Portraits or People? Distinct Representations of Face Identity in the Human Visual Cortex

Humans can identify individual faces under different viewpoints, even after a single encounter. We determined brain regions responsible for processing face identity across view changes after variable delays with several intervening stimuli, using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging during a long-term repetition priming paradigm. Unfamiliar faces were presented sequentially either in a frontal or three-quarter view. Each face identity was repeated once after an unpredictable lag, with either the same or another viewpoint. Behavioral data showed significant priming in response time, irrespective of view changes. Brain imaging results revealed a reduced response in the lateral occipital and fusiform cortex with face repetition. Bilateral face-selective fusiform areas showed view-sensitive repetition effects, generalizing only from three-quarter to front-views. More medial regions in the left (but not in the right) fusiform showed repetition effects across all types of viewpoint changes. These results reveal that distinct regions within the fusiform cortex hold view-sensitive or view-invariant traces of novel faces, and that face identity is represented in a view-sensitive manner in the functionally defined face-selective areas of both hemispheres. In addition, our finding of a better generalization after exposure to a 3/4-view than to a front-view demonstrates for the first time a neural substrate in the fusiform cortex for the common recognition advantage of three-quarter faces. This pattern provides new insights into the nature of face representation in the human visual system.

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Isolated left ventricular apical hypoplasia in a young child

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2020-239297 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. e239297

Author(s):

H Ravi Ramamurthy ◽

Onkar Auti ◽

Vimal Raj ◽

Kiran Viralam

Keyword(s):

Left Ventricle ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Wave Inversion ◽

St Segment ◽

Cardiac Apex ◽

The Right ◽

First Time ◽

Left Lead

A 16-month-old, healthy, asymptomatic male child presented with a diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiovascular examination and chest radiograph were normal. ECG revealed sinus rhythm, and the augmented vector left lead showed raised ST segment, T wave inversion and q waves. Echocardiography showed a globular left ventricle with notched cardiac apex, abnormal echogenicity in the left ventricular apical myocardium, single papillary muscle and normal biventricular function. Cardiac MRI scan revealed a globular left ventricle with fibrofatty changes and retraction of the apex, the papillary muscles closely approximated, and the right ventricle wrapping around the apex of the left ventricle. This is described as isolated left ventricular apical hypoplasia. Diagnosis of this rare entity can be made by MRI, and it has been diagnosed largely in adults. The pathophysiology and long-term outcomes are unknown. We characterise the echocardiography findings of this rare anomaly in a child for the first time in the literature.

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Finding the neural correlates of collaboration using a three-person fMRI hyperscanning paradigm

10.1101/782870 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Hua Xie ◽

Amber Howell ◽

Meredith Schreier ◽

Kristen E. Sheau ◽

Mai K. Manchanda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neural Correlates ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Vital Role ◽

Blood Oxygenation ◽

Evolutionary Significance ◽

Drawing Task ◽

The Social ◽

Oxygenation Level ◽

The Right ◽

First Time

AbstractHumans have an extraordinary ability to interact and cooperate with others, which plays a pivotal role in societies at large. Despite its potential social and evolutionary significance, research on finding the neural correlates of collaboration has been limited partly due to restrictions on simultaneous neuroimaging of more than one participant (a.k.a. hyperscanning). A series of works now exists that used dyadic fMRI hyperscanning to examine the interaction between two participants. However, to our knowledge, no study to date has aimed at revealing the neural correlates of social interactions using a 3-person (or triadic) fMRI hyperscanning paradigm. Here, for the first time, we simultaneously measured the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal of triads (m=12 triads; n=36 participants), while they engaged in a joint drawing task based on the social game of Pictionary®. General linear model (GLM) analysis revealed increased activation in the brain regions previously linked with the theory of mind (ToM) during the collaborative phase compared to the independent phase of the task. Furthermore, using intersubject brain synchronization (IBS) analysis, we revealed increased synchrony of the right temporo-parietal junction (R TPJ) during the collaborative phase. The increased synchrony in the R TPJ was observed to be positively associated with the overall team performance on the task. In sum, our novel paradigm revealed a vital role of the R TPJ among other ToM regions during a triadic collaborative drawing task.

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Acute blue finger syndrome: a rare benign cause of acute digit discolouration

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2017-223365 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. e223365

Author(s):

Kiran Dhaliwal ◽

Colin Thomas Brewster ◽

Sivarajasingham Pakeerathan

Keyword(s):

Rapid Assessment ◽

Middle Finger ◽

X Rays ◽

Benign Condition ◽

Volar Aspect ◽

History Of ◽

The Right ◽

Digital Ischaemia ◽

First Time

Acute blue finger syndrome is a rare benign condition that mimics digital ischaemia. We discuss the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented with a 6hour history of blue discolouration of the middle finger of the right hand, associated with pain and swelling. There was no history of trauma and this was the first time that the patient had experienced these symptoms. Examination found blue discolouration of the digit primarily on the volar aspect with associated swelling. All investigations, including blood tests, X-rays and Doppler scanning, were normal. The symptoms resolved spontaneously within 48 hours. There were no recurrent episodes or long-term sequelae. Patients presenting with an acutely blue finger need rapid assessment to exclude digit ischaemia. Knowledge of this rare benign condition may prevent unnecessary distress, invasive investigations and potentially harmful treatment of a healthy patient.

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Fear Extinction Recall Modulates Human Frontomedial Theta and Amygdala Activity

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhx353 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 701-715 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Matthias F J Sperl ◽

Christian Panitz ◽

Isabelle M Rosso ◽

Daniel G Dillon ◽

Poornima Kumar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Animal Studies ◽

Neural Circuits ◽

Conditioned Fear ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Amygdala Activity ◽

The Right ◽

First Time ◽

Insight Into ◽

Analogous Effect ◽

Theta Range

Abstract Human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) studies, as well as animal studies, indicate that the amygdala and frontomedial brain regions are critically involved in conditioned fear and that frontomedial oscillations in the theta range (4–8 Hz) may support communication between these brain regions. However, few studies have used a multimodal approach to probe interactions among these key regions in humans. Here, our goal was to bridge the gap between prior human fMRI, EEG, and animal findings. Using simultaneous EEG–fMRI recordings 24 h after fear conditioning and extinction, conditioned stimuli presented (CS+E, CS−E) and not presented during extinction (CS+N, CS−N) were compared to identify effects specific to extinction versus fear recall. Differential (CS+ vs. CS−) electrodermal, frontomedial theta (EEG) and amygdala responses (fMRI) were reduced for extinguished versus nonextinguished stimuli. Importantly, effects on theta power covaried with effects on amygdala activation. Fear and extinction recall as indicated by theta explained 60% of the variance for the analogous effect in the right amygdala. Our findings show for the first time the interplay of amygdala and frontomedial theta activity during fear and extinction recall in humans and provide insight into neural circuits consistently linked with top-down amygdala modulation in rodents.

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Long-Term Inhibition of Return of Attention

Psychological Science ◽

10.1111/1467-9280.01413 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 19-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Steven P. Tipper ◽

Sarah Grison ◽

Klaus Kessler

Keyword(s):

Inhibition Of Return ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

New Information ◽

Memory Representations ◽

Efficient Processing ◽

Exogenous Cue ◽

Face Stimuli ◽

The Right ◽

First Time

During search of the environment, the inhibition of the return (IOR) of attention to already-examined information ensures that the target will ultimately be detected. Until now, inhibition was assumed to support search of information during one processing episode. However, in some situations search may have to be completed long after it was begun. We therefore propose that inhibition can be associated with an episode encoded into memory such that later retrieval reinstates inhibitory processing and encourages examination of new information. In two experiments in which attention was drawn to face stimuli with an exogenous cue, we demonstrated for the first time the existence of long-term IOR. Interestingly, this was the case only for faces in the left visual field, perhaps because more efficient processing of faces in the right hemisphere than the left hemisphere results in richer, more retrievable memory representations.

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Selective Attention Modulates Neural Substrates of Repetition Priming and “Implicit” Visual Memory: Suppressions and Enhancements Revealed by fMRI

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/0898929055002409 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 17 (8) ◽

pp. 1245-1260 ◽

Cited By ~ 105

Author(s):

Patrik Vuilleumier ◽

Sophie Schwartz ◽

Stéphanie Duhoux ◽

Raymond J. Dolan ◽

Jon Driver

Keyword(s):

Selective Attention ◽

Visual Memory ◽

Striate Cortex ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Neural Substrates ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Repetition Effects ◽

Behavioral Studies ◽

The Right

Attention can enhance processing for relevant information and suppress this for ignored stimuli. However, some residual processing may still arise without attention. Here we presented overlapping outline objects at study, with subjects attending to those in one color but not the other. Attended objects were subsequently recognized on a surprise memory test, whereas there was complete amnesia for ignored items on such direct explicit testing; yet reliable behavioral priming effects were found on indirect testing. Event-related fMRI examined neural responses to previously attended or ignored objects, now shown alone in the same or mirror-reversed orientation as before, intermixed with new items. Repetition-related decreases in fMRI responses for objects previously attended and repeated in the same orientation were found in the right posterior fusiform, lateral occipital, and left inferior frontal cortex. More anterior fusiform regions also showed some repetition decreases for ignored objects, irrespective of orientation. View-specific repetition decreases were found in the striate cortex, particularly for previously attended items. In addition, previously ignored objects produced some fMRI response increases in the bilateral lingual gyri, relative to new objects. Selective attention at exposure can thus produce several distinct long-term effects on processing of stimuli repeated later, with neural response suppression stronger for previously attended objects, and some response enhancement for previously ignored objects, with these effects arising in different brain areas. Although repetition decreases may relate to positive priming phenomena, the repetition increases for ignored objects shown here for the first time might relate to processes that can produce “negative priming” in some behavioral studies. These results reveal quantitative and qualitative differences between neural substrates of long-term repetition effects for attended versus unattended objects.

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Choice of Steerable Sheath Impacts Contact Force Stability During Pulmonary Vein Isolation

10.22541/au.160576029.95075335/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Evan Hiner ◽

Dipak Shah

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Vein ◽

Contact Force ◽

Delivery Time ◽

Jet Ventilation ◽

The Right ◽

Procedural Outcomes ◽

First Time ◽

Steerable Sheath ◽

Catheter Stability

Purpose: A stable contact force (CF) is correlated with more effective radiofrequency ablation (RFA) lesions and long-term procedural outcomes. Efforts to improve catheter stability include jet ventilation, pacing, steerable sheaths, and CF sensing ablation catheters. This study compares CF stability and effective RF lesions between two commercially available steerable sheaths. Methods: Thirty patients underwent first time RFA at a single center using the Agilis NxT or SureFlex Steerable Sheath. High power short duration RFA was utilized targeting a 10Ω drop. Sheath performance was assessed for the entire procedure and around each pulmonary vein (PV) in terms of mean CF, CF variability, RF time per lesion, and inefficient contact lesions (defined as lesions with CF < 5g for at least 10% of the RF delivery time). Results: Operator-targeted mean CF was achieved using both sheaths; however, overall CF variability was 12.8% lower using the SureFlex sheath (p = 0.08). CF variability was generally 16% greater in the right PVs than the left PVs (p = 0.001), but trended lower with the SureFlex sheath. There were 8% more inefficient contact lesions using Agilis as compared to SureFlex (p = 0.035), especially in the right inferior PV (p = 0.009). RF time per lesion was on average 12% (1.4s) shorter using SureFlex than Agilis (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Choice of steerable sheath may affect catheter stability and potential lesion quality, especially in the right PVs.

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Forschung zur richtigen Zeit, umsetzungsorientiert und politisch eingebettet

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2015.0348 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 166 (6) ◽

pp. 348-351

Author(s):

Rolf Manser ◽

Konrad Steffen ◽

Ueli Meier ◽

Christian Küchli

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Research Program ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Forest Policy ◽

Adaptation To Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Research ◽

Federal Institute ◽

The Right ◽

First Time

Research at the right time, implementation-oriented and politically embedded Climate change is occurring at a speed that raises doubts as to whether multi-functional forests can adapt to it naturally in time. In the medium to long term, important forest services seem to be endangered. Therefore, forest management strategies that support the adaptation of forests and maintain forest functions are necessary. In order to develop the necessary knowledge base and qualified decision-making support, the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research started the “Forest and Climate Change” research program in 2009. This special issue, devoted to the reaction and sensitivity of forest trees and stands to increased drought, presents for the first time results of the research program more broadly. This research program is one of the activities at the federal level relating to mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its impacts. It is politically embedded as an integral part of both the Forest Policy 2020 and the Federal Council's strategy of adaptation to climate change.

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The Perceptual Nature of the Cross-Modal Priming Effect

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169/a000045 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 376-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Guillaume Vallet ◽

Lionel Brunel ◽

Rémy Versace

Keyword(s):

Priming Effect ◽

Test Phase ◽

Auditory Stimuli ◽

Study Phase ◽

Two Phase ◽

Visual Mask ◽

Priming Paradigm ◽

The Cross ◽

First Time

The aim of this study was to demonstrate that the cross-modal priming effect is perceptual and therefore consistent with the idea that knowledge is modality dependent. We used a two-way cross-modal priming paradigm in two experiments. These experiments were constructed on the basis of a two-phase priming paradigm. In the study phase of Experiment 1, participants had to categorize auditory primes as “animal” or “artifact”. In the test phase, they had to perform the same categorization task with visual targets which corresponded either to the auditory primes presented in the study phase (old items) or to new stimuli (new items). To demonstrate the perceptual nature of the cross-modal priming effect, half of the auditory primes were presented with a visual mask (old-masked items). In the second experiment, the visual stimuli were used as primes and the auditory stimuli as targets, and half of the visual primes were presented with an auditory mask (a white noise). We hypothesized that if the cross-modal priming effect results from an activation of modality-specific representations, then the mask should interfere with the priming effect. In both experiments, the results corroborated our predictions. In addition, we observed a cross-modal priming effect from pictures to sounds in a long-term paradigm for the first time.

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