC in the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, right supramarginal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and right postcentral gyrus. Compared to the control group, the cognitive training group had a decreased EC-FC in the right hippocampus, right middle temporal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and right postcentral gyrus and an increased EC-FC in the bilateral pallidum, while the aerobic exercise group showed increased EC-FC between the right medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC), bilateral pallidum, and right precuneus. Baseline EC-FC in the mPFC was positively correlated with the visuospatial/constructional index score of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. In the cognitive training group, EC-FC value changes in the right hippocampus were negatively correlated with changes in the RBANS delayed memory index score, while in the aerobic exercise group, EC-FC value changes in the left angular gyrus were positively correlated with changes in the RBANS attention index score. These findings support the hypothesis that both cognitive training and aerobic exercise can modulate EC-FC in aging populations but through different neural pathways.

scholarly journals Prefrontal dysfunction associated with a history of suicide attempts among patients with recent onset schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Matsuoka ◽  
Shinsuke Koike ◽  
Yoshihiro Satomura ◽  
Naohiro Okada ◽  
Yukika Nishimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Recent Onset ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Right

Abstract Suicide is a major cause of death in patients with schizophrenia, particularly among those with recent disease onset. Although brain imaging studies have identified the neuroanatomical correlates of suicidal behavior, functional brain activity correlates particularly in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia (ROSZ) remain unknown. Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) recording with a high-density coverage of the prefrontal area, we investigated whether prefrontal activity is altered in patients with ROSZ having a history of suicide attempts. A 52-channel NIRS system was used to examine hemodynamic changes in patients with ROSZ that had a history of suicide attempts (n = 24) or that lacked such a history (n = 62), and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 119), during a block-design letter fluency task (LFT). Patients with a history of suicide attempts exhibited decreased activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared with those without such a history. Our findings indicate that specific regions of the prefrontal cortex may be associated with suicidal attempts, which may have implications for early intervention for psychosis.

scholarly journals Decreases in Frontal and Parietal Lobe Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Related to Habituation

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 546-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Warach ◽  
Ruben C. Gur ◽  
Raquel E. Gur ◽  
Brett E. Skolnick ◽  
Walter D. Obrist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Inhalation Technique ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Left Handed ◽  
Verbal Tasks ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Regional Specificity ◽  
The Right

We previously reported decreased mean CBF between consecutive resting conditions, ascribed to habituation. Here we address the regional specificity of habituation over three consecutive flow studies. Regional CBF (rCBF) was measured in 55 adults (12 right-handed men, 12 right-handed women, 14 left-handed men, 17 left-handed women), with the 133Xe inhalation technique, during three conditions: Resting, verbal tasks (analogies), and spatial tasks (line orientation). Changes in rCBF attributable to the cognitive tasks were eliminated by correcting these values to a resting equivalent. There was a progressive decrease in mean rCBF over time, reflecting habituation. This effect differed by region, with specificity at frontal (prefrontal, inferior frontal, midfrontal, superior frontal) and inferior parietal regions. In the inferior parietal region, habituation was more marked in the left than the right hemisphere. Right-handers showed greater habituation than did left-handers. There was no sex difference in global habituation, but males showed greater left whereas females showed greater right hemispheric habituation. The results suggest that habituation to the experimental setting has measurable effects on rCBF, which are differently lateralized for men and women. These effects are superimposed on task activation and are most pronounced in regions that have been implicated in attentional processes. Thus, regional decrement in brain activity related to habituation seems to complement attentional effects, suggesting a neural network for habituation reciprocating that for attention.

scholarly journals Creating Colored Letters: Familial Markers of Grapheme–Color Synesthesia in Parietal Lobe Activation and Structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1239-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olympia Colizoli ◽  
Jaap M. J. Murre ◽  
H. Steven Scholte ◽  
Romke Rouw
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
The Family ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time

Perception is inherently subjective, and individual differences in phenomenology are well illustrated by the phenomenon of synesthesia (highly specific, consistent, and automatic cross-modal experiences, in which the external stimulus corresponding to the additional sensation is absent). It is unknown why some people develop synesthesia and others do not. In the current study, we tested whether neural markers related to having synesthesia in the family were evident in brain function and structure. Relatives of synesthetes (who did not have any type of synesthesia themselves) and matched controls read specially prepared books with colored letters for several weeks and were scanned before and after reading using magnetic resonance imaging. Effects of acquired letter–color associations were evident in brain activation. Training-related activation (while viewing black letters) in the right angular gyrus of the parietal lobe was directly related to the strength of the learned letter–color associations (behavioral Stroop effect). Within this obtained angular gyrus ROI, the familial trait of synesthesia related to brain activation differences while participants viewed both black and colored letters. Finally, we compared brain structure using voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging to test for group differences and training effects. One cluster in the left superior parietal lobe had significantly more coherent white matter in the relatives compared with controls. No evidence for experience-dependent plasticity was obtained. For the first time, we present evidence suggesting that the (nonsynesthete) relatives of grapheme–color synesthetes show atypical grapheme processing as well as increased brain connectivity.

scholarly journals Learning 2-in-1: Towards Integrated EEG-fMRI-Neurofeedback

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Perronnet ◽  
Anatole Lécuyer ◽  
Marsel Mano ◽  
Mathis Fleury ◽  
Giulia Lioi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Imagery Task ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Feedback Strategies ◽  
Activity Measures ◽  
Early Effects ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
The Right

ABSTRACTNeurofeedback (NF) allows to exert self-regulation over specific aspects of one’s own brain activity by returning information extracted in real-time from brain activity measures. These measures are usually acquired from a single modality, most commonly electroencephalography (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). EEG-fMRI-neurofeedback (EEG-fMRI-NF) is a new approach that consists in providing a NF based simultaneously on EEG and fMRI signals. By exploiting the complementarity of these two modalities, EEG-fMRI-NF opens a new spectrum of possibilities for defining bimodal NF targets that could be more robust, flexible and effective than unimodal ones. Since EEG-fMRI-NF allows for a richer amount of information to be fed back, the question arises of how to represent the EEG and fMRI features simultaneously in order to allow the subject to achieve better self-regulation. In this work, we propose to represent EEG and fMRI features in a single bimodal feedback (integrated feedback). We introduce two integrated feedback strategies for EEG-fMRI-NF and compare their early effects on a motor imagery task with a between-group design. The BiDim group (n=10) was shown a two-dimensional (2D) feedback in which each dimension depicted the information from one modality. The UniDim group (n=10) was shown a one-dimensional (1D) feedback that integrated both types of information even further by merging them into one. Online fMRI activations were significantly higher in the UniDim group than in the BiDim group, which suggests that the 1D feedback is easier to control than the 2D feedback. However subjects from the BiDim group produced more specific BOLD activations with a notably stronger activation in the right superior parietal lobe (BiDim > UniDim, p < 0.001, uncorrected). These results suggest that the 2D feedback encourages subjects to explore their strategies to recruit more specific brain patterns. To summarize, our study shows that 1D and 2D integrated feedbacks are effective but also appear to be complementary and could therefore be used in a bimodal NF training program. Altogether, our study paves the way to novel integrated feedback strategies for the development of flexible and effective bimodal NF paradigms that fully exploits bimodal information and are adapted to clinical applications.

scholarly journals Posterior Cortical Atrophy with Right Lower Egocentric Quadrantic Neglect and Lower Vertical Allocentric Neglect

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-457
Author(s):  
Usama Tariq ◽  
Alicia Parker ◽  
Leila Saadatpour ◽  
Leilani Doty ◽  
Kenneth M Heilman
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Visual Space ◽  
Vertical Line ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Horizontal Line ◽  
Posterior Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Lower Quadrant ◽  
Visuospatial Neglect ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background/Objectives Whereas rare cases of hemispatial visual neglect have been reported in patients with a neurodegenerative disease, quadrantic visuospatial neglect has not been described. We report a patient with probable posterior cortical atrophy who demonstrated lower right-sided quadrantic visuospatial neglect, together with allocentric vertical neglect. Methods/Results A 68-year-old man initially noted deficits in reading and writing. Subsequently, he developed other cognitive deficits. On vertical line bisections, he deviated upward, and on horizontal line bisections, he deviated to the left. These deviations together suggest that this man’s neglect might be most severe in his right (head/body-centered) lower (below eye level) visual space. When attempting to perform vertical line bisections in all four egocentric quadrants, his upward deviations were largest in the right lower quadrant. On a cancelation test, he revealed bilateral lower (ventral) allocentric neglect but not egocentric neglect. This patient’s magnetic resonance imaging revealed cortical atrophy, most prominent in the left parietal lobe. Discussion Previous research in stroke patients has demonstrated that the parietal lobes are important in mediating attention to contralateral and inferior visual space. The presence of left parietal atrophy may have induced this right lower (ventral) egocentric inattention as well as bilateral ventral allocentric inattention. Although to our knowledge there have been no prior reports of a patient with right lower quadrantic and lower vertical allocentric visuospatial neglect, patients are rarely tested for these forms of neglect, and this patient illustrates the importance of evaluating patients for these and other forms of neglect.

scholarly journals Interpersonal brain synchronization under bluffing in strategic games

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 1326-1335
Author(s):  
Zhihao Wang ◽  
Yiwen Wang ◽  
Xiaolin Zhou ◽  
Rongjun Yu
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Strategic Thinking ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Strategic Games ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
High Penalty ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

Abstract People commonly use bluffing as a strategy to manipulate other people’s beliefs about them for gain. Although bluffing is an important part of successful strategic thinking, the inter-brain mechanisms underlying bluffing remain unclear. Here, we employed a functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning technique to simultaneously record the brain activity in the right temporal-parietal junction in 32 pairs of participants when they played a bluffing game against each other or with computer opponents separately. We also manipulated the penalty for bluffing (high vs low). Under the condition of high relative to low penalty, results showed a higher bluffing rate and a higher calling rate in human-to-human as compared to human-to-computer pairing. At the neural level, high relative to low penalty condition increased the interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) in the right angular gyrus (rAG) during human-to-human as compared to human-to-computer interaction. Importantly, bluffing relative to non-bluffing, under the high penalty and human-to-human condition, resulted in an increase in response time and enhanced IBS in the rAG. Participants who bluffed more frequently also elicited stronger IBS. Our findings support the view that regions associated with mentalizing become synchronized during bluffing games, especially under the high penalty and human-to-human condition.

Fiber Dissection and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography Study of the Temporoparietal Fiber Intersection Area

2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. ons87-ons98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Martino ◽  
Rousinelle da Silva-Freitas ◽  
Hugo Caballero ◽  
Enrique Marco de Lucas ◽  
Juan A. García-Porrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Intersection Area ◽  
Horizontal Portion ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography

Abstract Background: Lesion studies and recent surgical series report important sequelae when the inferior parietal lobe and posterior temporal lobe are damaged. Millions of axons cross through the white matter underlying these cortical areas; however, little is known about the complex organization of these connections. Objective: To analyze the subcortical anatomy of a specific region within the parietal and temporal lobes where 7 long-distances tracts intersect, ie, the temporoparietal fiber intersection area (TPFIA). Methods: Four postmortem human hemispheres were dissected, and 4 healthy hemispheres were analyzed through the use of diffusion tensor imaging-based tractography software. The different tracts that intersect at the posterior temporal and parietal lobes were isolated, and the relations with the surrounding structures were analyzed. Results: Seven tracts pass through the TPFIA: horizontal portion of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus, middle longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, optic radiations, and tapetum. The TPFIA was located deep to the angular gyrus, posterior portion of the supramarginal gyrus, and posterior portion of the superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri. Conclusion: The TPFIA is a critical neural crossroad; it is traversed by 7 white matter tracts that connect multiple areas of the ipsilateral and contralateral hemisphere. It is also a vulnerable part of the network in that a lesion within this area will produce multiple disconnections. This is valuable information when a surgical approach through the parieto-temporo-occipital junction is planned. To decrease surgical risks, a detailed diffusion tensor imaging tractography reconstruction of the TPFIA should be performed, and intraoperative electric stimulation should be strongly considered.

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