Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling of the Relationship between Task Related Hemodynamic Responses and Neuronal Excitability: a Simultaneous fNIRS/TMS Study

Background: Investigating the relationship between task-related cortical hemodynamic activity and brain excitability is challenging because it requires simultaneous measurement of brain hemodynamic activity while applying non-invasive brain stimulation. There is also considerable inter-/intra-subject variability which both brain excitability and task-related hemodynamic responses are associated with. Here we proposed hierarchical Bayesian modeling to taking into account variability in the data at the individual and group levels, aiming to provide accurate and reliable statistical inferences on this research question. Methods: We performed a study on 16 healthy subjects with simultaneous Paired Associative Stimulation (Inhibitory PAS10, Excitatory PAS25, Sham) and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) targeting the primary motor cortex (M1). PAS was applied to modulate the cortical function and induce plasticity. Before and after each intervention cortical excitability was measured by motor evoked potentials (MEPs), and the motor task-related hemodynamic response was measured using fNIRS. We constructed three models to encode 1) PAS effects on the M1 excitability; 2) PAS effects on the whole-time course of fNIRS hemodynamic responses to finger tapping tasks, and 3) the correlation between PAS effects on M1 excitability and PAS effects on task-related hemodynamic responses. Results: Significant increase of the cortical excitability was found after PAS25, whereas a small reduction of the cortical excitability was shown after PAS10 and no changes after sham. We found PAS effects on finger tapping evoked HbO/HbR within M1, around the peak of the hemodynamic time courses. Both HbO and HbR absolute amplitudes increased after PAS25 and decreased after PAS10. Cortical excitability changes and task-related HbO/HbR changes showed a high probability of being positively correlated, 0.77 and 0.79, respectively. The corresponding Pearson correlations were 0.58 (p<.0001, HbO with MEP) and 0.56 (p<.001, HbR with MEP), respectively. Conclusion: Benefiting from this original Bayesian data analysis, our results showed that PAS modulates task-related cortical hemodynamic responses in addition to M1 excitability. The fact that PAS effects on hemodynamic response were exhibited mainly around the peak of the hemodynamic time course may indicate that the intervention only increases metabolic demanding rather than modulating hemodynamic response function per se. Moreover, the positive correlation between PAS modulations of excitability and hemodynamic brings insights to understand the fundamental properties of cortical function and cortical excitability.

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Laminar excitability cycles in neocortex

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1991.65.4.891 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 891-898 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

D. S. Barth ◽

S. Di

Keyword(s):

Time Course ◽

Microelectrode Array ◽

Cortical Excitability ◽

Initial Period ◽

Current Source ◽

Conditioning Stimulus ◽

Principal Component ◽

Evoked Response ◽

Rat Somatosensory Cortex ◽

The Relationship

1. Laminar field potentials produced by paired electrocortical stimuli were recorded with a linear microelectrode array inserted perpendicular to the surface of rat somatosensory cortex. Current source-density (CSD) distributions of the direct cortical response (DCR) were computed from the potential profiles. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to estimate the time course of evoked transmembrane currents of putative pyramidal cell populations in the supragranular and infragranular layers. 2. Both supra- and infragranular cells displayed an initial period after the conditioning stimulus in which test stimuli produced subnormal evoked response amplitudes. This was followed in both layers by a long period of supernormal then subnormal responses and a second period of supernormal responses. 3. The main laminar difference encountered was a general shortening of all phases of the excitability cycle in the supragranular cells. 4. Excitability cycles in the supra- and infragranular layers closely followed the morphology of average evoked responses to the conditioning stimulus alone. These results and physiological support to the validity of lamina-specific evoked response waveforms derived from combined CSD and PCA analysis of extracellular potential measurements. 5. The relationship between evoked potential amplitude changes and cortical excitability is discussed.

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Hemodynamic Correlates of Fluctuations in Neuronal Excitability: A Simultaneous Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS) and functional Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Study

10.1101/2021.09.29.462418 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhengchen Cai ◽

Giovanni Pellegrino ◽

Amanda Spilkin ◽

Edouard Delaire ◽

Makoto Uji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Near Infrared ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Neuronal Excitability ◽

Cortical Excitability ◽

Motor Evoked Potentials ◽

Metabolic Demand ◽

Hemodynamic Responses ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Hemodynamic Processes ◽

The Relationship

Background: The relationship between task-related hemodynamic activity and brain excitability is poorly understood in humans as it is technically challenging to combine simultaneously non-invasive brain stimulation and neuroimaging modalities. Cortical excitability corresponds to the readiness to become active and as such it may be linked to metabolic demand. Hypotheses: Cortical excitability and hemodynamic activity are positively linked so that increases in hemodynamic activity correspond to increases in excitability and vice-versa. Methods: Fluctuations of excitability and hemodynamic activity were investigated via simultaneous Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Sixteen healthy subjects participated in a sham-controlled, pseudorandomized, counterbalanced study with PAS (PAS10/PAS25/Sham) on the right primary motor cortex (M1). The relationship between M1 excitability (Motor Evoked Potentials, MEP) and hemodynamic responses to finger tapping reconstructed via personalized fNIRS was assessed. Results: Hemodynamic activity exhibited a significant correlation with cortical excitability: increased HbO and HbR (absolute amplitude) corresponded to increased excitability and vice-versa (r=0.25; p=0.03 and r=0.16; p=0.17, respectively). The effect of PAS on excitability and hemodynamic activity showed a trend of positive correlation: correlation of MEP ratios (post-PAS/pre-PAS) with HbO and HbR ratios (r=0.19, p=0.29; r=0.18, p=0.30, respectively). Conclusions: TMS-fNIRS is a suitable technique for simultaneous investigation of excitability and hemodynamic responses and indicates a relationship between these two cortical properties. PAS effect is not limited to cortical excitability but also impacts hemodynamic processes. These findings have an impact on the application of neuromodulatory interventions in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Individual Differences in Tapping Performance as a Function of Time on the Task

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1971.33.2.375 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 375-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Glenn D. Wilson ◽

Olive A. Tunstall ◽

H. J. Eysenck

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Task Performance ◽

Individual Difference ◽

Finger Tapping ◽

Criterion Measure ◽

Motivational Variable ◽

Individual Difference Variables ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

The Relationship ◽

And Task

A group of 187 apprentices were given two sessions on a 1-min. finger-tapping task in which output was taken as the criterion measure. Various individual difference variables changed in the degree and direction of their association with tapping performance as a function of time through the session, presumably reflecting a motivational variable such as persistence. Positive correlations between intelligence and tapping performance became progressively greater toward the end of each 1-min. period, and while high n Ach Ss and extraverts began tapping at a faster rate than low n Ach Ss and introverts, this pattern had reversed by the end of the 1-min. practice periods. It is concluded that studies of the relationship between individual difference variables and task performance must take account of changes which occur as a result of “time into the task.”

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SPECT and fMRI analysis of motor and cognitive indices of early Parkinson's disease: The relationship of striatal dopamine and cortical function

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e446682006-001 ◽

2000 ◽

Author(s):

John D. E. Gabrieli

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Striatal Dopamine ◽

Cortical Function ◽

Fmri Analysis ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Early Parkinson’S Disease

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The Relationship between Proactive Personality and Creativity: The Moderating Role of Task Autonomy and Task Feedback

Korean Academy of Management ◽

10.26856/kjom.2019.27.3.19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 19-42

Author(s):

Heesun Chae ◽

Jisung Park

Keyword(s):

Proactive Personality ◽

Task Autonomy ◽

The Relationship ◽

Moderating Role ◽

And Task

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Linking perceived organizational support for strengths use to task performance

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.8906 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

He Ding ◽

Enhai Yu ◽

Yanbin Li

Keyword(s):

Positive Affect ◽

Task Performance ◽

Organizational Support ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Perceived Organizational Support ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Strengths Use ◽

Managerial Implications ◽

The Relationship ◽

And Task

We investigated the mediating effects of positive affect and strengths use in the relationship between perceived organizational support for strengths use (POSSU) and employees' task performance. Data were gathered at 2 time points, separated by a 2-week interval, from 157 employees working in various Chinese enterprises. We applied structural equation modeling and PROCESS macro analysis to the data. The results indicate that POSSU was positively related to task performance and that this relationship was mediated by strengths use. In addition, positive affect and strengths use played a sequential mediating role in the relationship between POSSU and task performance. However, positive affect was not a significant mediator in the POSSU–task performance relationship. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the context of the literature on POSSU and task performance.

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Role of burnout on job level, job satisfaction, and task performance

Leadership & Organization Development Journal ◽

10.1108/lodj-11-2015-0249 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 630-645 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Won Ho Kim ◽

Young-An Ra ◽

Jong Gyu Park ◽

Bora Kwon

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Task Performance ◽

Organizational Context ◽

Content Type ◽

Job Level ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Final Sample ◽

The Relationship ◽

And Task

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of burnout (i.e. exhaustion, cynicism, professional inefficacy) in the relationship between job level and job satisfaction as well as between job level and task performance. Design/methodology/approach The final sample included 342 Korean workers from selected companies. The authors employed the Hayes (2013) PROCESS tool for analyzing the data. Findings The results showed that all three subscales of burnout (i.e. exhaustion, cynicism, professional inefficacy) mediate the relationship between job level and job satisfaction. However, only two mediators (i.e. cynicism, professional inefficacy) indicated the mediating effects on the association between job level and task performance. Originality/value This research presented the role of burnout on the relationships between job level, job satisfaction, and task performance especially in South Korean organizational context. In addition to role of burnout, findings should prove helpful in improving job satisfaction and task performance. The authors provide implications and limitations of the findings.

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Post-Drive Standing Balance of Vehicle Passengers Using Wearable Sensors: The Effect of On-Road Driving and Task Performance

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21154997 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (15) ◽

pp. 4997

Author(s):

Victor C. Le ◽

Monica L. H. Jones ◽

Kathleen H. Sienko

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Postural Sway ◽

Wearable Sensors ◽

Standing Balance ◽

Balance Performance ◽

Real Time Traffic ◽

Balance Exercises ◽

Before And After ◽

The Relationship ◽

And Task

Postural sway has been demonstrated to increase following exposure to different types of motion. However, limited prior studies have investigated the relationship between exposure to normative on-road driving conditions and standing balance following the exposure. The purpose of this on-road study was to quantify the effect of vehicle motion and task performance on passengers’ post-drive standing balance performance. In this study, trunk-based kinematic data were captured while participants performed a series of balance exercises before and after an on-road driving session in real-time traffic. Postural sway for all balance exercises increased following the driving session. Performing a series of ecologically relevant visual-based tasks led to increases in most post-drive balance metrics such as sway position and velocity. However, the post-drive changes following the driving session with a task were not significantly different compared to changes observed following the driving session without a task. The post-drive standing balance performance changes observed in this study may increase vulnerable users’ risk of falling. Wearable sensors offer an opportunity to monitor postural sway following in-vehicle exposures.

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The effect of language on performance: do gendered languages fail women in maths?

npj Science of Learning ◽

10.1038/s41539-021-00087-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tamar Kricheli-Katz ◽

Tali Regev

Keyword(s):

Language Proficiency ◽

Gender Inequality ◽

Gender Gap ◽

Adult Population ◽

Ongoing Debate ◽

The Feminine ◽

Hebrew Language ◽

The Relationship ◽

Large Representative ◽

And Task

AbstractResearch suggests that gendered languages are associated with gender inequality. However, as languages are embedded in cultures, evidence for causal effects are harder to provide. We contribute to this ongoing debate by exploring the relationship between gendered languages and the gender gap in mathematics achievements. We provide evidence for causality by exploiting the prominent (but not exclusive) practice in gendered languages of using masculine generics to address women. In an experiment on a large representative sample of the Hebrew-speaking adult population in Israel, we show that addressing women in the feminine, compared to addressing them in the masculine, reduces the gender gap in mathematics achievements by a third. These effects are stronger among participants who acquired the Hebrew language early in childhood rather than later in life, suggesting that it is the extent of language proficiency that generates one’s sensitivity to being addressed in the masculine or in the feminine. Moreover, when women are addressed in the masculine, their efforts (in terms of time spent on the maths test) decrease and they report feeling that “science is for men” more than when addressed in the feminine. We supplement the analysis with two experiments that explore the roles of general and task-specific stereotypes in generating these effects.

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