scholarly journals Pupil-linked arousal is sensitive to subconscious processing of auditory novelty

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Osorio ◽  
Martín Irani ◽  
Javiera Herrada ◽  
Francisco Aboitiz
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Conscious Perception ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Electrophysiological Responses ◽  
Norepinephrine System ◽  
Conscious Processing ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

AbstractThe ability to detect novelty in sensory stimuli is at the base of autonomic and goal-directed behavior. Pupil size, a proxy of the Locus Coeruleus-Norepinephrine system, is sensitive to auditory novelty. However, whether this response reliably reflects conscious processing of novelty remains contentious. Here, we characterized pupil and electrophysiological responses during conscious and subconscious processing of auditory novelty by presenting participants deviant stimuli that were below and above their discriminatory thresholds. We found higher pupil responses to subthreshold targets that were not consciously perceived as deviant stimuli. Larger pupil size and dilation rates were associated to more negative Event-Related Potential values extracted from temporal, prefrontal and anterior cingulate regions. We suggest that increased phasic responses to deviant targets that escape conscious perception reflect Norepinephrine-mediated adaptation of arousal levels in order to meet the perceptual and behavioral demands imposed by the task at hand.

scholarly journals Fluid intelligence and the locus coeruleus–norepinephrine system

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (46) ◽  
pp. e2110630118
Author(s):  
Jason S. Tsukahara ◽  
Randall W. Engle
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Executive Attention ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Norepinephrine System

The last decade has seen significant progress identifying genetic and brain differences related to intelligence. However, there remain considerable gaps in our understanding of how cognitive mechanisms that underpin intelligence map onto various brain functions. In this article, we argue that the locus coeruleus–norepinephrine system is essential for understanding the biological basis of intelligence. We review evidence suggesting that the locus coeruleus–norepinephrine system plays a central role at all levels of brain function, from metabolic processes to the organization of large-scale brain networks. We connect this evidence with our executive attention view of working-memory capacity and fluid intelligence and present analyses on baseline pupil size, an indicator of locus coeruleus activity. Using a latent variable approach, our analyses showed that a common executive attention factor predicted baseline pupil size. Additionally, the executive attention function of disengagement––not maintenance––uniquely predicted baseline pupil size. These findings suggest that the ability to control attention may be important for understanding how cognitive mechanisms of fluid intelligence map onto the locus coeruleus–norepinephrine system. We discuss how further research is needed to better understand the relationships between fluid intelligence, the locus coeruleus–norepinephrine system, and functionally organized brain networks.

scholarly journals The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system and fluid intelligence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason S. Tsukahara ◽  
Randall W Engle
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Executive Attention ◽  
Norepinephrine System

The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system is uniquely situated to influence a wide-array of brain and cellular processes at all levels of brain functions. We review the literature on the locus-coeruleus-norepinephrine system in relation to fluid intelligence within the context of our executive attention theory. We discuss evidence suggesting the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system plays an important role in the functional organization of the resting-state brain and that this can explain our finding from Tsukahara et al. (2016) that higher fluid intelligence and working memory capacity is associated with a larger baseline pupil size. However, other researchers have not been able to replicate our 2016 finding – though they only measured working memory capacity and not fluid intelligence. In a reanalysis of Tsukahara et al. (2016) we show that reduced variability on baseline pupil size will result in a higher probability of obtaining smaller and non-significant correlations with working memory capacity. In two large-scale studies, we demonstrated that reduced variability in baseline pupil size values down to minimal physiological limits can be obtained if the monitor is too bright. Additionally, fluid intelligence and working memory capacity do correlate with baseline pupil size except in the brightest lighting conditions. We also investigated the relationship of higher-order cognition to baseline pupil size within the context of our executive attention theory. Therefore, we conclude that fluid intelligence does correlate with baseline pupil size and that this is related to the functional organization of the resting-state brain through the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system.

scholarly journals Phasic locus coeruleus activity regulates cortical encoding of salience information

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (40) ◽  
pp. E9439-E9448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena M. Vazey ◽  
David E. Moorman ◽  
Gary Aston-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Neural Encoding ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Long Latency ◽  
Cortical Responses ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Cortical Regions

Phasic activation of locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine (NE) neurons is associated with focused attention and behavioral responses to salient stimuli. We used cell-type–specific optogenetics and single-unit neurophysiology to identify how LC activity influences neural encoding of sensory information. We found that phasic, but not tonic, LC-NE photoactivation generated a distinct event-related potential (ERP) across cortical regions. Salient sensory stimuli (which innately trigger phasic LC activity) produced strong excitatory cortical responses during this ERP window. Application of weaker, nonsalient stimuli produced limited responses, but these responses were elevated to salient stimulus levels when they were temporally locked with phasic LC photoactivation. These results demonstrate that phasic LC activity enhances cortical encoding of salient stimuli by facilitating long-latency signals within target regions in response to stimulus intensity/salience. The LC-driven salience signal identified here provides a measure of phasic LC activity that can be used to investigate the LC’s role in attentional processing across species.

How Socially Relevant Visual Characteristics of Avatars Influence Impression Formation

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Weibel ◽  
Daniel Stricker ◽  
Bartholomäus Wissmath ◽  
Fred W. Mast
Keyword(s):  
Impression Formation ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Conscious Perception ◽  
Viewing Angle ◽  
Frontal View ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
First Impression ◽  
Visual Characteristics ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
Blink Frequency

Like in the real world, the first impression a person leaves in a computer-mediated environment depends on his or her online appearance. The present study manipulates an avatar’s pupil size, eyeblink frequency, and the viewing angle to investigate whether nonverbal visual characteristics are responsible for the impression made. We assessed how participants (N = 56) evaluate these avatars in terms of different attributes. The findings show that avatars with large pupils and slow eye blink frequency are perceived as more sociable and more attractive. Compared to avatars seen in full frontal view or from above, avatars seen from below were rated as most sociable, self-confident, and attractive. Moreover, avatars’ pupil size and eyeblink frequency escape the viewer’s conscious perception but still influence how people evaluate them. The findings have wide-ranging applied implications for avatar design.

scholarly journals Comparisons of neuroinflammation, microglial activation, and degeneration of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system in APP/PS1 and aging mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Cao ◽  
Daniel W. Fisher ◽  
Guadalupe Rodriguez ◽  
Tian Yu ◽  
Hongxin Dong
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Microglial Activation ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Norepinephrine System ◽  
Protective Processes ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Brain And Spinal Cord ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background The role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis is becoming increasingly important, as activation of these cell types likely contributes to both pathological and protective processes associated with all phases of the disease. During early AD pathogenesis, one of the first areas of degeneration is the locus coeruleus (LC), which provides broad innervation of the central nervous system and facilitates norepinephrine (NE) transmission. Though the LC-NE is likely to influence microglial dynamics, it is unclear how these systems change with AD compared to otherwise healthy aging. Methods In this study, we evaluated the dynamic changes of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the LC-NE system in the brain and spinal cord of APP/PS1 mice and aged WT mice using immunofluorescence and ELISA. Results Our results demonstrated increased expression of inflammatory cytokines and microglial activation observed in the cortex, hippocampus, and spinal cord of APP/PS1 compared to WT mice. LC-NE neuron and fiber loss as well as reduced norepinephrine transporter (NET) expression was more evident in APP/PS1 mice, although NE levels were similar between 12-month-old APP/PS1 and WT mice. Notably, the degree of microglial activation, LC-NE nerve fiber loss, and NET reduction in the brain and spinal cord were more severe in 12-month-old APP/PS1 compared to 12- and 24-month-old WT mice. Conclusion These results suggest that elevated neuroinflammation and microglial activation in the brain and spinal cord of APP/PS1 mice correlate with significant degeneration of the LC-NE system.

scholarly journals When Heuristics Clash with Parsing Routines: ERP Evidence for Conflict Monitoring in Sentence Perception

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 1181-1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marieke van Herten ◽  
Dorothee J. Chwilla ◽  
Herman H. J. Kolk
Keyword(s):  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Syntactic Analysis ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
N400 Effect ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Late Positivity ◽  
Error Related Negativity ◽  
Monitoring Process ◽  
Outcome Monitoring

Monitoring refers to a process of quality control designed to optimize behavioral outcome. Monitoring for action errors manifests itself in an error-related negativity in event-related potential (ERP) studies and in an increase in activity of the anterior cingulate in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Here we report evidence for a monitoring process in perception, in particular, language perception, manifesting itself in a late positivity in the ERP. This late positivity, the P600, appears to be triggered by a conflict between two interpretations, one delivered by the standard syntactic algorithm and one by a plausibility heuristic which combines individual word meanings in the most plausible way. To resolve this conflict, we propose that the brain reanalyzes the memory trace of the perceptual input to check for the possibility of a processing error. Thus, as in Experiment 1, when the reader is presented with semantically anomalous sentences such as, “The fox that shot the poacher…,” full syntactic analysis indicates a semantic anomaly, whereas the word-based heuristic leads to a plausible interpretation, that of a poacher shooting a fox. That readers actually pursue such a word-based analysis is indicated by the fact that the usual ERP index of semantic anomaly, the so-called N400 effect, was absent in this case. A P600 effect appeared instead. In Experiment 2, we found that even when the word-based heuristic indicated that only part of the sentence was plausible (e.g., “…that the elephants pruned the trees”), a P600 effect was observed and the N400 effect of semantic anomaly was absent. It thus seems that the plausibility of part of the sentence (e.g., that of pruning trees) was sufficient to create a conflict with the implausible meaning of the sentence as a whole, giving rise to a monitoring response.

scholarly journals Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex intrinsic functional connectivity linked to electrocortical measures of error-monitoring

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley Gilbertson ◽  
Lin Fang ◽  
Jeremy A. Andrzejewski ◽  
Joshua M. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Error Monitoring ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex

AbstractThe error-related negativity (ERN) is a response-locked event-related potential, occurring approximately 50 ms following an erroneous response at frontocentral electrode sites. Source localization and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research indicate that the ERN is likely generated by activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The dACC is thought to be a part of a broader network of brain regions that collectively comprise an error-monitoring network. However, little is known about how intrinsic connectivity within the dACC-based error-monitoring network contributes to variability in ERN amplitude. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between dACC functional connectivity and ERN amplitude. In a sample of 53 highly trait-anxious individuals, the ERN was elicited in a flanker task and functional connectivity was assessed in a 10-minute resting-state fMRI scan. Results suggest that the strength of dACC seeded functional connectivity with the supplementary motor area is correlated with the ΔERN (i.e., incorrect – correct responses) amplitude such that greater ΔERN amplitude was accompanied by greater functional coupling between these regions. In addition to the dACC, exploratory analyses found that functional connectivity in the caudate, cerebellum, and a number of regions in the error-monitoring network were linked to variability in ΔERN amplitude. In sum, ERN amplitude appears to be related to the strength of functional connectivity between error-monitoring and motor control regions of the brain.

scholarly journals The Locus Coeruleus- Norepinephrine System in Stress and Arousal: Unraveling Historical, Current, and Future Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Ross ◽  
Elisabeth J. Van Bockstaele
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Excessive Sleepiness ◽  
Arousal System ◽  
Norepinephrine System ◽  
Contemporary Perspective

Arousal may be understood on a spectrum, with excessive sleepiness, cognitive dysfunction, and inattention on one side, a wakeful state in the middle, and hypervigilance, panic, and psychosis on the other side. However, historically, the concepts of arousal and stress have been challenging to define as measurable experimental variables. Divergent efforts to study these subjects have given rise to several disciplines, including neurobiology, neuroendocrinology, and cognitive neuroscience. We discuss technological advancements that chronologically led to our current understanding of the arousal system, focusing on the multifaceted nucleus locus coeruleus. We share our contemporary perspective and the hypotheses of others in the context of our current technological capabilities and future developments that will be required to move forward in this area of research.

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