Distinct sensitivity to spectrotemporal modulation supports brain asymmetry for speech and melody

Does brain asymmetry for speech and music emerge from acoustical cues or from domain-specific neural networks? We selectively filtered temporal or spectral modulations in sung speech stimuli for which verbal and melodic content was crossed and balanced. Perception of speech decreased only with degradation of temporal information, whereas perception of melodies decreased only with spectral degradation. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data showed that the neural decoding of speech and melodies depends on activity patterns in left and right auditory regions, respectively. This asymmetry is supported by specific sensitivity to spectrotemporal modulation rates within each region. Finally, the effects of degradation on perception were paralleled by their effects on neural classification. Our results suggest a match between acoustical properties of communicative signals and neural specializations adapted to that purpose.

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Templated Text Synthesis for Expert-Guided Multi-Label Extraction from Radiology Reports

Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction ◽

10.3390/make3020015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 299-317

Author(s):

Patrick Schrempf ◽

Hannah Watson ◽

Eunsoo Park ◽

Maciej Pajak ◽

Hamish MacKinnon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Domain Knowledge ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Medical Image Analysis ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Data Synthesis ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Radiology Reports ◽

Training Examples ◽

Analysis Models ◽

Difficult Cases

Training medical image analysis models traditionally requires large amounts of expertly annotated imaging data which is time-consuming and expensive to obtain. One solution is to automatically extract scan-level labels from radiology reports. Previously, we showed that, by extending BERT with a per-label attention mechanism, we can train a single model to perform automatic extraction of many labels in parallel. However, if we rely on pure data-driven learning, the model sometimes fails to learn critical features or learns the correct answer via simplistic heuristics (e.g., that “likely” indicates positivity), and thus fails to generalise to rarer cases which have not been learned or where the heuristics break down (e.g., “likely represents prominent VR space or lacunar infarct” which indicates uncertainty over two differential diagnoses). In this work, we propose template creation for data synthesis, which enables us to inject expert knowledge about unseen entities from medical ontologies, and to teach the model rules on how to label difficult cases, by producing relevant training examples. Using this technique alongside domain-specific pre-training for our underlying BERT architecture i.e., PubMedBERT, we improve F1 micro from 0.903 to 0.939 and F1 macro from 0.512 to 0.737 on an independent test set for 33 labels in head CT reports for stroke patients. Our methodology offers a practical way to combine domain knowledge with machine learning for text classification tasks.

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Stochastic left–right neuronal asymmetry in Caenorhabditis elegans

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2015.0407 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 371 (1710) ◽

pp. 20150407 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Amel Alqadah ◽

Yi-Wen Hsieh ◽

Rui Xiong ◽

Chiou-Fen Chuang

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Neurological Diseases ◽

Calcium Signalling ◽

Model Organism ◽

Brain Asymmetry ◽

C Elegans ◽

Left And Right ◽

Left Right Asymmetry ◽

Neuronal Asymmetry

Left–right asymmetry in the nervous system is observed across species. Defects in left–right cerebral asymmetry are linked to several neurological diseases, but the molecular mechanisms underlying brain asymmetry in vertebrates are still not very well understood. The Caenorhabditis elegans left and right amphid wing ‘C’ (AWC) olfactory neurons communicate through intercellular calcium signalling in a transient embryonic gap junction neural network to specify two asymmetric subtypes, AWC OFF (default) and AWC ON (induced), in a stochastic manner. Here, we highlight the molecular mechanisms that establish and maintain stochastic AWC asymmetry. As the components of the AWC asymmetry pathway are highly conserved, insights from the model organism C. elegans may provide a window onto how brain asymmetry develops in humans. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Provocative questions in left–right asymmetry’.

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Patterns of brain asymmetry associated with polygenic risks for autism and schizophrenia implicate language and executive functions but not brain masculinization

10.1101/2021.03.19.436120 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhiqiang Sha ◽

Dick Schijven ◽

Clyde Francks

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Brain Asymmetry ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Polygenic Risk ◽

Left Right Asymmetry ◽

The Uk ◽

The Brain

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia have been conceived as partly opposing disorders in terms of systemizing versus empathizing cognitive styles, with resemblances to male versus female average sex differences. Left-right asymmetry of the brain is an important aspect of its organization that shows average differences between the sexes, and can be altered in both ASD and schizophrenia. Here we mapped multivariate associations of polygenic risk scores (PRS) for ASD and schizophrenia with asymmetries of regional cerebral cortical surface area, thickness and subcortical volume measures in 32,256 participants from the UK Biobank. PRS for the two disorders were positively correlated (r=0.08, p=7.13×10−50), and both were higher in females compared to males, consistent with biased participation against higher-risk males. Each PRS was associated with multivariate brain asymmetry after adjusting for sex, ASD PRS r=0.03, p=2.17×10−9, schizophrenia PRS r=0.04, p=2.61×10−11, but the multivariate patterns were mostly distinct for the two PRS, and neither resembled average sex differences. Annotation based on meta-analyzed functional imaging data showed that both PRS were associated with asymmetries of regions important for language and executive functions, consistent with behavioural associations that arose in phenome-wide association analysis. Overall, the results indicate that distinct patterns of subtly altered brain asymmetry may be functionally relevant manifestations of polygenic risk for ASD and schizophrenia, but do not support brain masculinization or feminization in their etiologies.

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Development and validation of a virtual reality transrectal ultrasound guided prostatic biopsy simulator

Canadian Urological Association Journal ◽

10.5489/cuaj.554 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 19 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Venu Chalasani ◽

Derek W. Cool ◽

Shi Sherebrin ◽

Aaron Fenster ◽

Joseph Chin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Construct Validity ◽

Transrectal Ultrasound ◽

Face Validity ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Prostatic Biopsy ◽

Validity Testing ◽

Left And Right ◽

The Right ◽

Development And Validation

Objective: We present the design, reliability, face, content andconstruct validity testing of a virtual reality simulator for transrectalultrasound (TRUS), which allows doctors-in-training to performmultiple different biopsy schemes.Methods: This biopsy system design uses a regular “end-firing”TRUS probe. Movements of the probe are tracked with a micromagneticsensor to dynamically slice through a phantom patient’s3D prostate volume to provide real-time continuous TRUS views.3D TRUS scans during prostate biopsy clinics were recorded.Intrinsic reliability was assessed by comparing the left side of theprostate to the right side of the prostate for each biopsy. A contentand face validity questionnaire was administered to 26 doctors toassess the simulator. Construct validity was assessed by comparingnotes from experts and novices with regards to the time taken andthe accuracy of each biopsy.Results: Imaging data from 50 patients were integrated into thesimulator. The completed VR TRUS simulator uses real patientimages, and is able to provide simulation for 50 cases, with ahaptic interface that uses a standard TRUS probe and biopsy needle.Intrinsic reliability was successfully demonstrated by comparingresults from the left and right sides of the prostate. Face andcontent validity respondents noted the realism of the simulator,and its appropriateness as a teaching model. The simulator wasable to distinguish between experts and novices during constructvalidity testing.Conclusions: A virtual reality TRUS simulator has successfully beencreated. It has promising face, content and construct validity results.

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Domain-specific physical activity patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness among the working population: Findings from the cross-sectional German Health Interview and Examination Survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034610 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. e034610

Author(s):

Johannes Zeiher ◽

Maurice Duch ◽

Lars E Kroll ◽

Gert B M Mensink ◽

Jonas D Finger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Occupational Physical Activity ◽

Working Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physical Activity Patterns ◽

Domain Specific

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate associations between occupational physical activity patterns (physical work demands linked to job title) and leisure time physical activity (assessed by questionnaire) with cardiorespiratory fitness (assessed by exercise test) among men and women in the German working population.DesignPopulation-based cross-sectional study.SettingTwo-stage cluster-randomised general population sample selected from population registries of 180 nationally distributed sample points. Information was collected from 2008 to 2011.Participants1296 women and 1199 men aged 18–64 from the resident working population.Outcome measureEstimated low maximal oxygen consumption (V˙O2max), defined as first and second sex-specific quintile, assessed by a standardised, submaximal cycle ergometer test.ResultsLow estimatedV˙O2maxwas strongly linked to low leisure time physical activity, but not occupational physical activity. The association of domain-specific physical activity patterns with lowV˙O2maxvaried by sex: women doing no leisure time physical activity with high occupational physical activity levels were more likely to have lowV˙O2max(OR 6.54; 95% CI 2.98 to 14.3) compared with women with ≥2 hours of leisure time physical activity and high occupational physical activity. Men with no leisure time physical activity and low occupational physical activity had the highest odds of lowV˙O2max(OR 4.37; 95% CI 2.02 to 9.47).ConclusionThere was a strong association between patterns of leisure time and occupational physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness within the adult working population in Germany. Women doing no leisure time physical activity were likely to have poor cardiorespiratory fitness, especially if they worked in physically demanding jobs. However, further investigation is needed to understand the relationships between activity and fitness in different domains. Current guidelines do not distinguish between activity during work and leisure time, so specifying leisure time recommendations by occupational physical activity level should be considered.

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Classification of Spatiotemporal Neural Activity Patterns in Brain Imaging Data

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-018-26605-z ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Min Song ◽

Minseok Kang ◽

Hyeonsu Lee ◽

Yong Jeong ◽

Se-Bum Paik

Keyword(s):

Brain Imaging ◽

Neural Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Brain Imaging Data

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Developmental Brain Asymmetry. The Good and the Bad Sides

Symmetry ◽

10.3390/sym14010128 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 128

Author(s):

Monica Laura Cara ◽

Ioana Streata ◽

Ana Maria Buga ◽

Dominic Gabriel Iliescu

Keyword(s):

Time Window ◽

Brain Asymmetry ◽

Brain Lateralization ◽

Brain Hemispheres ◽

Left And Right ◽

Vitro Model ◽

New Biomarkers ◽

The Right ◽

Neuropsychiatric Conditions

Brain asymmetry is a hallmark of the human brain. Recent studies report a certain degree of abnormal asymmetry of brain lateralization between left and right brain hemispheres can be associated with many neuropsychiatric conditions. In this regard, some questions need answers. First, the accelerated brain asymmetry is programmed during the pre-natal period that can be called “accelerated brain decline clock”. Second, can we find the right biomarkers to predict these changes? Moreover, can we establish the dynamics of these changes in order to identify the right time window for proper interventions that can reverse or limit the neurological decline? To find answers to these questions, we performed a systematic online search for the last 10 years in databases using keywords. Conclusion: we need to establish the right in vitro model that meets human conditions as much as possible. New biomarkers are necessary to establish the “good” or the “bad” borders of brain asymmetry at the epigenetic and functional level as early as possible.

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A Bayesian method for reducing bias in neural representational similarity analysis

10.1101/073932 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ming Bo Cai ◽

Nicolas W. Schuck ◽

Jonathan Pillow ◽

Yael Niv

Keyword(s):

Neural Activity ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Covariance Structure ◽

Similarity Matrix ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Signal To Noise ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Sensory Stimuli ◽

Neural Imaging

Abstract1In neuroscience, the similarity matrix of neural activity patterns in response to different sensory stimuli or under different cognitive states reflects the structure of neural representational space. Existing methods derive point estimations of neural activity patterns from noisy neural imaging data, and the similarity is calculated from these point estimations. We show that this approach translates structured noise from estimated patterns into spurious bias structure in the resulting similarity matrix, which is especially severe when signal-to-noise ratio is low and experimental conditions cannot be fully randomized in a cognitive task. We propose an alternative Bayesian framework for computing representational similarity in which we treat the covariance structure of neural activity patterns as a hyper-parameter in a generative model of the neural data, and directly estimate this covariance structure from imaging data while marginalizing over the unknown activity patterns. Converting the estimated covariance structure into a correlation matrix offers an unbiased estimate of neural representational similarity. Our method can also simultaneously estimate a signal-to-noise map that informs where the learned representational structure is supported more strongly, and the learned covariance matrix can be used as a structured prior to constrain Bayesian estimation of neural activity patterns.

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Impaired semantic categorization during transcranial direct current stimulation of the left and right angular gyrus (draft version 02 August 2021)

10.31234/osf.io/46ctu ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Federica Longo ◽

Mario Braun ◽

Florian Hutzler ◽

Fabio Richlan

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Semantic Knowledge ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Semantic Categorization ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Draft Version ◽

Left And Right

Using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), we investigated whether semantic knowledge is organized according to domain- or feature-dimensions, and whether the left or right angular gyrus is differentially engaged based on these dimensions. Reaction times of 72 participants – divided into four groups with different tDCS electrode montages (anodal/cathodal, left/right) – were recorded during a semantic categorization task (living and non-living concepts having either high or low number of features). In line with previous literature, results showed faster reaction times for living compared with non-living concepts and for concepts with a high number compared with a low number of features. In addition, a generally deteriorating effect of tDCS emerged, with both anodal and cathodal stimulation over both left and right angular gyri slowing down reaction times compared with sham. The results are discussed in the frameworks of major theories on the organization of semantic knowledge, including the Distributed Domain-Specific Hypothesis.

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Playing the Clarinet: Influence of Body Posture on Muscle Activity and Sound Quality

Medical Problems of Performing Artists ◽

10.21091/mppa.2017.3021 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 125-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

VAE Baadjou ◽

MDF van Eijsden-Besseling ◽

JAMCF Verbunt ◽

RA de Bie ◽

RPJ Geers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Exercise Therapy ◽

Muscle Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Sound Quality ◽

Body Posture ◽

Erector Spinae ◽

Sitting Posture ◽

Upper Trapezius ◽

Left And Right ◽

Postural Exercise

Musculoskeletal complaints are highly prevalent in clarinetists and are related to high arm load while playing. It is hypothesized that postural exercise therapy may be used to adapt muscle activity patterns while playing and thus contribute to better sound quality. The goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between body posture, muscle activity, and sound quality in clarinetists while playing the instrument in two different postures, their habitual sitting posture (control, CO) vs an experimental sitting posture (EXP) based on Mensendieck postural exercise therapy, method Samama. Twenty healthy professional and student clarinet players, aged 18–60 years, were included in this cross-sectional study. Participants played a 60-second musical excerpt in CO, followed by instruction on the EXP body posture, and then played in the EXP condition. Two-dimensional goniometric analysis was used to calculate body posture; muscle activity was measured bilaterally using surface electromyography. In EXP, a significantly smaller low thoracic angle, smaller high thoracic angle, and larger pelvic tilt angle (all p<0.001) were found. EMG results indicated that the left and right erector spinae L3 and left and right lower trapezius were more active in EXP compared to CO, whereas left upper trapezius and right brachioradialis were less active in EXP than CO. Most participants experienced better sound quality in EXP, whereas blinded experts found no consistent pattern between body posture and sound quality. To conclude, it seems that postural exercise therapy may change muscle activity patterns. By increasing stability, a decrease in activity of the upper extremity muscles can be induced.

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