scholarly journals Selective prefrontal cortex responses to joint attention in early infancy

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Grossmann ◽  
Mark H. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Human Infant ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Triadic Interactions ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Made In

The process by which two people share attention towards the same object or event is called joint attention. Joint attention and the underlying triadic representations between self, other person and object are thought to be unique to humans, supporting teaching, cooperation and language learning. Despite the progress that has been made in understanding the behavioural importance of joint attention during early social development, almost nothing is known about the brain substrate that supports joint attention in the developing infant. We examined responses in five-month-old infants' prefrontal cortex during triadic social interactions using near-infrared spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that, even by the age of five months, infants are sensitive to triadic interactions and, like adults, they recruit a specific brain region localized in left dorsal prefrontal cortex when engaged in joint attention with another person. This suggests that the human infant is neurobiologically prepared for sharing attention with other humans, which may provide the basis for a wide variety of uniquely human social and cultural learning processes.

Control of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Duration by Assessing Functional Connectivity of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Signals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Atif Yaqub ◽  
Keum-Shik Hong ◽  
Amad Zafar ◽  
Chang-Seok Kim
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Short Range ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Stimulation Period ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Connection Density

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to create neuroplasticity in healthy and diseased populations. The control of stimulation duration by providing real-time brain state feedback using neuroimaging is a topic of great interest. This study presents the feasibility of a closed-loop modulation for the targeted functional network in the prefrontal cortex. We hypothesize that we cannot improve the brain state further after reaching a specific state during a stimulation therapy session. A high-definition tDCS of 1[Formula: see text]mA arranged in a ring configuration was applied at the targeted right prefrontal cortex of 15 healthy male subjects for 10[Formula: see text]min. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor hemoglobin chromophores during the stimulation period continuously. The correlation matrices obtained from filtered oxyhemoglobin were binarized to form subnetworks of short- and long-range connections. The connectivity in all subnetworks was analyzed individually using a new quantification measure of connectivity percentage based on the correlation matrix. The short-range network in the stimulated hemisphere showed increased connectivity in the initial stimulation phase. However, the increase in connection density reduced significantly after 6[Formula: see text]min of stimulation. The short-range network of the left hemisphere and the long-range network gradually increased throughout the stimulation period. The connectivity percentage measure showed a similar response with network theory parameters. The connectivity percentage and network theory metrics represent the brain state during the stimulation therapy. The results from the network theory metrics, including degree centrality, efficiency, and connection density, support our hypothesis and provide a guideline for feedback on the brain state. The proposed neuro-feedback scheme is feasible to control the stimulation duration to avoid overdosage.

scholarly journals Speech perception at birth: The brain encodes fast and slow temporal information

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (30) ◽  
pp. eaba7830
Author(s):  
Laurianne Cabrera ◽  
Judit Gervain
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
The Brain

Speech perception is constrained by auditory processing. Although at birth infants have an immature auditory system and limited language experience, they show remarkable speech perception skills. To assess neonates’ ability to process the complex acoustic cues of speech, we combined near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain responses to syllables differing in consonants. The syllables were presented in three conditions preserving (i) original temporal modulations of speech [both amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM)], (ii) both fast and slow AM, but not FM, or (iii) only the slowest AM (<8 Hz). EEG responses indicate that neonates can encode consonants in all conditions, even without the fast temporal modulations, similarly to adults. Yet, the fast and slow AM activate different neural areas, as shown by NIRS. Thus, the immature human brain is already able to decompose the acoustic components of speech, laying the foundations of language learning.

scholarly journals Evolving intentions for social interaction: from entrainment to joint action

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1499) ◽  
pp. 2021-2031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günther Knoblich ◽  
Natalie Sebanz
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Joint Action ◽  
Perception And Action ◽  
Intentional Action ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Interpersonal Processes ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
Blind Individuals

This article discusses four different scenarios to specify increasingly complex mechanisms that enable increasingly flexible social interactions. The key dimension on which these mechanisms differ is the extent to which organisms are able to process other organisms' intentions and to keep them apart from their own. Drawing on findings from ecological psychology, scenario 1 focuses on entrainment and simultaneous affordance in ‘intentionally blind’ individuals. Scenario 2 discusses how an interface between perception and action allows observers to simulate intentional action in others. Scenario 3 is concerned with shared perceptions, arising through joint attention and the ability to distinguish between self and other. Scenario 4 illustrates how people could form intentions to act together while simultaneously distinguishing between their own and the other's part of a joint action. The final part focuses on how combining the functionality of the four mechanisms can explain different forms of social interactions. It is proposed that basic interpersonal processes are put to service by more advanced functions that support the type of intentionality required to engage in joint action, cultural learning, and communication.

scholarly journals Activation of Prefrontal Cortex in Process of Oral and Finger Shape Discrimination: fNIRS Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noriyuki Narita ◽  
Kazunobu Kamiya ◽  
Sunao Iwaki ◽  
Tomohiro Ishii ◽  
Hiroshi Endo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Shape Discrimination ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Reliable Representation ◽  
The Brain

BackgroundThe differences in the brain activities of the insular and the visual association cortices have been reported between oral and manual stereognosis. However, these results were not conclusive because of the inherent differences in the task performance-related motor sequence conditions. We hypothesized that the involvement of the prefrontal cortex may be different between finger and oral shape discrimination. This study was conducted to clarify temporal changes in prefrontal activities occurring in the processes of oral and finger tactual shape discrimination using prefrontal functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).MethodsSix healthy right-handed males [aged 30.8 ± 8.2 years (mean ± SD)] were enrolled. Measurements of prefrontal activities were performed using a 22-channel fNIRS device (ETG-100, Hitachi Medical Co., Chiba, Japan) during experimental blocks that included resting state (REST), nonsense shape discrimination (SHAM), and shape discrimination (SHAPE).ResultsNo significant difference was presented with regard to the number of correct answers during trials between oral and finger SHAPE discrimination. Additionally, a statistical difference for the prefrontal fNIRS activity between oral and finger shape discrimination was noted in CH 1. Finger SHAPE, as compared with SHAM, presented a temporally shifting onset and burst in the prefrontal activities from the frontopolar area (FPA) to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In contrast, oral SHAPE as compared with SHAM was shown to be temporally overlapped in the onset and burst of the prefrontal activities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)/FPA/OFC.ConclusionThe prefrontal activities temporally shifting from the FPA to the OFC during SHAPE as compared with SHAM may suggest the segregated serial prefrontal processing from the manipulation of a target image to the decision making during the process of finger shape discrimination. In contrast, the temporally overlapped prefrontal activities of the DLPFC/FPA/OFC in the oral SHAPE block may suggest the parallel procession of the repetitive involvement of generation, manipulation, and decision making in order to form a reliable representation of target objects.

scholarly journals Concept generation techniques change patterns of brain activation during engineering design

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tripp Shealy ◽  
John Gero ◽  
Mo Hu ◽  
Julie Milovanovic
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Cognitive Activation ◽  
The Brain

Abstract This paper presents the results of studying the brain activations of 30 engineering students when using three different design concept generation techniques: brainstorming, morphological analysis, and TRIZ. Changes in students’ brain activation in the prefrontal cortex were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results are based on the area under the curve analysis of oxygenated hemodynamic response as well as an assessment of functional connectivity using Pearson’s correlation to compare students’ cognitive brain activations using these three different ideation techniques. The results indicate that brainstorming and morphological analysis demand more cognitive activation across the prefrontal cortex (PFC) compared to TRIZ. The highest cognitive activation when brainstorming and using morphological analysis is in the right dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) and ventrolateral PFC. These regions are associated with divergent thinking and ill-defined problem-solving. TRIZ produces more cognitive activation in the left DLPFC. This region is associated with convergent thinking and making judgments. Morphological analysis and TRIZ also enable greater coordination (i.e., synchronized activation) between brain regions. These findings offer new evidence that structured techniques like TRIZ reduce cognitive activation, change patterns of activation and increase coordination between regions in the brain.

scholarly journals Medial prefrontal cortex represents the object-based cognitive map when remembering an egocentric target location

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Zhang ◽  
Yuji Naya
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Cognitive Map ◽  
Object Based ◽  
Constituent Elements ◽  
The Brain

AbstractA cognitive map, representing an environment around oneself, is necessary for spatial navigation. However, compared with its constituent elements such as individual landmarks, neural substrates of coherent spatial information remain largely unknown. The present study investigated how the brain codes map-like representations in a virtual environment specified by the relative positions of three objects. Representational similarity analysis revealed an object-based spatial representation in the hippocampus (HPC) when participants located themselves within the environment, while the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) represented it when they recollected a target object’s location relative to their self-body. During recollection, task-dependent functional connectivity increased between the two areas implying exchange of self- and target-location signals between the HPC and mPFC. Together, the coherent cognitive map, which could be formed by objects, may be recruited in the HPC and mPFC for complementary functions during navigation, which may generalize to other aspects of cognition, such as navigating social interactions.

scholarly journals Language is shaped for social interactions, as well as by the brain

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikkel Wallentin ◽  
Chris D. Frith
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Motor System ◽  
Strong Force ◽  
Invariant Features ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Brain

AbstractLanguage learning is not primarily driven by a motivation to describe invariant features of the world, but rather by a strong force to be a part of the social group, which by definition is not invariant. It is not sufficient for language to be fit for the speaker's perceptual motor system. It must also be fit for social interactions.

scholarly journals Pain relief associated with decreased oxyhemoglobin level in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256626
Author(s):  
Shun Miyashiro ◽  
Yurika Yamada ◽  
Masaru Nagaoka ◽  
Rei Shima ◽  
Toshizumi Muta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Pain Relief ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Pain Therapy ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Lower Back ◽  
Left Dlpfc ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Brain

Pain in the elbow, shoulder, knee, lower back, and various other joints is relieved by adhesion of pyramidal thorn patches. To elucidate the pain relief mechanism induced by the patches, we established a quantitative method for estimating the pain reduction and investigated the brain regions that change in association with pain relief. We first attempted to quantify the pain relief using transcutaneous electric stimulation (TCES) and a visual analog scale (VAS), and then applied near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to the prefrontal cortex, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). We also examined the salivary oxytocin levels, which are thought to reflect oxytocin secretion levels from the posterior pituitary in the brain. Application of pyramidal thorn patches to pain regions decreased the pain degree estimated using TCES and VAS. Oxyhemoglobin levels were likely to be decreased in the left DLPFC on the basis of NIRS measurements during patch treatment, suggesting that the left DLPFC is involved in pain relief. On the other hand, the salivary oxytocin levels varied widely. A potential reason for the varying salivary oxytocin levels is its utilization in the pain region as an analgesic agent. Our results suggest that the left DLPFC will become a target brain region for pain therapy.

scholarly journals Speech perception at birth: the brain encodes fast and slow temporal information

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurianne Cabrera ◽  
Judit Gervain
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Frequency Modulations ◽  
The Brain

Speech perception is constrained by auditory processing. Although at birth, infants have an immature auditory system and limited language experience, they show remarkable speech perception skills. To assess neonates’ ability to process the complex acoustic cues of speech, we combined near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain responses to syllables differing in consonants. The syllables were presented in three conditions preserving (i) original temporal modulations of speech (both amplitude and frequency modulations, AM/FM), (ii) both fast and slow AM, but not FM, or (iii) only the slowest AM (&lt; 8 Hz). EEG responses indicate that neonates are able to encode consonants in all conditions, even without the fast temporal modulations, similarly to adults. Yet, the fast and slow AM activate different neural areas, as shown by NIRS. Thus, the immature human brain is already able to decompose the acoustic components of speech, laying the foundations of language learning.

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